Rock peaks up to 5,489 metres in western Tajikistan, with a turquoise lake in almost every valley.
Drive past seven lakes that change colour with the light, swim in cold Iskanderkul, or sleep in a tent below the Chimtarga wall.
Start city, spelled outSamarkand or Dushanbe, and the hours on the road
Real guest ratingsLive figures from GetYourGuide
Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before, on every tour here
Border helpGuides walk you through both posts on Samarkand trips
Tours
Choose your Fann Mountains tour
In the centre, the Seven Lakes day trip from Samarkand that more travellers have reviewed than any other here.
Either side, Iskanderkul from Dushanbe and a real two-day trek to the Kulikalon lakes. Every card opens a full tour page.
Three hours north of Dushanbe over the Anzob Pass to a deep blue lake at 2,195 metres. Free time on the shore and a short walk to the 40-metre waterfall below it.
Cross into Tajikistan at dawn, buy bread at the Panjakent bazaar and drive up the Shing valley lake by lake. Lunch is at Marguzor, the swim is optional and cold.
Hike 3 to 4 hours from Artuch to the Kulikalon lakes and sleep in a tent below Chimtarga. Day two crosses the Chukurak Pass at 3,700 metres before the drive home.
What's included
Transport from Samarkand, with a Tajik driver after the border
Three questions sort it out. Which city are you sleeping in, Samarkand or Dushanbe? How much do you want to walk?
And do you want a night in the mountains, or your own bed?
Every tour here cancels free up to 24 hours before. On the Samarkand trips you leave Uzbekistan and come
back the same day, so bring your passport, and check that your Uzbek visa (if you need one) allows two entries.
Before you book
The Fanns are in Tajikistan. Most tours start in Uzbekistan.
Look at the listings and a pattern jumps out. Nearly every Fann Mountains day trip leaves from Samarkand, the Silk Road city
in Uzbekistan, not from Dushanbe, the Tajik capital. Geography explains it. Panjakent, the town at the foot of the Seven Lakes
valley, sits just over the border from Samarkand, while Dushanbe is on the far side of the mountains. The busy way in is a
7 a.m. minibus, two passport controls and a Tajik driver who takes over at the border.
From Dushanbe the classic trip is Iskanderkul, a cold, deep lake about three hours north over the Anzob Pass. The
Seven Lakes, Kulikalon and Alauddin are further west. And the high Fanns, the 5,000-metre walls around Chimtarga, only open up
on foot: a day trip shows you the lakes from the road, a trek puts you under the peaks.
7
Lakes on one valley road, from Mijgon at 1,598 metres to Hazorchashma at 2,400.
The day trips drive between them and stop at each one. You walk at the stops, not the whole way.
Seven LakesIskanderkulKulikalonAlauddinPanjakent
The Shing valley villages sell warm tandoor bread to every minibus that stops.
01
Do I need a visa?
US and most EU passports: no, for up to 30 days. UK and several others: an e-visa, ordered two weeks ahead.
02
Is it a hike?
The day trips are drives with walks. Only the Kulikalon trek is real hiking, at up to 3,700 metres.
03
When can I go?
Treks run late June to mid-September. Seven Lakes day trips run far beyond that, into early winter.
04
Who should skip it?
Anyone who gets carsick on mountain roads, has back problems or is pregnant: the operators say so.
Your day
How a Seven Lakes day runs
About twelve hours from Samarkand and back. The Dushanbe trips skip the border but add the Anzob Pass.
01
7 a.m. in Samarkand
Meet at the steps of the Gur-e-Amir mausoleum or at your hotel. Buses leave on time because of the border.
About 1.5 hours to the border
02
Two border posts
Out of Uzbekistan, a short walk, into Tajikistan. Your guide handles the forms; a Tajik vehicle waits on the other side.
One guest: about 5 minutes
03
Panjakent and the valley
Bread and fruit at the morning bazaar, then up the Shing river past villages and fields of apricot trees.
Most of the morning
04
Lake by lake
Stops at each lake, lunch by Marguzor, a walk or a cold swim near Hazorchashma, then the same road back.
Season, prices, the border and what to bring: one tab each.
April and May: apricot blossom in the Shing valley, snow still on the peaks. Day trips only.
Late June to mid-September: trekking season. The passes are clear and the lakes are at their bluest.
October and November: golden poplars and quiet roads. Guests were still reviewing the Seven Lakes trip in late November.
December to March: snow on the upper valley and frozen lake edges. Ask the operator how far up the road is open.
Seven Lakes day trips from Samarkand: $62 to $90, lunch included.
Iskanderkul day tour from Dushanbe: from $141.
Two days with a night in Panjakent: from $295.
Two-day Kulikalon trek with tent and meals: from $320.
Carry cash in somoni for the bazaar, drinks and tips. Cards rarely work outside Dushanbe.
Tajikistan lets citizens of the US and most EU countries in without a visa for up to 30 days.
UK citizens need a visa: order an e-visa at least two weeks before, the UK government says.
A Samarkand day trip exits and re-enters Uzbekistan. If you need an Uzbek visa, it must allow two entries.
Your passport needs six months of validity and two blank pages. Drones are banned on several tours.
Passport, always. You will not cross without it.
Comfortable shoes with grip, a hat, sunscreen and a warm layer: the upper lakes are cool even in summer.
Swimwear and a towel if you want the cold swim at the last lake.
Motion-sickness tablets if bends bother you: the valley road is rough and winding. Full list in the day trip guide.
Samarkand to borderAbout 1.5 hoursThe minibus leaves at 7 a.m. and does not wait for latecomers.
The lakes1,598 to 2,400 mSeven lakes up one valley, more than 14 km from first to last.
Dushanbe to IskanderkulAbout 3 hoursAbout 130 km over the Anzob Pass, each way.
KulikalonAbout 2,850 mA plateau of lakes below Chimtarga, 3 to 4 hours on foot from Artuch.
Highest peak5,489 mChimtarga, the top of the Fann Mountains.
Refund24 hoursFree cancellation up to a day before, on every tour here.
Where it happens
Where the trips start
Two doors into the mountains
Samarkand: Gur-e-Amir mausoleum steps or hotel pickup. Dushanbe: your hotel lobby.
The Seven Lakes valley runs south from Panjakent, a short drive from the Uzbek border, so Samarkand is the natural base.
Iskanderkul sits on the other side of the range, north of Dushanbe on the road to Khujand. The trekking trailheads, Artuch
for Kulikalon and the Alauddin valley, lie in between, and the Samarkand trek drives to Artuch with a Tajik driver after the border.
A day trip spends half its hours on the road. This one stops overnight in Panjakent: day one is Voru village, the old Sogdian town and the bazaar, day two is the Seven Lakes with time for a hike and a picnic.
The Fanns are small for Central Asian mountains and close to two big cities, which is why so many travellers
see them in a day. Here is what that day shows you, and what it leaves out.
A small range with big walls
The Fann Mountains are a compact knot of rock in western Tajikistan, squeezed between the Zarafshan range to the north and
the Gissar range to the south. There are about a hundred peaks, and several pass 5,000 metres: Chimtarga is the highest at
5,489 metres, with Bodkhona, Mirali and Energia not far behind. The rock is grey, ochre and rust, the slopes are dry, and
the only trees above the villages are old junipers. Then, in almost every valley, there is a lake: Iskanderkul, Alauddin,
the Kulikalon group and the seven lakes of Haft Kul.
Most of the range is walking country. Roads reach the lower lakes, Iskanderkul and the Seven Lakes, and the villages at
the trailheads, like Artuch. Everything above that is on foot.
Haft Kul: seven lakes up one valley, linked by a single dirt road.
The Seven Lakes are a road, not a trail
Haft Kul, the Seven Lakes, is the reason most people come. The lakes sit one above another along the Shing river, from
Mijgon at 1,598 metres to Hazorchashma at 2,400. Their names describe them: Mijgon means "eyelashes", Soya "shadow" because
the gorge is narrow, Khurdak "small". Nofin often looks reddish. Marguzor is the largest and the one on the postcards.
A dirt road runs the length of the valley, and the day trips use it. You stop at each lake, walk to the shore, eat lunch by
Marguzor and usually get a short hike near the top. It is a scenic drive with walks, and a good one. If you want to hike
the valley end to end, that is a trek of its own, often joined to the Alauddin and Kulikalon lakes.
The honest small print: the day trip is long and most of it is in a vehicle. From Samarkand you spend
roughly three hours each way on the road, plus the border twice. The cheaper listings and the dearer ones visit the same lakes;
what you pay more for is hotel pickup, a private car or a guide in your language. Each tour page
says exactly which.
Samarkand or Dushanbe?
Go from where you are already sleeping. In Samarkand, the Seven Lakes day trip is the obvious choice, and there are
plenty of operators. In Dushanbe, the easy trip is Iskanderkul, the lake that legend ties to Alexander the Great, with the
40-metre waterfall below its outflow. Doing the Seven Lakes from Dushanbe works best as a two-day trip or as part of the
overland route between the two cities. Our day trip guide
compares the listings one by one.
Above Artuch, the Kulikalon lakes sit on a plateau at about 2,850 metres, below Chimtarga.
Where the real mountains start
The Fanns' best scenery is a few hours' walk from any road. From Artuch, a village guesthouse at about 2,150 metres, a
path climbs 700 metres to the Kulikalon plateau, a cluster of lakes under the Chimtarga wall. The classic loop then crosses
the Alauddin Pass, at roughly 3,800 metres, and drops to the Alauddin lakes. The season is short, late June to mid-September,
and the passes need fitness and a guide. The two-day Kulikalon
trek is the shortest taste of it you can book online.
Timing it
For trekking, July and August. For the Seven Lakes day trip, almost any month: spring brings apricot blossom, autumn turns the
poplars gold, and the trips keep running into early winter, when the upper road can be snowy. Whatever the season, the
water stays cold. Our season guide goes month by month.
Marguzor, the largest of the Seven Lakes, is where most tours stop for lunch.
Straight answers to what people ask most about the Fann Mountains and the Seven Lakes.
Where are the Fann Mountains located?
In western Tajikistan, in Sughd Province, between the Zarafshan range to the north and the Gissar range to the south. The nearest town is Panjakent, close to the border with Uzbekistan, which is why most day trips leave from Samarkand, about an hour and a half from the border. From Dushanbe, the capital, it is about three hours north by road. See the Seven Lakes guide for the map in words.
What is the altitude of the Fann Mountains?
The highest peak, Chimtarga, is 5,489 metres, and several others pass 5,000 metres, among them Bodkhona (5,138 m) and Energia (5,120 m). The lakes sit much lower: the Seven Lakes run from 1,598 m to 2,400 m, Iskanderkul is at 2,195 m and the Kulikalon plateau at about 2,850 m.
How do I get to 7 Lakes, Tajikistan?
By road up the Shing valley from Panjakent. The easy way is a day trip from Samarkand: a minibus to the border, help with both border posts, then a Tajik vehicle up the valley and back the same evening. From Dushanbe it is a long drive west, so most people go from Samarkand. Compare the options in Samarkand to the Seven Lakes.
Can you walk around 7 lakes?
Not in one easy loop. The lakes lie one after another along a single valley, more than 14 km from the first to the last, and the day trips drive between them on a dirt road. You walk at the stops, and most tours include a short hike near the last lake, Hazorchashma. Hiking the whole valley is a multi-day trek, not a day trip.
How long is the 7 Lakes route?
The day trips from Samarkand take 11 to 12.5 hours door to door, leaving around 7 a.m. and returning around 7 p.m. Most of that is driving and the border. Time at the lakes themselves is a few hours, spread over five or six stops.
Do I need a visa for the Fann Mountains?
It depends on your passport. Citizens of the US and most EU countries can visit Tajikistan without a visa for up to 30 days; UK, Indian, Chinese and Turkish citizens, among others, need an e-visa, which takes at least two weeks. On a Samarkand day trip you also leave and re-enter Uzbekistan. Details in visa and safety.
Is it safe to travel to Tajikistan now?
The UK government does not advise against travel to the Fann Mountains or Sughd Province. Its landmine warnings concern the Afghan border, the Tavildara region and parts of the Kyrgyz border, all far from here. The real risks in the Fanns are mountain ones: rockfall, sudden weather and limited rescue. Do not trek alone.
Does Tajikistan speak English?
Not widely. Tajik is the national language and Russian is common; in villages like Artuch or Marguzor you will rarely hear English. Guides on the tours here speak English, and some offer French, German, Italian, Korean or Russian.
When is the best time to visit the Fann Mountains?
Late June to mid-September for trekking, when the passes are clear of snow. The Seven Lakes day trips run much longer: guests reviewed them in November and December, and spring brings apricot blossom to the valley. Read the season guide.
Is Tajikistan cheap or expensive?
Cheap on the ground, and the tours reflect it: a Seven Lakes day trip from Samarkand starts at about $62 with lunch and transport. Cards rarely work outside Dushanbe, so carry somoni in cash for the bazaar, tips and drinks.
Can you swim in the Seven Lakes?
Yes, several tours allow it, usually in the last lake. Expect it to be cold. "You can swim there too, but it's really cold," one guest wrote in August. Iskanderkul is colder still, and the water gets deep a few metres from the shore.
Can I cancel a Fann Mountains tour?
Every tour on this site cancels for a full refund up to 24 hours before the start, and most let you reserve now and pay later.
Ready to book
Pick your lake, pick your day.
Border help on every Samarkand trip, and free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every tour.
From Dushanbe
★ 4.61 dayFree cancellation
