Two-Day Adventure: Pendjikent & Seven Lakes from Samarkand

Pendjikent (also written Panjakent) is the first Tajik town across the border from Samarkand, and the Seven Lakes — Haft Kul — lie in the Fann Mountains above it. Many visitors see the lakes on a long day trip. Two days let you add Pendjikent's Sogdian ruins and the Bronze Age site of Sarazm, spend a night in a guesthouse, and reach the highest lake without watching the clock.

Key facts

• Route: Samarkand – Jartepa/Sarazm border crossing – Pendjikent – Seven Lakes – back to Samarkand.
• Distances (tour data): about 50 km from Samarkand to the border, 80 km from Pendjikent to the lakes, 130 km from the last lake back to the border.
• Time needed: 2 days, 1 night in a guesthouse.
• Highest point: Hazorchashma, the seventh lake, at about 2,400 m.
• Documents: passport; a visa for Tajikistan if your nationality needs one; and a way back into Uzbekistan (visa-free entry or a double/multiple-entry visa).
• Good for: travellers who want history and mountain scenery in one short trip; families; photographers.
• Prices: depend on group size and season — see the tour page or contact us.

Why two days instead of a day trip?

A day tour from Samarkand to the Seven Lakes is possible, but most of it is spent on the road and at the border. With an overnight stay the first day belongs to history — Sarazm and Pendjikent — and the second day to the mountains, from the lowest lake to Hazorchashma at the top of the valley. You travel the mountain road in daylight and have time for walks and photo stops.

Day 1: Sarazm and Pendjikent

Crossing the border at Jartepa

The trip starts early in Samarkand. After about an hour's drive you reach the Uzbek checkpoint Jartepa; on the Tajik side it is called Sarazm. You pass passport and customs control on both sides; your Tajik guide and driver meet you on the other side.

Sarazm: a town older than the Silk Road

On the road to Pendjikent lies Sarazm, one of the oldest settlements in Central Asia. People lived here from the 4th to the late 3rd millennium BC, and it was a centre of early metalworking and trade. In 2010 it became Tajikistan's first UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Pendjikent: museum, bazaar and Sogdian ruins

In Pendjikent the programme includes the regional museum named after the poet Rudaki, the local bazaar and a mosque, followed by lunch in a local restaurant. A few minutes' drive from the modern town are the ruins of ancient Pendjikent, a Sogdian city that grew in the 5th century and was taken by Arab armies in 722. Its walls, temples and houses help explain the Silk Road world of Samarkand before Islam.

Overnight in a guesthouse.

Day 2: the Seven Lakes of Haft Kul

The lakes one by one

The Seven Lakes lie one above the other in a valley of the western Fann Mountains, linked by a river and a mountain road. In order from the lowest they are usually named Mijgon (also Nezhigon), Soya, Gushor, Nofin, Khurdak, Marguzor and Hazorchashma. The lowest is at about 1,640 m, the highest at about 2,400 m, and every lake has its own colour, from turquoise to deep blue, depending on depth, light and minerals. Local people tell a legend of seven sisters about their origin; the geography of the lakes is a story of its own.

Picnic at Hazorchashma

At the last lake, Hazorchashma, the tour stops for a picnic. In the afternoon you drive back down the valley to the border, cross into Uzbekistan and continue to your hotel in Samarkand.

Visas and the border (as of October 2026)

• Tajikistan: many nationalities can visit Tajikistan visa-free or with an e-visa — check the current rules for your passport on the official e-visa portal (evisa.tj) before you book.
• Back to Uzbekistan: if you entered Uzbekistan visa-free, you simply enter again. If you have a single-entry Uzbek visa, you need a double- or multiple-entry visa for this trip.
• Time: Uzbekistan and Tajikistan use the same time zone.
• Money: Tajikistan uses the somoni; bring some cash for personal purchases.

Practical tips

• Bring warm layers: at 2,400 m it is noticeably cooler than in Samarkand, even in summer.
• Wear shoes with a good grip for the paths along the lakes.
• Keep your passport with you, not in the main luggage, on both days.
• Expect a simple guesthouse with home-cooked food rather than a hotel.
• The road to the upper lakes is a winding mountain road; tell us in advance if anyone gets car-sick.
• Late spring to mid-autumn is the easiest time; ask us about other months.

Plan it with TravelBliss

We arrange the whole trip from Samarkand: car and driver to the border, help with the crossing, a Tajik guide and driver, the guesthouse, and the return. Ask us what the tour includes before you book. See the Two-Day Pendjikent and Seven Lakes tour, or, if you only have one day, the Seven Lakes Tajikistan Day Tour from Samarkand. Prices depend on the number of travellers and the season — contact us for a quote.