Tajikistan - Getting Around

Tajikistan is not a country designed for leisurely touring. Ninety three percent of the country is mountainous. Only 10 percent can be cultivated. Some tourist itineraries provide a three-day tour of which two and a half days are getting in and out of Dushanbe with a half day sprint from the hotel and back to see the Gissar fortress before it gets dark. Not much a draw for bus tours. The eastern mountains make most of the country an adventure, the civil war makes the driving interesting, and the general lack of infrastructure means you come in or you go out, but you don't cruise around. There are daily 22-hour train connections to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, but sit with your back to the engine to avoid most of the rocks thrown through the windows by guerrilla wannabes thinking that Russians are on board. There are three rail lines inside Tajikistan, but check to see if the track has been blown up and, of course, look out for thieves while on board.

You can try to hitch rides with the aid convoys and truck drivers going through the northern mountains into Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. The alpine scenery along the Pamir Highway into or from Kyrgyzstan is worth the life-shortening ride, bad food and lack of accommodations. The embattled M41 highway along the border with Afghanistan is used only by Russian military vehicles. The high passes are snowed in from October to March. The M41 road between Osh, Kyrgyzstan and Khorog is kept open year round and is the most scenic, but once past Khorog, it becomes one of the most dangerous as it hugs the border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan.

There are supposed to be regular flights via Tajik Air to Khojand, Khorog and most major towns in Tajikistan, but once again weather, crashed planes and the availability of Stinger air to ground missiles dictate the flight schedules here. Reservations are not taken until 3-7 days before the flight. You have to buy your tickets at the airport since the locals get to pay a lot less at the airline offices. You can get the latest from Tajik Intourist Tel.: 7 (3772) 21-68-92 or Russia's Intourist 630 Fifth Avenue, Suite 868, New York, NY 10111 Tel.: (212) 757-3884, Fax: (212) 459-0031 and good luck getting a straight answer.

You must be very specific about which cities you wish to visit and make sure they are clearly written in. There are a lot of checkpoints if you travel by road. Soldiers will shoot if you do not stop. When you do stop they will shake you down for a bribe. Smile and act stupid and they may give up on you. If you do not have the proper paperwork you will be sent back. You could also be detained and fined. For in-country security reports, contact the UN Military Observers Team at Shevchenko Street in Dushanbe: Tel.: [7] (3272) 21-01-47. Travel anywhere within 15 miles of the Afghan border is very dangerous and controlled by Russian soldiers.