Wild Frontiers

Flight Information

There are no direct flights to Dushanbe from London. The best options are Air Baltic via Riga which takes around 10:25hrs, or Turkish Airlines via Istanbul, taking 12hrs.

Useful Tips

• If visiting Khodjent take your trunks - a swim in the Amu Darya at sunset is lovely

• In fact take your trunks wherever you're going - in the mountains there are plenty of natural spas

• Roads can be dusty so a bandanna is a good idea

• The sun can be harsh at high altitudes in the Pamirs so ensure you bring a good sun hat and lots of sun cream

• Learn the Cyrillic alphabet " it will only take you a few minutes but it will help you immensely

Recommended Reading

If you want to read up on your destination we recommend a variety of guidebooks such as the Bradt Guides, Odyssey Guides, The Rough Guide and Footprint Guides. All these publications have good general information as well as more specific country information that will help orientate you in the areas you visit.

Good books and maps of Tajikistan are available at Stanfords in Covent Garden, London or online at www.stanfords.co.uk

Relevant Reading:
The first to mention is the utterly riveting, The Great Game by Peter Hopkirk. Chronicling the extraordinary history of the region, from Genghis Khan through to the Bolsheviks, it is a wonderfully readable book, focusing primarily on the wars, alliances and intrigues caused by the imperial rivalry of Britain and Russia during the 19th Century.

Also by Hopkirk, Setting the East Ablaze, specifically relates to the Bolshevik’s annexation of Central Asia, is a fascinating, enjoyable and arguably even more relevant book on the area. Other good books on the region include The Road to Oxiana by Robert Byron; In Xanadu by William Dalrymple; Apples in the Snow by Geoffrey Moorhouse; Eastern Approaches by Fitzroy MacLean; Lost Heart of Asia by Colin Thubron, and most recently: A Carpet Ride to Khiva by Chris Alexander, a fascinating insight into what life is like in modern day Central Asia.

And of course our very own Jonny Bealby’s book; Silk Dreams, Troubled Road.

When To Go

The weather conditions can be extremely varied. In the Pamir Mountains you will often be travelling at heights in excess of 4000 metres, and even in the middle of summer it can turn bitter with snow falling; at the same time mercury in the thermometers of Dushanbe can be nudging 40 degrees. All in all, British summertime is considered the best time to visit in terms of favourable conditions.

Packing List

Below is a list of general items you might take with you on a Wild Frontiers trip to Tajikistan. With your booking confirmation you will receive a packing list specific to your tour, so please treat this as a general guideline only.

Luggage:
It is best to use a soft bag - rucksack/hold-all/duffel bag - so it can be transported and stored more easily.
On all our trips a small daypack is practical for keeping general items (e.g. camera, books, wallets etc.) at hand when your main pack is out of reach. It is also handy for day trips and excursions.

Clothing:
In general you should bring clothes you feel comfortable with. However, the main thing to bear in mind while packing for a trip to Central Asia is that the weather conditions can be extremely varied. In the mountains, you will often be travelling at heights in access of 4,000 metres, and even in the middle of summer it can turn bitter with snow falling. You should therefore pack things for cold conditions as well as for warm.

You should also keep in mind that while there is a much more relaxed approach to Islam than in many of the neighbouring countries, in certain areas shoulders and legs would need to be covered.

Therefore as a guide we suggest a packing list like this:
• 4 x Light cotton shirts or T-shirts, short sleeved and long.
• 2/3 pairs of cotton trousers. If preferred, women can wear dresses and skirts
• 2 x pairs of shorts
• 2 x Lightweight jumpers or sweatshirts
• Good quality fleece or warm jumper
• Warm jacket
• Lightweight waterproof jacket
• Set of thermal underwear
• Change of clothing for the evenings
• An extra “outfit” if you’d like to dress up a bit on occasion
• Warm hat and gloves
• Sun hat or cap
• Women should have a headscarf
• Swim suit or trunks
• Pair of walking shoes/boots (walking)
• Pair of recreational shoes, adventure sandals, trainers or pumps
• Flip flops/sandals for bathrooms

Equipment:
The following is useful extra equipment for your trip:
• Travel towel, travel soap and toiletries
• Sleeping bag liner (cotton or silk)
• Torch (LED head-torch keeps your hands free)
• A bandanna or large handkerchief is useful for dusty tracks
• Pair of good quality sunglasses
• Water bottle
• Plug adapter (see ‘Electricity’ section)

Personal First Aid Kit:
While we do carry a large medical kit on all our group tours, we would advise that you take some of the basics with you. This should include:
• Any prescription medication required (please inform the tour leader at your pre-departure meeting about these)
• Antibacterial dry hand wash
• Painkillers: paracetamol & ibuprofen
• Rehydration salts (Gastrolyte)
• Travel motion-sickness tablets if required (e.g. natural ginger tablets)
• Diarrhoea remedies
• Antihistamines
• Cold/flu decongestants
• Mosquito Repellent
• Insect bite cream
• Laxatives
• Plasters/Bandage/Steri-Strips/Blister pads
• Sunscreen (30+ factor)
• Moisturiser/after sun cream/lip balm
• Contact lenses and solution if required
• Tweezers
(A kit with most of this in is available at www.nomadtravel.co.uk)

Optional Extras:
• Ear plugs (if sharing a room / camping)
• Alarm clock
• 3-4 plastic carrier bags are very useful for dirty washing, dirty shoes and rubbish
• Binoculars
• Small packs of tissues
• Money belt or secure pouch for money and passport etc.
• Eye patches if light affects your sleep
• Sewing kit/scissors
• Writing materials
• Spare batteries/camera memory cards
• Swiss Army knife
• Trekking poles

NB: If you wear glasses, it is advisable to bring a spare pair since opticians are rare. If you wear contact lenses you may find that climatic changes and dust can create visual irritation, therefore, it is advisable to bring a pair of glasses.

You might be tempted to buy a few souvenirs here and there, so leave a little room for those extra purchases!!

Practical Information

Time:
Tajikistan is 5hrs ahead of GMT.
A useful website to check the time zone differences is www.worldtimezone.com

Food and Alcohol:
The food in Central Asia very varied. As you travel through, you will experience the delicacies of each region, which often overlap with the cultures that have lived and moved around over the centuries.

With regard to alcohol, the choice is limited to vodka, beer or rather filthy local brandy, so anyone wanting something different - Scotch or Gin for example - should buy it duty free and bring it out.

Electricity:
Those bringing video & digital cameras that require battery chargers should also bring a two-pin, continental style adapter. In most hotels you can charge from the mains using a travel adaptor plug.

Money:
In Tajikistan the official unit of currency is the Somoni.

To check out the latest exchange rate for the places that you are visiting you can go to www.oanda.com

A few points to help you plan:
• It is strongly recommended you travel with US dollars in cash. Sterling or travellers cheques are very difficult to change.
• Credit cards and Travellers Cheques are basically useless.
• Payments are mainly made in cash.
• Try not to withdraw more than you think you will need as currency can be hard to change back.
• It is useful to bring lots of small denomination notes.

Language & Religion:
Tajikistan’s official language is Tajik. Russian is still routinely used for business and communication. The majority of the population follow Sunni Islam, with the small minority being followers of Russian Orthodox, Catholicism, Buddhism and Judaism.

Cultural Sensitivity:
On our tours we frequently interact with local people, each with their own distinct customs and traditions. We therefore ask you to be considerate and to treat them with respect. Your tour leader will be able to advise you accordingly.

At Wild Frontiers we are very aware of the ethical impact tourism can have on ancient cultures. We realise that taking a group of tourists through such a region can have a negative impact on the lives of those who live there and on all our tours we therefore go to great lengths to minimise the negative and accentuate the positive…after all, there are also many good things that the tourist can bring.

To help this process we ask that our clients do not hand out pens or sweets to children. As one sign in Egypt emphatically put it, ‘Please don't make beggars out of our children!' No matter how well intentioned, in our opinion the dolling out of free gifts fosters a ‘beggar mentality' that is ultimately extremely destructive to a society. In addition we do not condone giving out money to beggars or ‘students'.

However, we also realise that we are exceptionally privileged to be travelling in areas where most of the people have far less than us and that the desire to ‘help' can be very powerful. As a result we ask that you refer to your trip dossier for information on the Wild Frontiers Foundation which supports specific projects in the areas where we travel.

Photography:
Please remember, we are guests in the countries through which we travel and we may sometimes inadvertently cause offence by taking photographs without first asking permission.

Also many countries have very strict rules about taking photos of army, police or any official personnel; restrictions apply at borders, bridges and any government building. Please exercise care in this regard as the penalty may be to have your film and/or camera confiscated.