Central Asia’s smallest nation, Tajikistan is one of the world’s most mountainous countries; an amazing 50% of the country is over 10,000 feet in elevation. Tajikistan is situated in the heart of the fabled Pamir Knot, a great whorl of peaks from which radiate the Tien Shan, the Himalaya, the Karakoram, the Hindu Kush, and the little-known Kun Lun.
Historically closely related to the Persians, the Tajiks are an ancient people who have had to deal over the centuries with countless conquerors, from Alexander the Great (after his demise, what is now Tajikistan became part of the Greco-Buddhist kingdom of Gandhara) to the Russians, who considered Tajikistan a chip in the Great Game for imperial dominance in Central Asia, to the Soviets, who did little to increase the country’s prosperity, a legacy which Tajikistan struggles with to this day. Despite its travails, this is a country of outstanding beauty, big snowy peaks, and a resilient, lively, and deeply welcoming people.
There are currently no trip departures in this region.
