All activities / Trekking / Hiking / Fann Mountains
Trekking / Hiking in Fann Mountains
A compact, dry high range of granite and limestone peaks in northwest Tajikistan, between the Zarafshan and Hisor ranges, crowded with glacial lakes. The Fann Mountains hold Chimtarga at 5,489 metres and the turquoise Kulikalon, Alaudin and Haft Kul lakes, and are the country's most popular and accessible trekking area, staged from Penjikent and Artuch.
Why here
The Fann Mountains are Tajikistan's most accessible high range and its classic trekking country, a compact knot of granite and limestone peaks in the northwest crowded with glacial lakes. The walking centres on a handful of turquoise and cobalt lakes: the Kulikalon basin under the wall of Chimtarga, the highest Fann peak at 5,489 metres, the alpine Alaudin lakes, and the Haft Kul, or Seven Lakes, strung up the Shing valley, each a different colour. Trails link them over passes in the 3,500 to 4,000 metre range, with nights in tents or in village homestays where families still farm the valleys. It is high, dry and sunny, the routes are non-technical, and the whole range sits within a day's drive of Samarkand or Dushanbe, which is why it has become the standard introduction to Central Asian trekking.
Best months
The season runs late June to late September, when the passes are clear of snow and the homestays and shepherd camps are up. July and August are warm and dry by day but cold at night above 3,000 metres, and afternoon thunderstorms are common. Early and late in the season snow can linger on the higher passes such as Alaudin. The Fanns are dry and sunny overall, so sun protection and plenty of water matter as much as warm layers.
Getting there & around
Most treks start from Artuch, Sarytag near Iskanderkul, or the village of Shing at the foot of the Seven Lakes, all reached by shared car from Penjikent or Dushanbe over rough mountain roads. Penjikent is the usual staging town and sits near the Uzbek border and Samarkand. There are no permits for the core Fann range, but you need a guide or solid navigation, a tent or homestay bookings, and all your own food for multi-day routes, since there are no shops in the high valleys. Carry cash.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced
Schools & guides (2)
Paramount Journey
OutfitterParamount Journey, registered as Sayohati Oli LLC, is a Dushanbe-based adventure operator founded by Alovaddin Kalonov, who has guided across the Fann and Pamir mountains and the Yagnob and Zarafshan valleys. It runs its own trekking, mountain biking and jeep trips throughout Tajikistan with local guides rather than reselling, and in the Fann Mountains it leads routes around Kulikalon, the Alaudin lakes and the Seven Lakes. It arranges guides, porters, transport and homestays directly.
Zarafshan Tourism Development Association
OutfitterThe Zarafshan Tourism Development Association, known as ZTDA, is a community-based tourism organisation operating since March 2008, with its office in Khujand inside the Qal'ai Khujand complex. It links village homestays, drivers and mountain guides across the Zarafshan valley and the Fann Mountains, and runs its own multi-day treks such as the Land of Lakes and the Seven Beauties of Shing through the Haft Kul. Income from bookings goes back to the host families rather than to a central agency.