Lovely nature - Awesome tour, amazing nature, amazing mountains scenery and the guide and driver so nice. Thank you!

Perfect day trip visiting all Seven Lakes - Very happy we managed to visit ALL seven lakes as we were also lucky with wonderful weather for such trip! First of all, as the trip took place in November, sunset that time of the year is at 5:20 PM already, so I requested early departure at 7:00 AM instead of listed 8:00 AM to catch all the daytime. The day before the organizer Mr. Amir kindly confirmed that weather is great and we are good to go, agreed on early departure at 7:00 AM and provided with Excel file with a schedule visiting every lake. Very convenient, flexible and fast responsive tour operator! First, local driver picked us up at our home in Samarkand. It takes less than 1 hour to get to the border. At 8 AM the border crossing takes around 20-25 minutes, very smooth process there. At the Tajikistan side at 8:15 AM we met our guide Mr. Umar with driver Mr. Mansur and headed to Panjakent city for supermarket shopping to get snacks and drinks (not included in a tour price). After another hour of driving gravel road, we reached the first lake. Take note that there is no reception/internet in the area. Our guide Mr. Umar is very knowledgeable, explained A LOT about every lake, about local people and culture and many, many more. We had a lot of questions and we got very detailed and interesting answers on all of them, appreciate it, learnt a lot! Along the way we had a photo stops at every lake, without any rush. All relaxing and smooth. To get to the seventh lake you need to hike for around 30 minutes. By the lake we had a lunch with snacks we bought in Panjakent. I would suggest bringing proper food, as there is no shops/cafes at all in the area and tour operator doesn't provide lunch, as well. So be advised and prepared. We departed back to Panjakent at around 4 o'clock and reached Panjakent at around 5:15 PM, just by the sunset. I asked to drop us in Panjakent by our hotel, as we wanted to stay for a day to explore city itself, so we haven't had a ride back to Samarkand with the tour operator. Thanks a lot to Mr. Amir for organizing and adjusting the schedule, Mr. Umar for such an interesting stories and precious information, and Mr. Mansur for driving us safely around!

Amazing trip to beautiful lakes with wonderful Tajik driver and guide - I had an amazing day exploring the Fann mountains and the seven lakes. The guide Dawood and driver Masoor were so helpful and shared amazing history and background of Tajikistan. I would highly recommend this trip.

Wonderful experience in the Fan Mountains - The trip to the 7 lakes in the Fan Mountains is a worthwhile experience. Technically, it went excellently. We were picked up on time at our hotel in Samarkand and dropped off at the Uzbek-Tajik border after about an hour's drive. With the necessary papers, crossing the border is no problem. Drivers and tour guides were waiting for us on the Tajik side. After a short stop at a hotel in Penjikent, we drove on to the valley of the Shing River. We drove up a dusty road to the 7 lakes. The landscape is breathtakingly beautiful. Steep mountains and a rushing river accompanied us. By now, our friendly tour guide, who spoke good English, had already told us a lot about the history of Tajikistan. Now we could concentrate on the beauty of nature and scenes of rural life in the mountains. At lunchtime we had a small meal on a mountain farmer's farm. That was decent and relaxing. We continued along the lakes. At each lake we found one or two places where it was worth getting out for a photo stop or just to admire the natural beauty. Our driver continued on the dirt road after the 6th lake, so the small mountain hike was relatively short and not so strenuous. We reached the 7th lake at an altitude of 2400 meters. After a short ice-cold footbath in the lake, we went back to the car and downhill until we reached Penjikent again. In accordance with our wishes, we visited the ruins of old Penjikent, from which we had a beautiful view of the Serafshan River and the Turkestan mountain range. We were then dropped off at the border again, crossed it and were already awaited by our Uzbek driver, who took us back to the hotel. In summary, we can say that this trip was a wonderful experience, which we also owe to the perfect organization, the reliable drivers and the knowledgeable and friendly, open-minded tour guide.

Amazing experience - This tour was fantastic. Good communication with the tour company, punctual drivers, and a truly wonderful guide. The Seven Lakes are very remote but are absolutely stunning. Lunch was great, and the stops in Panjikent were also interesting. Tajikistan is an intriguing and beautiful place -- I highly recommend this tour.

Do not miss wonderful lake - Great adventure crossing border another country beautiful lake everything in one day. Easy to go if you have visa for Tallis than

Beautiful lake tour in the remote mountains of Tajikistan...don't miss this! - The tour began with a pick up at my hotel and transport to the Tajikistan where I was met on the other side by my guide and driver. The trip to the mountains included several stops to a variety of sites and while it was a longish drive up to the lakes, I had a great conversation with the guide, whose English was very good, and he told me a lot about the area, Uzbeks, Tajiks and Kyrgyzs, along with the different languages. It was very interesting to learn about the area from someone who grew up in the area. The driver was very good, the roads were a little rough but not terrible. The lakes were incredible, even though it was a little overcast when I was there. I have never seen bluer blues or greener greens. It is a remote area and there isn't a lot to do other than just take it all in but if you like the outdoors, beautiful landscapes and a glimpse of a very old and remote culture (many of the people in these mountain areas fled the Arab invasion a thousand years ago), this might be for you. Silk Roads Tours did a superb job of organizing this tour and I did other another tour with them as well which was equally well run. They helped me arrange a variety of things like airport transfers and train tickets, just a really efficient and nice group of people. This tour was just about perfect in length, and we got to to see most of the highlights of this area of Tajikistan. Everyone involved from the Uzbek side to the the Tajikistan tour was on time, friendly and made the tour even better with good conversation and a really good vibe. Thanks to everyone!

Life-endangering trip left us stranded up a mountain and forced into doing risky hike along strong rapids. Risk to life. - We were sent up a mountain in an unsuitable vehicle, which caused us to be stranded for four hours at the peak after some rain. The guide had no idea what to do. When I asked if there was a risk we’d be stuck overnight with no water, the guide said “I hope not”. Their anxiety was because their people carrier vehicle may get stuck in a few inches of mud caused by the rain. Because of this, the driver and guide refused to take us home. As night approached and we began to get desperate, we even began shovelling the mud off the road ourselves, as our guide and driver ignored us and chatted casually to locals. They refused to call for help for three hours. The road was cleared of other vehicles, but they still refused to try to drive the vehicle over the minor mud patch. Eventually, after three hours of being stranded, I demanded the guide summon help. He eventually gave in and a 4by4 was called. This was the car we should have been given to go up the mountain in the first place. We then had to hike a mile on a thin riverbank made of pebbles. If it had collapsed, we’d have fallen into strong rapids. One of us fell towards the bank during the hike on this unsafe ridge and cut himself, bleeding significantly. Thank goodness he didn’t stumble into the rapids or he would have likely drowned. Our shoes and shorts were caked in mud and ruined after this hike, and some items of property were lost. This is a very expensive day trip - we paid £414 for two people. But the day was badly organised, no rescue vehicle was sent for three hours, and the staff ignored us even though we were naturally getting anxious about nightfall approaching and the risk of more rain. I raised these issues with the tour operator when we returned. He gave us a £50 per person partial refund (25 per cent). When I asked for a full refund given how badly organised, dangerous and distressing the trip was, he accused me of ‘wanting a free ride’. He also claimed, falsely, that we were sent up the mountain in a 4by4 vehicle rather than the truth, which is that an unsuitable people carrier was used, and that’s why the staff were frightened to drive it through a few inches of mud. I sent a detailed, carefully written account of what happened to the agent last week, as I assumed he may have been misled by his partners. Despite several attempts, he’s refused to engage with any of the matters of fact raised. I’ve also made clear I have supporting photos and video of what happened. I now have several aggressive and insulting messages in my inbox from the operator, who has chosen to get very personal rather than address the specifics in the detailed account I sent to him last week. He’s being evasive because he knows they got things very wrong. The following is a direct quote from the operator’s last message to me: “wake up craig you choose to take a tour to off the track mountain, God forbid but tourist sometimes loose their life due to unforeseen weather condition, my advise to you is to stay nice & safe doing city tour in future.” I think this tells you all you need to know about this trip and agency.

Death-trap trip left us stranded up a mountain as night approached. - This tour is a deathtrap. We were sent up the mountain in a weak, unsuitable people carrier. Minor rainfall led to several mudpatches, which the guide and driver refused to drive through in case the vehicle got stuck and they got into trouble. We were stranded on a remote mountain for four hours, running out of water. When I asked the guide if we would be stuck overnight, he said "I really hope not". The staff watched us shovelling mud ourselves out of the road, declining to call for help, despite nightfall approaching. Eventually, when we insisted they call a rescue vehicle, they finally did it. We then had to hike for an hour along an unsafe pebble stone river bank, with storming rapids a few inches to the left. One of us almost fell into the rapids. He was bleeding after the fall. Shoes, shorts and bags were lost or ruined, causing over £300 of property damage. Eventually, the rescue vehicle arrived, but we'd have been stuck up the mountain after dark if I hadn't insisted on it being called. When I complained and asked for my money back, the organiser claimed dishonestly that we were sent up in a 4by4 and that we were prevented from travelling due to other cars being stuck. This is untrue, it was a people carrier, and the road was cleared several times of smaller cars, but our staff wouldn't risk the mud patch because they knew the people carrier wasn't up to it. We were given a £50 per person refund from the £200 per person trip. Under the circumstances, we should have had an apology and a full refund. Of note is that we didn't actually do around a third of the itinerary due to the crisis. But far more significant was the property damage, risk to life and distress caused. I tried to explain this to the operator in an extended account with evidence, but he ignored the full account and eventually stopped engaging. Don't risk this dangerous, badly organised trip.

Absolute disaster. Unethical company with completely fabricated and impossible itinerary - This tour company is an absolute scam. They completely lie about the time and itinerary to make you think it’s achievable … but it’s not. For example. They say it will take 45 mins from the boarder to the 1st lake, it doesn’t. It takes 2.5 hours. Which means it’s logistically impossible to accomplish this itinerary in a day. The tour company knows that. They are based in UZ and the Taj guides were wonderful and clear that the times allocated are only if you take a helicopter. Additionally, the road to the lakes is nothing more than a goat path. For miles. So gear up for 3.5 hours (ONE WAY) on this bumpy road. We’ve traveled to dozens of countries and this tour was by far my greatest error. Additionally, I asked for a 50% refund since we could only accomplish 25% of the promised itinerary and they refused. Spare yourself the regret.