Tajikistan - Sophie Ibbotson

This new, thoroughly updated fourth edition of Bradt's Tajikistan remains the most practical and widest-ranging guide dedicated exclusively to Central Asia's smallest country. Tajikistan offers travellers unforgettable experiences: epic mountain trekking routes, crystal-clear lakes, the world's biggest teahouse and fabulous wildlife watching (think snow leopard and the extraordinary Marco Polo sheep) alongside ancient Buddhist sites, Silk Road trading posts, medieval shrines and planned Soviet cities. Locals call Tajikistan Bam-i-Dunya ('the roof of the world'), and travelling the world's second-highest road, the Pamir Highway - or hiking the 1,310km-long Pamir Trail, which was completed in 2024 and features in this new edition - you can understand why. With peaks nearly as high as those in the Himalayas and a complex culture drawing its diverse heritage from Persia, China, Afghanistan and Russia, Tajikistan is the least familiar of the 'Stans and many areas remain untouched, making the country ideal for curious travellers keen to explore off the beaten path. Bradt's guidebook covers every corner of Tajikistan, from the Wakhan Valley to the Fann Mountains and Garm Chashma springs, Dushanbe to the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Sarazm and Tajik National Park. With first-hand descriptions of everything from Sogdian ruins to the traditional sport of buzkashi (polo with a livestock carcass), trekking on the Murghab Plateau and eating shashlik in garden tea houses, the writing team (Sophie Ibbotson - Central Asian expert, experienced travel writer and chair of the Royal Society for Asian Affairs - plus inveterate traveller and guidebook-updater Nancy Chuang) bring the country alive. As well as the Pamir Trail, new elements of this edition reflect the recent investment in tourism by the Tajik government and multilateral development banks. The new women-led Gulzar Village cultural centre in Dushanbe is designed like a rural community where visitors can experience traditional crafts and foods. The Pamirs, meanwhile, now have 150 village homestays, further opening up the region for mountain-lovers. Whether you're interested in culture, trekking, historical sites, nature, archaeology and architecture, seeing majestic mountainscapes or are fascinated by Silk Road heritage, and whether visiting independently or on an organised tour, Bradt's Tajikistan is your ideal travel companion.