Already before I arrived in Tajikistan, I knew that when I got there, I first wanted to take a time out. The months before were entertaining, but also kinda stressful, as I was always on the move. First the bureaucratic stuff that I had to do in Switzerland and after that I was always absorb with hiking, the planning of my trip and working on my blog. So it was time now for some days doing nothing at all. :) Looking at the map of Tajikistan, there was a lake in the mountains called Iskanderkul, which is a designated holiday area for the locals in Dushanbe and I thought it a good idea to make it the place for my "holidays" as well. Already the ride to get there was super stunning and when I reached the lake I knew it was the right decision. As there were not that many places to stay at the lake directly, I decided to head to the little village of Sarytag about 5 kilometers away from Iskanderkul. There I stayed at a lovely guesthouse and spent some days relaxing and reading. As the scenery all around was spectacular though, I couldn't resist the temptation and soon had made up my mind to go for a day hike in the area. Lucky me, I was able to chose the day and of course I picked the one with the best weather. :) Leaving my guesthouse at around 9 am after a nice breakfast, I made my way along the outskirts of Sarytag and soon found the dirt road to the neighboring village of Kanchoch that I wanted to pass on my way to Iskanderkul. It didn't took long and a couple locals came towards me wondering where I was from. "Anglic?", was their question and me struggling for words, as I didn't knew the word for Switzerland in Tajik or Russian, they offered me another option: "Germania?". Close enough I thought and confirmed. :) They were content and let me go soon after. Following the road, I first had to descend towards a river and during the descent I had a good view of the surroundings and of my first destination Kanchoch.
Mountains dominated the scenery and they all looked different. One grey and with snow, the other green, brown and grey with a pointy peak, the other a mixture between red, green, brown and grey, it was quite a fascinating sight. The red one was ahead of me and I could see that there was some sort of quarry at the foot of the mountain. There were also many trucks going to and fro between the quarry and Kanchoch and I didn't really knew what to expect when I would reach the village. Well, that was part of the fun and crossing the river on a rusty bridge, I made my way upwards again towards the settlement.
Thinking that there was a way into the village, I just walked along the obvious road. When I came closer though, I noticed that the way into the village was barred by a big gap where some people were at work. More people were working on the other side of the gap and when the boss there noticed me, he came walking towards the gap. When he was within earshot, tourist as I was, I only asked him: "Iskanderkul?" and pointed in direction of the lake. He shook his head and made a cross with his arms. Really? I repeated my question and he repeated the sign, afterwards pointing to where I came from and saying "Sarytag". Great... Go back? That was not the answer I expected. So I turned around and he did as well and right then a worker from the gap whistled and waved me towards him. As the boss was not looking anymore I walked towards the worker and he pointed at a bridge over the gap and said I could go across there towards Iskanderkul. Very nice! I said thank you, walked over the bridge and was right in the middle of the village. While I thought Kanchoch was a local village like Sarytag, it turned out that it was a workers village only, full of people that worked for the quarry. There were many signs in Chinese as well, so it was rather obvious who was investing in this project. As I was kinda lost in this village I just walked out of it as fast as possible. That didn't took long and I was glad that I didn't had to walk back to Sarytag again. Coming over a little ascent, I was even more glad, as I now had a brilliant view of the valley in front of me and Iskanderkul in the background.
The descent down into the valley took quite a while, but was a pretty entertaining one. I took some short cuts cross-country, met some more locals, were surprised about all the road signs and marveled at the scenery all the time. When I finally was at the bottom of the valley, I came upon a turnoff and there I stayed on the right side of the river. My goal now was Turbaza, a place with some holiday cottages at the other end of the lake. Hoping to make a loop around the whole lake, I thought it best to walk first along the less frequented side. Following that way for a while I was happy when some trees offered shade from the burning sun. Soon enough I reached the edge of the lake and even though I knew what was coming the sight was still tremendously gorgeous. The colors of the lake were intense and with the huge mountains around it, it was a mind-blowing sight to behold. And apparently this would not even be the most beautiful mountain lake in Tajikistan... Like, seriously?
Right there I also met some Russians that spoke some English. What a relief to actually speak some words and not use my hands and feet all the time. :) They came from Russia by car and drove 3000 kilometers already. Wow, that must have been a crazy journey and about another 8000 kilometer were still ahead of them. Taking the chance, I asked them if they knew, if there is a way around the lake. They said yes and I was happy to hear that. After a break at the shore I kept on walking along the bank of the lake and the views just remained insane. It was a wonder that I didn't swallow any fly or bee as I was walking with an open mouth all the time. :)
About 40 minutes later I rounded a bend and finally was able to see the next part of the way around Iskanderkul. It led along a bay and on the other side of the bay there was a long and steep ascent on to a ridge. Now that I knew what was awaiting me, I took a break in the shade of a huge rock and thought over my next step. Unfortunately I had underestimated the distance, as it took me longer to get to this point than expected. As a consequence of this underestimation, I also didn't had enough water with me and last but not least my stomach was pretty bloated and I almost couldn't get down my lunch. Knowing that my body was not at 100%, that I was alone on the trail, that I was running out of water and that a steep and long ascent under a scorching midday sun was not that appealing, I decided to turn back and retrace my steps to the turnoff. Arriving there, I crossed over the river and turned to the right to walk along the left side of the river. Right there a car full with people and construction material stopped beside me and the driver asked where I was going. "Turbaza", was what I said and he pointed first towards Kanchoch, then at his wheel, then at me and at last in direction of Turbaza. Understanding that he offered me a ride to Turbaza once he delivered the people and the material, I told him that this was fine and that I will wait in the shade under the trees closeby. He nodded enthusiastically at my pantomime, so I thought he had understood. :) As I was on the road now that I took when I came from Dushanbe, I knew what was coming. From the turnoff I walked about 10 minutes to reach the holiday residence of the president of Tajikistan and right next to it were many trees to sit down to wait for the driver's return.
Again it didn't took long and some local workers came by to say hello. One of them sat down next to me and we "talked" for about half an hour about this and that, me always guessing what he was asking and then trying to find a way to express my answer. :) I learned that he was working at the residence, probably as a housekeeper, when the president is not there. When after 40 minutes of waiting the driver still had not returned from Kanchoch, I said goodbye and started walking again. I didn't want to loose any more time and I also wanted to take some pictures along the way as long as the sun was still shining on the lake. It was a pleasant walk, as it all was straight ahead and I took my time enjoying the scenery, taking tons of pictures. :)
When Turbaza was not far away anymore, the driver finally caught up with me. I apologized that I didn't wait, but he didn't care and so I hopped in for a 3 minutes ride to Turbaza. Right at the shore of the lake was a restaurant, the perfect spot to get a beer and sit down on the terrace to enjoy Iskanderkul and the surroundings to the fullest. Now the last remaining question of the day was, if I should visit a closeby waterfall or not. As I was good in the time, as I had stocked up my water too and because I was not able to do the full loop, I decided to give it a go. The way was pretty easy to find as I just had to follow the river that flowed out of the lake. I was walking into another stunning valley with as much intense colors as before and I knew it was the right choice even if I didn't know what to expect from the waterfall itself.
About 10 minutes later I met a group of four locals. Shaking hands with everyone, they wanted to know where I come from. Like the whole day I answered "Germania", and they were almost applauding. :) Haha. They also wanted a picture with me and only when I posed with the group and with each individual alone, they let me continue my walk towards the waterfall. When the way was pretty wide in the beginning, it narrowed later on and the last part was a little scramble along some rocks and thorny bushes. It was all worth it though, as the waterfall was massive. There was even a platform to step on it, the most untrustworthy one I had ever seen, but that didn't hold me back and I gazed at the thundering water falling down into the abyss for a couple minutes.
As it took me again longer than anticipated to reach the waterfall, I couldn't stay too long and soon was back on my way towards Turbaza. Arriving there, I stocked up on water again for the walk back to Sarytag and after another little break I was back on the road that I was walking along before. Luckily the sun was behind the mountains now and I finally had some constant shade, but my stomach was still troubling me and the energy was kinda low, as I had eaten almost nothing during the whole day. There was a tiny hope that may be a car was going to Sarytag offering me a ride, but the hope was in vain, as the only cars that came along were going in the wrong direction. When I reached the turnoff again after the residence of the president, I walked straight ahead for the final part back to Sarytag. It was a pretty steep ascent and was probably the hardest part of today. When I was almost at the top, the only car going to Sarytag passed me and the driver actually offered me a ride. As I was so close now, I said no and walked the rest of the way as well. Back in Sarytag, I was just in time to catch the last sunrays before the sun vanished behind the mountains.
Well, what a day that was! For a first hike in Tajikistan it was amazing and I already learnt a lot. It was definitely something else, than a walk in the Alps of Switzerland or in the highlands of Scotland. :)
Highlights of the day: the scenery all around and all the people I met
This hike is for you if:
- you want to see Iskanderkul from many different angles
- you prefer a hike with not too much up and down
- you want the possibility to skip a part by car
- you're looking for a day hike with a marvelous scenery
This hike is not for you if:
- you're afraid of getting in touch with locals
- you want a view of the lake from high above
- you mind walking along main roads a lot
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