Ayni, Tajikistan - Polarsteps

We start the morning hazzling about the price to go to Iskanderkul. The neighbor wants $172 for a 4 hour drive.. We ask them to bring us to another place, where they tell all taxi drivers to demand the same.. But luckily one of them is willing to negotiate and brings us in his jeep for $85. The 'tunnel of death' is closed (apparently one of the most scariest tunnels on the planet) so we have to take the 2 hour detour over the pass.. Beautiful view everywhere we look! We're lucky that the tunnel is closed! The mountains are high (4000m and higher) and covered with snow.. After a 5.5 hour drive we arrive at lake Iskanderkul (Persian for 'the lake of Alexander' the Great) where we arrange a cabin in a former sovjet holiday park. We walk around and meet two Tadzhik brothers with whom we go to a water source and take a small hike. We share a tea and some fish and end the day eating some more in the canteen.
  1. Meet the stans
  2. Ayni