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Places to Visit in Khudzhand (Khujand), Tajikistan, Asia

Places to Visit in Khudzhand (Khujand), Tajikistan, Asia

Khujand also called as Khudzhand is the 2^nd biggest city of Tajikistan geographically positioned between 40°17′00″ N latitude and 69°37′00″ E longitude, is the capital city of Sughd Province and is located about 750 kms northeast of Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan.

Geography and Climate of Khujand:

Khujand is located on the River Syr Darya covers an area of 40 sq. km. and is placed about 300 meters above the mean level of sea.

Khujand features a temperate desert climate with cool winters and warm summers.

History of Khujand:

Khujand renamed as Leninabad in the year 1939 and the city was reformed in 1970. Khujand regained name after the end of Soviet Union rule in Tajikistan in the year 1992.

How to reach Khujand?

Khujand Airport is placed in Ghafurov, 10 kms away from the centre of Khujand City with regular flights to Russia, Dushanbe and other major cities of Tajikistan.

One can board buses easily at Northern Bus Station or Western Bus Station to Dushanbe and other bordering regions regularly.

Taxis and Marshrutkas are very common in Khujand City; provides healthy transport services to Dushanbe, Penjikent, Istaravshan and the cities of Uzbekistan.

Tourists can use Taxis to move within the city and to reach airport. It cost minimum of 10 Somoni within the City and 30 Somoni to airport.

Culture, Food and Shopping in Khujand:

Khujand is a city with full of historical mosques, museums and cultural centres of dance and music. Muslims forms the major community, followed by Roman Catholics and other minority religions. The natives celebrate major Muslims festivals like Muharram, Ed-Ul-Fitar and Ramjan with great enthusiasm and fervor.

Khujand is home to several food centres of China, Russia and India along with Tajikistan traditional food centers with variety of non vegetarian and vegetarian dishes. Shish Kebabs, Kabobs, Shakhlet, Pilaus, ugro-pilau and osh-tuglama are the popular meat dishes in Khujand.

Must see in Khujand:

Historical Museum of Sughd:

One of the must visit places in Khujand is Historical Museum of Sughd. The outer structure of the museum looks really amazing and the museum has great information of Sughd Province and Tajikistan. It is visited by most numbers of tourists from all around the country.

Ismail Somoni Monument:

Ismail Somoni Monument is situated on the banks of Syrdarya River is covered by fountains placed on a top of a hill. Color and music shows are organized every evening at Ismail Somoni monument.

Masjidi Jami mosque and Medrese:

Masjidi Jami mosque and Medrese are sited on the square of market and these are major pilgrim centres of Khujand natives.

Panchshanbe Bazaar:

Panchshanbe Bazaar is the market centre and is good place to purchase traditional handicrafts and embroideries.

Lenin Statue:

Lenin Statue is one of the largest statues in Central Asia located in Khujand is placed in the park in the vicinity of Tajik war monument.

Ruins of the X century citadel:

The citadel has one museum and the museum portrays the information of Khujand history.

Other tourist attractions near Khujand include:

Tajik War Monument
Syr Darya
Fergana Valley
Medieval Citadels and Mosques
Mausoleum of Sheikh Muslekheddin
Archeological Museum
Kairakum

Ideal time to visit Khujand:

From May to October is the best time to travel Khujand to go around historical sites.

Accommodation Options in Khujand:

The best hotels in and around Khujand are as follows:

Tavhid Hotel
Ehson Hotel
Sughd Hotel
Vahdat Hotel
Leninabad Hotel
Hotel Isfara

Tourist Places to Visit in Khorog (Khorugh), Tajikistan, Asia

Tourist Places to Visit in Khorog (Khorugh), Tajikistan, Asia

Khorog also called as Khorugh is the capital of Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province in Tajikistan, about 517 kms northwest of national capital Dushanbe is placed on the convergence of Panj and Ghund Rivers is famous for its striking poplar trees.

Geography and Climate of Khorugh:

Khorugh is positioned at an altitude of 2,200 meters and is surrounded by Shakhdara in the south and Gunt in the north. It is situated between latitude 37°29′30″ in the north and longitude 71°33′21″ in the east.

Khorugh features a semi-arid climate with hot summers and cold winters.

Economy of Khorugh:

Khorugh houses Khorugh State University, numerous well facilitated hospitals, a museum and a botanical garden.

Landmarks in Khorugh:

Khorugh State University
Garm Chashma
University of Central Asia

Transportation in Khorugh:

Khorugh is well connected with the capital city of Tajikistan Dushanbe and the regions of Pakistan and China through Pamir Highway.

Khorugh Airport is few kilometers away from the city with AN-28 and YAK-40 flights to and from Dushanbe served by Tajik Air.

Usually buses depart at 6 or 7 AM daily from the centre of Khorugh to Dushanbe City. Other than buses, tourists can hire Taxi or Minivans to land at tourist destinations and nearby regions.

Food, Culture and Shopping in Khorugh:

Khorugh is a place with full of natural tourist spots and houses numerous mosques and few churches as well. The locals communicate in Tajik and Russian languages and Rushani, Khufi, Wakhi are other languages commonly spoken in Khorugh. Khorugh is one of the educational centres of Tajikistan houses two top universities and several famous colleges as well.

Khorugh houses the food corners from China, India and other Asian and Western countries. Deli Dharbar is an Indian food corner offers India, China and Japanese style cuisine. It is situated near Micro Finance Bank between bazaar and the only stoplight of Khorugh. Each meal cost around 5 USD. Varka is a Russian restaurant located opposite of Red Crescent Compound. Serena Continental is another famous food corner in Khorugh.

Also Khorugh City hosts several handicrafts, cloth, electrical and electronic centres.

Must see places in Khorugh:

Vanj Valley:

Vanj Valley is one of the worth visit tourist destinations in Khorugh. Tourist can hire Vans or Jeeps to reach Vanj Valley.

Garm Chashma:

Garm Chashma is a best weekend picnic spot towards Ishkashim.

Khorog Park:

Khorog Park is placed near the stadium of Khorugh is designed with beautiful local traditional resources and amazing stonework is the prime attraction of the park. Khorog Park is considered as one of the favorite parks among all age people.

Botanical Garden:

Botanical Garden of Khorugh is considered as one of the best gardens in Tajikistan. It is away from the city, situated towards Roshtkala. Sunday is off.

The list of other tourist attractions in Khorugh is as follows:

Julandee
Khorugh Stadium
Khorugh Lake

Best time to visit Khorugh:

From October to March is the ideal time to visit Khorugh to see the beautiful valley and the park.

Accommodation Options in Khorugh:

The hotels of Khorugh have the facilities of vehicle parking, hot water bath, garden area, doctor on call, TV, laundry, fitness centre, room with attached bathroom, landline phone, 24 hour electricity, pick up and drop to airport and air ticket booking as well. The list of best hotels and home stays in Khorugh is as follows:

Pamir Lodge
Parinen Inn
Lal Inn
Laalmo Pamir Home Stay
Serena Inn
Khorog Hotel

Dushanbe Tourist Places to Visit in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Asia

Dushanbe Tourist Places to Visit in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Asia

Dushanbe is the capital and the largest city of Tajikistan geographically positioned between 38°32′12″ N latitude and 68°46′48″ E longitude is located at the convergence of two rivers Kofarnihon and Varzob. Dushanbe is divided into four districts namely Avicenna, Ferdowsi, Ismail Samani and Shah Mansur.

Etymology and History of Dushanbe:

The literal meaning of Dushanbe in Tajik language is “Monday” and the city derives its name from Monday marketplace of one small village. Between 1931 and 1961 Dushanbe was called as Stalinabad.

Dushanbe is gradually developing after the establishment The Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic in the year 1929.

Economy of Dushanbe:

Dushanbe is home to Tajik Air and Somon Air, headquarters of two major airlines of the country. Dushanbe is the educational hub of Tajikistan, houses the most of the top universities of the country which includes Tajik State National University, Tajikistan Humanitarian International University, Agricultural University of Tajikistan and Tajik State Medical University.

Geography and Climate of Dushanbe:

Dushanbe experiences a Mediterranean climate with hot and dry summers and chilly and cool winters. Dushanbe is spread over an area of 124.6 sq. km. and located an altitude of 706 meters.

Landmarks in Dushanbe:

Tajikistan National Museum
Dushanbe Airport
Dushanbe Zoo
Vahdat Palace

How to reach Dushanbe?

Dushanbe is served by Dushanbe International Airport by Air Astana, Aeroflot, Asia Airways, East Air and other main airlines with direct flights to Sochi, St Petersburg, Delhi, Dubai, Kabul, Sharjah, Bishkek, Almaty, Krasnoda and other major cities of the world.

Dushanbe is connected by trains with few cities of other countries like Moscow via Volgograd, Atyrau and Termez and the railway station is located 4 kms away from the city centre.

To move within the city and to reach tourist destinations Minibuses, Taxis and Jeeps are the better options. One can hire Taxi from the centre of the city to travel around.

Culture, Cuisine and Shopping in Dushanbe:

The natives of Dushanbe speak national language Tajik and few locals have the knowledge of Russian, Rushani, Khufi, Wakhi and Shughni. Skiing, snowboarding, hiking and rock climbing are very popular adventure sports among the natives of Dushanbe.

Dushanbe houses plenty of international food corners with varieties of Kebab, Pizza, salads, French fries, cakes, coffee and delectable breakfast. The best food corners in Dushanbe are:

Delhi Darbar
Cafe Merve
Segafredo
La Grande Dame
Georgia Cafe
Steakhouse

To drink tourists can reach Irish Pub and Public Pub.

Dushanbe hosts numerous diverse handicraft shops and modern shops of cloth and shoes. Shakhmansur Bazaar is one of the largest bazaars in Dushanbe offers different food products like nuts, fresh fruits and vegetables, spices, meats and dried fruit. Another best bazaar in Dushanbe is Korvon Bazaar.

Places to see in Dushanbe:

Rudaki Statue:

Rudaki Statue is placed in Rudaki Avenue of Dushanbe. At night is the best to see this beautiful statue.

The Palace of Unity:

The Palace of Unity also called as Vahdat Palace is situated in the vicinity of Hotel Avesto of Dushanbe. The outer structure of the building is very nice.

Dushanbe Zoo:

Dushanbe Zoo is located on the banks of Luchob River in the heart of Dushanbe City was constructed in the year 1960.

Other tourist attractions in Dushanbe include:

Tajikistan National Museum
Dushanbe Flagpole
Massive Statue of Somoni
Gurminj Museum of Musical Instruments
Dushanbe Synagogue
Puppet Theatre
Tajik State National University
Victory Park
Fort Hissar
Rudaki Statue
Gurminj Musical Instrument Museum
Museum of Antiquities
Rohat Chaikhona
Museum of Archeology

Best time to visit Dushanbe:

From November to February is the ideal time to visit Dushanbe.

Accommodation options in Dushanbe:

The hotels of budgeted, mid range and luxury in Dushanbe are listed below:

Dushanbe Serena Hotel
Hyatt Regency Dushanbe
Hotel Mercury
Best Eastern Tajikistan
Hotel Tajikistan
Taj Palace Hotel
Avesto Dushanbe
Hotel Grand Asia
Serena Hotel
Gastnitsa Vakhsh

Tourist Places to Visit in Yala National Park, Sri Lanka, Asia

Tourist Places to Visit in Yala National Park, Sri Lanka, Asia

Yala National Park also called as Ruhunu National Park is the 2^nd largest national park of Sri Lanka located at the coordinates 6°22′22″ N 81°31′01″ E. It covers an area of Southern Province and Uva Province of the country and is spread over an area of 979 sq. km. Yala National Park is divided into 5 blocks and Ruhuna National Park and Kumana National Park two major sub divisions of the park. It is located about 300 kms from Colombo City, the capital city of Sri Lanka.

Yala was declared as a wildlife sanctuary in the year 1900 and later as a national park in the year 1938 along with Wilpattu National Park. It is one of the best reserves of Sri Lankan Elephants and aquatic birds. The park is in the proximity of 6 national parks and 3 wildlife sanctuaries and features a dry semi-arid climate. It tops the list of seventy Important Bird Areas of the country and is home to more than 215 bird species from the different regions of the world.

Yala National Park houses 44 different mammals and is referred as one of the greatest leopard densities in the globe. There are two sacred places such as Sithulpahuwa and Magul Vihara located in the vicinity of the park. Some regions of park were affected with the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami and more than 250 surrounding regions peoples died at that time.

Flora of Yala National Park:

Yala National Park houses the rich mangrove species plants and species include Sonneratia caseolaris, Acanthus ilicifolius, Excoecaria agallocha, and Lumnitzera racemosa.

Other variety of plant species are Manilkara hexandra, Ceylon Satinwood, Terminalia arjuna, Limonia, Berrya cordifolia, dumetorum, Pleurostylia opposita, Gymnema sylvestre, Bell mimosa, Schleichera oleosa and Vitex pinnataand Indian blackberry.

Fauna in Yala National Park:

Yala National Park is home to 6 endemic species birds of Sri Lanka among 215 varieties of bird species. The famous bird species in the park include Sri Lanka Junglefowl, Sri Lanka Wood-pigeon, Crimson-fronted Barbet, Black-capped Bulbul and Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill.

Yala National Park houses 44 species of mammals including Sri Lankan Elephant. Sri Lankan Leopard, Sri Lankan Sloth Bear, Wild water Buffalo, Toque Macaque, Golden Palm Civet, Red Slender Loris, and Fishing Cat are the animals seen in Yala National Park along with Sri Lankan Elephant.

Tourism in Yala National Park:

With the visit of about 156,867 tourists in 2002, Yala National Park is considered as one of the most tourist visited national parks of Sri Lanka.

To eat:

There are few hotels and restaurants located near Yala National Park.

The list of other tourist attractions near Yala National Park is as follows:

Hambantota Cricket Stadium
Port of Hambantota
Yudaganawa Temple
Buduruwagala

Best time to visit Yala National Park:

Throughout the year is the best to visit Yala National Park, especially from January to March is the ideal time to travel Yala National Park to see rich flora and fauna.

Accommodation options near Yala National Park:

There are few safari camps and hotels located near Yala National Park and for best accommodation facilities, Hambantota is advised. The list of hotels near Yala National Park is as follows: