Tashkurgan (塔什库尔干, Tǎshíkùěrgān; Uyghur: تاشقۇرغان) is a town in the far west of Xinjiang Province in China. Its population is mostly ethnically Tajik. The town is near the Pakistani and Tajik borders.
This region is commonly known as the main road of the "old Silk Road" the main route leading from China to West Asia. The average elevation is 4,000 meters.
Get in
[edit]Buses arrive and leave from the International Bus Station. Tickets are ¥51 per person and buses leave at 7:30AM (local time) daily. It is also possible to get a car for ¥120 per person.
The bus from Sost arrives at the 1 customs office, where your visa is checked and your biometric data is recorded. All your belongings will be x-rayed, so this can take some time.
Plans to build an international airport were approved in April 2015.
Get around
[edit]All of the places a tourist would visit are within walking distance.
See
[edit]
- 1 Stone Fort and Grassland. Stone fort is in downtown Taskurgan. It has a history of more than 2,000 years, from Tang and Qing times, and it was the central palace of the Tajik kingdom. During your the walk on the grassland you encounter grazing animals and lots of birds. The entry tickets for both you buy in Tourist Service Center, ¥51 (2025; includes bus transfer and visit of Tajik folklore village in the end).
- 2 Eagle monument.
Do
[edit]- Visit Tajik folklore village (in the center). In the village local people tell about their life, show and play traditional music instruments, show traditional clothes, take tourists for some traditional dancing. You can visit the village as part of Stone Fort and Grassland tour, but a separate visit can potentially be done.
- Eat and stay with Tajik families (in the center). Near Tajik folklore village there are many signs (with names written) pointing to houses of Tajik families, where hosts offer authentic food and accommodation. To reach the signs and houses you don't have to go through Tourist Service Center, you can enter from the main town street.
Buy
[edit]- 1 Bazaar area. Area with a few supermarkets and other shops selling assorted junk.
For memory and for illustration of variety in world languages, even if can't read Chinese, you may want to buy a Chinese book for yourself or your family (i.e. kids). There is a nice bookstore on the street parallel (to the right, when going south) to the main street, but you have to walk south quite a distance.
Eat
[edit]- 1 Pakistan Hunza-Wakhan cafe. Serves very good Pakistani food. 25-50.
- Several food stalls, cafes and restaurants on the central K2 square near K2 Youth Hostel.
Drink
[edit]Sleep
[edit]Consider staying with Tajik families. Just north from Tajik folklore village and Tourist Service Center there are many signs (with names written) pointing to houses of Tajik families, where hosts offer authentic food and accommodation. To reach the signs and houses you don't have to go through Tourist Service Center, you can enter from the main town street.
Budget
[edit]- 1 K2 Youth Hostel. Popular with backpackers, this hostel has lots of dorms and private rooms, wifi, a bar and a roof terrace where laundry can be dried. The staff can help you to buy bus tickets. dorms from ¥49/night.
Mid-range
[edit]- Red Willow Flower Guesthouse, at the southern end of the town (From the center follow the main road about 2 km to the south. When you almost out of the town, you'll reach a crossing where there's a pond visible 100 meters to the left. Turn right and go two blocks, then turn left and go one and a half block. Almost out of the town, the guesthouse will be on your left, in one of similar buildings that are on both sides of the street.), ☏ +86 177 9912 0514. Small nice place with friendly staff. WC with electronics and heated seat. Double with breakfast ¥460.
- Pamir Hotel (帕米尔宾馆), 中国新疆塔什库干县塔什库干路 (Down the Tashkugan Road towards the west end of town, opposite The China Roads Government Department), ☏ +86 998 3421085. Three star hotel, large communal courtyard close to the centre of town. 80 double room.
Splurge
[edit]- Crown Inn, ☏ +86 998 3422888. An upscale foreign-owned hotel. They also arrange tours and provide travel advice. The website is very informative. Prices starting at ¥480.
Connect
[edit]Tashkurgan has nice Tourist Service Center (just north to K2 square; signs from the main road) with friendly staff. They will try hard to answer all your questions and help to get tickets for stone fort and grasslands.
Go next
[edit]- Kashgar - big city and previously important trading center on Silk Road. Take a shared taxi for i.e. ¥120 (2025), 5 hour 300 km ride. Note the engineering side of China part of Karakoram Highway (very good quality of the road, valley overpasses where you just go at the same level, a tunnel etc.), it's quite a feat.
- Sost - if you are heading into Pakistan, Sost will be your first stop. You need international bus to get there.