Most visitors enter the Zeravshan valley from Samarkand, which is just accross the border to Uzbekistan. You will need a valid Tajik visa to enter and a double/multi-entry Uzbek visa if you intend to return the same way you came. There is no public transport crossing the border and unless you have arranged your trip through a tour agent, you will have to switch taxis at the border. Border crossing between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan near Penjikent and Samarkand was closed in July 2012. But this condition is unstable as relantionship between two countries. The nearest opened border crossing was in Oybek, 250 km from Samarkand and one hour ride from Khujand.
Additional entry routes are from Khujand or Dushanbe. Both are spectacular but also tiresome trips in shared taxi over passes as high as 3600m. In 2009 the price for a seat was about 140TJS for the Dushanbe-Panjakent bit. The roads range from virtually absent to first league, depending on whether you travel on the original road or one of the bits already repaired.If you are entering from Dushanbe, you will have to cross the infamous Anzob tunnel, a shocking example of what all can go wrong when attempting to build a tunnel. The ride through the unventilated, non-asphalted and partly flooded tunnel 6km is an experience not to be missed by those not suffering from claustrophobia. Except the tunnel, the road Dushanbe-Ajny is in good conditions Dec 2010.
Panjakent and Aini have airports from which small planes occasionally fly to Dushanbe. There is no schedule. Normally, if the passes are closed and enough potential travelers have assembled, Tajik air runs a trip or two.
