Travel With Ayub

Hi! I am Muhammadayub — everyone calls me Ayub. I am 18, I live in Khujand in the north of Tajikistan, and I show travellers my city and my mountains.

I started filming Tajikistan because I kept meeting people who had never heard of it, or who had heard only the wrong things. So I began posting the places I know: the Seven Lakes, the Fann Mountains, my home district of Mastchoh, and the people who live there.

That turned into guiding. I run a free walking tour of Khujand on GuruWalk, and for people who have longer I put together routes into the mountains. Travellers write to me, tell me how many days they have, and I build the trip around that.

I am not an agency. I am someone from here who knows which road is open, which family cooks the best plov, and which lake is worth the extra hour of walking.

What I can show you

Tours

              
            Khujand, on footA three-hour walk through one of the oldest cities in Central Asia: the fortress, the parks, the Kamoli Khujandi complex and the Panjshanbe bazaar. Free tour, in English.

            The Seven LakesHaft Kul, seven lakes strung up one valley in the Fann Mountains, each a different colour. The trip I am asked for most.

            Fann MountainsWalking days, high passes and villages where the road stops. Iskanderkul, alpine lakes and the peaks above my home district of Mastchoh.

            Interviews & storiesI film the people we meet along the way. If you travel with me and you are happy to talk, your story can end up on the channel too.

See every tour in detail

Free walking tour · book online

Khujand City Walking Tour

The easiest way to meet me. Booking is free, you turn up at the park, and at the end you pay what you think the walk was worth. I have taken people from France, the USA, Poland, Switzerland, Germany and Russia around this city.

Duration3 hours
LanguageEnglish
PriceFree tour — you decide at the end what it was worth
Rating5.0 on GuruWalk
Meeting pointKamoli Khujandi Park (Central Park), Khujand

Book this walk

Where we go

Kamoli Khujandi Park Meeting point. I will be waiting for you here.
Khujand Fortress & museum The history and heritage of the region. Museum entry is not included — about 3 $.
Mausoleum of Kamoli Khujandi The poet the city is proudest of, and the complex built around him.
Mausoleum of Sheikh Muslihiddin The old heart of Khujand.
Oshi Palov National Centre Where you try real Tajik osh — the national dish — and hear how it is made.
Panjshanbe Bazaar One of the largest traditional markets in Central Asia. Colours, smells, and how the city actually lives.