"The river lay shimmering in between the open sandy dunes, on its long way to the rapidly disappearing Aral Sea. The ancients, and the not-so-ancients, called it the Oxus; its present name, much less musical, is the Amudarya. On this side lay difficulty and passport controls and officialdom and bureaucracy; on that side lay the wide open spaces of Afghanistan, where money and determination could get you anywhere you wanted to go."
- John Simpson, News From No Man's Land

Of all the Central Asian republics, Tajikistan receives the fewest visitors, in part thanks to the civil war that scarred the country soon after independence. Now back on its feet, it offers the traveller the most straightforward way in and out of Afghanistan in comparison to its neighbours, and some of the most spectacular scenery - the Pamir mountains and remote Gorno-Badakhshan. Tajikistan's borders are notoriously porous, and a major trafficking route for Afghan heroin, particularly in Badakhshan. Until December 2004, Russian soldiers controlled these borders, which are now back in the hands of the Tajiks. All sides have been implicated in drug smuggling, so some degree of care should be exercised in the region.

There are two border crossings open to foreigners: across the Amu Darya from Panj-e Payon (Nizhny Panj) to Shir Khan Bandar in Afghanistan, north of Kunduz, and at Ishkashim in Gorno-Badakhshan on the cusp of the Wakhan Corridor.

Paperwork
To cross the border at Panj-e Payon, nothing more is needed than valid Tajik and Afghan visas. Afghan visas can be obtained in Dushanbe, and reportedly also at the consulate in Khorog, with Tajik visas available in Kabul (possibly requiring a letter of recommendation from your embassy, depending on your nationality).

The border crossing at Ishkashim is a little more complicated. Ishkashim lies in Tajikistan's autonomous Gorno-Badakhshan (GBAO) region, which requires a permit to visit (listing all your stopping points in the province). While this is straightforward to arrange through a Tajik travel agency, it can only be issued in Dushanbe. It's unclear what would happen if you tried to enter Tajikistan at Ishkashim without this permit - check at the embassy in Kabul, or see if you can make arrangements with an agency in Tajikistan.

Borders
A ferry currently provides the border service between Tajikistan and Afghanistan at Panj-e Payon, although a US-funded bridge is currently under construction, to be finished by 2006. The ferry sails once a day, except Sundays - from Panj-e Payon in the morning, and returning in the afternoon. From Shir Khan Bandar, it's just a couple of hours to busy Kunduz; from Panj-e Payon there is regular transport to Dushanbe, sometimes via Kurgon Teppe.

The Ishkashim crossing is spectacular and isolated. Current reports indicate that this border is open to foreigners every Monday-Thursday. There are a couple of cheap chaikhanas on the Afghan side, as well as guesthouse belonging to the Aga Khan Development Network that may sometimes take travellers (it's best to check in advance with AKDN in Faizabad or Khorog), charging around US$20 a head. There isn't much transport on the Afghan side, so take whatever you can heading to Faizabad; you might need to break your journey in Baharak. This road can be impassable in winter and during the spring melt - see the Badakhshan section for more details.

Other information
Ariana fly every Thursday between Kabul and Dushanbe. For those working in the aid community, United Nations Humanitarian Air Services (UNHAS) fly between Kabul and Dushanbe on Mondays and Thursdays.

Lonely Planet Central Asia covers Tajikistan - the only print guide currently available. It has good coverage of Gorno-Badakhshan.The Travel Tajikistan website has useful Tajik travel information. Run by The Great Game Travel Company, who have a good reputation for help with visas and GBAO permits.