12 Day Pamir Highway Expedition

Getting an early start load up into our 4WD vehicles and depart Dushanbe after breakfast to begin your grand journey along the legendary Pamir Highway. Our end goal today will be to reach the beautiful town of Qala i Khumb. 

Along the way stop for a photo op at the gorgeous Nurek Reservoir and a little later to visit the 11th-century Hulbuk Fortress before breaking near the city of Kulob to grab lunch at a local chaikhana (tea house). 

After lunch, we start to gain a little altitude as we approach Shurubod Pass. Coming down the other side the views are mind-blowing as we wind our way down to the Panj River with glimpses across the border and into neighboring Afghanistan. 

For the remainder of the afternoon, we follow the course of the Panj, arriving at Qala i Khumb in the early evening where we’ll have a nice dinner on the river’s edge. 

Drive time: ~10 hours
Accommodation: Guesthouse

On our second day on the Pamir Highway, we will actually veer off the main route at the village of Rushon which sits at the mouth of the beguiling Bartang Valley after about 3 hours of driving. We’ll continue about 30 kilometers up the Bartang Valley, stopping at a bridge to begin our trek to the idyllic village of Jizeu. 

The trek will take us about 2 hours from the bridge with us gaining about 500 meters in elevation over nearly 6 kilometers. 

Once we reach Jizeu we’ll have lunch at our homestay. Spend the remainder of the afternoon exploring around the beautiful valley and meeting some of the friendly people who call this village home. 

Note: Our vehicles will be waiting for us back on the main road so you can leave your large luggage in them overnight. You’ll only need a small daypack with water, layering clothing, and any other personal item you’d like to bring. 

Drive time: ~4 hours
Trekking distance: 6 kilometers | 2 hours
Accommodation: Homestay

For those that want to take sunrise photos over the Jizeu Lakes before we have an early breakfast. Following breakfast, we will begin our trek back to the 4x4s waiting for us on the Bartang Highway. The trek is almost entirely downhill and should take about 1 hour 30 minutes. 

Once back to the vehicles we head back toward Rushon and meet the Pamir Highway once again continuing on it all the way to the Pamiri city of Khorog. The entire drive today is spectacular with amazing views of both the Tajik and Afghan sides of the Panj River. 

In Khorog we will have time to stroll around the city and visit the Central Park and Bazaar. In the evening we can arrange for a visit to a local banya.

Drive time: ~3 hours
Trekking Distance: 6 kilometers | 1 hour 30 minutes
Accommodation: Hostel-style inn

Today, get an early start and head to a common favorite among travelers who venture into the Pamir- the Wakhan Valley. This stunning narrow valley is home to the Wakhi people who mostly follow a unique sect of Islam called Ismailism and who have their own dialect.

After about 3 hours of driving time, we will reach the entrance to the Wakhan Valley in the small town of Ishkashim. From Ishkashim the valley is littered with ancient caravanserais, fortresses, solar calendars, and more. Our first stop beyond Ishkashim will only be a few kilometers beyond town for the ruins of a caravanserai.

About 15 km after leaving Ishakshim we’ll reach the village of Namadgut, home to the Kushan-era Khaakha Fortress that we’ll have the chance to explore. A little further down the Wakhan Valley Road, we will come to the village of Darshai where we’ll grab a simple lunch and take a little time to visit the Shrine of Oston i Bobo Khokhi in the nearby village of Shitkharv.

Finally, in the afternoon, we reach Tughoz, where we will turn off the main road and head up a winding mountain road to reach the fabulous ruins of Yamchun with jaw-dropping views of the Hindu Kush that form the natural border between Afghanistan’s Wakhan Corridor and Pakistan. Tonight we will stay in a lovely homestay here in the Yamchun area that is operated by a lovely family who cooks up some fantastic meals.

We will also have the opportunity to take a dip in Bibi Fatima Hot Springs which sits at the top of the mountain road. Bibi Fatima is famous in Tajikistan because many women go there in hopes of boosting their fertility. Note that the hot spring does have separate hours for men and women- bathing is to be done completely in the nude here.

Drive time: ~6 hours
Accommodation: Homestay

Back on the road again in the early morning, our first stop for the day is just a short distance away at the village of Vrang where we will make a brief yet steep walk up to the famous Vrang Buddhist Stupa. Continuing on, we stop again in Zong for views of the Vishmqala Silk Fortress that would have served as a lookout to protect this stretch of the route from would-be Chinese and Afghan invaders.

Finally, we reach the village of Hisor, home to the Zangibar Fortress and the Oston i Nuri Muhammed Shrine, and the start of our overnight hike to the stunning Pik Engles Meadows.

From Zong, we follow a path that eventually meets with an irrigation canal with amazing views of the Wakhan Corridor to the south before bending into the narrow valley above Langar village that leads to the meadows beneath the distinctly shaped mountain of Pik Engles.

Once we reach the meadows in the afternoon we will have time to relax and explore the surrounding area. Note that the trek does gain nearly 1,000 meters in elevation over the course of 12 kilometers with us camping at an elevation of 3,950 meters.

Trekking distance: 12 kilometers | 5 hours
Drive time: ~2 hours
Accommodation: Camping

In the morning we will pack up camp and descend the same way we came up to Pik Engles Meadows, finally reaching Langar after about 3 hours of walking. On the way down as we near Langar, keep your eyes peeled for petroglyphs that can be found scattered all around- there are over 6,000 of them!

The vehicles will come to pick us up in Langar and shuttle us the short distance to nearby Hisor village where we will be spending the night tonight. Hisor is home to the ruins of Zangibar Fortress and the Shrine of Oston i Nuri Muhammed which we will have time to visit for those interested. Otherwise, we will spend the afternoon relaxing in Hisor.

Tonight we will be staying in a great homestay run by a loving family who cooks up some delicious traditional food.

Trekking distance: 7.5 kilometers | 3 hours
Drive time: ~2 hours
Accommodation: Homestay

In the morning we will depart Hisor, first making the slow drive beyond the village of Ratm and onto Khargush Pass. Here at Khargush Pass is a checkpoint, from which we will show our permits for Zorkul and veer off the main Wakhan Valley Road and to the east to travel along bumpy jeep tracks into the truly off-the-beaten-path corner of Tajikistan’s Eastern Pamir. We will eventually reach the famous Zorkul Lake that straddles the Tajik-Afghan border, one of Tajikistan’s most remote sights.

After a little time exploring around Zorkul, we will continue toward Jarty Gumbez for the night, a popular sheep hunter’s camp in the winter months. Here we will have access to hot springs and if we’re lucky we’ll see some Marco Polo sheep in the area.

Drive time: ~10 hours
Accommodation: Guesthouse

After bidding our warm rooms at the hot spring goodbye we head for Tajikistan’s most strategic point of Shaimak, a grand holdout of the Great Game- where it is possible to see into Afghanistan, Pakistan, and China all at the same time. We will stop for lunch along the way in the end-of-the-world village of Cheshtebe. Keep an eye out for yurt camps belonging to semi-nomadic families who graze their livestock in these mountains.

Driving time: ~6 hours
Accommodation: Homestay

After breakfast, we’ll say goodbye to Shaimak and travel north along the Ak Suu Valley through to the village of Toktymush and on to visit the tombs of Konye Kurgan before we meet again with the main Pamir Highway after a multi-day detour from it.

We will reach the wild wild east town of Murghab in the afternoon where we will grab lunch and visit the bazaar before continuing another 3 hours north and over 4,655 meter Ak Baital Pass. As we cross Ak Baital, keep an eye out for Marco Polo sheep as they do frequent this area.

In the late afternoon, we will descend into Karakul village, perched along the shore of Karakul Lake. Catch the sunset over the lake before dinner inside our warm homestay.

Driving time: ~10 hours
Accommodation: Homestay

We’ll get an early start toward Kyzyl Art Pass, which forms the natural border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. We’ll bid a ‘khair’ to Tajikistan at the top of the pass where we’ll go through immigration and customs formalities before we descend into the stunning no-man’s-land between the two countries. At the bottom of the pass, we will reach Bordobo and officially enter Kyrgyzstan. Once we have cleared immigration and customs at Bordobo we will continue onto Sary Tash where we’ll grab some lunch and then continue another hour to reach dazzling Tulparkul Lake where we’ll be staying in a yurt camp for the night.

Driving time: ~4 hours
Accommodation: Yurt camp

Today we’ll spend exploring the area around Tulparkul. Some of us can opt to trek to Peak Lenin Basecamp or you can spend the day relaxing near the lake.

Accommodation: Yurt camp

We start our final day of this 12 day Pamir Highway road trip by packing up everything and departing Tulparkul back toward Sary Mogul and Sary Tash, eventually reaching Osh in the early afternoon. We’ll take some time to explore a bit of the city today before having our final farewell dinner in a hip restaurant in Osh.

Drive time: ~3 hours
Accommodation: Hotel