Pamir Highway

Day 1 Osh

After a morning to rest and relax, we’ll have a look around city of Osh and its sights, including Solomons Throne. This Silk Road town is so old it has celebrated its 3000th birthday! It is a place steeped in history and claims to have the bazaar in all Central Asia.

Day 2 Osh - Achik Tash Base Camp

After breakfast we’ll drive via Saritash to Achik Tash Base Camp at the foot of Lenin Peak, our stunning location for the next two nights fixed Camp.

Day 3 Achik Tash Base Camp

Situated in the Pamir Mountains on the border between Kirgizstan and Tajikistan, and close to the borders with China And Afghanistan, Lenin Peak is one of only five 7000m peaks in the former USSR, at 7134m. Base Camp is situated on a raised meadow between two steep river Valleys. Today there will be a chance to enjoy our surroundings and we plan to hike up to Puteshstvenikov Pass (4200). The ascent usually takes around 3hours by a good path, although sometimes there is snow on the pass.

Day 4 Achik Tash Base Camp – Karakul(Tajikistan)

Setting off for the Tajik Border today, we take the Pamir “Highway”, a road built by the Red Army in the 1930in order to link the isolated communities to the rest of the Soviet Union. You will notice there is a secondary road parallel track to the main road. Travelling up to Kizil Art Pass(4336) we will cross the border and pass through the gateway to the Pamir Plateau, or as a Marco Polo called it ”The Roof of the World”. Hidden deep in this expanse of arid landscape is the stunning Karakul Lake, a body of water thought to have been created millions of years ago by meteorite and noted as one of the most geologically fascinating places on earth. We will have opportunity for a short walk along the lake. The surrounding area offers some spectacular views, which are especially dramatic with the sun setting over the nearby snow- capped mountains.

Day 5 Karakul - Murgab

Leaving Karakul Lake, the road takes us to the Muskol Valley, and eventually up to the Ak-Baital Pass (the White Mare Pass) which at 4655m stands as the highest pass in the former USSR. Views of mountains and glacier along the way are simply breathtaking.
Continuing on to Murgab we will check into small.

Day 6 Murgab - Bulunkul

We will continue on to Yashikul Lake today. Following the Alichul Plateau we will come to Yashikul Lake, where we will stay in the small hamlet of Bulunkul. The people living locally are Pamir pastoralists living
in a harsh but hospitable environment. Our stay here will deepen our understanding of how people have adapted to live in suchremote mountainous areas, in fact thecoldest place in Tajikistan.

Day 7 Bulunkul - Langar

Continuing southe we will pass a number of other interesting salt lakes before crossing the Khargush Pass, which brings us spectacular views of Afghanistan, with the ice – capped summitof the Wakhan Range ahead of us and the Pamir River marking the border just e few km away. There will be plenty of chances to stop for dramatic photos of this unique view. Once our passports have been checked at Khargush check point, we continue along the Pamir River, hopefully spotting one of the rare herds of Bactrian camels that still exist here on afghan site. With very little vegetation in the area the surrounding views of the mountains are even more spectacular. Soon we will reach Langar, the Last village of the Tajik Wakhan Corridor before the border of Afghanistan.

Day 8 Langar - Ishkashim

Today we start by taking an uphill hike to view the impressive collection of over 5000petroglyphs. We then take a drive along the Panj River. Drive towards the Wakhan corridor. There are several places of interest to stop. Above the village of Vrang, on a cliff-side pitted with caves, stands a Buddhist complex dating from 4th- 7th centuries. At Yamg, we visit the reconstructed home of Sufi mystic MuabaraKadam , who died in 1910. Near this house there is a stone pillar with a hole in it which he used to calculate a solar calendar. On the road we will visit Kah-Kaa and Yamchun fortresses, further up the hillside are the hot spring at Bibi Fatima: dense and very salty minerals, the water at Bibi Fatima is crystal clear. Overnight and dinner is in guesthouse.

Day 9 Ishkashim - Khorog

Today we will drive along Tajik-Afgan border to Khorog. It is perhaps one of the tiniest cities on the map of the world. It is surrounded by rocky mountains from all four sides. The town was built on the confluence of the 3 rivers where Shokhdarariver and Ghund river flow into Pyanj river. On the way to Khorog you will meet Pamir people. A number of anthropological features set the Pamir people apart from the Tajik people. Among the Pamiris, there is a high percentage of people with blonde hair, fair skin and blue eyes. Pamirs Mountains are the highest mountains in the world with human population after the Himalayas in Tibet. Life in the mountains made traditions of local people different from Tajik people. On the way you will visit Garmchashma hot spring.

Day 10 Khorog - Bartang Valley

Leaving Khorog behind us, we head north and spend the day exploring the Bartang Valley. Very different from both the High Pamir and Wakhan Valley, Bartang is dotted with small villages and plots of land are carved out of the mountainsides to provide for the local farmers. Considered to be one of the most impressive spots in the western Pamirs, the valley is famous for its superb climbing, hospitable villages and local musicians. We will spend the night in Siponj village.

Day 11 Bartang - Kalai Khumb

This morning we’ll continue to Kalai Khimb where we will spend the night. Today’s journey takes us so close to Afghani villages just across the river that you’ll be able to wave to each other.

Day 12 Kalai Khumb - Dushanbe

This morning we’ll continue to Kalai Khimb where we will spend the night. Today’s journey takes us so close to Afghani villages just across the river that you’ll be able to wave to each other.

Day 13 Departure