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The Pamir Mountains are a remote wilderness with a history of romance and adventure. The 19th century Great Game concluded here. British India and Tsarist Russia were the players and the prize was Central Asia.
In 1891, Francis Younghusband was sent by the British government into the Pamirs to verify rumours of a Russian invasion. He stumbled across the camp of the Russian Colonel Yanov and bizarrely was invited to dinner, ‘which for its excellence astonished me quite as much as my camp arrangements had astonished the Russians’. Younghusband was then asked to leave the Pamirs, which the Russians had claimed for the Tsar, but was given a haunch of venison as a parting gift.
The undemarkated and unclaimed lands between Afghanistan and Kashgaria were known as the Pamir Gap. British strategists had feared that the Tsar would claim this territory, so in the closing years of the 19th century, a narrow corridor of land was given to Afghanistan, to create a neutral buffer zone. In some places, the Wakhan Corridor is less than 10 miles wide – the closest that Britain and Russia had come to meeting in Central Asia. It is in this mountainous border area that our trek takes place.
The central Pamir occupies almost half of modern Tajikistan and the Pamir Range is one of the highest mountain systems in the world. The Tajiks call this region Bom-i-Dunyo, the Roof of the World. Merchants and traders have been travelling across the Pamir sections of the Silk Road for centuries, and Marco Polo writes of the Pamir in his journal. Apart from trade caravans and military units, missionaries and pilgrims passed along this road giving it the name Road of Ideologies. Archaeological studies reveal the variety of pre-Islamic religions of the people of Badakhshan, who worshipped fire, the sun and the spirits of their ancestors, and practised a Badakhshani version of Buddhism.
After a two-day drive to Khorog, we make our way south along the Afghan border, making a stop at the village of Anderob for an introduction to Badakhshani culture and to bathe in the hot springs at Garmchashma.
Once we reach Ishkashim and the mouth of the Wakhan Valley, we will start our trek across the wide floodplain, in the shadow of the Tajik Pamir and the Afghan Hindu Kush. The route follows the Panj River upstream to its source just below the town of Langar, and then continues up the Pamir River to Khargush. These rivers mark the international border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan.
This is a fairly easy hike across reworked glacial sediments, although there will be opportunity for a couple of challenging detours along the way. The terrain is wide-open, affording breathtaking views of the Hindu Kush and Pamir mountain ranges. For most of the route, Peak Karl Marx (5,723 m) dominates the skyline.
The following itinerary is intended as a working guide only and it is subject to variation as a result of local conditions, weather and governmental restrictions. We reserve the right to alter the length of the trip at any time if necessary. Flight timetables are altered occasionally and it maybe necessary to vary our itinerary to adapt to these changes.
| Day |
Itinerary |
| Day 1 |
Depart from Dushanbe by car, stopping for the night in a guest house at Kalaikhum. |
| Day 2 |
From Kalaikhum, the road follows the Panj River, which forms Tajikistan's border with Afghanistan. Drive to Khorog (2,100 m), capital of Tajikistan’s Mountainous Badakhshan Autonomous Region. The Pamir Botanical Garden in the eastern part of the city (2,320 m) is the second-highest such institution in the world, with many unique plants brought here from around the world. Accommodation in Serena Inn Hotel. |
| Day 3 |
Leave Khorog and drive to the village of Anderob. Here we will stay in a traditional Pamiri mountain home. The distinguishing feature is the large central five-pillared room, covered with a tiered wooden ceiling with an opening for light and an outlet for smoke. This type of dwelling was brought to Central Asia by Indo-Arian tribes.
Visit and bathe in the natural hot springs at Garmchashma. |
| Day 4 |
Today we will drive the remaining 60 Km to Ishkashim. As we approach Ishkashim, we will see Mt. Safarkhoja (5,864 m), which towers above the town. Ishkashim has long been an important trading centre and crossroads on the Silk Road, and today continues to function as one of the main crossing points into Afghanistan. Close to the town on the banks of the Panj River, was a pier-ford and caravanserai (C.6th-12th), and here the road splits, with one of the branches leading to Faizabad in Afghan Badakhshan. The caravanserai and the descent to the river was defended by walls with towers. |
| Days 5-16 |
Trek from Ishkashim to Khargush along a wide valley, following the route of the Panj and Pamir Rivers. Here are some of the points of interest along the route:
13 Km from Ishkashim is the village of Namatguti Poyon. The name of the village originates from the Sanskrit word “namatgata” meaning “sacred place”. This village is a sacred Ismaili site, the mazor of Shohi Mardon Hazrati Ali, probably of pre-Islamic origin. Close to the village is one of the oldest fortresses in the Western Pamir, Kaahka (C.3rd BC-C.7th AD). It stands high on a rock in the centre of the valley, 675 m long and 200 m wide. The castle walls were built with stone and clay brick and were further strengthened with 56 circular and square towers. The citadel housed the local governor and was connected to the main fortress with a bridge.
75 Km further on, near the village of Yamchun, there is another fortress known as Zamri Otashparast (“Castle of Fire Worshippers”, C.3rd BC). The fortress, 900 m long and 4,000 m wide, is set in a virtually inacessible part of a rocky slope, protected by two deep river canyons. It has three rings of double walls with 40 towers, a citadel on the upper part, and is striking in its grandeur.
A few Km after Yamchun is the village of Yamg, where the local scholar, theologian, poet and traveller Sufi Muborak-kadam lived until his death in 1910. In a wide meadow next to his house, there is still a vertical stone pillar with an opening through which Sufi Muborak-kadam determined the days of the calendar. In the house of one of the local residents, the ceiling is decorated with unusual depictions of people, animals, plants and calligraphic inscriptions. Yamg is also famous for its musical instruments, of which most famous is the multi-stringed balandmukom, manufactured by Sufi Muborakkadam himself.
Another 6 Km or so brings us to the town of Vrang. Above the town, on a cliffside pitted with man-made caves, a ritual Buddhist complex from the C.4th-7th was found, consisting of a three-levelled structure dominating the courtyard, which in turn was surrounded by a high wall with towers. Living niches for the monks were along the perimeter.
It is about a 20 Km walk to the next village of interest, Zong. On the rocky slopes above the village are the ruins of several castles and a guard tower overlooking the valley. In the village itself a small fire temple was excavated: a cross-shaped room containing a fireplace and square stone box for collecting sacred ashes.
Near to Zong, there is a deep canyon where the Wakhan and Pamir rivers merge. The confluence forms the Panj River (which we have been following up to this point). This area used to be an important crossroads on the Silk Road, with a branch of the road leading south into the Afghan side of the Wakhan and from there into Pakistan. The fortress of Ratm (Kushan period) guards the junction.
Next we arrive at the last village in Wakhan region, the small border town of Langar. Above Langar, the mountain slopes have rare examples of rock graffiti (petroglyphs) depicting mountain goats, caravans, horse riders with banners, and the Ismaili symbol of a hand.
We leave the permanently populated part of the Wakhan corridor behind after Langar, and follow the Pamir River upstream. The landscape becomes stark and there are no more trees. We will see the encampments of Kirghyz nomadic yak-herders on the Tajik side of the river, and feral camels on the Afghan side. If we are fortunate we may also see Marco Polo sheep. Four or five days trekking through this wilderness will bring us to Khargush, where the trek ends. |
| Day 17 |
Drive from Khargush back to Khorog. On the way, we will stop and bathe at the hot springs at Jilandy. |
| Day 18 |
This morning we begin the road journey from Khorog back to Dushanbe. Stop for the night at the town of Kalaikhum. |
| Day 19 |
Depart from Kalaikhum and continue west to Dushanbe. This section of the road twists along a dramatic route through steep gorges. Accommodation in a guest house in Dushanbe. |
| Day 20 |
Free day in Dushanbe. You may wish to visit the bazaars or museums. Dushanbe’s Archeological Museum contains artefacts from many of Tajikistan’s pre-Islamic cultures: Greek, Sogdian, Hindu and Buddhist. The most impressive exhibit is the 14 metre “Buddha in Nirvana” statue – now the largest Buddhist statue in Central Asia. |
| Day 21 |
Morning departure from Dushanbe. |
Walking is on good paths and mostly level terrain, although there will be an opportunity to explore some steeper side routes. It will be necessary to cross some side streams. Porterage is provided, so you need only carry a day pack. Average walking time is around five hours per day.
The weather is usually dry, mild and pleasant at this time of year. However, you should be prepared for winds and the possibility of rainfall.
The tour includes 12 days trekking on foot. You should be reasonably fit to attempt this trek.
We pride ourselves in our ability to customise any of our tours. For example, you may wish to combine this tour with mountaineering in the Pamirs, or you may want to travel on to Osh (Kirghyzstan) instead of back to Dushanbe. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.
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