Pamir Highway Group Tour

Itinerary

Day 1: Dushanbe – Kalaikhumb 360km 7/8hours altitude 1245 mh

Stop At: Pamir Mountains, Tajikistan
Meeting at your hotel and start the tour to Pamir! 

We set off east towards the Pamirs and Kalaikhumb, driving through beautiful scenery and interesting village’s en route. This area is a little more conservative, and we see many men with beards, and women wearing traditional dress. We will cross the Shurabad Pass (2200m high) On the road we will visit to the ancient fortress Hulbuk dated by VIII century recently restored under the decree of the president. The local guide will talk interesting stories about the life in the fortress, shows outlines of the bases of rooms, halls and harems of the local governor’s palace. Arrive to Kalaikhumb in the early evening.

Overnight in Guest House.
Duration: 7 hours

Meals included:
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Guest House

Day 2: Kalaikhumb to Khorog 260 km, 7/8hours altitude 2131 mh

Stop At: Khorog, Khorog, Karotegin Province
From Kalaikhumb we leave for to Khorog.

From Kalaikhumb village, for Khorog along river Pianj, border of Afghanistan. 

We have reached the capital of Gorno-Badakshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO).

Overnight in Guest house
Duration: 7 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Guest house

Day 3: Khorog – Ishkashim (130 km 4/5 hours, altitude 2665mh) 

Stop At: Ishkashim, Ishkashim, Gorno-Badakhshan Province
We have a little time to explore Khorog including the bazaar and the lovely Botanical Gardens which are perched high above the town, affording some great panoramic view. About 50kms along the road to our next stop, Ishkashim, we will stop at Garmchasma hot springs for an (optional) dip in the waters. Visit detour to the nearby village of Namadguti to visit the Khahkha Fortress. From here, we enter the Tajik half of the Wakhan Valley (shared with Afghanistan) and pass regional gem mines mentioned by Marco Polo. The most famous mine is Koh-i-Lal ruby mine which is visible from the road. Ishkashim itself the regional centre, but it is essentially still a large village and we stay in Guesthouse in Ishkashim.
Duration: 5 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Guesthouse in Ishkashim.

Day 4: Ishkashim to Murghab visit Langar (370 km 6/7hours altitude 2882mh)

Stop At: Murghab, Murghab, Gorno-Badakhshan Province
Visit detour to the nearby village of Namadguti to visit the Khahkha Fortress. This impressive structure rises from a naturally formed platform of rock and dates back to the Kushan era of the 3rd Century. There are a number of these ancient fortresses in the area, and we also visit Yamchun fort, perhaps the most impressive of them. We take a break at the Bibi Fatima hot springs, named for the Prophet Mohammed’s sister and where local women believe they can increase their fertility. Continuing on we then stop at the 4th Century Buddhist stupas at Vrang, reminders of the ancient pilgrim caravans that passed through the region. 
We drive up to Murghab via the Kargushi Pass (4344 meters). On this journey we leave behind the lush valleys of the Wakhan Valley and enter a landscape that is rocky, mostly barren but nevertheless dramatic. This is the Pamir Highway we have anticipated, with the route between Khorog and Osh completed in 1931 across a Tibetan-plateau style high altitude terrain.
Duration: 7 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight in Home stay. 

Day 5: Murghab to Sary Tash visit Karakul Lake (235 km, 5/6 hours )

Stop At: Karakul, Tajikistan
We depart today to Karakul. This drive will see us enjoying some of the most dramatic scenery of the trip, with the lunar-like landscapes and bright blue lakes providing plenty of opportunities to take our breath away. We will cross a high-altitude pass Ak-Baital Pass (4655 meters) which is the highest section of road in the former Soviet Union. We descend to Karakul Lake, the highest lake in Central Asia, and at 3915 meters, too high to support any aquatic life.
Duration: 0

Stop At: Tulpar kul, Sary Mogul, Kyrgyzstan
We depart today to Tulpar Kul Kyrgyzstan. Our final Pamir Highway high pass is the Kyzyl Art Pass (4282 metres), which essentially forms the border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Border formalities take place shortly after crossing the pass, with 20kms of ‘no man’s land’ to cross. Having crossed to Kyrgyzstan, we will keep our driver – although we are in a different country, the ethnic lines in this region are greatly blurred, and Russian, Tajik, Kyrygz and Uzbek are all spoken with interchangeable ease, continue to Sary Moogul village, via beautiful Alay ranges. Once we pass the village of Sary Tash, the natural scenery of Pamir Alay range is spectacular. You could even see, we will arrive Kyrgyz nomadic village near the lake Tulpar Kul,the village is close to see Lenin Peak (7134m).
Duration: 0

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight in Yurt Stay

Day 6: Sary Tash to Osh (185 km, 2/3 hours altitude 1077mh) 

Stop At: Osh, Osh
Today After Sary Tash village we depart the high mountains of the Pamir-Alay range, leaving behind us the crossroads of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and China. The drive offers a contrast as we encounter lush farmlands and small villages on this side of the mountains, instead of the stark high-altitude plateau we recently crossed in Tajikistan. En route we will cross the Taldyk Pass (3554m) and enjoy some beautiful views. We must travel about 185km from Sary Tash, and depending on road conditions and travel times we expect to arrive in Osh, Kyrgyzstan’s oldest city early evening.
Duration: 0

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
No accommodation included on this day.