Pamir highway is stretched from the mazar e sharif of afganisthan to the osh of Kyrgisthan traveling through 4 countries Afganisthan , Uzbekisthan , Tajikisthan and kyrgisthan. This highway is officially called M41 and mainly build in the time of soviet russian times . This 1200 km road is a unforgettable experience . Most of the roads are in the high altitude and highest point in this road is in Ak baital pass at 4600 meter . I have traveled from Dushanbe to Murgab by this road . The scenery is outstanding . Lots of people go with tour companies , some with personal bike and some with personal bi-cycle and some with public transport and Hichhiking . In this route the road is just beside the Pyndzh river , this river devides Tajikisthan and Afganisthan . You can see Afghan village in the opposite side of the river . It is a one , time lifetime journey .
In the year 2000 this road is connected with the karakoram Highway which connects central Asia with china . So you can see lots of big chines trucks carrying different items specially cars . I goes there in the month of July but still it is cold . Hotel prices and food prices are Higher in this area as for the high altitude there is no cultivation . People mainly survived by the vegetables that coming from the lower side ( specially murgab ) and their livestock animals . In murgab there is a vast valley where kids and their mothers are taken care of the animals . Life here is relaxed and timeless .
If you want to make the tour first you need a GBAO permit . You can apply when applying the Tajikisthan e visa or in Dushanbe there is special police office where you get the permit . After this pass , you are ready to enter the Pamir Highway as there is lots of check points where they check the permit . Most people take a tour , start from the Dushanbe and ends in the ohs city of Kyrgisthan . I used public transport to explore this area .
You get small van type of bus in the morning 6 am towards khorog . It costs me 350 Tajik somani (32.09 USD). There is only one bus in a day . Transport is extremely expensive in Pamir . After that there is lots of jeep and if you want private car . They will accompany for 5-7 days but price is much higher(this will be a private tour) , this are made for the tourist but this bus is for the local passenger living in this region . The name of the bus stand is 29/27 . This is situated in the center of the city . You can ask any taxi driver they will drop you there .
How to book a Taxi in Tajikisthan ?
In Whole Tajikistan booking a taxi can be possible by dialing a some no like 3333 , 7000 , 1111 . When the phone rings there will be customer service agent whom you have to specify the address where you are standing and where you want to go . Mostly they spoke Tajik , but may be there are other agent in the same office who speak English . they transfer the call to them . So it will not be much problem but telling the position to the customer agent is really a difficult thing . As everything is written only in Russian .
Without the help of a local person it is just impossible to book a taxi as you don’t know the address . I think they try to spot your location through mobile signals .
The minimum fare of the taxi is 10 soman (1 USD ) and they will go certain km with that price after that price will be accordingly to your travel distance
Journey started :
In the morning around 5 am I left the hotel to board the bus . This bus is a 16 – 20 seater bus and people carry as much as they want when going back home . In fact the middle passage inside the bus is also covered by the goods . I never seen such a system in my life . I and a American are the foreigner in this bus . So luckily we got the front seats . If you get down at kalaikum or khorog the price is same . Just by understanding that I said I will reach to khorog . But the america guy said he is going just to kalaikum . So they give him the seat beside the driver from where he can take a beautiful picture .
This bus leaves from the 29/27 bus stand in Dushanbe around 6 :30 . I was trying to buy some food from the local store but most of the store are closed at that time . Just one shop was opened and I buy a water and some biscuit . Now finally the journey starts . Upto kalaikum half of the road towards Khorog is in the valley so there is no risk and also the road condition is good . So the bus is running unto 80-90 km /hr . In this road from khirmanjo the road is accompanied by the panz river and just the opposite side of the road is the Afganisthan . You can see the village look from your bus seat also .
Our bus finally stopped at kalaikum for lunch near to a small bridge . Both side of the river there were two different river view Restaurant . Both are good but price is little higher . This statues are the symbol that you reached kalaikum . But now this American guy refused to deboard here and tell the driver that as the fare is same so he wanted to go to khorog . Driver ultimately give him the back seat with me and give the front seat to a local people . Here we made the lunch and Kompot(It is a traditional fruit drink ). Dushanbe to kalaikum is 352 km and covered in six hours . So it is a decent journey . but from kalaikum to khorog it is just 244 km and it take double the amount of time reach from the previous one .
Now the real adventure starts . In the above picture you can see the best and the worst case of pair Highway . Mostly the roads are made of gravel there is no tarmac cover so our bus speed no more goes above 40 km/hr which was running at the speed of 80-90 km /hr upto kalaikum . The road is narrow and slowly our bus goes through this road . In some parts of the road there is avalanche where the road is closed for temporary and the the JCP (small crane for road builder) are clearing the way . Sometime stream of water is passing through the road coming from high mountain . This mountains looks like rugged very little vegetation . This road is going beside the panj river and in the another side of the river there is another country Afganisthan . They also have their own roads but the condition seems like more dangerous there .
In this context I want to explain a event when I coming back towards Dushanbe . I saw lots of jeeps are standing below the water stream coming from the mountain . two to there times they go forward and back a little bit . This are the natural car washer . When our car goes there , they first ask us to close the window and then go little forewad and backward what is coming from the above mountain . You can understand the situation the water stream falling from the above on the car .
When the bus runs through this road inside the bus there was some amusement moments . I say that I travel in this area in the summer so in day time there is little hot also . So sometimes people open the window for fresh air to make inside cool but when the car goes through little good road and speed up the dust comes inside . so they have to close the window . In the floor of the bus even to the door it was packed with goods . So sometimes it falls on somebody when the bus goes through the broken road . I enjoyed those moments . In this way there is no mobile network so this are the entertainment in this road .
Our bus is scheduled to arrive khorog at around 6pm . but in the way two times road closed and face lots of difficulties . Sometimes the engine becomes very hot so they have to give rest in the way . In the night around 8 pm it stops at a restaurant for eating food . The food price is too much high so I make my dinner with a Smetana and some non I brought previously . In central asia whenever I travel long distance I always carry a Smetana or kymac and some non(bread ) . It is the good food and much cheaper than where the bus stops . I fill my water bottle with the mountain water coming from tap . They say the water is good , they drink that , no need for purification .
After that our bus once again start for the journey and when reached khorog it was around 11:30 PM . In the bus station there was no bus , only some dogs are barking . I try to call taxi 2-3 times but it was unsuccessful . So another passenger helped me in this case and finally a taxi comes and it reached the hotel . when it reached the hotel everybody was sleeping . After knocking 2-3 times the lady comes out . I was so hungry that she gives her own kitchen and I cooked the food and around 2 AM I sleep . The sky was filled with twinkled stars . The property was good and it was situated in the hill top . There I spend 2-3 days and my next journey started after 2-3 days . Just beside my room there was a apricot tree .
2-3 days later I left Khorog and I booked a taxi to the bus stand from where the murgab jeep leaves . It was sunday and the bus stand was closed . I was thinking what I should do and in the same time a spanish couple lived in the same hotel also arrived there . They are also planning to go to jelondy that is in the half way towards murgab . In jelondy there is a hot spring , some tourist also stays there but there is very little option to stay . They are expert in hitchhiking . Within sometimes they arranged a car but not actually hitchhiking but with a pay . I seated the middle seat and I have friendship with the driver and he requested to stay in his home . I find it a good option to explore the tajik village . I stayed in the Miyonashahr village at their home . actually I choose this village because the river seanery in this area is wonderful .
The houses are mostly made of mud and in the upper there is a chimney from where the smoke goes out . I must say people are good but every man in this village are dead drunk . In the evening some of the friends of the river come here and we are going for a village tour . The follow the the trail inside the farm land and walked through it . In this village everyone knows everybody . When I see it becomes too late I asked them for reaching the driver’s home . How I don’t know but finally reached to the driver’s house , It was a fullmoon night . The lady was anxious , I am a foreigner and where I am lost . After that I take the food and go for sleep . There was a long uplifted floor and one after another person sleep there .
The next day I get the most hard time to reach to the Murgab village . A man accompanied me to grab a car or truck towards murgab but we are not getting one . After long time a small van may be from Tajik electric service was going on that side and he dropped me after 10 km . They say in this area lots of truck drivers wait so you can get one . The wind here are chilly and sometimes I go inside the guest House to protect me from cool wind .
I asked lots of truck to go to Murgab . Somebody going in the different way , somebody not accepting foreigner as in every checkpost they have to wait as I have to show the Pamir pass . After long waiting there was a truck driver who agrees to take me in their truck but with a price of 100 Taijk somani (9.17 USD ) . Trucks are very slow but in the front wide glasses the view is just wonderful and as the seat in a truck is High so you can see all the surrounding area very well .
After jelondy in the roadside there was no House or restaurant for almost 100 km . In this area the road is relatively good . Mostly you are drive through a flat land where lots of mountains are below than it or just little higher . . Here you get a scence of pamir plateau which is called the roof of the world . In the both side there is rugged land and it is passing through it . The sunset in this area is a wonderful . I don’t find any people in this road beside the road . It is such a scenery that I just looked around .
The truck drivers sometimes stop the truck and do some repairs as in this high altitude it is the extreme test of the engines . Any problem unsolved can be a cause for the fatal accident . Finally it reaches to Murgab around 9 pm and drop me just in front of the hotel I choose before . They gave me a bed in the dorm room . In this room might be there was a chines guy and a western guy . Finally my journey toward the Murgab is complete . I don’t go forward as after that the road goes for osh which I visited previously . There was a kyrgis group in the hotel who are playing the traditional music and some of their friend dance . It was a good moment in the hotel . Next day I roam around this place their azar . In the next day I go back to dushanbe .
Summary :
It is a wonderful journey through pamir passes from the dushanbe to Murgab . Mostly tour companies starts from or Dushanbe or Osh and finish in the another country . It is a trans nation tour . I would say when you apply for tajik visa , you should apply with the GBAO permit . It is expensive in online but still it makes your journey more smooth . Mostly your journey goes aligning with the Panj river . Which is the border between the Tajikistan and Afghanistan . You can see the afgan villages . There is very little turmac road . Most of the roads are made of gravel and it reminds me the roads in Nepal toward Muktinath . Anyhow it is a journey of Lifetime . If you like to plan a journey you can mail me sahakumar105@gmail.com
Reference
1 I have taken the Tajik taxi photo from https://www.ebrd.com/news/2023/driving-green-taxis-in-dushanbe-.html
2. Given a backlink to the website https://www.tasteatlas.com/kaymak
3. given backlink to https://caravanistan.com/tajikistan/pamirs/jelondy/
4 . Give details of tajik drink in https://www.fifteen.net/beverages/tajik/
