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Jeep Tour along Pamir Highway |
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| ITINERARY: | (Dushanbe,Blue lake t/b, Kalai-Khumb, Khorog, Jelondy, Murgab, Karakul lake and to Tajik/Kyrghyz border “Kyzyl-Art”–with Pamir Travel Ltd.) |
| The Central Pamir (Badakhshan) occupies almost half of modern Tajikistan,
a total of 63, 700 square kilometers. The Tajiks call this region
Po -i- Mir the foot of King and also the second version Bom-i-Dunyo,
the Roof of the World. Merchants and traders have been travelling
by road across the Pamir for centuries. Unlike trading routes across
steppe, which form a complex web, the mountain tracks followed a fixed
route, passing along valley floors. This tour follows the route from
Khorog to Murgab, which was once the Shugnon branch of the ancient
Silk Road. 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 practiced a Badakhshan version of
Buddhism. The tour begins with a spectacular flight through (not over!) the mountains from Dushanbe to Khorog, capital of the Mountainous Badakhshan Autonomous Region. From Khorog, we take a 4WD vehicle through the stunning vistas of the Pamir Highway, over the Ak-Baital Pass (at 4,650 m, one of the highest stretches of road in the world) and on into Kyrghyzstan. Route The flight from Dushanbe to Khorog is itself one of the attractions of the tour, as the dramatic final approach is down a valley with sheer rock walls below snow-capped peaks. This flight has received ‘best of Central Asia mentions in several guide books. There are some worthwhile sights in the Khorog area, most notably the hot springs at Garmchashma. We will spend the first two days around Khorog enjoying the natural beauty, before beginning the 700 km TRIP to Osh. Although it is possible to drive from Khorog to Tajik/Kyrghyz border “Kyzyl-Art” in a couple of days, we will take a more leisurely five days in order to explore the sights along the way. During the first part of the TRIP, we will pass through the villages of Badakhshan region, which are stretched along the river valleys. The traditional way of life of the Pamir peoples, adapted to life at altitudes of up to 4, 000 m, has been preserved to the present day. The Pamir dwellings are built around a large enclosed CENTRAL five-pillared room, covered with a tiered wooden ceiling with an opening for light and an outlet for smoke. After the town of Murgab, we will leave the Silk Road route and enter the desolate and unpopulated east Pamir region. This is a vast stony plateau with scarce vegetation, at an altitude of 3, 500-4, 500 m. The plateau is shaped like a giant dish, edged by mountain ranges, that rise only 1, 000-1, 500 m above the bottom. The scenery from here to the Kirghiz border is Spartan, dry and brown, but wonderfully mountainous and magnificent to look at. This region was known to Ptolemy and was also TRAVELed by Marco Polo, who wrote: ‘For twelve days you cross the valley; it is called Pamirs, and for the whole twelve days you see no houses, neither vegetation; food should be brought by yourself. There are no birds here because it is high and cold. Because of terrible cold, fire is not as bright and not of the colors like in other places. ' We will spend one night by the high mountain lake of Karakul, which was formed millennia ago when a meteor struck the Pamirs. Karakul is the largest of a range of about 800 ancient lakes in the Pamirs which were created by earthquake, tectonic activity and glaciers. The water in this lake is too high to support marine life and the region around it has been described as a moonscape. On the last day from Karakul lake drive around lake and then to go to Tajik/Kyrghyz border “Kyzyl-Art” and your will cross the Kizil-Art Pass (4,250m) go to Kyrghyzstan with Kyrghyz representatives and partners. On the other side of the pass, the scenery changes markedly. The high mountain peaks of Lenin and Somoni (Communism) form a divide, and the Kirghiz side is as green and lush as the Pamir is sparse and barren. The tour finishes on Tajik/Kyrghyz border Kyzyl-Art. From there you with Kyrghyz partner can continue trip to Osh by road and from there by air to Bishkek or Tashkent. 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 may be necessary to vary our itinerary to adapt to these changes. |
ITINERARY
| Arrival in Dushanbe. Accommodation in hotel (or in Tajik home). Shot SS around Dushanbe and outside Hissar fortress, Varzob gorge. Lunch and dinner, o/n in hotel. | |
| After breakfast, short Ss around Dushanbe till lunch and after drive by Pamir road to “Blue lake” base camp, dinner and overnight | |
| Morning drive to Kalai-Khumb 200 km (H-1850 m), through mountains picture's places and tour base camp “Blue lake”, there is lunch, and continued drive to Kalai-Khumb, accommodation in private home, dinner and rest. | |
| After breakfast drive to Khorog (2, 100 m), capital of Tajikistan 's Mountainous Badakhshan Autonomous Region. Tour of the city. 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 a guest house Ogho-Khan. | |
| Leave Khorog in a 4WD vehicle, along the Gunt river valley into the heart of Pamirs. 30 km from Khorog, on a high cliff dominating the valley, the Kofir-Kala Complex overlooks Bogev village. It consists of a fortress with a citadel and the remains of two circular temples. In ancient times, this complex was a well-protected cult center of Shugnon, focused on worshipping the sun. Drive to Shokhdara, camp overnight. | |
| Day 6 | Drive to Jelondy, stop by the lake and thermal springs. The water temperature at the springs is 90 o C, but there is an area suitable for swimming where the water is about 70 o C. There are also impressive stalactite/stalagmite formations. As well as the opportunity for a hot bath, there is the option to do some light TREKKING around the lake. Camp overnight. |
| Day 7 | Drive over Alichur Pass to Murgab. 40 km from Murgab a cave in Shahty contains the highest (4, 200 m) known pictures from the Stone Age: rock graffiti of ritual symbols (solar and cosmic characters), carts, people and animals. Accommodation in a guest house. |
| Day 8 | Cross Ak-Baital pass (4, 650 m) and on to Karakul lake (3, 914 m), the largest lake in the Pamirs, with a surface area of 380 square km and volume of 26. 6 cubic km of water. The name Karakul means ‘ Black Lake '. Camp near the lake. |
| Day 9 | Cross Kizil-Art Pass (4, 250 m) and the Tajik-Kyrghyz border. From there meeting with Kyrghyz partner, and then with partner continue TRIP along with Kyrghyzstan to Sary-Tash and Osh. |
| The tour will be led by a guide/interpreter and will be accompanied
by a cook to prepare meals in the remote Pamir regions. There will
be one Russian jeep 4WD vehicle and driver for every 4 and Russian
track 8-12 passengers on the tour. |
| Days …………………………..…9 Season ……………...30/05 – 01.11 Min group ………………1 – 25Pax. |
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