Kyrgyz-Tajik Border Tension: As of 2023, the Kyrgyz-Tajik Border has reopened in July after a two-year closure. However, to cross the border, you will still require an e-visa and a GBAO permit, both of which can be obtained in advance from here.
The Pamir Highway is one of the highlights of traveling in Central Asia. The highway is considered to be the second highest international highway in the world, with the highest point standing at 4655m.
The highway stretches over much of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan through the Pamir mountains, starting from Osh and ending in Dushanbe. In order to traverse this remote highway, extensive planning is required. Within this guide, I will explain how I, as a solo traveler, was able to find people to go with, pick which route to take, and decide how long the trip would be.
- Which Route to Pick for the Pamir Highway?
- The Pamir Highway Itinerary, Highlights and Attractions
- More Tajikistan Activities
- The Pamir Highway Travel Video
- When to Visit the Pamir Highway?
- How to Get to the Pamir Highway?
- How to Get Around the Pamir Highway?
- How to find more people to share the jeep with for the Pamir Highway?
- What to Pack and Things to Prepare for the Pamir Highway?
- Further Reading for Central Asia
Which Route to Pick for the Pamir Highway?
There are many routes to choose from, but after careful consideration, I decided to go with the traditional Pamir Highway route from Osh to Khorog through the Wakhan Valley, which diverts off from the Pamir Highway to Langar and gives me a chance to glimpse at Afghanistan from the Tajik side.
This route took us 7 days on a private jeep and an additional day on a public jeep from Khorog to Dushanbe. Here is my itinerary:
- Day 1: Osh - Lenin Peak - Sary Mogul
- Day 2: Sary Mogul - Crossed into Tajikistan - Karakul Lake
- Day 3: Karakul Lake - Murghab
- Day 4: Murghab - Bulunkul (Hiking possibility)
- Day 5: Bulunkul - Wakhan Valley - Langar
- Day 6: Langar - Hot spring - Ishkashim.
- Day 7: Ishkashim - Khorog.
- Day 8: Khorog - Dushanbe (public jeep)
The Pamir Highway Itinerary, Highlights and Attractions
Day 1: Osh - Sary Mogul
First day of the trip, we set off from Osh to see the Lenin Peak base camp and slept at Sary Mogul.
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This day alone made me excited for what was to come, as the scenery shifted from city to mountains, to a large orange plain, and to a stunning view of snowy mountain range.
This is Lenin Peak... or somewhere within those clouds.
Where to Stay in Osh?
Day 2: Karakul Lake
The next day, we crossed the border from Kyrgyzstan to Tajikistan and continued our way up through No Man's land, past this famous ram statue, and stopped for a night at Karakul Lake.
Here is one of the most memorable views I captured along the way.
The Karakul Lake is definitely best experienced during sunset.
Day 3: Murghab
The third day, we drove up a 4655m Ak-Baital Pass, the highest point on the highway, and stopped in Murghab for a night.
If you expect Murghab to be a proper city with all the facilities you need, you will be disappointed. In my opinion, Murghab seems more like a large settlement than a city.
Day 4: Bulunkul
The fourth day, we set off early to Bulunkul so that we could do some hiking around the Bulunkul lake. The walk took us around 3 hours both ways. It was relatively easy, but the altitude was quite taxing on my body.
That night at Bulunkul Lake was the coldest night we experienced during the entire trip, as it was lightly snowing in the evening.
As the snow stopped in the morning, the entire scenery in Bulunku changed overnight. From orange hills and mountains to an all-white and bright landscape, it was quite a sight to behold.
Day 5: Langar and the Wakhan Valley
The fifth day was quite exciting as we diverted from the Pamir highway and drove through the beginning of the Wakhan Valley, where we could get a glimpse of Afghanistan.
I hope that one day we can cross this river and travel through Afghanistan properly.
The Wakhan Valley was definitely one of the most beautiful stretches of the Pamir Highway. We stopped multiple times to relax and play frisbee. The fact that Afghanistan is only a stone's throw away made it even more fascinating.
We spent the fifth night in Langar, a nice, cozy town tucked away within the Wakhan Valley. In the evening, we decided to walk around the town but ended up playing frisbee with the kids in a park. It was one of the best evenings we had, as we were able to experience firsthand how much they appreciated us being there, visiting their hometown.
Day 6: Ishkashim
On our sixth day, we stopped several times to take a few photos of the never-ending snowy mountains on the Afghan side.
We also stopped for a cultural visit at a local museum, to learn more about the history of the Pamirs.
After the museum, we visited a few ancient fortresses that were scattered around the valley. One of the more impressive ones was the Yamchun fortress. Built in the 3rd century BC, the fortress gave us a clue as to which belief system (Zoroastrianism) was widely used in the Pamirs back in the day.
We went into a hot spring and relaxed for a few hours before we continued on our way to Ishkashim and spent the night there.
Day 7: Khorog
The seventh day was a short day as we headed straight to Khorog in the morning and spent the entire day exploring the town and preparing for a big goodbye party, as everyone would be going their separate ways the next day.
Day 8: Dushanbe
I decided to get a shared jeep (taxi) early in the morning to Dushanbe, as we had heard how bad the road was and how long it took people to traverse this stretch of the Pamir Highway. It took us 16 hours, as expected, with a few big incidents, but other than that, the scenery was definitely worth seeing.
Where to Stay in Dushanbe?
More Tajikistan Activities
When to Visit the Pamir Highway?
People usually prefer going in mid-summer (July-August) as the weather is more pleasant, but I would personally recommend going in Autumn (September) when the weather is a little cooler. Additionally, the scenery is the most colorful at this time of year, with trees turning orange all over. Another reason to visit during Autumn is that there will be fewer tourists traveling the highway, so you will most likely have the whole place to yourself, both in the mountains and in the guest houses.
How to Get to the Pamir Highway?
You can fly into either Bishkek and then book a flight to Osh to start your journey from Osh, or you can fly into Dushanbe and start your road trip from the opposite side. Either way, I would recommend that you browse through Skyscanner or Expedia before comparing prices so that you can get the cheapest flight possible.
How to Get Around the Pamir Highway?
Hired Jeep and Driver
This is the best option for backpackers who are not keen on biking themselves and have limited time. You will be able to see everything in 8 days without breaking the bank.
Who should you go with? I went with Osh Guesthouse, who organizes these trips regularly at a reasonable price. The cost of both the jeep and the driver is calculated by kilometers, so it will depend entirely on your itinerary. However, the going rate we got was 0.70$/km + $15 daily allowance.
For this 8-day itinerary (off-season), the total cost was 704 USD (jeep + driver). So, if you can find 3 more people, you will only pay 176 USD each, excluding food and accommodation. For food and accommodation, it should cost you around 15 USD per day.
What I did was withdraw around 200 USD from an ATM machine (Optima or Demir give out USD) in Osh, and I exchanged 150 USD into Tajikistan Somoni, keeping the rest for emergencies.
And of course.. with a mule
How to find more people to share the jeep with for the Pamir Highway?
If you are a solo traveler like me, doing road trips alone is not just expensive but also boring as hell. So, in order for me to plan this trip, I went onto Caravanistan Forum and started a post to see if anyone wanted to join. In only a few days, I got 4 emails, and my plan began to take shape from there.
The key is to be flexible in your schedule as much as you can by posting it on Caravanistan Forum in advance, with as much information as you can.
What to Pack and Things to Prepare for the Pamir Highway?
- Be prepared for the cold: During autumn, especially at high elevation, the temperature may go down to 0 or even below zero, so bring layers. Here are the jackets I recommend you get for the trip: fleece jacket and the beautiful orange Columbia outer-shell jacket.
- Be prepared for the Altitude: You will be sleeping above 3000m elevation half of the trip, and it can get quite uncomfortable at times, so prepare some painkillers or altitude sickness pills. Also, keep yourself hydrated at all times!
- Sleeping bag not needed: All the guest houses should provide you with warm blankets and heaters.
- Snacks: Some days, you will be in a car for 8 hours, so a little snack will make the trip a little more enjoyable.
- Prepare Kyrgyz Som and Tajik Somonis: In Osh, be sure to exchange your money into Tajik Somonis and leave a few Kyrgyz Som before leaving, as you will need to pay for accommodation and food along the way. The closest town where you can exchange money after Osh is Murghab, but the exchange rate there is questionable.
- Prepare card games: You will be spending 8 days off the grid in guest houses with strangers, so prepare a deck of cards or games to keep your group entertained. A good party app to use is "Heads Up!" (Android | iPhone).
- Visa and GBAO Permit: Be sure to get an e-visa with GBAO permit for Tajikistan beforehand. There will be plenty of checkpoints that will ask you to show it.
- Expect Unreliable Internet throughout the trip: Inform people that you will be away for 8 days, as you will not have access to any reliable internet until Dushanbe. You can obtain a Megaphone SIM card at Murghab, but the internet on the Pamir Highway rarely functions reliably.
- A Backpack: And you will need a backpack to carry everything you need for 8 days. I highly recommend the 65L Osprey Atmos AG Backpack with its mesh grid back support that makes your backpack lighter, a good capacity to carry everything you need for your trip, and you can't beat the Osprey lifetime guarantee.
Daily Budget
This location is less expensive than most countries, but it's not exceedingly cheap. Expect to spend around $30 - $50 USD per day per person, which includes both accommodation and meals.
Please keep in mind that these are suggested daily budgets based on my own style of travel, which leans more towards the budget side of things. If you aim to stick to this budget, anticipate sleeping in dormitories, dining out only occasionally, and being comfortable with the cheapest and most convenient modes of transportation, which often involve a considerable amount of walking.
That is it for the 8 Days Pamir Highway Itinerary in Tajikistan. Have we missed anything? Have you found the guide useful? Let us know in the comments below!
Now that we have all the information we need, it's time to plan your trip to The Pamir Highway, Tajikistan! Here are some resources to help you get your trip going:
Are you planning to travel to The Pamir Highway, Tajikistan independently? Be sure to check out my guide on How To Plan A Backpacking Trip here.
Further Reading for Central Asia
Are you looking to dive deeper into Central Asia? Here are a selection of travel guides and itineraries for traveling in Central Asia.
- Looking for a complete one-month itinerary and a travel guide for Central Asia? One Month Itinerary For Central Asia
- For a complete itinerary to Kazakhstan, check out: 10-Day Backpacking Kazakhstan Itinerary.
- Looking for things to do in Almaty, Kazakhstan? Check out the 10 Best Things to Do in Almaty.
- If you are staying in Almaty for a while and want to explore the city's culinary delights, be sure to check out our 10 Best Cafes and Restaurants to Try in Almaty.
- Want to get off the beaten path in Kazakhstan? Shymkent is an awesome place to visit. Here are the 9 Best Things to Do in Shymkent.
- Want to visit Turkestan in Kazakhstan? Check out our Complete Travel Guide to Turkestan.
- If you want to witness the city of the future in Central Asia, Astana is definitely the place you want to be. Here are the 10 Best Things to Do in Astana.
- A great country to start your journey in Central Asia is Kyrgyzstan since it is the easiest country to enter the region. Here's a complete 3-week itinerary travel guide to Kyrgyzstan.
- Bishkek, the capital city, is a great place to use as a base for you to obtain all tourist visas for the surrounding countries like Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, and the city has a ton to offer. Here are the top 10 things to do in Bishkek.
- Kyrgyzstan is known for its mountains, and one of the best treks you can do is the Ala Kul trek. Here’s a travel guide for trekking the Ala Kul trail and how you can do it in 2 days.
- If Kyrgyzstan is known for its mountains, then Uzbekistan is known for its culture and architecture. With several ancient Silk Road cities, there is a ton to see in Uzbekistan. Here's a 2-week itinerary and a travel guide in Uzbekistan.
- Last but not least, one of the hardest countries to visit in Central Asia is Turkmenistan, and you will require a lot of planning before you can visit. Here’s a complete travel guide with a one-week itinerary for Turkmenistan.
- You can watch all my travel videos from Central Asia here: Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan.
- Looking for more travel guides for Central Asia? You can find more on my Central Asia Travel Guide page.
- For more of my travel guides, visit the All Destination Travel Guide page.
14 Comments
This is unreal, especially the video (I'm a sucker for crash zooms). Central Asia has been on our list forever, but this has pushed me to really try make it happen. I'm hoping to create a community of adventurers through dashlucky.com, I'd love to add some links to your site if it's okay with you? Cheers!
Dash.
Thank you for the comments and compliments Dasun! :)
Gorgeous scenery and filming. What year did you do this trip?
Thank you Jay! I did it in early October, 2017 :)
Amazing!!! how did you apply visa? individual country visa or multiple visa at the same time?
Kyrgyzstan, I got from the visa on arrival at the airport and Tajikistan I got e-visa from the internet. For other countries like Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, I got it from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan :)
I hope this helps!
Hi, Pete!
Awesome post!
Would you help me with an information?
Do you need a multiple entrance Tajikistan visa to go to the Wakhan Corridor? And how much does the visa for Afghanistan?
Thank you :)
Hi Tatiana,
Sorry for the late reply. I was offline for the past 2 weeks in Nepal. :) Of course, you can get the Tajikistan visa and the GBAO permit (needed to go to the Wakhan valley on Tajik side) all from their website which will issue you an printable e-visa you have to have on hand when you arrive at the Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan border crossing. We didn't enter Afghanistan, we were just by the border of it so we didn't need the visa. You don't need Afghanistan visa to travel the Wakhan Valley as the valley is shared by 2 countries, and you will only be traveling along the border, not entering Afghanistan.
I hope these help!
Don't worry about it, I saw the amazing pictures on your Instagram :)
Thank you so much for you reply, Pete, it helped a lot! Your blog is really good and I am taking all the tips to travel to Central Asia, I am going on September and I am so excited about it!
Thank you for the kind words, Tatiana. I'm glad it helped you with your planning! Good luck with your trip in September (great time as well, full of autumn colors)! It will be awesome, I'm sure! :)