10-Day Pamir Mountains Tour from Dushanbe with Wakhan and Karakul

• Depart from Dushanbe and travel to Kalai Khum through spectacular mountain scenery.
• You will cross the Norak Water Reservoir, also known as the Tajik Sea, and visit the ancient fortress of Hulbuk, dating back to the 8th century.

The highest point of the day is Shurobod Pass (1955 m), from which the Afghan border begins. You will be driving along the natural border of the Panj River. This part of the journey is wonderful for its unique mountains, which already form part of the Pamir range.

Accommodation: Homestay (1 night)

Meals Included: Lunch/Dinner

• Today is mostly a travel day. Set off to Khorog, the capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO), located on high, narrow terraces at 2,200-2,300 meters above sea level in the Pamir Mountains, at the confluence of the Gunt and Panj rivers.
• The road follows the Panj River. Built by the Soviets in the 1930s, it is still in a state of disrepair in many places. Along the way, you can observe the contrasting civilizations of the two countries on either side of the river.
• As you travel from Kalai Khum to Khorog, both the scenery and the people begin to change. The people here are Pamiris, with their own unique traditions and languages.

Accommodation: Homestay (1 night)

Meals Included: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner

• Start the day with a trip to the mineral hot spring called "Garm Chashma." Garm Chashma is about 45 km from Khorog on the way to Ishkashim.

Garm Chashma was developed in the late 1950s on the site of a mineral spring. The healing waters of this place are known throughout the region and are visited by a large number of travelers and tourists every year.

• You will also pass the Ruby Mines of Khuhi Lal, where Badakhshan's rubies were already being mined in the 14th century. Ishkashim is a small town at the mouth of the Wakhan Corridor, where the 19th-century Great Game came to an end.
• As you travel onward, you will encounter breathtaking views of the Pamirs to the left and the Hindu Kush to the right. If you are lucky and arrive in Ishkashim on a Saturday, you can visit the cross-border Tajik-Afghan market on the Afghan side. No Afghan visa is required for this visit.

Accommodation: Guesthouse (1 night)

Meals Included: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner

• As you travel farther, you will visit Kah-Kaha in Namadgut. It is one of the oldest fortresses on the Silk Road, thought to have been constructed around the 4th century A.D., and is said to be named after the epic king of dark-skinned fire-worshippers.
• After that, you will visit the sacred hot springs of Bibi Fatima Zahra and the ruins of Yamchun Fortress (4th-3rd centuries B.C.), which once guarded the Pamir branch of the Great Silk Road.
• In Yamg village, you will visit the Museum of Sufi Muborak-Kadami Vakhani, where visitors can explore the life of a local Sufi scholar, theologian, traveler, and poet who lived in this region until 1910. Some of his most marvelous achievements can be seen here. Near his house stands a stone pillar with a carved hole that he used to calculate a solar calendar. His home is decorated with inscriptions and decorations made by the scholar himself.

Near Vrang village, on a hill, there is a Buddhist temple dating back to the 4th-7th centuries, pitted with caves.

Accommodation: Homestay (1 night)

Meals Included: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner

• You will have breakfast at your accommodation before enjoying the stunning views of Afghanistan, including the ice-capped Wakhan Range and the Pamir River. After crossing the 4,344-meter Khargushi Pass, you will arrive at Bulunkul Lake in a small hamlet. Bulunkul is one of Tajikistan's high-mountain lakes, located at 3,734 meters above sea level, and is known as one of the coldest inhabited places in the former Soviet Union, with a record low temperature of -63 degrees Celsius. The residents include Pamiris, Tajiks, and Kyrgyz nomads who thrive in this harsh environment. After reaching Bulunkul, you can take a short drive or hike of approximately 15 km to Yashikul Lake, where you can explore the shoreline and hike to viewpoints offering stunning vistas.

Accommodation: Homestay (1 night)

Meals Included: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner

• As the journey continues, and if the weather is clear enough, you will head up to the Shorbulak Observatory, from where you can see Muztag Ata and Kongur Peaks, part of the Khun Lun Range in China. Murghab is a quiet town in the High Pamir region, with little more than a bazaar where Kyrgyz and Tajik people live.
• You will pay a visit to a handicraft shop in "Yak House."
• The marvelous views of the mountains and glaciers along the way are simply breathtaking as the road takes you to Ak Baital Pass at an altitude of 4,655 m. This is the highest pass in the former USSR and was known as "The Roof of the World."

Hidden within this vast arid landscape is the stunning Karakul Lake, created millions of years ago by a meteorite and noted as one of the most geologically fascinating places on earth. You will have an opportunity to take a short walk along the lake. The surrounding area offers spectacular views, especially dramatic as the sun sets over the nearby snow-capped mountains.

Accommodation: Homestay (1 night)

Meals Included: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner

• Today your route leads to the Bartang Valley. The journey takes place along the Tanima River toward Upper Bartang.

Hospitality is one of the main qualities of the inhabitants of Bartang. Everyone who enters the village is welcome here. The Bartang people are unusually benevolent and simple, as such is the philosophy of the mountains. Because of the region's remote location, many traditions and customs of the highlanders have been better preserved here.

Accommodation: Homestay (1 night)

Meals Included: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner

• Today is another colorful day that will take the traveler's breath away. Journey through the picturesque Bartang Valley as you drive along the Bartang River, admiring its natural purity.
• You will travel from the upper to the lower part of the Bartang Valley. There will be many stops along the way for photographs of the beautiful scenery and sightseeing.
• Upon arriving in Rushon, you will walk through beautiful places and enjoy amazing views of the villages of Afghanistan, located on the left bank of the Panj River.

The administrative center of Rushon is the town of Vamar.

Accommodation: Homestay (1 night)

Meals Included: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner

• You will travel from Rushon to Kalai Khum along the same road you passed earlier. The unusual name of this settlement is translated from Persian as "Fortress on Khumb."

Near Kalai Khum, there are several almost-destroyed fortifications and settlements, although the fortress in Kalai Khum itself has not survived to the present day. The old city of Karon is located in the eastern part of the village of Kalai Khum at an altitude of 2,000 meters above sea level. The city covers an area of 100 hectares and is an ancient settlement that existed for about 4,000 years.

Accommodation: Homestay (1 night)

Meals Included: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner

• In the morning, you will travel to Dushanbe. You will cross the high Khaburabot Pass (3,252 m), known as the Western Pamir Highway. The road passes through a colorful river valley and breathtaking mountain valleys, where you can stop to rest and take pictures.

Meals Included: Breakfast/Lunch