- Drive along the spectacular Pamir Highway
- Enjoy views to the Hindu Kush and Karakorum mountains
- Peer across the Panj river into Afghanistan
- Trace the lines of the Wakhan Corridor, a region associated with the Great Game
- Visit archaeological sites and remnants of the Silk Road
- Search for Marco Polo sheep and markhor goats
- Take a day walk between remote villages in Bartang

Tajikistan Expedition: Pamir Highway & beyond
Journey through the remote Pamir Mountains and along the Afghan border
The Pamir Highway: Central Asia’s greatest road adventure. Travelling in 4x4s, we follow this rugged mountainous route through the remote Pamir range, discovering an area along the Afghan border, much of the time alongside the Panj River, that only the most adventurous ever explore. On the way, we visit the ruins of Zoroastrian castles and shrines, see a Buddhist stupa and meet the skeleton of a Sogdian princess. We also head off the main highway to go even deeper into the country, encountering lands where the language changes from one valley to the next. To make sure we see as much as possible, we’ve designed our tour to roughly follow a figure of eight, meaning we mostly avoid retracing our steps.
Highlights
Key Information
- An adventurous trip through a spectacular and little-visited region, with limited comfort
- Most travel is by 4×4 along often-rough roads
- Six nights in hotels, two nights in guesthouses, seven nights in homestays
- Single supplement available only in Dushanbe and Khorog
- Countries visited: Tajikistan
What's Included
- All accommodation
- All transport and listed activities
- 14 breakfasts, 11 dinners and 11 lunches (mostly box or picnic lunches)
What's Not Included
- Travel Insurance
- Single accommodation (available on request)
- Visas or vaccinations
People, Places & Planet
We work hard to create trips that have a positive impact on the people and places we visit and look after the planet we explore. Learn more about our sustainable travel ethos and practice here and find out about the work of the Exodus Travels Foundation here.
Some sustainable travel highlights of this trip include:
People
How this trip helps improve life for local communities.
- This trip brings income and opportunity to a very poor region through the inclusion of locally owned homestays and by championing locally produced food wherever possible. Homestays provide great opportunities to learn about local culture.
- Staying in small villages and visiting them contributes to the local economies.
- Local guides keep you well informed about local traditions and cultural-social sensitivities.
- In Dushanbe, we eat in a cafe that supports the NGO Chatr, which helps women who have suffered abuse.
- In Khorog, we visit an organisation called Ruzbeh, which runs community projects, such as supporting elderly people and providing media literacy for teenagers.
- Read more about our other initiatives here.
Places
How this trip helps protect and conserve local landscapes and nature.
- By travelling in a small group, we ‘tread lightly’ to minimise our impact on local resources and the environment.
- We work with our partners on the ground to proactively reduce waste; this includes eliminating all single-use plastic water bottles by providing refills for reusable bottles.
- We rewild 1,075sqft (100sqm) per passenger to compensate for all trip and flight emissions.
- Read about our commitment to nature protection and restoration here, including our rewilding commitment for every customer who travels with us.
Planet
How we seek to keep the carbon footprint of this trip low.
- Accommodation and restaurants in the itinerary use locally sourced food which has not been transported long distances.
- Read about our climate action here, including our carbon reduction and compensation commitments.
Tips for sustainable travel on this trip
- Leave no trace: We do all we can to ensure we leave no rubbish in the wild and beautiful places we visit; we ask that you do the same. If there are no recycling facilities in-country, consider bringing recyclable materials home with you.
- Plastic waste reduction: Please bring a reusable water bottle on this trip, also consider avoiding single-use hotel toiletries, which generate a large amount of plastic waste.
Cultural respect
- If invited into a local home, take off shoes before entering the house
- In homestays, you mainly sit on the floor. Do not step on or put your legs on the tablecloth during the meal, this is disrespectful to the host
- Expect to be told to have more food and tea and feel free to refuse gently
- Wear a long-sleeve shirt/T-shirt and trousers when entering religious sites
Itinerary
Arrive into Dushanbe today (or very early morning next day) and overnight.
Accommodation: Atlas Hotel (or similar)
Fly to Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. Flights usually arrive in the early hours of the morning of the following day. We'll be met at the airport and driven to the hotel.
Accommodation: Atlas Hotel (or similar)
We leave the hotel around 10.30am and start exploring Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. We start with an overview of Tajik history at the National Museum of Antiquities, where we see the skeleton of a Sogdian princess and a reclining Buddha statue. Next, we visit Mehrgon Market where we can try local fruits and learn Tajik bargaining skills.
We have lunch (not included) in a cafe within a training centre run by the NGO Chatr, which means umbrella. The centre provides free courses to women who have suffered abuse.
Later in the afternoon, we walk beside the fountains of Rudaki Avenue and visit the Rudaki Monument, dedicated to the founder of Tajik-Persian literature. We also see the Ismail Somoni monument to the first emir of the Tajik nation. Next stop is the Gurminj Musuem of Pamiri Musical Instruments. We end the day with the choice of a cooking class or pottery demonstration. The cooking class sees us learn about plov, the rice and meat-based national dish.
Accommodation: Atlas Hotel (or similar)
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
We drive south from Dushanbe passing through hilly landscapes and pastures to reach Norak Dam. We continue to Hulbuk Fortress and museum in Vose to learn more about the regional history. Following a stop for lunch (not included) in the city of Kulob, we visit the mausoleum of Mir Said Ali Hamadani, a poet from Iran who preached Islam in Central Asia. Our drive continues over the Shurobod Pass to Anjirob, where we stay overnight with a local family.
We cover around 150mi (240km) today, which takes about six hours with stops, with a maximum altitude of 880m
Accommodation: Homestay
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Following an early start, we drive to Parvor village from where we take a short walk to view markhor goats, the largest member of the goat family, best known for their twisting horns. This animal-watching adventure can take about three hours including the driving. We do this very early while temperatures are cooler as chances of seeing the goats are better before the heat of the day sends them to shelter behind cool rocks.
As we continue our journey, the road squeezes through the gorge of the Panj River into the western Pamirs. The Panj forms the border with Afghanistan, which we follow for the next few days, allowing us to peer into Afghanistan along the way.
On arrival in Kalai Khumb (altitude 1,270m), we walk in town or to the Karon archaeological site, which is thought to be the last-surviving Zoroastrian water temple in Central Asia and has only been excavated relatively recently. There are fantastic mountain views from the site.
There are about three hours of driving today (75mi/120km), with a maximum altitude of 1,270m.
Accommodation: Guesthouse
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
If we didn't visit Karon yesterday, we do so this morning. We continue our drive along the Panj River, tracing the border, stopping for a box lunch along the way. Early afternoon, we reach Khorog, the capital of the mountainous Badakhshan region. At an altitude of around 6,800ft (2,100m), Khorog sits in a narrow valley where the Shakhdara and Ghund rivers flow into the Panj. While small, the town is an important cultural centre with two universities and a theatre.
We explore Khorog, walking through Chorbogh park, and visit Ruzbeh, a public organisation running community projects, such as support for the elderly and media literacy for teenagers.
We drive for around seven hours (160mi/260km) today including stops, with a maximum altitude of 2,085m.
Accommodation: Lal Inn (or similar)
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
This morning, we visit Khorog bazaar. Here, we can purchase traditional goods, including juraby (woollen socks) and toki (colourful embroidered skullcaps). We also visit Khorog botanical gardens, high above the city.
From Khorog, the Pamir Highway heads east. However, we'll head south, continuing along the Panj River and the Afghan border. We stop at Garm Chashma, a small town home to sacred, sulphurous hot springs. Impressive white-yellow deposits are formed where the water flows out of the earth and cools. We continue to Ishkashim, where the valley widens and the waters of the Panj calm. This is the start of the Wakhan Valley, a legendary area in the Silk Road age. Always remaining in Tajikistan, we follow a route along the edge of the Wakhan Corridor, which once acted as a buffer between the Russian and British empires during the Great Game. This sliver of Afghanistan separates Tajikistan from Pakistan to the south. To the east lies the Xinjiang province of China.
The Wakhan is home to mountain fortresses and numerous other intriguing sites. To the north are the Pamirs, to the south are the mountains of the Hindu Kush and Karakoram.
We have a picnic lunch in Namadgut and visit Qah-Qaha fortress and Shohi Mardon shrine. We have views to Karl Marx Peak (22,057ft/6,723m) and Engels Peak (21,348ft/6,507m). In the evening, we reach Yamg and spend the night in a chid, a traditional Pamiri home. Following dinner, we have a demonstration of local Pamiri dances.
We drive for around six hours today (155mi/250km) including stops, with a maximum altitude of 2,750m
Accommodation: Homestay
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
We start the day with a visit to the lovingly decorated Muborakkadam Wakhoni musuem. Wakhoni was a Sufi educator, astronomer and musician. We see a stone solar calendar in Yamg. Next, we drive back to Yamchun to visit an impressive mountain fortress giving us views across the Wakhan and its fertile gardens, fields and villages. We visit the thermal baths of Bibi Fatima and marvel at a Buddhist stupa in Vrang, plus observe numerous cliff caves once inhabited by Buddhist monks.
In Zong, we can climb the imposing ruins of Abreshim Qala fortress and gain views of the Pamir and Wakhan rivers merging to form the Panj, which we've followed over much of the previous days. We spend the night in Langar.
We drive for around four hours today with stops, covering around 40mi (70km) with a maximum altitude of 2,880m
Accommodation: Homestay
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
We visit Langar parish hall and an old shrine decorated with ibex and Marco Polo sheep antlers. A walk across flat granite slabs above the village takes us to an area of nearly 6,000 petroglyphs dating from the Bronze Age to the present. A detour takes us to the ruins of Ratm Castle. Heading along the Pamir River, we see a caravanserai on the other side and may see Bactrian camels.
As we head towards Zorkul Lake (once known to the British as Lake Victoria), the landscape changes and the eastern Pamir plateau comes into view in front of us. The plateau has an average altitude of 13,000ft (4,000m) and the inhabitants call it Bam-i Dunya, the roof of the world. Leaving the (relatively speaking) main road behind us, we head to Jarty Gumbez, known for being home to hot springs, a sun calendar and the tombs of Scythian and Kyrgyz nomads. We may come across herds of Marco Polo sheep, which are giant, wild sheep with horns up to 5ft (160 cm) long. We have time to refresh in the hot springs.
We travel for about six hours today, covering 80mi (130km), reaching our highest altitude point in the trip of 4,110m.
Accommodation: Guesthouse
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
We have an early start and head off with a ranger in search of Marco Polo sheep herds. It may take us a few hours to find them. If we're lucky, we might see ibex too. After returning to the guesthouse, we visit Scythian burial grounds. We now head north, crossing the Ak-Bura Pass at 13,780ft (4,200m). We enter the lunar landscape of Shorbuloq, which has colourful rock formations and a cave with Bronze Age rock paintings at Shakhti. We pass Shorbuloq observatory, once an important Soviet observatory, located here due to the regular dry, cool and stable climate.
In clear weather, we can see mountains in China: Muztag-Ata (24,757ft/7,546m) and Kongur (25,325ft/7,719m). In the late afternoon, we meet the Pamir Highway once again and head to Murghab, the administrative centre of the eastern Pamirs. Murghab was an important military station in the 19th century under the Tsars and later for Soviet Russia. Now the inhabitants are mostly Kyrgyz. There is a small bazaar, mosques and a cemetery, which are worth seeing.
We have about four hours of travel today (80mi/130km), excluding looking for Marco Polo sheep. Our maximum altitude today is 3,620m
Overnight at Pamir Hotel (or similar)
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
We have a short tour around Murghab, seeing the market and yak house where we can purchase yak-wool handicrafts. Yurts were common in pre-Soviet times, but following construction of permanent houses they are less common.
On our way to Karakul Lake, we reach the highest point of the Pamir Highway and our adventure: Akbaital Pass at 15,272ft (4,655m).
We spend the night in Karakul (meaning Black Lake) at 12,800ft (3,900m) above sea level. The lake itself is 15mi (25km) wide and sits within a crater formed by a meteor impact millions of years ago. This is a cold, remote and hard place to live.
We cover around 85mi (135km) today, taking about three hours, reaching the second highest altitude point in this trip of 3,9350m
Accommodation: Homestay
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
We leave Karakul and the Pamir Highway and head southwest into the Bartang Valley. The road is particular rough and travel is very slow but we're rewarded with a route few tourists take and spectacular mountain scenery. The name Bartang translates approximately as ‘narrow passage’ which is very apt. We stop at Shurali geoglyph and have a picnic lunch along the way.
We stay the night in Ghudara village, partway along the valley. We drive for about five or six hours today with stops on the way, covering around 77mi (125km). Today's maximum altitude is 3,010m.
Accommodation: Homestay
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
We continue slowly making our way through the Bartang Valley, enjoying the landscapes along the way. We stop at Savnob village to see a 19th-century castle and hear its legends. Inhabitants of the Bartang are among the most hospitable people in the Pamirs. We stay the next two nights in a chid in the village of Yemts with a carved-wood ceiling and square roof window. The interior of chids have symbols linked to the Ismaili faith.
We travel for about six hours today (85mi/135km), with a maximum altitude of 2,060m
Accommodation: Homestay
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Walk in the Jizewdara Valley
We hike in one of the side valleys of Bartang today. You may remain in Yemts on your own if you don't wish to do the hike. We start by crossing a long bridge over a river and can see tiny terraces, small orchards and fields. Barberry and buckthorn bushes line the narrow path that villagers from Jizew use to reach Bartang. The river is dammed by landslips in places forming small lakes. We have a picnic lunch along the way.
Ascent: 1,640ft (500m); descent: 1,640ft (500m); walking distance: 8.5mi (14km); walking time: approximately six hours, with a maximum altitude of 2,060m
Accommodation: Homestay
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
We visit an old mazar this morning, a shrine where Zoroastrianism and Ismailism mix. Shortly after leaving Yemts, we exit the Bartang and are back on the Pamir Highway and return to Kalai Khumb. Along the way, we pass white-sand dunes by the river. On the Afghan side, we see the network of tiny paths across steep rock walls, which used to be the only connections between villages. We stop for lunch (not included) and may have the chance to try local honey.
On arrival in Kalai Khumb, we have a welcome night in a hotel for the first time in several days.
We cover around 150mi (240km) today over about eight hours (including stops), with a maximum altitude of 1,270m
Accommodation: Karon hotel (or similar)
Meals Included: Breakfast
This morning, we return to Dushanbe over the Saghir Dasht Pass (10,670ft/3,252m), a different route to the one we took on our outward journey. As we leave the high mountains of the Pamirs behind, the view changes completely. We have a break in Tavildara, where we can see the colourful rocks of Navruz Mountain. We pass orchards and villages and the landscape is increasingly green as we travel through the wide valleys of Vakhsh and Obikhingou.
There are about eight hours of travel today, covering 210mi (340km).
Accommodation: Atlas Hotel (or similar)
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
The trip ends today in Dushanbe. We begin our return journey home. Alternatively, if you’d like to explore a little more, speak to your sales representative about extending your stay.
Meals Included: Breakfast
We fly back from Dushanbe to London in the early hours of this morning.
Essential Info
Visa
Some nationalities require a visa, others do not. UK passport holders do currently require a visa. Most nationalities that need a visa can complete an online Tajikistan e-visa application: https://www.evisa.tj. The e-visa costs US$50 and usually takes about three working days for the application to come through, please allow more in case there is a delay.
This trip travels through the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous region and all nationalities require a GBAO permit. This can be applied for at the same time as the e-visa, or we can arrange it for you on request, at least two weeks before the start of the trip. It will be received on arrival in Tajikistan.
We need copies of your passports, visas and permits at least two weeks before the start of the trip.
Vaccination
Tajikistan
There are no required vaccinations. However, you may want to consider vaccinations for polio, tetanus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rabies, tuberculosis and typhoid. Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.
Eating and Drinking
When travelling in Tajikistan, be prepared for the meat-heavy cuisine of Central Asia. Over the centuries, it was influenced by various cultures, mainly Persian, Afghan and Russian. Beef and lamb are most commonly eaten. In the Pamirs, you might get to try yak meat in homestays. Different types of beans, grains, meat and vegetables are used. In the summer and autumn, tables will be filled with varieties of sweet organic fruits and vegetables. In the Pamirs, food tends to be high in fat.
Non (a flatbread) is served first with meals. The centrepiece and national dish in Tajikistan and Central Asia is plov. The main ingredients are meat, oil, rice, shredded carrots, chickpeas, garlic and sometimes raisins, and usually eaten with your hands.
In the Pamirs, choice is limited. Expenses are high to transport fresh produce.
The general meal during the trip is plov, qurutob (vegetarian), manti (steamed meat or pumpkin dumplings), different soups, sambusa (puff pastry with meat), laghman (noodle soup with meat), rice, french fries, shish kabab, fresh salads and fruits.
During picnic lunches, on the first days, apples, pears, watermelon, tomato and cucumber, cheese, sausages and salads will be served, followed by jam, honey, instant or espresso coffee, tea, dried fruits, candies, herbal tea, honey, cookies and bread. Dinners include a first and second course followed by various types of cooked salads, tea, dried fruits, biscuits, sweets, jam and honey.
Vegetarians can be catered for if we are aware before travel, though there will be limited choice. Other dietary requirements are likely to be difficult to accommodate on this trip. Please ask us.
Weather
The climate of Tajikistan is continental, with hot summers and cold winters, but it fluctuates depending on the elevations of the regions and seasonality. Summers in the mountains can be warm, and winters very cold with heavy snowfalls. The lowest recorded temperature was -63C (-81F) in Bulunkul Lake in the Pamirs. The temperature in summer can get as high as 50C (122F) in the Khatlon region. Around 280 days of the year, the sky is clear, sunny and blue.
The climate in the Pamirs (where this trip spends most of the time) is extreme continental: very dry and harsh. The average daytime temperature from May to September is 20C-25C (68F-77F); at night, the temperature can drop to freezing point or below. After a long sunny day, you can have light snowfall. In Dushanbe at this time, the average temperature can be 25C-40C (77F-104F).
Is this trip for you?
This trip has been rated Activity Level 3 (Moderate).
We have rated this trip moderate due to the long journeys and the rugged nature of travel in this region. Good health is important. There is some walking on this trip, though generally only short walks. The exception is on Day 12 when we walk 8.5mi (14km).
Drives
There are long drives throughout this trip and the roads are often rough. If you suffer from travel sickness, this trip is not suitable for you. Please see the transport section for more detail.
Comfort
Tajikistan, especially the Pamirs, has very basic infrastructure and comfort levels are far lower than you would have at home. Seven nights of the trip are in homestays and two nights are in guesthouses. We accommodate guests in the best possible homestays and guesthouses, which are run by hospitable hosts. These usually have a shower and a Western-style toilet and you will often sleep on the floor on traditional mats filled with cotton. Some homestays and guesthouses don’t have a dining table, so guests are expected to sit cross-legged on the floor during meals. When using the shower and hot water, please be mindful and use just what you need. On several nights, you must share a room with more than one person; we make every effort to ensure men and women who are not travelling together don’t have to share a room, but this cannot be guaranteed. On these nights, single supplements do not apply. You will be provided one set of bed linen at the start of the trip for the homestays. Please note, some places along the trip have squat toilets.
Standards of cleanliness vary. Please report any problems to your leader or your accommodation and be vigilant in your personal hygiene regime – use soap or hand sanitizer gel before and after toilet breaks, snacks and mealtimes. Generally, the more remote the location, the more basic the accommodation. You will be provided with one set of bedding at the start of the trip which you can use in homestays. You may also like to bring a lightweight sleeping bag, but this is not essential.
Clothes
When visiting mosques and other religious buildings, women should wear long skirts and have their shoulders covered. We also advise bringing a scarf and covering your head on such occasions. Knee-length skirts/dresses, shorts and sleeveless tops are fine in other circumstances.
Itinerary changes
This trip is expeditionary in style. We aim to follow the itinerary as shown, but local conditions could lead to changes.
Following a review of all our trips we have categorised this trip as generally not suitable for persons of reduced mobility. However if you are a regular traveller on such trips, please contact customer services to discuss the trip and your personal condition.
Homestays, guest houses and hotels
Most of the accommodation on this trip is in simple homestays (seven nights) and guesthouses (two nights). The remaining six nights are in hotels.
Homestays are basic (see Essential Information for more detail) but are the only option in many places and are the best way to gain an insight into life in this region and meet local people. Some homestays have the option of sleeping on a tapchan (a large platform/bed) outside.
Some homestays are in traditional Pamiri houses called chids. These have philosophical and religious significance. The main room is divided into a few sections, such as a cooking and sleeping area, a place to study or keep clothes, and has only one window called a ravzana. The ceiling symbolises four elements of the universe: fire, earth, air and water.
Dinner in a homestay usually consists of two courses: a bowl of soup and a main dish with sides, homemade bread and jam. Usually, it is noodles or rice soup with or without meat, stewed or fried potatoes, plov, and fried vegetables with beef. Expect jam, sweets, biscuits and jurgot, a local Greek yoghurt made from yak or cow milk. For breakfast, a traditional meal is shirchoy, a mixture of milk, butter and salt boiled with black tea leaves. Pieces of bread and a little pepper can be added.
In Dushanbe, we stay in a four-star hotel (local rating). We pass through Kalai Khumb twice. On our outbound journey, we use a homestay, on the return journey we stay in a three-star (local rating) hotel, which will be welcome after several nights in homestays. In Khorog, we stay in a pleasant local-style hotel. In Murghab, we stay in a very simple hotel.
Atlas Hotel Dushanbe:
Karon Hotel, Kalai Khumb:
Lal Inn, Khorog:
Jarty Gumbez guesthouse:
Pamir Hotel, Murghab:
Covid-19 refund commitment
You will get a refund if you have to cancel your trip due to COVID-19.
Start
Finish
Availability
Adult Price From
Optional Single Supplement
Friday Friday
22 Sep 2023 22 Sep 2023
Saturday Saturday
07 Oct 2023 07 Oct 2023
Availability Available
Adult Price From CAD 7,595
Optional Single Supplement +CAD 466
Availability
This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
View Trip NotesFriday Friday
14 Jun 2024 14 Jun 2024
Saturday Saturday
29 Jun 2024 29 Jun 2024
Availability Available
Adult Price From CAD 8,175
Optional Single Supplement +CAD 532
Availability
This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
View Trip NotesFriday Friday
02 Aug 2024 02 Aug 2024
Saturday Saturday
17 Aug 2024 17 Aug 2024
Availability Available
Adult Price From CAD 8,175
Optional Single Supplement +CAD 532
Availability
This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
View Trip NotesFriday Friday
13 Sep 2024 13 Sep 2024
Saturday Saturday
28 Sep 2024 28 Sep 2024
Availability Available
Adult Price From CAD 8,175
Optional Single Supplement +CAD 532
Availability
This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
View Trip NotesNo departures found.
Would you like to include flights with your booking?
- ATOL protected
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*Please note any date & price adjustments will be displayed on the next step of booking. You will be able to revert back to booking without flights if the options aren't suitable for you.
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