Central Asia Pamir Highway 16 Days

Through the vast regions of central Asia

This trip goes through three unknown countries in Central Asia. And each of these countries is different.

Literally the highlight of this trip is the Pamir Highway in Tajikistan.

We begin the trip in Kyrgyzstan's second city Osh.

Most of this country is beautiful mountain scenery.

Tourism is still scarce here. We spend the night in a small guesthouse, in a yurt camp or in people's homes.

After Osh, we cross the border into Uzbekistan. This is a mostly flat country, but has beautiful ancient Silk Road cities.

From Samarkand you will visit the great Registan.

Tajikistan is primarily high mountainous.

Here we drive the Pamir Highway, this is well above the tree line.

The landscape here is barren and rugged, and overnight accommodations are basic.

This road runs along the border with Afghanistan through one of the most rugged and remote areas on earth.

Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan Pamir Highway

16 Days

Type of trip: Adventurous ( day parts unpaved )

Travel time months: June, September

Driving days: 11

Rest days during the tour: 2

Group size: 6 - 12 people

Travel Price Rider: € 4.295,-

Travel Duo: € 3.695,-

Take an option

Travel information:

Departure date:

Date back:

Number of days:

Number of options:

June 1, 2024

June 16, 2024

16 ALREADY REGISTRATIONS

September 7, 2024

September 22, 2024

16 ALREADY REGISTRATIONS

May 31, 2025

June 15, 2025

16 OPEN

September 13, 2025

September 28, 2025

16 OPEN

DAY	FROM	TO	COUNTRY	KM
1	Home	Departure
2	Arrival	Osh	Kyrgyzstan
3	Osh	Tashkent	Usbekistan	400
4	Tashkent	Samarkand	Usbekistan	315
5	Samarkand	Stay	Usbekistan
6	Samarkand	Seven Lakes	Tajikistan	130
7	Seven Lakes	Dushanbe	Tajikistan	235
8	Dushanbe	Stay	Tajikistan
9	Dushanbe	Kalaikhum	Tajikistan	295
10	Kalaikhum	Khorog	Tajikistan	240
11	Khorog	Langar	Tajikistan	230
12	Langar	Murgab	Tajikistan	260
13	Murgab	Day trip border China	Tajikistan	220
14	Murgab	Sary Tash	Kyrgyzstan	240
15	Sary Tash	Osh	Kyrgyzstan	245
16	Osh	Departure	TOTAL	2.810

Highlights of the trip:

Fergana valley
Samarkand silk road settlements
Seven Lakes
Anzob tunnel ( gateway to hell )
Place Dushanbe
Kulyab route
Skalinsky mountain 5,700 meters
Shavash mountain 5,300 meters
Gharm Chasma hot springs
Pamir Mountains
Khargush pass 4,344 meters
Mountain Giant Muztagh Ata
Border with China
Akbaytal pass 4,655 meters
Karakul lake

Heaviness of the journey

The combination of three factors can make this trip quite tough. First, there are the unpaved roads in the high mountains of Tajikistan. And second, the altitude will make this trip tough for many participants. Without exception, everyone will experience discomfort from the altitude. For some, it will be limited to shortness of breath and vague symptoms; others will experience more unpleasant symptoms such as headaches and nausea. These are all normal reactions of the body and most symptoms will disappear on their own after a few days. This process is called acclimatization and you will find detailed information about it in the handbook. To make this process as smooth as possible, it is important to ascend slowly. We have taken this into account in our schedule.

Off road and distances

About half of the route we drive on dirt roads. These are usually well-traveled gravel roads but, due to the effects of the rainy season, they can be quite tough. Of course, it also always remains very careful in the sharp turns. The high passes in this area are only open in the summer months, in the other seasons there is too much snow. This also means that during the summer period a lot of snow melts and flows over the roads. This can be a harmless stream but can also cause a major landslide. So keep in mind that in such cases a solution must be sought. This can be a short detour but also riding the motorcycle through the stream anyway. Flexibility is thus an important trait to take sufficiently on this trip.

Overnight

This trip goes through very remote parts of Tajikistan. Here there are no hotels. So we will regularly stay in people's homes in so-called "homestays. These are obviously fairly basic accommodations but will bring you into direct contact with the local population.

Climate

Actually, we drive through two different climate zones. In the relative lowlands of Kyrgyzstan, it is dry and hot. It is different in the high mountains of Tajikistan. Because of the altitude, the temperature here does fluctuate extremely. During the day it is very warm but after sunset it will cool very quickly and become quite cold.

Clothing

Required are a helmet warm motorcycle jacket with protection gloves a good sturdy motorcycle pants with protection and sturdy high (mountain) shoes. Because of the large temperature differences, it may be useful to wear a motorcycle jacket with removable lining. On colder parts in the mountains, you can also wear extra clothing under your jacket if necessary. Since you will experience very hot, but also cold days, it is best to bring both summer gloves and winter gloves. Furthermore, good sunglasses are useful and a helmet with visor that protects from the dust. If your motorcycle clothing is not waterproof then it is advisable to bring a separate rain suit.

Pocket money and money matters

At the Kyrgyz-Tadjikistan border you cannot change money. In Osh you should exchange a minimum of money in Kirgiez Som (of which you do not need much, viz. for 3 days) and a minimum of Tajieks Somini (for 1 day). In Dushanbe you have the best rate and can exchange maximum money. You can't buy many souvenirs anywhere.

Safety

Along the border river with Afghanistan there may be land mines. During the 4 days that we drive along the river and thus along the border with Afghanistan, it is tempting yet unwise to drive beside the road (off road) or go paddling or picnicking by the river.

Visa

A Visa is recently no longer required for Kyrgyzstan. For Tajikistan, you can apply for a visa online. You can also let us take care of the application. You will get more information about this after registration.

International driving license

For this motorcycle trip, you will need an international driver's license, which you will arrange in advance with the ANWB in your home country.

The price includes the following:

Flight ticket Amsterdam -
Includes airport taxes and fuel surcharges
All hotel or homestay nights with breakfast
Rental Yamaha XT 600 or equivalent
Follow car with local driver
Traveling mechanic in follow car
Dutch tour guide on the motorcycle
Third party motorcycle insurance
Comprehensive travel handbook

What is not included in the price:

Gasoline
Other meals and drinks
Personal expenses
International driving license available at ANWB
Travel and cancellation insurance
Visa fees Kyrgyzstan ( free at the border )
Visa costs Tajikistan ( online )
Indicative pocket money € 450.

Additional service we can offer you:

single room € 390,-

Day 1 Amsterdam - Departure

Day 2 Arrival - Osh

You will be picked up from the airport and taken to the hotel. Osh is the second largest city in the country. Here people speak more Uzbek than Kirgies. It is a Soviet-designed city with wide streets and squares, one of which still features a Lenin statue.

Day 3 Osh - Tashkent

Early in the morning we cross the border into Uzbekistan. We enter the Fergana valley. This is a fertile stretch of lowland surrounded by mountain ranges. The valley was drawn into Uzbekistan when the countries were divided. But it is only with a narrow piece of land connected to the rest of the country by only one road. This road we follow and at the narrowest point we cross a beautiful pass. After the descent, we arrive in the country's capital, Tashkent.

Day 4 Tashkent - Samarkand

We are now at the lowest part of the country. The Russians planted this area full of cotton plantations. They got the irrigation water for this from Lake Baikal. Which as a result has shrunk to less than a third of its original size. So it is a flat landscape. The city of Samarkand is where we spend the night. The city is mainly known for its great Silk Road settlements. This is the Registan. We have a day off here to visit these buildings.

Day 5 Samarkand - Accommodation

Day 6 Samarkand - Seven Lakes

It is only a short distance from Samarkand to the border with Tajikistan. This is also the landscape border between flat Uzbekistan and mountainous Tajikistan. After the border procedures, we continue to Penjikend for our lunch. Then we turn south. Here a dirt road runs along a number of lakes. The road gets worse with each lake; we drive until the seventh lake. Here we spend the night in a homestay in people's homes. It is a desolate but beautifully beautiful area.

Day 7 Seven Lakes - Dushanbe

We first drive back along the lakes to the main road. Once there, we continue eastward through the mountainous landscape of West Tajikistan along winding roads and deep gorges. The road here is in good condition but the gorges next to it are immensely deep. About 80 km before Dushanbe, we must pass through the infamous and dangerous Anzob Tunnel - "the gateway to hell." The road surface in this tunnel is full of holes and everywhere the rebar is loose. The holes and gullies are almost invisible because of the water flowing from the ceiling below. The autos crisscross and there are no lights, but there is an occasional large broken fan in the road. An exhilarating ride that you won't soon forget. By late afternoon we arrive in Tajikistan's capital, Dushanbe.

Day 8 Dushanbe - Accommodation

This city is one of the most beautiful cities of the ex-Soviet Union and is about 160 kilometers from Afghanistan. We stay here for two nights on Rudaki Street, within walking distance of the Presidential Palace, the museum, the reclining Buddha and the local market.

Day 9 Dushanbe - Kalaikum

On the main road we drive out of town and after 20 km turn onto a narrower paved road. Passing the hydroelectric plant and the large dam, we drive to Dangara where we stop for lunch. We drive south and approach the border with Afghanistan. All along the drive you have checkpoints and local policemen may stop you. You have to show respect for their work and patiently go through passport checks. Usually the policemen are just curious and want to take a picture with you and your bike. Today can be another blood hot day, winding through the bends and along the beautiful Blue Lake. We end the day riding through an endless plain of wheat fields.

The route from Kulyab is partly unpaved and it is a beautiful area, still below the tree line. For almost the entire day we drive along the Panj River, which separates Tajikistan from Afghanistan, through the mountains. We pass a few checkpoints and end the day in a simple guesthouse.

Day 10 Kalaikum - Khorog

We leave early and follow the border with Afghanistan and the river all day. This is a very sparsely populated rugged area and the peaks around us reach above 5,000 meters. This is the autonomous region of the Pamir people. Pamirs are rocks eroded by glaciers. After a particularly impressive route through the mountains, we arrive in Khorog. We spend the night in a simple hotel. The surroundings of Khorog are very beautiful and rugged. The two high mountain peaks are Skalinsky of 5700 meters and Shavash of 5300 meters.

Day 11 Khorog - Langar

We continue to follow the river border with Afghanistan into Badakshan province. The peaks around us now reach above 6000 meters. We visit the hot springs of Gharm Chasma. These springs are located in limestone rocks and bear a resemblance to the springs at Pamukkale in Turkey. Then we drive slowly on a bad dirt road into the Wakhan Corridor, along a meandering riverbed with the foothills of the Hindu Kush on one side and the Pamir Mountains on the other. Ishkashim is a border town with Afghanistan. This is where the Great Game ended at the time and where the Russians and British agreed to make the Wakhan Corridor a neutral zone.

We drive further into the Corridor and see Buddhist caves in the rock face and remnants of what may be a Buddhist stupa. Around us, snow-capped mountain peaks appear and along the river we eventually arrive in Langar. Here the Wakhi River merges with the Panj River and becomes the Pamir River. A bridge is being built to Afghanistan to connect the Pamir Highway with the Karakorum Highway in Pakistan, This will potentially usher in a whole new era in this isolated region. We spend the night in Langar again in people's homes in a simple homestay.

Day 12 Langar - Murghab

In Langar we turn away from the river and climb the Khargush pass of 4344 meters, leaving the Afghan border. From here, the Pamir Highway is a dirt road through a desolate wasteland past several mountain lakes with salt beaches. A beautiful day that leads to the small village of Bulunkul. This remote village is not often visited by foreigners, especially on motorcycles. After a few hours of driving, we arrive in Murghab.

Day 13 Murghab - Stay ( to border China )

Murghab is the largest settlement in the area. We get a first look at the mountain giant Muztagh Ata, located on the Chinese side of the Pamir. Unemployment here is almost 100%, a result of the breakup of the Soviet Union upon which the Russians, who provided the work, almost all left. Very special is a market-neighborhood built from various containers.

Day 14 Murghab - Sary Tash

We are now driving close to the border with China. For this reason, there is another military checkpoint after about an hour of driving. On the other side of the border is the Chinese province of Xin Jiang with its capital Kashgar. In this still rugged wilderness area we cross the Akbaytal pass of 4655 meters. We then arrive at Lake Karakul, an opal blue lake with snow-capped mountain peaks in the background. Here we stop for lunch. Then we climb toward the border post. This one is at a pass of 4300 meters. After the formalities it is not so far to Sary Tash. We spend the night not in the village itself but in Camp Lenin just outside it. This camp is named after the highest peak in Kyrgyzstan, on the border with Tajikistan. If you are lucky with the weather you can see the peak from the camp.

Day 15 Say Tash - Osh

After Sary Tash, it is only downhill and we leave the Pamirs behind us for good. Late in the afternoon we arrive back in Osh. We hand in the bikes and have one more day free in this small town to do our last shopping and recover from this impressive journey.

Day 16 Osh - Amsterdam

I am text block. Click edit button to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.I am text block. Click edit button to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.vI am text block. Click edit button to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.I am text block. Click edit button to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.I am text block. Click edit button to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.vv

22449910_10154996147423017_4417195986515178158_n

22449592_10154996174943017_1738318192417111845_n

22448601_10154997318568017_5349085963644314290_n

22448091_10154996142108017_4013727579317028705_n

Reviews of the trip

“What participants wrote to us:

As of 2020, the route has been modified and passes through three countries.

"The group enjoyed it immensely. The rides were well crafted. Highlights of this trip were the unique changing landscapes, warm people, very nice location of overnight in 7 lakes (in Kyrgyzstan) and in Tajikistan the herds coming in for winter. Warm people even if direct contact is difficult as we did not find a common language ( Russian is their second language - knowledge of English infrequent). It was a challenging trip in terms of route but achievable - so fine. Engines were very good and reliable although the mechanic/driver should do a little more preventive maintenance, e.g. clean the dust filters earlier.”
Bernard de CanniereSeptember 2017

“"The contact with the office was fine, beforehand we went to a slide night. It was nice that Maaike was there at the departure from Schiphol. The trip was super, particularly beautiful through the Himalayas and nice lots of off-road driving. It was a long trip to get there and long days. The Swiss bikes give a lot of delays at the border, tip to have them converted to local license plates. We made up some stops ourselves including a meteorite impact at Murgab and a nice stop at some yurts where you could drink chai (sign Fast Food Hotel). For us, the highlight was the trip to Murgab. Beautiful landscape, but also the trip along the 7 lakes was very nice and super fun to do.”
Ewald BeekmanSeptember 2017