Backpacking in Tajikistan: Travels up the Wakhan Valley
Reposted November 30 2023
Having hitchhiked across the Pamir Highway from Osh to Khorog, I journeyed up the Wakhan Valley. From Khorog to Langar, it's around 250km. Afghanistan is across the river:
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This post has been rewritten for Nomadic Backpacker and is based on my travels in Central Asia in 2015
Always on the left, we followed the Panj River. And across the river is Afghanistan. Just 30 meters away.
The road along the river was in a crap state. Landslides are frequent along this road. Boulders the size of tanks have been bulldozed out of the way, and the first 70km to Ishkashim took nearly 3 hours.
The road along the river was in a crap state. Landslides are frequent along this road. Boulders the size of tanks have been bulldozed out of the way, and the first 70km to Ishkashim took nearly 3 hours.
I had envisaged getting to Langar in one day but that didn't happen. In Khorog it took an age to get a full complement of passengers and then still 45km short of Langar, the driver took me to a homestay 6km up a switchback road, 1km below the Yamchan fortress and 2km below the Bibi Fatima hot springs. My driver lived down the hill a bit and so wasn't keen on making the trip to Langar just for me. It all worked out well.
I spent 2 nights at the homestay. Was oh so peaceful. Scrambling around the ruins, just content to sit and look at the view.
I spent 2 nights at the homestay. Was oh so peaceful. Scrambling around the ruins, just content to sit and look at the view.
2 days later I took a short cut down the hill on a track I had seen and with luck got a ride pretty quickly to Langar.
This is where to road leaves the valley and heads up to join the Pamir Highway 20km from Alichur where I had stopped for lunch when travelling with Tajik from Murgab to Khorog. I am keen to take this road on a future trip. There is virtually no traffic but there are a few isolated farms who will always accommodate you.
This is where to road leaves the valley and heads up to join the Pamir Highway 20km from Alichur where I had stopped for lunch when travelling with Tajik from Murgab to Khorog. I am keen to take this road on a future trip. There is virtually no traffic but there are a few isolated farms who will always accommodate you.
In Langar, I stayed at the Yogdir homestay where I spent a couple of nights.
Then I travelled back the way I had come stopping at Ishkashim for a week where with luck I got to visit the Afghan border market and having met up with Farzona who I had met on the 4x4 out of Khorog, spent 2 nights with her family in Kashkhorog. Her dad was a tour guide and spoke excellent English leading tours into Afghanistan.
I had simply told her that I would be in Ishkashim for the Sunday market. She had gotten herself to the guest house in town where the owners said I'd gone to the market. I had walked there with 3 other travellers and she had passed me in a car. All this without the need for a phone or wifi. The simplicity of life.
We took a minivan back to Khorog where she studied and I took her out for a meal at the Indian place. We met up a few times. She is now in Moscow.
Then I travelled back the way I had come stopping at Ishkashim for a week where with luck I got to visit the Afghan border market and having met up with Farzona who I had met on the 4x4 out of Khorog, spent 2 nights with her family in Kashkhorog. Her dad was a tour guide and spoke excellent English leading tours into Afghanistan.
I had simply told her that I would be in Ishkashim for the Sunday market. She had gotten herself to the guest house in town where the owners said I'd gone to the market. I had walked there with 3 other travellers and she had passed me in a car. All this without the need for a phone or wifi. The simplicity of life.
We took a minivan back to Khorog where she studied and I took her out for a meal at the Indian place. We met up a few times. She is now in Moscow.
