[TJ] Tadschikistan Pamir Durchquerung 2024

[thedutch]

Day 26

We stayed in Vanj and didn’t do very much. Bit of laundry, changed some dollars at the local bank and got invited into the directors office.
Photos of the president are everywhere in Tajikistan and no matter where we went it seemed he was always looking down at us. It is completely impossible to miss him.
We had lunch at a local kebab restaurant then did a bit of internet and at the end of the day we had a meal in the garden of some local restaurant.




Vanj is doing it’s best to enter the world wide tourist market



The main street



He is everywhere



Did he play in a James Bond movie as the bad guy?



No shortage on sweets in Tajikistan

[thedutch]

Day 27

After a early morning garden breakfast in Vanj we left.. First to the police station to get registered… Funny because the police didn’t understand a thing of our visas.
It took a long time before we could finally leave. Then a two hour drive to Stargh in an ld jeep. In Stargh we had to register once again but this time with the national park guard. 30US dollars later we left.. Had lunch at a local homestay before starting the hike… Way to much food but delicious.
Left at 14:00 and started a serious climb up to 3000 meters where we camped for the night.. We saw bear prints and droppings…brrrrrrr


Invited in the local homestay for lunch



The start of the next stretch



A bit of bush whacking before we found the trail





Amazing view





Don’t be afraid just cross





Our camping spot for the night. The shepherds have already left the mountains as the summer is over

[berniehh]

Hi Bernd, es ist wohl in etwa so wie es Robtrek beschreibt. Theoretisch müsste es zwar auch möglich sein ohne Guide ein Permit zu bekommen aber alles ist so was von undurchsichtig das es gar nicht klar ist an wem mann sich überhaupt wenden soll um es zu bekommen. Dazu kommt das die Behörden gar nicht gewollt sind an Individualtrekker Permits aus zu stellen. So nach dem Motto wenn was passiert bin ich Schuld und verliere mein Job.

Ja das klingt alles sehr kompliziert und undurchsichtig. Da kann man eigentlich nur noch versuchen auszuloten ob es überhaupt Sinn macht das Permit zu beantragen oder gleich ohne Permit geht.
Daher würde ich gerne den Rat von Robtrek befolgen und Deinen Guide fragen, vielleicht kann er mir ja genauere Auskunft darüber erteilen. Falls Du seine e-mail Adresse hast und Du sie mir per PN schicken würdest, wäre schön.

Das Jahr 2025 ist bei mir eh schon verplant, aber für 2026 wäre Tadschikistan eine wirklich coole Option für mich, da die Gegend so spektakulär aussieht und ich noch nie dort war.

[thedutch]

Day 28

Nice start because it wasn’t cold. It wasn’t going to be an easy day because it was a steep going up all day. Claire didn’t feel very good so we chose one of the last „proper“ campsites before the pass and it’s glaciers and moraines. We spent a lovely afternoon relaxing and enjoying the views.
Camp was at roughly 3900 meters.


Just a very nice view looking backward





Our camping spot



A view in the direction we will be heading tomorrow



Room with a view



What a great place and great western to hang out for the rest of the day

[thedutch]

Day 29

We started the day with a short kind of gentle going up but that didn’t take long. Next was the scramble up the moraine and after that came the glacier itself. A short rest before the last steep bit and then we tackled the pass. Views were great in both directions. The way we were heading down was a hugh uglacier bowl. We strapped on our crampons and of we went. It was a pretty long glacier walk with a lot of crevasses that we had to jump over. Finding our way through this maze of crevasses was not always easy and some jumps could have gone wrong.
At the end of the glacier we descended into a valley where we set up camp at 3900 meters. Promised to be another cold night.


The start was still easy and the going up gentle


Checking out the glacier. Going up left, right or the mid section or maybe the moraine




In the end one of us took the left side glacier route and rest of the team the lefy side of the moraine




What a view




Hitting the glacier


Finally on the glacier


The last steps before reaching the Starghi pass




The view ahead of us from the top of the pass



Lunch break onto top of the pass with super weather


The first serious crevasse on our way down


The start of the decent


Using a rope on the steep part



Made it down the steep bit


Checking out hidden crevasses



What a place for a quick break







Looking back



Finally finished the glacier. The glacier in view coming down from a side valley



Amazing



What a view



Lost in time



Camping spot after a long day. Not the most comfortable but at least plain

[StefanBoe]

Really great!!🤩🤩🤩

What was the height of the pass? Were there difficulties because of thin air?

[thedutch]

Really great!!🤩🤩🤩

What was the height of the pass? Were there difficulties because of thin air?

Hi Stefan, height of Starghi pass 4473 meter. We didn’t have any problems with thin air. We were very acclamatized as our tour has been going on for a long time.
✋

[thedutch]

Day 30

I had a bit of a rough night because of stomach cramps and diarrhea.
Felt bit better in the morning, I left coffee and breakfast out.
It would be a rough hiking day. As soon as we left it started snowing lightly.
Almost like someone wanted to teach us that it is not always fun in the mountains.
On top of that we had to cross long and steep boulder fields that needed full concentration.
The last bit of the day gave us the full bite. Crossing the riverbank for a long time. Sometimes the scree/mudslides would reach directly into the river and all we could do was wade through the river itself. Doing this with my regular river crossing sandals was no option so I just jumped in with hiking boots.
How nice to have wet boots…..
At the end of the day we were happy to find a decent camping spot.
A campfire lightened our spirits and dried our wet shoes.


A view of the valley towards our campsite



Happy or waving for help😮



Boulder fields again and again



View ahead





No trail and steep slopes. More than once someone slipped



Ice bridge



No need to cross as we were to stay on the same side



Putting our shoes back on after wading through the river. Steep and slippery slopes and a lot of rock fall.. Not the best part of the trip.



The valley finally opens up and we search for a campsite





Drying our boots

[thedutch]

Day 31

What a day it would be. It started with the river crossing of the Sagdar glacier.
Although it was early morning the current was still very strong and we all got almost washed away. Not really the thing you want early in the morning.
After the crossing we walked through a lush plateau with very different views of the Pamir valleys. No human signs so it was nature pure. We saw lots of bear droppings and turned around stones by the bears (probably looking for food, maybe insects?) but no bears in sight.
The last bit of the day was a high up climb to avoid ravines and mudslides that ran down the slopes. Some very scary stretches that need to be crossed. There were parts that allowed no mistakes or bad luck. It could have meant death. All of us fell or slipped at some point but luckily we all made it.
In the end we all reached our river camp safely.. By the way the first bit of serious rain since we started the hike. As we stood next to our campfire our guide Nasrullo gave us the first hint that he did not want to continue and do the last stretch of the hike. It continued to rain and when we woke the next morning all the mountains were covered in snow.


Putting our shoes back on after crossing this river first thing in the morning



Doesn’t look easy.. The question that pops up is where to cross. And you have to cross because there is no way back



Looking up the Sagadar side valley



Looking back from where we came yesterday



If we would have crossed the snow bridge we would have had to cross this strech..Basically this was one of the problems in the valley all the time. Dangerous crossing that we had to do as there was no way back



But there were also the joy of landscape this beautiful





Wide meadows with lots of bear droppings but no 🐻 to be seen



Looking up a side valley that eventually leads up to Shirgovad pass



Just beautiful…





Over and over again we had to cross slopes like this



Views like this is why we do it





That must have been a big boy





Until this point we thought it was hard… But crossing slopes like this was the hard part and did not allow any mistakes



Where to cross ?





We finally made it after a long day with lots of bruises a d scratches.
Tomorrow we have to cross the biggest river so far

[thedutch]

Day 32

It rained all night but stopped as we woke up.
First thing was that we had to cross the brutal looking river. Nasrullo went first to do the scouting.
It didn’t look very promising as the water reached his belly button.
Next to cross was Jerome, as he was half way through the river he lost his footing and got washed away. Luckily the current pushed him back to the shore. Incredible Nasrullo half ran and swam to his rescue.
All very scary and we stood there kind of paralyzed because we knew it could have gone terribly wrong.
Nasrullo did an unbelievable job by guiding us through this river.
After all of us made it safely to the other side we made a fire to warm up Jerome.
As everyone felt ok again and the adrenaline left our vains it was time to move on again.
We hit a vague trail after about an hour.
The autumn colors and the mountain slopes were beautiful but the weather was cold and it rained over and over again.
We still had four more river crossings but they were all minor and we did them with ease. We all were so happy to reach the huge Khingob valley and see the village of Arzing from far. End of the day it started raining and we reached Arzing completely wet. How wonderful the hospitality of the Pamir people that took us in, gave us a room, lighted a fire and prepared tea and dinner.


Trying to warm up after the river crossing and Jerome drying out some of his soaked gear





Off trail trying to find the best route



A glimpse back up the valley from where we came



Some say boring landscape others say beautiful



Lost in time



Slowly reaching the end of the valley where „our“ river joins the Khingob



Almost made it into the Khingob valley way below



Bear



And another crossing once again



Looking up the Khingob valley



The Khingob river valley



The last crossing for the day



Invited by some very friendly Pamir family to stay in their home. What a treat after such a day

[thedutch]

Day 33

The weather had changed overnight and the sun was shining in the morning and it promised to be a lovely day.
Nasrullo did the magical and arranged a jeep that would take us to the close by village of Rogha where our resupply was kept by the local school teacher.
That same jeep would bring us back to the capital Dushanbe next day.
The hospitality of the Tajik people was outstanding once again as the school teacher offered us his house to stay. Of course we were stuffed with tea and local food once again.
All in all it was a lazy day.
I mentioned a resupply, meaning we had one more stage to go but due to all kind of reasons we quit. In the end only David did a short version of the last stage.


The sun rising over the Kingob valley



Same view but with the sun high up



View towards Rogha



Our cozy room with little oven



The toilet… Not completely private but at least some nice views doing your thing



Breakfast





Arrived in Rogh with the jeep in the background. Off course the first thing arriving somewhere is a cup of tea



The porch to just dream away



A welcome snack



The house the school teacher gave us for the night



These Mammut shoes were brand new.. This is the reality of the Pamirs

[thedutch]

Day 34

We left Rogha at 6 in the morning to drive back to Dushanbe.
David B left the group in Langar to continue the last part of the hike to Jirgatol.
It was a long drive with spectacular views along the way.
At Tavildara we had to register at the police station. It took ages, not sure what they are doing..We saw couple of bikers on the route close to Talvildara.
Construction of the Rogun dam could be clearly seen as we drove through the Vakhsh valley. The construction of this dam has been on and off for a long time.. Will it ever finish?
Finally at 20:30 we arrived in Dushanbe.
A real hotel room just for me and a hot shower..LUXURY 👌


Traffic jam





Just somewhere a long the way having a small break



Not everywhere in the Pamir it is dry and arid



A stop over at the house of the drivers sister.. A meal for kings and queens



This second part of the meal we were served the Tajik national dish; qurutob



Some amazing views over and over again.. But we were all kind of tired and it was difficult to fully understand that this was our last day with views like this



The valley of Vakhsh



A quick meal somewhere along the way



The restaurant with our vehicle infront



The restaurant boys watching us crazy foreigners

[thedutch]

Conclusion of the trip:

I spent the last few days in the capital Dushanbe. Kind of enjoying a real bed and a bit of luxury.
Spent the days just kind of walking around and doing a bit of sightseeing.
To be honest, Dushanbe doesn´t really have much to offer unless you are a fan of Soviet era buildings.

Now a few comments on the hike and all that was involved.
Tajikistan was a great country with really friendly people and I felt completely safe at all times.
The visa situation is pretty special, and if you want to stay more than 30 days is not very easy. Some of us applied and got the visa and others of the team applied same same and the visa was denied. Only with the help of our guide we got things sorted out.
Next thing is that you need to register with the ovir (customs and immigration) after you have arrived in the country, it is not clear how this works.
Almost seems that they (the officials) try to do things as difficult as possible to keep the (wanted) tourists away!
Please keep in mind that there is no mountain rescue team and no helicopters that come to your rescue so in case you need help things can get very difficult.
For those of us who don´t speak Russian or Tajik it is not the easiest country to travel around., only very few people speak English
The fee that has to be paid per day while being in the Tajik national park is a great mystery to me. You can imagine that it was quite a bit of a sum at 10$ a day.
Doing such a long trip with people that I only knew from google meet was not an easy one. I mean we were literally stuck together for more than a month with no way of escaping. Not too easy for most of us.
I hope that all of you liked the trip.

Thanks for watching or should I say reading!

[thedutch]

😀

[Robtrek]

Dutch, I have read so far only a small part of your report but will definitely catch up later. From what I've seen so far it is very well written and will be the most comprehensive trip report about Tajikistan for years to come in this forum. Without doubt you have done an unusual great trek and I appreciate that you took so much time and effort to let us share in your adventure.

If possible, please send me by private message the contact details of the local organizer/guide of your trek. I might come back to you with more questions later after I've read everything thoroughly, so at this point all I can say is a big "Rakhmat" to you for your contribution!

Re: "To be honest, Dushanbe doesn´t really have much to offer unless you are a fan of Soviet era buildings."

A little more gentle was Aida Vedishcheva in her Soviet-era "Song about Dushanbe":

"Somewhere in this world there may be cities of rare beauty. But only Dushanbe I keep in my heart forever."

Believe it ot not, for some of us it's true.

[berniehh]

Vielen Dank für den interessanten Bericht, landschaftlich ist das wirklich eine super Gegend wie man auf Deinen Fotos erkennen kann.

[B]
I mentioned a resupply, meaning we had one more stage to go but due to all kind of reasons we quit. In the end only David did a short version of the last stage.

Was waren denn die Gründe Eures Abbruches? Ich vermute mal Mangel an Zeit hat da eine große Rolle gespielt, ihr wart vor dem Heimflug ja nur noch paar Tage in Duschanbe so daß für den letzten Abschnitt eh nicht mehr viel Zeit bleiben würde, trotzdem wäre es interessant zu wissen welche Route ihr noch gehen würdet.
Deine Schuhe nach nur einem Monat schon so kaputt spricht ja nicht gerade für die Marke Mammut, das würde ich mal reklamieren.

Tajikistan steht bei mir für 2026 mit ganz oben auf meiner Liste.

[transient73]

[QUOTE=thedutch;n3312657]Conclusion of the trip:
The visa situation is pretty special, and if you want to stay more than 30 days is not very easy. Some of us applied and got the visa and others of the team applied same same and the visa was denied. Only with the help of our guide we got things sorted out.

For my mountain trip in 2023, I had to get a Visa for more than 30 days as well.
Normaly, you can apply for it, online.
I can`t remember the exact reason, why I didn`t get it "correctly", since my partner had no trubble at all, but I made a mistake and coudn`t fix it online. This process tooked us hours...
Luckily, I read about the possibility, to get the Visa directly at the airport, just on arrival.
And that`s what I did.
We entered Tajikistan via Dushanbe, by Turkish Airlines, as most will do.
The whole Visa procedure was done within 5 minutes.You have to pay the same price as online. I think, it was 50 US $ cash.
And get this: It was weekend, 2 AM. I asked the officer about opening hours and he explained, the counter is open 24/7.


And of course: congratulation to this trip and thanks, for bringig back the memories of this area, by your story with all the fotos, capturing the impression of this area so well.

[Viking00]

[QUOTE=transient73;n3312756]

Conclusion of the trip:
The visa situation is pretty special, and if you want to stay more than 30 days is not very easy. Some of us applied and got the visa and others of the team applied same same and the visa was denied. Only with the help of our guide we got things sorted out.

For my mountain trip in 2023, I had to get a Visa for more than 30 days as well.
Normaly, you can apply for it, online.
I can`t remember the exact reason, why I didn`t get it "correctly", since my partner had no trubble at all, but I made a mistake and coudn`t fix it online. This process tooked us hours...
Luckily, I read about the possibility, to get the Visa directly at the airport, just on arrival.
And that`s what I did.
We entered Tajikistan via Dushanbe, by Turkish Airlines, as most will do.
The whole Visa procedure was done within 5 minutes.You have to pay the same price as online. I think, it was 50 US $ cash.
And get this: It was weekend, 2 AM. I asked the officer about opening hours and he explained, the counter is open 24/7.


And of course: congratulation to this trip and thanks, for bringig back the memories of this area, by your story with all the fotos, capturing the impression of this area so well.

I remember once having an issue with my visa for India. I tried applying online, but something went wrong, and my application got stuck. Luckily, a few days before my flight, I discovered I could get the visa directly at the airport in Delhi. Upon arrival, despite the late hour, everything went smoothly just a few minutes at the counter, and I had my visa in hand. These kinds of adventures can definitely raise your blood pressure, but thankfully there’s always a solution if you’re lucky

[thedutch]

Hi Robtrek, I will give you a PN on the local guide soon. Sorry if I misjudged Dushanbe.. Maybe I have just seen to many cities all around the world. Sorry to hurt anybody’s feelings on Dushanbe!

Hi Bernd, it was not the time frame that ended the tour. It was more the length of the tour and all of us stuck together very intense for a long time. All these point added together didn´t make things easy.
Not my shoes but Jeromes . I have the second pair of Lowa boots and am very impressed with them.

Hi Transient73, Visa on arrival is only 30/45 days. We were in the country for almost 60 days. Next thing is that you can´t do the GBAO on arrival so you need to plan in extra days if you want to do it in Dushanbe. If you apply for the online visa you can add the GBAO. Why online visas get denied sometimes?????

Hi Viking00, yes stuff like that takes my breath over and over again.
And yes, visas for certain countries are always big fun. If I just think about all the paperwork I needed for my Pakistani visa in 2018!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers and happy hiking to all you guys
With all these friendly comments maybe I should add a few more trips of my sabbatical 2024

[Robtrek]

Hi Robtrek, I will give you a PN on the local guide soon. Sorry if I misjudged Dushanbe.. Maybe I have just seen to many cities all around the world. Sorry to hurt anybody’s feelings on Dushanbe!

no worries Dutch - if we fall in love in a city, we fall in love WITH that city as well. Try it next time.