Bicycle Touring the PAMIR HIGHWAY | The Northern Road #37
We’re about to tackle one of the most iconic and challenging cycling routes in the world, the M41. Better known as the Pamir Highway, this breathtaking road leads some 1250 kilometres from Dushanbe in Tajikistan to Osh in Kyrgyzstan. Over the course of a month, we’ll push ourselves through some of the harshest conditions imaginable.
We’ll have to endure seemingly endless stretches of dreadful road surfaces, and grind up countless gruelling mountain passes, where every pedal stroke gets heavier in the thin, oxygen-starved air. We will face bone-chilling winds at very high altitudes, the relentless glare of the sun on the barren roof of the world, and freezing cold nights under a million stars. It will be a battle of endurance against the raw force of nature at up to a staggering 4655 metres above sea-level. Are we ready for it? Well, after over a year of cycling and pushing our boundaries to get here, we are about to find out. It’s time to leave the Green House Hostel in Dushanbe. This place is more than a stopover - it’s a meeting point for adventurers from around the world.
Cyclists tuning their gear, backpackers swapping tales of rugged mountain treks, the odd mountaineer tending to his frozen toes, and overlanders sharing tips for the road ahead - all converge here. For the next few days we’ll be joined by Valentin, a solo cyclist from France. Like us he is on a long journey. After stocking up our cash reserves, we leave the shiny capital city behind. All three of us agreed to take the classic northern route to Kalai Khumb, our first major milestone at the Tajik - Afghan border.
After just 20 kilometres we pass Vahdat, where we continue east, while the vast majority of the traffic continues south towards Kulob. It is the 11th of August, which is pretty much the perfect time to head into the Pamirs. It is still the hottest phase of a very brief summer. Among many things this also means plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables in the lower valleys. Fresh cherries from the tree.
With just under 300 kilometres the northern route is actually 60 kilometres shorter than the newer southern route, but that is not why we chose it. First of all, this is the original road as it was developed by the Soviets in the 1930s, which is a big plus. It also has a lot less traffic.
This is because large parts haven't been maintained for decades, whereas the southern route was modernised in recent years making it the by far more comfortable, faster and easier choice. On day two the road starts to deteriorate with long stretches of dusty gravel. On the upside, this route takes us through smaller, less-developed villages and offers a deeper sense of the region's remoteness and rugged charm, as well as plenty of stunning landscapes. As always we prefer the authenticity of the countryside.
Nowadays traffic headed for Kalai Khumb or beyond avoids the Khaburabot Pass. The locals seem to be pleased when they see us. In the afternoon we even get the chance to fix this kid's tire. Good? After a crisp and dusty climb, it's time to look for a place to sleep.
There is water, I think I see water. There on the left. There is water on the left. Hello! Hello. Where are you going? Pamir. Bye bye! Hello! After filling up our water bottles, we find a great campsite not far from the village.
That doesn’t look so bad… here on the right. Yeah, I think, somewhere here… like 1 o’clock, 2 o’clock. There is a flat space. In the morning we have a visitor from the village close by. He doesn’t speak at all but observes our morning routine closely. It’s day 3 since we left Dushanbe. In total it’s about 500 kms for us to reach Khorog
which is kind of the gate to the Pamirs, so it will take a couple of more days of this… Hello! Salam! Wow, marketplace! As we continue to gain altitude the landscape around us gets even more spectacular. Now at the end of summer everything looks a bit dry, but on the upside, we don’t need to worry about landslides. During spring and early summer these valleys are regularly cut off from the rest of the country.
It’s been a long, hot and dusty day. In the late afternoon the valley splits in two. We have to enter the narrow one leading east. That evening finding a camp spot turns out to be a bit of a challenge. We need to do something with this wind… Was this place not good enough to camp? Wind… Flat enough, but too windy.
Maybe one tent. It doesn’t look very flat. The wind won’t stop for more than an hour. The wind is so strong, pitching our tents doesn’t seem feasible. Despite being very tired we continue our way, as going back is never our preferred option.
Flat enough! Nice! Hello! It’s not really flat, but it’s not terrible and there is some wind protection. So let’s go for it. It’s already the 4th day of our trip to the Pamirs. Nature is getting more and more beautiful with each day.
Yesterday we were lucky to find this place to camp. We were super tired so we slept well. While the high circles in and around the capital revel in luxury, the people here lack basic infrastructure. Most houses have neither running water nor proper toilets, and with the single road barely passable Dushanbe seems like a century away. Oh my god, this is horrible! Rumor has it that by neglecting the northern route the man aims to give his home region in the south a leg up. We can’t prove that, but it sounds plausible. Emomali Rahmon has been in power since 1992, making him the 5th longest serving current leader in the world.
Over the past 32 years he and his family consolidated control over literally every aspect of Tajikistan’s political and economic system. His son is mayor of the capital and chairman of the National Assembly, other family members control strategic industries, including banking, telecommunications, and energy. So Arev just talked to a guy we met on the street. Now we are going to his home. She also met another guy who gave us tomatoes and bread which are in this bag.
We are ready for the perfect night now. Oh yes, he is waiting for us, you see? Now we found our host. Last evening Arev had only asked for a spot for our tents, however, the man insisted on inviting us to his home. After a hearty dinner, awesome bucket shower, restful night and power breakfast, we feel almost as good as new. That is great, because we are now climbing towards 3352m Khoburabot Pass.
Around noon we reach the district capital Tavildara. Of course Tajikistan’s most beloved person is welcoming us. The countless larger-than-life Soviet- style billboards of him are everywhere.
This is of course true for all of Tajikistan, but they stand out even more in remote places like this. They depict the great leader close to his people and so he hovers majestically over lush fields, infrastructure projects, in classrooms or over flower meadows. Mind you, most of the time it is the same picture of him, which has been photoshopped into the other images very poorly. Hello! How are you? 10 dollars… Despite the warm and welcoming people we meet all day, Tajikistan is among the most repressive and autocratic nations in the world.
While not as isolated as North Korea or neighbouring Afghanistan, its governance structure is characterised by nepotism, rampant corruption, and human rights abuses. While international aid organisations struggle to provide at least some level of basic sanitary infrastructure, the government builds billboards on which the leader promises a glorious future to his people. It's time to cook? Yes, I think we probably need to cook something. Let's check out the small shop. There is sausage. We could cook sausage. I don't know...
My brother served in Germany. In the Soviet Union. Army, army. Served in Germany. My brother. When you were young? Two years. My brother served…in the army. Germany is good. His brother liked Germany when he was stationed there in eastern Germany during soviet union times. And he is from Germany?
No, France. France. Armenia.
I am from Armenia. Armenia? Oh, Caucasus. We served with the Caucasus. Total 4. What is this? The same? This one is better, he says.
That’s enough. How much? 13 Somoni. Tajik plov. Yes, we know. Thank you! But not everything, It’s too much for us.
For the road. We still have a little bread. The shopkeeper insists on inviting us to a proper meal. Just like that he brings us a huge portion of Tajik plov, tomato salad, homemade yoghurt and bread, a proper feast. Hello! Good bye! My name is Valentin. And you? What's your name?
*incomprehensible What’s your name? *incomprehensible That’s a complex name. Today we are doing a little climb. I think it's the first time I cycle so high. It's my record now. Wow! What is the altitude now? 2000… 500… 400… 2400… nice! The climb is perfect! It's a nice flat road.
Flat road… Hello! Hello! How are you? Are you doing well? *persian Good! What’s your name? Valentin. Arev. Arev? Shoira. Nice to meet you! Do you speak Russian? No! *Russian English? No! Tajik! What is this? You have nice nails. Henna? Henna.
Were you over there? Yes! Bravo! You are fast! Now that we passed the last settlement before the top there is literally no traffic anymore. Well, no motorized traffic. We could have made it over and down to Kalai Khumb the same day, but I convince Arev and Valentin to stop at around 2900 metres. I want to enjoy the view.
Today is the 7th day since we left Dushanbe. Apparently we entered the GBAO already. There were some checkpoints, but they didn’t check our GBAO permit. Which is kind of interesting. The night was fairly fresh, but that the sun is out we are looking forward to a pleasant day. And today we will reach the Tajik-Afghan border. I am very excited. Afghanistan sounded for me so remote, so far away and now that I am here it feels unreal.
Just another 40 kms away. That will be a harrowing descent of over 2000 m of altitude. So it will get very warm again. Let’s hit the road? Khaburobot pass is the first notable mountain pass of the Pamir Highway. At about 3352 metres it is only the second lowest of them all, but it has the highest ascent and as such it is a proper physical barrier. Should these cows be waiting for a bus they are probably wasting their time.
Stop! Stop! Stop! Ok! Do you have chocolate? Sorry? What’s your name? Mathias. What’s your name? Kslesak. Kslesak? Nice to meet you! Nice to meet you too! Amazing! Do you have chocolate? Bye! There are some bees here! We figure the bees might not agree with their honey being taken from them. We hurry to get away and continue the awe-inspiring 30 km and 2000 metre descent down to Kalai Khumb. Nestled in the towering Pamir Mountains, the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, or GBAO, was granted some level of autonomy during the Soviet era.
This vast and rugged region is home to the Pamiri people. They are ethnically and culturally distinct from the Tajik majority due to their Ismaili Shia faith and Eastern Iranian languages which are unintelligible to speakers of Tajik, a Western Iranian language. While the massive GBAO covers most of the Pamir Mountains and roughly 30% of Tajikistan, it accounts for only 2% of the country's population. Geographical isolation and harsh terrain have shaped life here, making the region difficult to govern. Its strategic location at the crossroads of China,
Afghanistan, and Kyrgyzstan keeps it under the watchful eye of the central government. While the GBAO nominally retains its autonomous title, tensions between local factions and central control persist till today, nearly three decades after the Tajik civil war. This was the classic northern route. From Dushanbe we cycled about 25% of the total distance to Osh in Kyrgyzstan in about a week. Was it tough? Oh yes, it was, but there was also plenty to like if not to love.
Join us again for the next section of the Pamir Highway, which has been described by fellow cyclists as absolutely dreadful, literal hell and “worse than shit”! So, great stuff to look forward to! We wish you a wonderful new year. We have big plans for 2025, we hope you do too. In Kalai Khumb the turquoise waters in which we had bathed are swallowed by the mighty brown floods of the Panj river, which forms the border with Afghanistan and which we will follow for the next 240 kilometres to Khorog, the capital of the GBAO and second big milestone when cycling the M41 west to east. I know you hear this a lot, but this really makes a huge difference for small and independent creators like us.
If you enjoy our work, please give us a thumbs up, put your thoughts and questions in the comments, and share this video with other people that might like it too. As always a massive thanks to our awesome contributors, we couldn’t do it without your support! If you want to make more episodes possible, you can do so via buymeacoffee.com/aworldbiketour and paypal.me/amazingworldbiketour or check out the video description.
And last but not least: be awesome, ride safely, and may the wind be in your back!
2025-01-01 17:42
