Bike Touring Tajikistan's High Pamir off the beaten path #39
We are cycling the legendary Pamir Highway, or second highest international road, only topped by the nearby Karakoram Highway, which goes 38 metres higher. Having followed along the rough Tajik - Afghan border for a bumpy and extremely dusty week, overcoming some proper lows in the process, it is finally time for us to get very high. In this episode we push our bicycles through thin air and onto the roof of the world: the Pamir Plateau. After having cleaned and maintained our bicycles to the best of our abilities, giving our sore bodies some deserved rest, and stocking up our supplies as much as possible, we leave Khorog behind. The capital of the GBAO lies at the comparably moderate altitude of 2080 metres. Our next stop, Alichur, is at 3900 metres and there are three ways to get there.
The easiest option is staying on the M41. It is the shortest route with more or less decent asphalt for most of the way, and a fairly gradual ascent to 4271 metres Koi-Tezek pass. Then of course there is the famous Wakhan valley route, which continues along the Panj river and the Afghan border. It is about 110 kms longer, more remote and challenging.
Therefore one can enjoy stunning views over the neighbouring Hindu Kush mountain range before rejoining the M41 just 24 kms west of Alichur. Barely known is the Shakhdara valley, literally the path less travelled, arguably the worst road in the higher section. It adds Maysara pass with roughly 4250 metres, followed by a steep 500 metre descent back to the M41, just to climb up again to Koi-Tezek Pass. So far we’ve never shied away from a good climb and looking at what's coming, well, how bad could this one possibly be, right? After a lazy late start out of Khorog it soon looked like rain but some locals were so kind to invite us into their home for the night. The next day in an effort to spare our supplies we try to find a second breakfast in the district capital Roshtqala.
We explore the market, and eventually find a restaurant, but … It is late August, which is the best time of the year to do the Pamirs. The lower valleys are green and the Pamiris are busy bringing in the harvest, providing a short period with some fresh fruit and vegetables available. Also, after the short summer with the snowmelt and even the glacial melt almost over, flooding and landslides are much less of a problem. This is worst from April to June, but throughout August glacial melt can lead to outburst floods from high altitude lakes, blocking or destroying roads for extended periods, effectively cutting off entire valleys from the rest of the country. I guess we have a slight problem.
Oh, no. That’s bad. What shall we do? To our luck there is a detour through the village. We don’t have to swim. This must have happened before, so the villagers cut an alternate road into the steep flank of the valley.
What a nice detour, huh? *panting* The local bicycle gang led us through the detour. Back at the river we enjoy a nice tailwind. It is a strong valley breeze caused by the relatively faster heating of the air on the high plateau ahead of us during daytime. The kids are still following us.
Unfortunately they don’t seem to learn Russian anymore and no English either. At some point they fall back. How far from home will they ever go? We continue along the Shakhdara river up the valley for the rest of the day. It is getting narrower and narrower. At sunset we struggle to find a flat camp spot, but eventually reach a small settlement where a family allows us to put our tent in their garden.
*panting* Day three in Shokhdara. We’re at 3000 metres. Breathing gets more difficult already. I think we are at about 3200 metres now. Oh my gosh.
Are there shops in the next villages? Yes, yes, you should continue. In 15 kms. It’s 25 Somoni per person. Usually they don’t provide breakfast, but I asked if they can give us some food. I told them we’ll pay an additional 25. We are filming our journey? Is that ok? Sure, no problem! Has anyone recommended our place? Our friends told us...
Jevsej? Kaddi? A woman and a man... Yeah, yeah, yeah... They stayed here for 4 days. 4 days?! Yeah... Let's go see the room.
We highly recommend staying in Habiba’s homestay. The wall to the right side of the hallway has some serious water damage. Behind it is a pool which can be flooded with fresh and warm water from a thermal hot spring. We thoroughly enjoyed the warm bath. Later we share our dinner with Habiba and her family.
Getting the pasta cooked takes almost twice as long at 3150 metres above sea level. Chef Mathias is not happy, as the pasta turns out far from al dente, but is instead weirdly gluey and mushy outside while still kind of undercooked inside. The two energetic and cheerful girls don’t know it any different of course and don’t seem to mind.
When it’s already dark it takes the family some time to find their two cows. After milking is finished, they get locked in for the night for safety. Arev prefers not to ask why that is necessary. The next morning we soon reach the last permanently settled village of this valley. There is a shop on the left.
The coming two nights we will spend in the remote wild and we hope to stock up our supplies. Hello! *Tajik Hello! *Russian Some herbs… Spices! Yes. We buy butter because it’s cold enough that we can transport butter. Finally! And also, Iranian tomato paste. That was 22 Tajik Somoni.
Not bad. The available food in these shops is so limited, because their ability to earn cash is limited. If they can make something at home, that's what they do. Habiba gave us two loaves of bread for the way, so we are fine, but you will have a hard time finding bread in shops.
The communists, Karl Marx and Engels. Named after the thinkers who dreamed of a communist utopia, these two summits have watched over the Shakhdara Valley for millions of years. At 6700 and 6500 metres they are taller than anything we’ve seen so far. Five of the six highest mountains in Tajikistan at least once carried names meant to glorify the Soviet project. The highest of them all with 7495 metres is Stalin Peak, later renamed Peak of Communism, just to become Ismoil Somoni Peak after independence. Further north, Lenin Peak still bears the name of the revolutionary leader on the Tajik side and then there was also Revolution Peak, named for the October Revolution which promised a workers' paradise and goes by Independence Peak nowadays.
Oh gosh. We're at roughly *3450 metres. That is definitely the highest we’ve been. We left the last settlement behind us. And the terrain got much rougher, as you can see.
We want to get as close to the pass as we can, so that we will be able to make it over tomorrow. It’s at about 4200 metres. And of course I’m a bit worried because of the thin air. So, that is why we didn’t stay in the last village today, in a comfortable guest house but instead we continue as far as we can. And as high as we can.
Back when we did the Anzob Pass Mathias suffered badly from altitude sickness at a slightly lower altitude of 3400 metres. This time our ascent was much more gradual, so we hope it will be fine. We decide to camp at the turnoff to the Engels base camp, as the sun will set soon and the temperature will drop fast. Unlike at lower elevations the thin mountain air can’t trap much warmth. During the day, the sun’s rays heat the ground directly, but once they’re gone, that heat radiates away into the atmosphere almost instantly.
Without vegetation, thick air and humidity, the temperature plummets close to freezing within minutes. A massive thanks to our amazing supporters. Without all of your contributions via buymeacoffee.com/aworldbiketour and
paypal.me/amazingworldbiketour we couldn’t afford making our videos for a while now. If you want to chip in, check out the links in the video description below. Every little bit helps us to create another episode. We are in the Shakhdara valley at 3550 metres. We took our time to get here, to get our altitude acclimatisation. So far we have no problems, no headache.
Of course we are a bit short on breath and today will be a tough day. Yeah… And it’s freezing… Yes, this night was pretty cold. When I got up at 5 AM it was 1°C. The next night will be colder, because we have to go over the pass now, which is at about 4200 meters. Then we can descend a little bit to the main road, the M41 Pamir Highway, but this is still pretty high. So, we assume the coming night will be at 4000 metres, so very cold.
The road is really bad and steep and it’s windy, so it’s very cold. Since we started cycling this valley Mathias was looking for the two communist peaks, Marx and Engels. We thought we found Engels and now we finally realised where Marx is. It’s right there behind the clouds. Unfortunately it’s too high in the clouds to see it. Once symbols of Soviet ambition, the two peaks stand as silent witnesses to an ideology that failed spectacularly.
Whether you see them as remnants of history or simply breathtaking natural wonders, this is a view worth the ride. As we turn north to climb over Maysara Pass and out of the Shakhdara valley the road gets a bit steeper and rockier. If you do the valley the other way one has Marx and Engels in plain sight coming down the pass. We find pushing the bike quite frustrating, but with a fair amount of loose ground it is at times barely possible to ride the bike. Mathias gives it a try anyways but there is just not enough oxygen in the air to sustain pedalling like that for more than a minute.
Args, it’s brutal. It’s not worth it. Up here the wind has a fierce bite. For lunch we rest a bit in the glaring sun and admire the clouds racing by. Time to reapply sunscreen. While the Chinese made African Kids brand available in Khorog seems to be the best sunscreen money can buy in the Pamirs, it does not at all feel like it provides the advertised 50 SPF.
We recommend applying it as a thick layer. It’s already late in the afternoon when we finally reach the pass at roughly 4250 metres. This is the highest we’ve ever been. An almost barren landscape. Weirdly enough the ground is sandy in many places. If it wasn’t so cold one could almost think that this is a desert.
We would love to enjoy the view a little longer, but there isn’t much sunlight left. Up here the temperature will probably fall to -5° Celsius or below at night, and without any cover the wind chill will make it feel even worse. So, we hurry to descend. To our surprise a shepherd family built a stone hut up here.
It smells of manure and burning dried dung bricks, the only available fuel for heating. They immediately invite us to stay the night, but we are 700 metres higher than the night before and already feel a slight headache. The water is extremely cold and too deep and rocky to cycle through. Our panniers are not really waterproof anymore, therefore we have to unload and carry them over without getting our shoes soaked. That was really unnecessary.
We need to descend. This just takes a lot of time. We’re racing down towards the Pamir Highway to get out of bear territory. Well, this is bad. But… the other side is just as bad.
Okay… Nothing happened. This is the first time Mathias fell. Fortunately he was very slow and didn’t get hurt.
To prevent altitude sickness and freezing we descend all the way down to the M41 at 3750 metres. It is pretty cold. It’s 6 in the morning. Still two degrees Celcius. Today will be a tough day. To the next settlement and shop it’s 70 kms and 1200 metres of climb.
Now we’re trying to make some tea. To warm up a little bit. And then some oatmeal.
And then we’ll try to get going as soon as possible. Let’s hope the sun comes around this corner, to warm us up. We are wearing almost everything we have. Merino wool long sleeves and long underpants,
wool socks, a second wool t-shirt, our fleece jackets, down vest or sweater, our wind jackets, wool gloves and a hat. While we generally can’t complain about the weather conditions, we learned another lesson. Don’t pitch your tent with a mountain to your east. Once the sun manages to make her way around the corner the temperature gets quite pleasant. Asphalt! Wohoo! Awesome! Finally! Come on.
No. Oh, no! ****! Hello! *Tajik No! Every time I finish pumping and want to take the pump off the valve, the valve comes off. Yeah, that’s not good… Okay, next try. Come on. Please! Stay.
Oh my gosh. Third try is the charm, huh? Holy crap… That was annoying. It did not help that the wheel was not rebuilt properly when we had the hub changed in Yerevan. The spokes were not arranged so that the widest gap is where the valve is. It also did not help, that back when I bought that pump I didn’t know the difference between a high pressure and a high volume pump.
Well done. Well, it was nice with the tarmac as long as it lasted. That was not too long unfortunately. But I certainly could have spared myself the struggle bringing our tires back to full pressure. After barely two kilometres of asphalt delight the M41 turns back to bumpy gravel in the climb to Koi-Tezek pass. Since we left Khorog we have seen less vehicles every day, and certainly no heavy lorries.
The whole day climbing up to Maysara pass we didn’t even see another human being. We’re at 4100 metres now. 170 more to the top. For this first pass of the day. There is two more I think.
Hi. Where is the asphalt? Now, back at the main road it is still very quiet. But every now and then these massive heavy truck trailer combos hauling goods from and to China pass us.
They are the reason why China is rebuilding much of the Pamir Highway. Arev is a little bit pissed because there was no tarmac all the way to the top. Now we are at the top and there is some tarmac.
Well, nobody knows for how long, but we’ll take a little break here. It’s still 56 kms to Alichur. By taking the Shakhdara valley we apparently also bypassed a long section of the M41 with almost perfect surface quality.
The gravel descent from Koi-Tezek had a lot of washboard. Small, ridged patterns, much like the ribs of a washboard. These ridges, caused by vibrations and friction, make the road bumpy and hard to ride, slowing down progress and adding a lot of discomfort. Woohoo! Oh my gosh. You wouldn’t believe how happy some tarmac makes us by now. Oh! It’s so good! Second climb of the day.
Almost done! Again… Almost 4200 metres I think. Not sure, but pretty high. And of course… the road is not very good… I can’t take the shaking anymore.
Yeah, actually I think my headache is due to the shaking as well. Oh my neck… Brutal. Climb number three of the day. Wohoo. Oh, I am so done. Still 27 kms to Alichur.
We pass by the turn off to the lakes Yashikul and Bulunkul. The village by the name of the latter is the coldest permanent settlement in Central Asia with a recorded low temperature of -63° Celsius. It is somewhat famous for the fish from the lake, but we mentally can’t bear any additional gravel roads right now. We got a recommendation in Alichur where we hope to get a good day's rest.
Just where the road from the Wakhan valley rejoins the M41 we first pass Tuzkul, literally ‘salt lake’, and then Sassykul, or ‘stinky lake’, referring to the odor of the sulfur gas it omits. We had a very difficult day and now we don’t have any water. This is the last climb. Only 8 to 9 kms I am so done. Yes, that’s my eye. No, no. Why? Help!
During our resting day we explore Alichur by foot. We are awfully tired as we couldn’t sleep during the night. Every time we fell asleep for a few seconds we woke up immediately gasping for air. It is the altitude.
The air pressure at 3900 metres is only about 62% of what it is at sea-level and our bodies did not yet fully adapt to breathe fast or deep enough unconsciously. Okay, this is a shop, but there is nobody here. Life is tough here, but even so, about 2000 people and some yaks live here permanently. In the High Pamirs, yaks are a vital part of daily life.
Well-adapted to the harsh climate, they can survive at altitudes over 4,000 meters. Only a few other animals manage to live up here, like the Pika, Ibex, and Snow Leopard. For generations, herders in the eastern Pamirs have relied on yaks for transport, milk, wool, and meat. Their thick fur protects them from the freezing cold.
During winter temperatures in Alichur can fall below -45° Celsius at night. Whether grazing on remote pastures or carrying loads across the remotest mountain passes, yaks remain an essential part of life in this vast and unforgiving landscape. Almost the entire Muhrgob district, basically the eastern half of the GBAO, lies above 3500 metres. 80% of the roughly 15000 people living in the region are actually not Pamiri people but ethnic Kyrgyz. This is because the M41’s construction started from the then Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic during the early years of the Soviet Union in an effort to secure military and economic interests in the Pamirs. My name is Rahima.
I have lived here for 38 years. When I studied at the university in Dushanbe there was no English teacher here. So I came and I taught children. I worked at the school. It was difficult for me in this place, but I've stayed here... Now it is my home.
But it is a little bit cold… *laughing* It’s cold and difficult in winter. It is a dry cold. If it snows then only a little. Other than that it is not very difficult to live here. Because we have animals. We look after them. If we need anything and don’t have money we exchange meat for fruits or vegetables.
Here we live in two groups: Kyrgyz and Tajik. If we need something we go to the Kyrgyz families or they come to us. We live peacefully.
Only when people live here after 45 or 50 many get high blood pressure. We stayed in Alichur for one day and rested. Even with being in a comfortable bed and warm place, I could barely sleep the last two nights.
I feel a kind of shortness of breath and my heart is racing. So it must be the altitude and we hope in Murghab about 300 m lower, it will get better. That was stage 3 of our Pamir Highway adventure. Join us again next time, when we fight hard to reach the breathtaking altitude of 4655 metres at Ak-Baital pass.
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Oh you can’t imagine how amazing it is to ride on tarmac! Thank you so much, ride safely and may the wind be at your back!
2025-02-27 00:14
