The epic Pamir “Highway” – a visual guide

It was like driving in a painting for 7 days..!

I have just spent the most epic 7 days driving the Pamir “highway” from Dushanbe (Tajikistan) to Sary-Tash (Kyrgystan). It is one of the highest highways in the world and you get breath-taking scenery at every corner.

Day 1 -Dushanbe to Qalai-Klum

This 360km drive took us about 7 hours. The road starts off really well – so well, that we were stopped by the cops, 4 times (only once for speeding mind!) After chatting to the friendly Tajikistan police and continuing without any penalties or problems, at the half-way point we reached the Afghanistan border. We drove squished between the mountains that form the borders of the 2 countries, which are only separated by the fast-flowing River Panj.

Day 2 – Qalai-Klum to Khorog

The road conditions meant that this 260km drive took us about 7 hours. We also had to navigate past some hair-raisingly steep cliff-side drops. I was super grateful that my husband is a fabulous driver and the way he read the road, ensured our safety.

Khorog is a lovely little village with the BEST Indian restaurant we have been to during our travels. This was also the last time we had WiFi until we reached Kyrgystan.

Day 3 – Khorog to Ishkashim

Leaving Khorog, we decided that we wanted to explore the Wakhan Valley. The valley continues along the Afghanistan border and the villages start getting smaller and more remote. We only drove 110km but it took us about 3 hours.

Day 4 – Ishkashim to Zong

On this 110km drive we saw several fortresses. We stopped and picked up several locals who were hitch-hiking to get from one village to another. They were all lovely and super grateful . I wish we spoke either Tajik, Pamiri or Russian so that we could have conversed with them. I was just so curious about their lives.

Day 5 – Zong to Alichur

This drive was the most isolated one for us. There were no villages after Langar and the road conditions were the worst that we experienced on the Pamir Highway. The views however compensated ten-fold for the road conditions and we enjoyed the desolate drive.

I was afraid that today might be the day that I experienced altitude sickness as Alichur is located at 3,942 metres above sea level, but fortunately all remained well!

Day 6 – Alichur to Murghab

Now that we did not have a spare tyre we had to be extra careful about driving. A few hours later we finally made it to Murghab (located at 3,650 metres above sea level) . We spent the day in Murghab trying desperately to find a spare tyre for our car so that we could drive the rest of the journey with peace of mind. However, finding a spare tyre or mechanic in Murghab seemed closed to impossible!

Day 7 – Murghab to Sary-Tash

We woke up super early to do the final stretch to Kyrgyzstan. It was even earlier because Murghab is aligned with Kyrgyzstan, an hour ahead of Tajikistan.

I could not have imagined the beautiful snow-covered mountains and roads that lay ahead. Once again the driving required intense concentration because there were big drops on either side of the road no tow-trucks can magically appear to come to the rescue.

Tips based on my experience

• I LOVED the 7 days of driving the Pamir highway. We rented a car in Dushanbe and drove ourselves. It was expensive but SO worth it.
• We carried plenty of water and food. Although we did not need all the food.
• The first few days are not as remote as we thought but choices start becoming limited after Ishkashim
• Most home-stays offer dinner and breakfast as part of the stay.
• I did not experience any altitude sickness even though many travellers write about it.
• You have to be mindful about the fuel and tyres if you are driving yourself. Make sure you use a good rental company.
• The Pamiri people are super-lovely and generous – so be mindful to not take advantage of their generosity