A trip through the Pamir Mountains

I’ve been lucky to go to this remote area. Actually it has been the most strenuous travel during the past 20 years.

The Pamir Mountains are surrounded by the Hindu Kush, the Himalayas, Karakorum, Kunlun, and Tian Shan. Most of this mountain range lies in Tajikistan, precisely in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast; to go there you need a special permit.

The highest mountain is the Kongur (7649 m) in China. The highest mountain in Tajikistan is Ismoil Somoni Peak (7495 m), formerly known as Communism Peak, Stalin Peak. The largest lake is Karakul at 3960 m (about 380 sq km). Really a nice view as I’ll show later.

The region is remote. There are some homestays. Even during early October night temperature drop to zero, room temperature at 8° C. Winter sees temperatures at -40° C. Karakul gets a layer of ice about 1 m thick.

There is the Pamir Highway, but parts are in bad conditions though having an asphalt surface. I didn’t see any maintenance. The road is also called M41, which I’ve already mentioned here on this blog, and stretches over 1200 km from Osh to Dushanbe.

Nevertheless, the sights are gorgeous!

Hay for the Winter, from the low to the high lands

 

Remnants of the past - an old caravansarai of the Silk Road

 

Yaks at the side of the Pamir Highway

 

 Pamir Mountains and the Pamit Highway

At Akbaytal Pass (4655 m)

 

I think it's Gora Kurumdy (6614 m)

 

 Ismoil Somoni Peak and Lake Karakul

Near the border to Kyrgyzstan

Near the border to Kyrgyzstan

A look back from Kyrgyzstan to Tajikistan

 

Link:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pamir_Mountains