The Mongol Rally:
The Pamir Highway
Travelling the Pamir Highway is usually done in a 4x4
The Pamir Highway is a high altitude road, through the mountains of the same name, linking Khorog, on the Tajik side of the Afghan border, with Osh in Kyrgyzstan. With the vast majority of the 450 mile route sitting at an altitude of over 3,000m, we had heard tales of previous ralliers turning back due to altitude sickness. And, with many sections of the ‘highway’ more track than road, it has a reputation for slowly dismantling cars as they bump their way along its potholed length.
After hearing the stories, we both agreed it would be preferable to convoy with another team if at all possible. So we jumped at the chance to travel with George and Jonny from team RendevoUde. We had met them before, in the desert of Turkmenistan, and knew convoying with them had the added bonus of being filmed for a TV documentary…reality TV stars here we come!?
A little bit of America in Central Asia
We would be meeting up in Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan, for our joint departure toward the Pamir mountains so, as usual in the cities, Rico and I found an unwitting local to host us for the night through couchsurfing. Lutfullo and his friends were great fun and, all working or volunteering at the American Corner Dushanbe, really good at English. The American Corner is an American space open to anyone, with free internet access and library facilities, and the following morning we headed there with Lutfullo for a few hours of wifi before we went ‘off the grid’ in the Pamirs.
Rico feeling at home the American Corner, Dushanbe
A late departure for the Pamir Highway
It was well after lunch before we got on the road with George, Jonny and their camera-woman, Alex, and set off in the direction of the mountains. We had decided upon the tougher northern route from Dushanbe to Khorog and, while not technically part of the Pamir Highway, it would mean sticking to the M41 the whole way from Dushanbe to Osh. You could call it the purist’s route.
The M41 could not be further from the M1, M4 or any other motorway in the UK. Thankfully, after our late start, we were treated to a fair few miles of asphalt on our way out of Dushanbe, before it gradually petered out into the dirt track we would follow for the next three days. A dirt track hanging precipitously halfway up a cliff, with a raging river directly below, not one for those with a nervous disposition. About three hours on asphalt and a further two on dirt led us to a beautiful grassy slope, under intermittently crumbling cliffs, for a first night of wild camping in the Pamirs. And what a night it was. After a delicious pasta dish cooked up by team RendevoUde we were treated to a glorious view of the Milky Way, and a meteor shower to top it off.
Team RendevoUde tackling one of the narrower sections of track at the start of the Pamir Highway
The Pamir Highway gets tougher
The following morning, with only two rocks large enough to crouch behind, there was a ‘queue for the loo’ before we continued along the M41 towards the Afghan border. Day two did not give us the luxury of those first few hours on tar, and we bumped along at a snail’s pace all day on the horribly potholed dirt road.
The scenery more than made up for the difficult driving conditions however; rushing glacial rivers, snowy mountain peaks, a landscape on steroids. We carried on along the Obikhingou River for another few hours, crossing some precariously damaged bridges along the way, until we began to climb out of the valley and over the 3,252m Sagirdast pass.
One of many precarious bridges on the Pamir Highway
Looking back on the valley below from the Sagirdast Pass
The road was steep and dusty. The zebra struggled it’s way up the twisting hairpin track, gradually moving slower and slower as we neared the top, the fan whirring as we stopped for a rest and photos. The car was desperately trying not to overheat. It was at that moment we realised the temperature gauge for the engine was not being completely honest with us. We could’ve fried an egg in the footwell of the car with the heat radiating in from the engine. From now we would only tackle hills with the heating on full blast, removing as much heat from the engine as possible.
Giving the zebra a rest on the Sagirdast Pass, Pamir Highway
A stone’s throw from Afghanistan
After a cooling rest, the zebra made it the last few hundred metres to the top of the pass. The car coped much better on the drive down the other side, despite the start of an ominous clunking noise from the front left wheel. After some even more precipitous track sections, hanging on a cliff face over a raging river, we reached the Afghan border and set up camp a few hundred metres across the Panj River from Afghanistan itself.
Steering clear of landmines on the Pamir Highway
Camping with a view of Afghanistan on the Pamir Highway
Our third day on the M41 took us along the Afghan border all day, bumping along the Panj River. We were often no more than 30 metres from the Afghan villages on the other side; mud houses amongst splashes of green in an otherwise inhospitable mountain-scape. Looking past the news headlines and straight into people’s lives on the opposite bank, so near yet so far, was a humbling experience. It took us a full day of driving from our camp spot to Khorog, the start of the Pamir Highway proper, and it was with relief that we checked into a hotel for the night, washed off the dirt and climbed into our comfortable clean beds.
Afghanistan on the left bank, the M41 on the right
Changing a wheel after another puncture on the Pamir Highway
After multiple punctures the day before, both us and Team RendevoUde had repairs to deal with before a late departure up the Gunt River valley, away from Afghanistan, and towards the Pamirs proper. We wound our way gradually up into the mountains, the frothy blue Gunt on our right, heating on full, before crossing the 4,272m Koi-Tezek pass into another world.
Into the high mountains that give the Pamir Highway its name
A lunar landscape of dry rocky peaks, salt lakes and clear blue skies greeted us. The odd snow capped peak peered over the horizon. As the sun began to drop from the sky, we found a camp spot with a little protection from the frigid wind, and began to cook. Camping around 4,000m is cold. Any amount of exertion is disproportionately tiring. There was no stargazing that night. 8:30pm and we were in bed, cold and tired. A fitful night’s sleep, fully clothed with hat and gloves, awaited.
From glacial rivers
Into the dry lunar landscape of the high Pamirs
Before departing Dushanbe, George and Jonny had given us a broken old tea set as a convoy gift. A nice gesture I guess, but not exactly what you need for a few hundred miles of off road driving. We took it more out of politeness than anything else, but on a chilly morning in the Pamirs the warming tea went down a treat, China tea cups in hand, before our late start east.
Morning tea on the Pamir Highway
The roads were better in these high altitude plains (less landslides and floods) and we made much faster progress, passing nomad yurt encampments and yak herders along the way. The highest pass of all, 4,655m Ak-Baital pass, did pose a formidable obstacle however. Steep and unpaved, with the car starved of oxygen, it was a slow crawl with plenty of stops to reach the top. Towards the end of the day we hit the worst road of the whole journey so far, a long stretch of badly rippled dirt road, so rough the car would jump out of gear unless the gearstick was held in place.
Mountains all around on the Pamir Highway
Distant yurt encampments in the Pamir Mountains
Ak-Baital pass successfully crossed, the highest point on the Pamir Highway
Staying with locals on the Pamir Highway
After a bone shaking hour or so we finally reached the only habitation in this eastern region of Tajikistan, Karakol. Not wanting to spend another night freezing in our tents, we found a local family willing to host the five of us for a measly $20 (they ended up with some shorts, a belt, two head torches and some eggs as well). Treated to an evening meal of noodles, home produced butter, cheesy-yoghurt, and bread, we hit the sack early (dark and cold, there was no other option) for our last night on the Pamir Highway.
Our home for the night near Karakol on the Pamir Highway
Chris with our host near Karakol
A wild west border crossing
The Pamir mountains are remote. The border crossing with Kyrgyzstan is equally so. Unpaved and atop another high mountain pass, it felt a bit like the wild west. The border guards were certainly cowboys. First the Tajik side. “Missing documents”. “Big problems”. “Must pay”. With patience and some stern refusals we were finally allowed to proceed. Without paying.
Next, the Kyrgyz side. Accused of opening the gate and letting ourselves into Kyrgyzstan without permission (we actually followed another car into the border after the guards opened the gate), they threatened to shoot us (with bullets and guns clearly displayed for maximum effect), or send us back to Tajikistan. Thankfully, after much discussion, them speaking Russian, us speaking English, we were allowed on our way. But not before we were made to pour out one of our water bottles and leave the bottle on the roadside. It seemed someone was on an ego trip.
Crossing the border from Tajikistan to Kyrgyzstan
It was downhill from the border all the way to Osh, in Kyrgyzstan, end point of the Pamir Highway. A beautiful drive through high altitude grazing lands covered in yurts and herds of horses, through mountain valleys and down to the old trading city of Osh. The car was much happier to reach the lower altitudes. We were happy to shower again, but sad to have left the other-worldly Pamir Highway behind.
Our first taste of Kyrgyzstan
This Leg
Days: 6
Countries: 2
Distance: 801 miles
Time in car: 1 day 21 hours
Total
Days: 34
Countries: 22
Distance: 7,168 miles
Time in car: 8 days 16 hours 30 minutes