Trekking in Tajikistan

Map key

Regional overview map

Northern ranges overview map

Pamirs overview map

Foreword

Preface

Introduction

Trekking on the Roof of the World

Preparations and practicalities

When to go

Getting there

Visas, permits and border crossings

Getting around

Trekking support

Accommodation and food

Cultural awareness

Language

Money

Phones and the internet

What to take

Low impact trekking

Maps

Trekking in Tajikistan

Staying healthy

Safety and security

Using this guidebook

About Tajikistan

Geography

History

Plants and wildlife

Tajik National Park

Dushanbe day hikes

Route 1 Leilakul

Route 2 Gusgarf Waterfall

Route 3 Begar Waterfall

Route 4 Shirkent dinosaur tracks

Route 5 Sioma Valley

Fann Mountains

Route 6 Mura Pass

Route 7 Dukdon Pass

Route 8 Fann Lakes circuit

Route 9 Kaznok Pass

Route 10 Sarymat Pass

Route 11 Chimtarga Pass and Bolshoi Allo Lake

Link routes

Route 12A Sarymat River

Route 12B Munora Pass

Zerafshan and Hissar ranges and Yagnob Valley

Route 13 Darg to Ziddi Valley

Route 14 Yagnob Valley and Tabaspin Pass

Western and Central Pamir

Route 15 Gardan-i-Kaftar Pass

Route 16 Jizev Valley

Route 17 Ravmeddara Valley

Route 18 Pamir mountain lakes 1: Bachor to Sarez Lake

Route 19 Pamir mountain lakes 2: Yashilkul and Shtik Lazar Pass

Southern Pamir

Route 20 Turumtaikul Lake

Route 21 Oykul Lake

Route 22 Vrang Pass

Route 23 Darshaidavan Pass

Route 24 Vezdara to Tusion

Route 25 Pik Engels Meadow

Afghanistan

Route 26 Afghan Wakhan Corridor: Little Pamir

Appendix A Route summary table

Appendix B Useful contacts

Appendix C Language notes

Appendix D Further reading

Digitalised Russian topographic maps in Cyrillic, as detailed as 1:50,000 for all mountain areas, can be bought online: https://mapstor.com/map-sets/country-maps/tajikistan.html

EWP sells an excellent 1:100,000 trekking map for the Fann Mountains (in English). It can be ordered via https://maps.ewpnet.com/fannmap.asp

Gecko maps offer three 1:500,000 maps of Tajikistan (also in English). Their Pamirs map especially can help you plan a trekking expedition as routes are displayed on the map. Note that these are not suitable for navigation. Order online: www.geckomaps.com/en/products/tajikistan-pamir

We do not yet have any updates available for this book

We are always grateful to readers for information about any discrepancies between a guidebook and the facts on the ground. If you would like to send some information to us then please use our contact form. They will be published here following review by the author(s).

The two authors' love and enthusiasm for the country is evident and disarming.

Never judge a book by its cover. With Cicerone, the standard blue house livery often belies the uniqueness of what's inside. This is the first English language guide to this unspoilt and seldom visited region, and right from the beginning acknowledgements, the two authors' love and
enthusiasm for the country is evident and disarming.

There's a detailed cultural guide and useful information on low impact trekking and safety. The routes themselves look excellent and challenging, with most involving wild camping in remote locations at high altitude. The Pamir and Fann mountains are covered in detail, as well as some day walks from the capital city, Dushanbe. There's also a multiday epic through Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor.

Having read this book, 'the roof of the world' is a place I now long to visit.

David Lintern, Outdoor Enthusiast magazine

An essential addition to travel guides on Tajikistan

The two authors are among the very best qualified to give guidance on trekking in this region. (Christine is also directly involved in an ambitious and successful project to train women mountain guides in the Pamirs - "Women Rockin' Pamirs.")

The book begins with comprehensive and concise general advice on travel to Tajikistan, visas and permits, accommodation, health, weather, history, culture, maps, equipment, safety, plants, wildlife, and some good cautionary messages about "low impact trekking."

The authors then explain their system of grading treks by degree of difficulty - one of the first considerations in ensuring personal safety, as altitude and terrain can be unforgiving and human settlements are few and far between, especially in the Pamirs and the Wakhan.

The guide then subdivides treks by region, not forgetting day hikes from Dushanbe, the capital. Each route is carefully described, with landmarks, excellent detail maps and information about length, estimated duration, altitude differences and degree of difficulty.

A final set of appendices provides a summary of each route, useful contacts, language notes and further reading.

Attractively produced, with many superb colour photos and a protective plastic cover, the book is just small and light enough to fit in the pocket of your anorak, and certainly belongs in your backpack.

Congratulations and best wishes to the authors and Cicerone!

Robert Middleton

Co-author "Tajikistan and the High Pamirs"

Crans-près-Céligny, January 2019

http://www.pamirs.org/Cicerone...

For everyone who is serious about discovering Tajikistan on foot, this is the guide to have.

Trekking in Tajikistan by Jan Bakker and Christine Oriol is the first, and for now, only guidebook dedicated to trekking in Tajikistan (or elsewhere in Central Asia for that matter). Seeing the boom in tourism in Tajikistan, it comes just in time.

In 2014, this page reviewed the trekking e-book Jan Bakker self-published. With the help of Christine, who also runs the girl-guide NGO Women Rockin’ Pamirs, the original solo effort got a serious upgrade in 2018: 3 times more treks, better route descriptions, and more background info. A specialised trekking guide publisher has been found in Cicerone.

Destinations and routes

The book consists of:

5 day hikes near Dushanbe (5 hiking days)

6 routes + 2 link routes through the Fann mountains (28 hiking days)

2 routes in the Zerafshan and Hissar ranges and Yagnob valley (14 hiking days)

5 routes in the Western and Central Pamir (24 hiking days)

6 routes in the Southern Pamir (21 hiking days)

1 route in Afghanistan’s Wakhan Corridor (10 hiking days)

All in total 25 + 2 routes worth 102 days of trekking. There is a good mix of routes: some are full-on wilderness treks with high-altitude steep climbs, while others center more around village life and alpine lakes. Each regional chapter includes both difficult and easier treks.

The subtitle of the book reads “The northern ranges, Pamirs and Afghanistan’s Wakhan Corridor”. Which means that, the Eastern Pamirs are not included. I asked Jan about this, and the 2 main reasons for not including the Murghab plateau are:

a) the monotonous landscape and lack of variation in the treks there versus the rest of the Pamirs (it is indeed, a high desert), and

b) the more difficult logistics around Murghab: you cannot trek for a few weeks straight without having to drive around a lot.

Looking up the huge north face of Mirali Peak (via Cicerone)

Formats

Trekking in Tajikistan is available as an e-book and a printed version. Gpx files of all hikes are available for download after registering. The printed book comes in a handy small format (17.2 x 11.6 x 2.2cm) with plastic cover, weighing in at 450g.

The guide

The background information on transport, accommodation, cultural awareness, fauna and flora and safety and security is concise and informative.

The route descriptions have been overhauled. The top addition to the previous version are the short descriptions of the treks and of each stage, which makes it very easy to decide which trek to embark on.

Beyond the trek summary, each route comes with a height profile, an overview map, some pictures and advice on transport, accommodation and trek support. Each stage of a route has a summary, a topographic map and a short description of the actual route to be taken.

Final judgement

In our previous review of 2014, we had some reservations about the book: it was not very extensive, and the route descriptions were basic. It was difficult to decide which trek was best suited to your needs. It gave some ideas and directions, but you still had a lot of figuring out to do for yourself.

With the Cicerone edition, these misgivings have disappeared.

There are now plenty of routes to get inspired by. It’s clear a lot of thought has gone into route selection, picking routes that are diverse in difficulty, landscape and culture, with route intersections built in for extended hiking holidays.

The route descriptions have vastly improved and the summaries make it easy to see which trek is right for you.

In short, Trekking in Tajikistan has set the standard for future trekking guidebooks to Central Asia. For everyone who is serious about discovering Tajikistan on foot, this is the guide to have.

Last updated on November 28, 2018

By Steven Hermans https://caravanistan.com/revie...