ROOF OF THE WORLD – PAMIR
Discover the wild
Jamshed Yusupov is the executive director of the Zarafshan Tourism Development Association (ZTDA). Under his leadership, the organization actively develops community-based tourism in the Sughd region, providing local residents with employment opportunities and preserving cultural heritage. Jamshed pays special attention to environmental issues and the creation of sustainable tourism infrastructure that contributes to the development of the region.
Executive Director
Route
Dushanbe – Pamir – Kalai Khumb – Khorog – Garmchashma – Ishkashim – Bibi Fatima – Langar – Bulunkul – Murghab – Karakul – Kyzyl-Art – Alai – Osh
Accommodation
Double occupancy at the hotel & homestays
Maximum altitude
4635 m
Highlights
Dushanbe, Buddha in Nirvana, Kokhi Navruz, Pamir, Panj River, Garmchashma, Ishkashim Valley
Tour schedule
Day 1
Arrival in Dushanbe. City tour including Museum of Antiquity (12m Buddha), Kokhi Navruz, and city center. Lunch & dinner at national restaurants. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 2
Transfer to Kalai Khumb (390 km, 8 hrs) via scenic Panj River road. Lunch en route. Evening walk. Overnight at homestay.
Day 3
Drive to Khorog (240 km, 6 hrs) along Panj River bordering Afghanistan. Dinner & overnight with a local family. Overnight at hotel.
Day 4
Transfer to Garmchashma (hot spring), then to Ishkashim (124 km, 3 hrs). Bathing in hot springs. Overnight at homestay.
Day 5
Transfer to Bibi Fatima hot spring (75 km, 1.5 hrs). Bathing and walking in the area. Overnight at homestay.
Day 6
Visit Yamchun Fortress, Bibi Fatima spring, and Muborakkadam Museum in Yamg. Continue to Bulunkul and Yashilkul Lakes (200 km, 6 hrs). Dinner & overnight at homestay.
Day 7
Transfer through Murghab to Karakul (360 km, 8 hrs). Visit Murghab bazaar. Walk around Karakul lake and village. Overnight at homestay.
Day 8
Cross Ak-Baital Pass (4635 m), visit Alai Valley. Arrive in Osh, Kyrgyzstan (420 km, 6 hrs). Overnight at hotel.
The Pamir Highway — a journey through one of the highest and most beautiful roads in the world. Feel the power of mountains, rivers, hot springs, and ancient legends as you follow in the footsteps of Silk Road travelers.
ROUTE ADAPTATION OPTIONS
On trekking
On trekking in the Fann Mountains there will definitely need good trekking boots, rain protection, comfortable trousers, some warm clothes and other components. The exact list of required equipment and things depends on the campaign and the season: we send it at the time of booking and ask all the participants of the hike to read it carefully. Here we give an explanation of the equipment, which can be useful in preparing for the campaign.
Clothing
Although the Fan Mountains are considered warm all smoothly when hiking in the mountains you need to think about clothes.
A waterproof and windproof light jacket is an indispensable attribute of every person going on a hike into the mountains.
Trousers for trekking can be almost any – from loose pants from natural fabrics to narrow tight-fitting synthetic materials. It is not necessary to have special trekking trousers. The main thing that in trousers it was comfortable to walk on mountains. Absolutely not suitable for mountains jeans and dense cotton pants – they restrict the movement and dry out for a long time.
Fleece jacket will be in demand every evening. An alternative is a warm sweater.
Thermal underwear is always necessary, because in the event of a bad weather, the temperature can drop dramatically even during the day. In addition, thermal underwear can be useful in the morning, when the air has not yet warmed up.
Headgear and gloves may be needed especially for those who are going on a hike in June or September. In any period, a bandage on the ears will be useful.
Jacket and pants from rain or cloak-cape. The best means from a rain – trousers and a jacket from the rubberized material which are put on top of the basic clothes.
Easy removable clothing. In the mountain shelter can be convenient to clean removable clothing – T-shirt and light trousers – one set.
Boots for trekking
Boots for trekking are a must and a key element of the equipment. For the mountains do not fundamentally fit sneakers and sneakers. If there are no trekking shoes, then they need to be purchased – they will be useful not only in the mountains and for hiking in the forest.
Having bought new trekking boots, it is important to carry them before you go on a long trip.
The sole of trekking shoes must be fluted, non-slip, rigid and at the same time flexible enough. It is also important when choosing shoes to pay attention to materials inside and on the surface of the shoe. It is better to exclude shoes with a coating of leather and suede, as in these shoes when walking is hot and the foot is not “breathing”. Today, there is a mass of artificial materials that have high water resistance, while quality membranes allow excess moisture to evaporate from the shoe.
High boots are preferable to low ones in all respects: they better “hold” the foot on an uneven surface and protect the bundles and protrusions of the large and tibia from stone impacts, which can be very painful. Some of our routes include glacier crossings, such as crossing the Kaznok Pass, Dukdon, Chimtargu, on these routes we recommend high boots and they should be able to join climbing cats.
Things
Backpack. Depending on the duration of the trip and the amount of things that you plan to take on the route, we recommend taking a backpack from 30 to 50 liters. Before going on the route, a map and a thin sleeping bag will be added to the backpack, in a folded and packed form, having a cylinder shape of 20 cm in length and 8 cm in diameter.
Sleeping bag. For overnight stays in mountain conditions it is necessary to have a good sleeping bag. ARTZ has good sleeping bags of BASK. Sleeping bags
Syntepone TML PLACID and downy sleeping bags with goose down. Such sleeping bags can be rented from us.
Means of personal hygiene. In a linear campaign it is necessary to take with itself personal hygiene means: a towel, soap, shampoo, tooth accessories. The bathrooms in the guest houses have toilet paper and soap. There is nothing in the showers – everything you need should be taken with you.
Sticks for trekking. We strongly recommend using trekking sticks – they allow you to redistribute part of the load from foot to hand while walking and are especially useful on the descents.
From other things you need to have with you:
first-aid kit (necessarily – adhesive plasters)
a jar or a bottle for water (we recommend taking at least 2 liters of water for the day’s transition)
mobile phone with charger
cream from the sun (necessarily, the degree of protection – as for the beach on the sea in August)
sunglasses
penknife
whistle (in case of an emergency)
For every day transition it is desirable to provide for light meals (chocolate, dried fruits, nuts).
We recommend taking a thermos – in the mountain shelters, where you stop for the night, you can ask to fill it with hot water before going on the route.
Safety in tours
The ZTDA has established clear and valid internal safety rules when conducting hikes, which are followed by our guides. In accordance with our security policy, we attract only local guides to work on the routes, consisting of a professional association of mountain guides in the region of trekking. Most of them are people who grew up in Zerafshan and know “every stone” in their region, peculiarities of meteorological conditions and are able to act in any situations.
We organize not only trekking in groups accompanied by a guide, but also we are one of the leading organizers of independent campaigns in several regions of Zerafshan. Our safety criteria limit the season, regions and routes of independent tours. Participants of such hikes receive from us detailed safety and logistics instructions prior to going on the route and can call us from the route by an emergency support phone available 24 hours a day. In addition, our coordinators monitor the passage of the route by the participants of independent campaigns, being in contact with the managers of the mountain shelters on the route.
Every participant of trekking must know simple rules of action in emergency situations. This is important for participants of all walks – both in the group with a guide, and independent.
Rain and thunderstorm in the mountains
In case of rain and thunderstorms in the mountains it is necessary:
Wear a rain suit or raincoat.
Find a sheltered place and wait out the rain or thunderstorm. For this, it sometimes makes sense to deviate from the route, for example, if there is a mountain shelter or a bivouac nearby.
If there is no shelter or a prolonged rain, you can continue the path with the utmost care, – carefully walk on the stones. In case of heavy rain, find a safe place and wait for the downpour. In mountainous areas one of the most dangerous disasters is mudflows.
In case of prolonged rain, if there is such a possibility, you can shorten the route at your discretion by using the map.
When approaching a thunderstorm, leave the hill in a lower place and find shelter.
How to deal with an accident in the mountains
In the event of an accident in the mountains, you should call the helpline in the mountains and provide the following details:
exact location of the incident;
type of trekking performed by the group (trekking, mountaineering, etc.);
the total number of people in the group;
the number and condition of the victims;
weather conditions on the scene;
telephone number for communication (the line must remain free).
Acoustic and light signals in case of an accident in the mountains
It is necessary to remember the general rules for giving signals about help in the mountains.
Request for help: give a signal with light or sound 6 times for 1 minute. Repeat the same signal after 1 minute.
Respond to a request for help: give a signal with light or sound 3 times for 1 minute. Repeat the same signal after 1 minute.