The Pamir Highway – Dushanbe to Osh via the Wakhan Valley
Bike Touring Collection by Robin Patijn - Farawayistan
26
Tours
159:28 h
884 mi
55,250 ft
As a cyclist in search of adventure, the famous Pamir Highway, also known as the M41, was a dream journey. Here, the unforgiving landscape is rugged and the high plains demand extreme endurance. The inhospitable high-altitude deserts and valleys, far from anything we had experienced before, were inhabited by the friendliest of people. The Tajiks and Kyrgyz welcomed me and my friend, Sabina, with open arms and shared their love for this unforgiving landscape with us.
The second highest highway in the world, the M41 traverses the entire Pamir region from Dushanbe in Tajikistan to Osh in Kyrgyzstan. We chose to extend the route with a detour through the Wakhan Valley, along the Afghan border. We cycled through majestic mountain landscapes, villages where time stood still and barren, empty wastelands and along centuries-old trade routes.
Over 1,400 kilometres (870 miles), we accumulated more than 15,000 altitude metres (49,000 feet) of climbing on roads that, for the most part, had crumbled decades ago. From Dushanbe, we cycled through green valleys and along red gravel roads to Tavildara, one of the highest areas in Tajikistan. From there, we got lost on our way to the first high pass, the Batahampas at over 3,200 metres (10,500 feet). After a beautiful ice-cold descent which put our brake pads to the test, we stocked up on provisions (read: chocolate bars) in Qalai Khumb and Rushan. After a mandatory rest week in the Pamir capital, we followed the Panj River through the Wakhan Valley. To get back to the original Pamir Highway route after the Wakhan, we hiked to the top of the Khargush Pass (4,344 metres/14,251 feet). From here, our limits were tested on the high plains of the Pamir Mountains. The lonely plateaus and extreme conditions demanded a lot of self-reliance. At 4,655 metres (15,272 feet), the Ak Baital Pass was the literal high point of the Pamirs. Gasping for breath due to the lack of oxygen, we pushed our bicycles, as if in slow motion, over the highest point. We cycled along the beautiful azure Karakul Lake and crossed the border from Tajikistan to Kyrgyzstan via the brutal Kyzylart Pass.
We rode the Pamir Highway in September and the passes were still completely snow-free. This was also the harvest season, which means the best chance of getting fresh fruit and vegetables along the way. August and September are the best months for the Pamir Highway. If you cycle the M41 in spring, you'll be treated to beautiful fresh-green valleys, but mountain passes may still be covered in snow. In summer, the scorching hot heat in the valleys is only bearable for some, although the temperatures in the high mountains are more pleasant. In winter, even the hardened locals leave the snow-covered high plains.
The Pamirs are so remote that you are often left to your own devices. We camped most nights and made sure we had enough provisions with us. There are only a few places along the way where you can buy food: Dushanbe, Tavildara, Qalai Khumb, Rushan, Khorog, Ishkoshim, Murghab, Sary-Tash and Osh. Between these places, there are mini-markets, but these shops mainly stock sweets, vodka and soap.
We cycled on steel touring bikes with 50 mm wide tyres for optimal comfort over the bumpy gravel roads. The bikes (and their riders) had a hard time during this adventure. Brake pads wore off completely and bolts vibrated loose due to all the bouncing. Sabina's panniers even fell apart. Fortunately, we had a good toolkit and spare parts with us, so all repairs could be done there and then.
The Pamir Highway is an undertaking that should certainly not be taken lightly. It was also a fantastic adventure, where we met all kinds of travellers. Hitchhikers, hikers, an Italian on a Vespa, (recumbent) cyclists and even monster truckers, and everyone helped each other. For example, we had medicine for someone with the famous 'Pamir belly' and another cyclist rescued us with a spare part for our broken cooker.
This Collection describes our experience on the Pamir Highway adventure. I hope I can take you with me from day to day on this special journey, along the roads that I will remember for a lifetime.
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Last updated: May 25, 2022
Tours & Highlights
- 05:5756.6 mi9.5 mph3,875 ft1,800 ft
After the necessary preparation and rest days in Dusjanbe it was finally time to start our adventure. We cycled out of the city and into the countryside of Tajikistan. The road was surprisingly good and consisted mainly of almost perfect asphalt. After 75 kilometers of gradual climbing, a fantastic descent…
- 06:3547.5 mi7.2 mph4,925 ft4,875 ft
After a fantastic descent on an asphalt road, the tough climbing work really started today. A new road was under construction and the old road was impassable after heavy flooding. Instead of following rivers, the alternative route took two steep climbs. As if the killer heat wasn't enough, the dusty…
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- 08:1928.7 mi3.5 mph2,225 ft1,575 ft
After a short descent on the dirt road, a tough day awaited us. This stage went up continuously and the road surface consisted of loose gravel with large stones. Like everywhere along this route, the view made up for a lot. Along the way there were a number of places where we could fill water, sometimes…
- 07:5423.6 mi3.0 mph4,300 ft375 ft
The road after Tavildara was similar to the previous two days. Beautiful but incredibly difficult. After about 25 kilometers we left the M41 at the advice of someone at the hotel. A landslide would have made the road impassable. The detour went through a bone-dry valley with a number of villages in small…
- 03:5229.2 mi7.6 mph1,575 ft6,750 ft
After a few kilometers of slogging we reached the M41 again. From here it was another 10 kilometers up to the first real mountain pass of our adventure: the Batahampas at 3252.8 meters. The pass is in the middle of a minefield, so stay on the road here! It was not so much the gradient that made the Bataham…
- 03:1319.6 mi6.1 mph1,150 ft1,025 ft
From Qalai Khumb, the Pamir Highway runs parallel to the Panj River. A natural border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan. The road is fairly flat from here, and even paved in some parts. You can cover longer distances from here, but a mechanical breakdown from one of our travel companions held us up…
- 04:2826.7 mi6.0 mph1,950 ft1,400 ft
It was special to see that life on the other side of the river actually looked the same as on our side. Afghanistan is a country that we have heard a lot about in the news, and now we waved to the people who live there. In some places the river was only a stone's throw wide and you could walk a long…
- 08:4532.1 mi3.7 mph1,750 ft1,050 ft
It was sometimes quite a challenge to find a good camping spot. The river flowed on one side and the mountain wall rose steeply on the other side of the road. The trucks thundered until late on the road, which was completely destroyed.
Again, it was mainly the bad road quality, and not the climbing degree…
- 09:2139.7 mi4.2 mph1,850 ft950 ft
Today the route went through Rushon, we were tempted to take the exit here to the Bartang Valley. We had heard fantastic stories about this remote place, but this valley is best traversed the other way. The height profile is then in your favor.
So we kept to our original plan and followed the Panj river…
- 05:3829.6 mi5.3 mph1,225 ft800 ft
From our last camping spot it was only 50 kilometers to Khorog, the capital of Gorno-Badakhshan. The closer we got to the city, the better the road became. We passed an airport, which was clearly not in use: a cow was grazing on the runway. The bizarre city was extremely busy. There was a western coffee…
- 07:2827.5 mi3.7 mph2,275 ft1,725 ft
From Khorog we had three options to continue our way to Osh: the M41 (Pamir Highway), the Shakhdara Valley and the Wakhan corridor. The Wakhan is a long detour, but the majestic views of the Hindu Kush and farm life in places where time seems to have stood still are well worth it.
The M41 also seems to…
- 07:4628.9 mi3.7 mph1,400 ft850 ft
The quality of the road varied enormously, sometimes it was completely broken and we climbed heavy parts over loose boulders and then suddenly there was another strip of paved asphalt intact. We made good use of these pieces. The Wakhan was clearly a lot more remote. On the way we encountered few villages…
- 08:0236.6 mi4.6 mph1,975 ft1,175 ft
The dry orange-yellow landscape was regularly interrupted with strips of green where tributaries met the Panj. Water gives life, you could see that clearly here. In and around the green plains people were working the land and these were also the places where you saw houses.
Today the route also went through…
- 09:2929.3 mi3.1 mph2,975 ft2,775 ft
The Wakhan has a rich history and the most important monuments we found around Yamchun. At Tuggoz we climbed to Bibi Fatima Hotsprings at 3,200 meters high. Men and women enter the hot spring in two separate areas (naked). The women in Sabina's hot spring kept pointing at her legs and gesturing questioningly…
- 08:0025.4 mi3.2 mph1,050 ft825 ft
In the village of Vrang, two village girls took us to the top of the remains of a Buddhist Stupa. Legend has it that in the highest stone is the footstep of Buddha himself. A bit further we went on a voyage of discovery on the old ruins of the Khakahafort. We climbed the watchtowers and enjoyed the view…
- 62.4 mi-- mph6,350 ft2,950 ft
From Langar the route crosses the Khargush pass (4,344m) and rejoins the M41 on the high plateau. We had heard from cyclists riding the route the other way around that the road was in extremely bad condition and that it would take at least two to three days to push our bikes up 70 kilometers.
There is…
- 06:0929.6 mi4.8 mph1,275 ft1,025 ft
The views of the plateau were almost otherworldly: beautiful rock formations, high white peaks and azure mountain lakes. Back on the M41, the road surface was also a lot easier to cycle. The lakes we passed on the way are salty, so we couldn't get any water from them. This is the most remote part of…
- 06:5750.3 mi7.2 mph1,400 ft2,375 ft
Fortunately, it was much quieter with trucks on this part of the M41. Not surprising, it is one of the most remote areas in the world. We climbed very gradually for about 30 kilometers and were then rewarded with a beautiful descent of about the same length. Pure enjoyment on the (relatively) good road…
- 05:5930.5 mi5.1 mph1,525 ft200 ft
There was nothing at all between Murghab and Karakul, except for the extra-terrestrial beautiful landscape. It was therefore a special feeling to cycle from the mini-civilization into the deserted wasteland. Only beyond those gigantic mountains was the next destination.
We cycled together with two British…
- 07:3730.9 mi4.1 mph2,125 ft2,000 ft
The Ak Baital pass was marked on our map from the start. At 4,655 meters, this is the highest point on the Pamir Highway. We had been looking forward to it for weeks, and today it was finally time.
During the long run, the mountain seemed to get higher and higher. And after the big blue sign, the climbing…
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Collection Stats
- Tours26
- Distance884 mi
- Duration159:28 h
- Elevation55,250 ft
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