15 Days Central Asia Pamir Highway Guided Motorcycle Tour in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan
Breathtaking Motorcycle Tour Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan
This journey goes through three unknown countries in Central Asia. And each of these countries is different. The literal highlight of this trip is the Pamir Highway in Tajikistan.
We start the journey in the second city of Kyrgyzstan Osh. Most of this country is beautiful mountain scenery. Tourism is still scarce here. We spend the night in a small guesthouse, in a Yurt camp or in people's homes. After Osh we cross the border into Uzbekistan. This is a mostly flat country, but has beautiful old Silk Road towns. From Samarkand you visit the great Registan.
Tajikistan is mainly high mountains. Here we drive the Pamir Highway, which is far above the tree line. The landscape here is barren and rugged and accommodation options are basic. This road runs along the border with Afghanistan through one of the roughest and most remote areas on Earth.
Key Information
- Terrain: 40% off-road
- Bike: rental bike (Yamaha XT 600 cc)
- Distance: ~2800km
- Meals: breakfasts
Highlights
- 13 riding days
- Off-road and unpaved tracks
- Ride through two different climate zones
- Enjoy riding in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan
- English-speaking tour guide
- Support vehicle with local driver
- Airport transfers
Skill level
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Accommodation
This trip goes through very remote parts of Tajikistan. There are no hotels here. Therefore, we will regularly stay in people's homes in so-called 'homestays'. These are of course fairly simple accommodations, but they do put you in direct contact with the local population.
Program
Day 1: Arrival - Osh
You will be picked up from the airport and transferred to the hotel. Osh is the country's second-largest city. Here people speak more Uzbek than Kyrgyz. It is a city set up by the Soviets with wide streets and squares, one of which still has a Lenin statue.
Day 2: Osh - Tashkent
Early in the morning, we cross the border into Uzbekistan. We arrive in the Fergana Valley. This is a fertile piece of lowland surrounded by mountain ranges. The valley was added to Uzbekistan when the countries were divided. But it is only with a small piece of land that is connected to the rest of the country by only one road. We follow this road and at the narrowest point, we cross a beautiful pass. After the descent, we arrive in the capital of the country, Tashkent.
Day 3: Tashkent - Samarkand
We are now in the lowest part of the country. The Russians have planted this area full of cotton plantations. They got the irrigation water for this from Lake Baikal. That this has shrunk to less than a third of its original size. So it is a flat landscape. The city of Samarkand is where we spend the night. The city is mainly known for its large Silk Road settlement. This is the registry. We have a day off here to visit these buildings.
Day 4: Samarkand - Lodging
We are now in the lowest part of the country. The Russians have planted this area full of cotton plantations. They got the irrigation water for this from Lake Baikal. That this has shrunk to less than a third of its original size. So it is a flat landscape. The city of Samarkand is where we spend the night. The city is mainly known for its large Silk Road settlement. This is the registry. We have a day off here to visit these buildings.
Day 5: Samarkand - Seven Lakes
It is only a short distance from Samarkand to the border with Tajikistan. That is also the landscape border between flat Uzbekistan and mountainous Tajikistan. After the border procedures, we drive to Penjikend for our lunch. Then we turn south. Here is a dirt road that runs along a number of lakes. The road gets worse with every lake, we drive to the seventh lake. Here we spend the night in a homestay at people's homes. It is a deserted but beautiful area.
Day 6: Seven Lakes - Dushanbe
We first drive back along the lakes to the main road. Once there we drive further east through the mountainous landscape of Western Tajikistan along winding roads and deep gorges. The road here is in good condition but the ravines next to it are immensely deep.
About 80 km before Dushanbe we have to go through the infamous and dangerous Anzob tunnel - "the gate to hell" -. The road surface in this tunnel is full of holes and the reinforcing steel is loose everywhere. The holes and gullies are almost invisible due to the water pouring down from the ceiling. The cars drive crisscross and there is no lighting, but there is the occasional large broken fan in the way. An exciting ride that you will not soon forget. By the end of the afternoon, we arrive in the capital of Tajikistan, Dushanbe.
Day 7: Dushanbe - Stay
This city is one of the most beautiful cities of the ex-Soviet Union and is located about 160 kilometers from Afghanistan. We stay here for two nights on Rudaki Street, within walking distance of the Presidential Palace, the museum, the reclining Buddha, and the local market.
Day 8: Dushanbe - Kalaikum
We leave the city on the main road and after 20 km turn onto a narrower paved road. Passing the hydroelectric power station and the big dam we drive to Dangara where we stop for lunch. We drive south and approach the border with Afghanistan.
On the whole ride, you have checkpoints and local policemen can stop you. You must show respect for their work and patiently undergo passport checks. Usually, the cops are just curious and want to have their picture taken with you and your bike. Today it can be another very hot day, winding through the bends and along the beautiful Blue Lake. We end the day driving through an endless plain of wheat fields.
The route from Kulyab is partly unpaved and it is a beautiful area, still below the tree line. Almost the entire day we drive along the river Panj that separates Tajikistan from Afghanistan, through the mountains. We pass a few checkpoints and end the day in a simple guesthouse.
Day 9: Kalaikhum - Khorog
We leave early and follow the border with Afghanistan and the river all day. This is a very sparsely populated rugged area and the peaks around us reach above 5000 meters. This is the autonomous region of the Pamir people. Pamirs are rocks that have been carved by glaciers. After a very impressive route through the mountains, we arrive in Khorog. We spend the night in a simple hotel. The surroundings of Khorog are very beautiful and rugged. The two high mountain peaks are the Skalinsky at 5700 meters and the Shavash at 5300 meters.
Day 10: Khorog - Langar
We continue to follow the river border with Afghanistan in Badakshan province. The peaks around us now reach above 6000 meters. We visit the hot springs of Gharm Chasma. These springs are located in limestone rocks and bear a resemblance to the springs in Pamukkale in Turkey.
We then drive slowly on a poor dirt road into the Wakhan Corridor, along a meandering riverbed with the foothills of the Hindu Kush on one side and the Pamir Mountains on the other. Ishkashim is a border town with Afghanistan. This is where the Great Game ended at the time and the Russians and British agreed to make the Wakhan Corridor a neutral zone.
We drive further into the Corridor and see Buddhist caves in the rock face and remnants of what may have been a Buddhist stupa. Snowy peaks appear around us and along the river, we finally arrive in Langar. Here the Wakhi River merges with the Panj River and becomes the Pamir River. A bridge is being built in Afghanistan to connect the Pamir Highway with the Karakorum Highway in Pakistan, which could usher in a whole new era in this isolated region. We spend the night in Langar again at people's homes in a simple homestay.
Day 11: Langar - Murghab
In Langar we turn away from the river and climb the Khargush pass of 4344 meters, leaving the Afghan border. From here the Pamir Highway is an unpaved road through a desolate wasteland past several mountain lakes with salt beaches. A beautiful day leading to the small village of Bulunkul. Foreigners don't often come to this remote village, certainly not on a motorcycle. After a few hours of driving we arrive in Murghab.
Day 12: Murgab - stay - China border trip
Murghab is the largest settlement in the area. We get a first look at the mountain giant Muztagh Ata, located on the Chinese side of the Pamir. Unemployment here is almost 100%, a result of the break-up of the Soviet Union, after which the Russians, who provided the work, almost all left. Very special is a market district that is made up of various containers.
Day 13: Murgab - Sary Tash
We are now driving close to the border with China. For this reason, there is another military checkpoint after an hour's drive. On the other side of the border lies the Chinese province of Xin Jiang with the capital Kashgar. In this still rough wild area, we cross the Akbaytal pass of 4655 meters. We then arrive at Lake Karakul, an opal blue lake with snowy peaks in the background. Here we stop for lunch. Then we climb to the border post. This is located at a pass of 4300 meters.
After the formalities, it's not that far to Sary Tash. We do not spend the night in the village itself but in Camp Lenin a little outside. This camp is named after the highest peak in Kyrgyzstan, on the border with Tajikistan. If you are lucky with the weather you can see the peak from the camp.
Day 14: Sary Tash - Osh
After Sary Tash it's all downhill and we leave the Pamirs behind for good. Late in the afternoon, we arrive back in Osh. We return the bikes and have a day off in this small town to do your last shopping and recover from this impressive journey.
Day 15 Osh - Departure
This marks the end of your journey with Motor Trails.
Location
You will start the journey in the second city of Kyrgyzstan Osh. Most of this country is beautiful mountain scenery. Tourism is still scarce here. We spend the night in a small guesthouse, in a Yurt camp or in people's homes. After Osh, we cross the border into Uzbekistan. This is a mostly flat country but has beautiful old Silk Road towns. From Samarkand, you visit the great Registan.
Tajikistan is mainly high mountains. Here we drive the Pamir Highway, which is far above the tree line. The landscape here is barren and rugged and accommodation options are basic. This road runs along the border with Afghanistan through one of the roughest and most remote areas on Earth.
Food
The following meals are included:
- Breakfast
The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:
- Regular (typically includes meat and fish)
What's included
- All airport transfers
- All overnight stays in hotels and homestays with breakfast
- Motorcycle rental
- Follow car with local driver
- Traveling mechanic in support car
- Dutch tour guide on the motorcycle
- WA insurance motorcycle
- Extensive travel manual
What's not included
- Gasoline engines
- Other meals and drinks
- Personal expenses
- Travel and cancellation insurance
- Visa fees Kyrgyzstan (free at border)
- Tajikistan Visa Fee (Online)
Cancellation Policy
- A reservation requires a deposit of 12.1% of the total price.
- The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
- The rest of the payment should be paid 30 days before arrival.
For this organizer you can guarantee your booking through Tripaneer.com. All major credit cards supported.