Monkey's Tale

Tajikistan’s Wakhan Valley is a place like no other. Strips of green oases climb the barren mountain slopes. Nestled within those green gardens are the traditional stone houses that are home to the friendly people of Wakhan Valley. Not many foreign tourists travel to this region, but we did and couldn’t have felt more welcome. Travelling in Wakhan Valley independently, without a guide, allowed us to take our time and learn a little about their culture, customs and traditions.

The Wakhan Corridor is a tract of land between the Pamir and Hindu Kush Mountains. Most of it is in Afghanistan, but a small strip lies in Tajikistan’s southern border. The Wakhi people came from eastern Persia generations ago and spread out on the land along the Panj, Wakhan and Pamir Rivers. It is pronounced Vahan with a hard H.

In the late 1800s when the British governed the lands now called Pakistan and India, they saw the Russians quickly scooping up countries across Central Asia. The British became worried and wanted a buffer zone between Russia and their beloved India. At this time the Wakhan region was a part of what was then called India and today is Pakistan. The Brits made a deal with the Emir of Afghanistan to take control of it, forming the Wakhan Corridor. This meant that there was an Afghani controlled strip of land between the British and Russian territories. Russia took control of the small section that is now in Tajikistan, but most of Wakhan is still in Afghanistan. In Tajikistan it’s called Wakhan Valley, in Afghanistan, it is Wakhan Corridor.

The green area in the map below is Tajik’s Wakhan Valley.

Wakhan is a region in the Pamir Mountains that is within the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO). The only way to reach Tajik’s Wakhan is from one of two roads connecting it to the Pamir Highway. When the Tajik-Kyrgyz border was open, people doing a road trip on the Pamir Highway used to make a detour through the Wakhan. They would enter at one end and exit at the other, while missing a large chunk of the Pamir Highway.

When we researched ways to travel in this area we were strongly discouraged from relying on ourselves. Almost all tourists hire a private driver to travel through Tajik’s Wakhan. Most of the on-line posts and people we spoke with stated that it is very difficult, if not impossible to go without a private driver. Well, we are here to tell you that it is in-fact not difficult at all and is very possible to travel through the Wakhan independently.

Since the border is now closed indefinitely, we decided to explore the area in a circular route. We travelled from Dushanbe to Khorog and then headed south to Wakhan. After travelling the length of Wakhan, we headed back north to re-join the Pamir Highway near Bulunkul. Then to complete the circle, we took the Pamir Highway back to Khorog and then on to Dushanbe. We did this entire route by using a combination of share-taxis, taxis and hitchhiking.

In the map below, the area in red is Tajik’s Wakhan Valley.

Entry to this region requires a GBAO Permit. Click here for information on getting your GBAO Permit.

We spent 5 days travelling the 115 km (72 miles) long Wakhan Valley. Here is our story along with tips to help others also travel this region independently. To go directly to our Guide For Independent Travel in Wakhan click here.

Wakhan Valley

After driving along the Pamir Highway from Dushanbe to Khorog, we were about to enter the mysterious Wakhan Valley. The road to Wakhan continued to follow the Panj River; the same one we had been following on the drive to Khorog. Travelling beside the river kept us only meters away from the Afghan border. As we drove we could often see far up the valley. The mountains on both sides of the river were very arid and different shades of brown.

Click on the link to read our Pamir Highway post.

Occasionally we spotted pockets of green that usually indicated a village. The river curved its way through the mountains and sometimes we weren’t sure which side of the river an upcoming village was on, but once we spotted the roofs we knew. We were told by a local that in Wakhan, almost all Tajik houses have metal roofs and almost all Afghan houses have mud and grass roofs.

That proved to be mostly true, but we did find sod roofs on some homes in Tajikistan.

Since the river is all that separates them from Taliban controlled Afghanistan, there are many soldiers patrolling the highway. Local Pamiris told us that it wasn’t until the last couple of years that the Taliban have moved in to the Afghan’s Wakhan Corridor. In their previous iteration as Afghan’s governing body, the Taliban mostly ignored this remote region. We were told that the Taliban now have a presence in every Wakhi Afghan village.

When we looked toward the Afghan side of the river we could see a few people walking on the road or working in the fields. Sometimes we’d see small groups of people hanging out along the side of the road. We assumed they were all locals but never knew for sure that they weren’t Taliban. Many were likely farmers, but occasionally a lone person was standing still, looking toward Tajikistan. It made us wonder if he was looking at us.

We definitely knew when we saw one truck that it was Taliban. We were not far from Ishkashim and the two roads on either side of the border were very close to the river. We were only 100 m away from the other side when we saw a black truck, speeding along the Afghan road. In the bed of the truck was a man, dressed in black. He was standing behind a mounted machine gun. It was close enough that we knew exactly what we were seeing. We were both speechless. In fact, I may have been holding my breath. The truck drove at the same speed as us for a few very long minutes. It was a stark reminder of where we were. We weren’t watching this on the television back home. This was real. After a couple of kilometers our road veered off away from the river and we lost sight of the truck. I finally exhaled.

There haven’t been any problems between the Taliban and the local Tajik people that we have heard about, but it was still quite unnerving to say the least. The picture below does not include the Taliban truck, but does show how close the roads were to each other.

The people on the Afghan and Tajik sides of the river are mostly Wakhis. The border between Tajik and Afghan Wakhan was open for generations. Brothers and cousins lived on opposite sides of the river without any problems. There even used to be an Afghan Market held on an island in the river just outside of Ishkashim. It was a big event, bringing people from up and down the valley as well as international tourists. Since the Taliban re-took control of Afghanistan and moved into the Wakhan area, the border has been closed and the market does not operate. This has been hard on the economy of Ishkashim, and likely of the Eshkashim town on the Afghan side too.

Ishkashim

After travelling a hundred kilometers south of Khorog, we finally arrived in Ishkashim (2,600 m /8,530 ft) and entered Wakhan Valley. One of our first views of this land was at the end of Ishkashim. Here the long road leads your eyes to the beautiful white caps of the Hindu Kush Mountains in the distance.

There is a lookout point on a mountain above town that provides nice views of Panj River and across to Afghanistan. When we were there a group of school girls were very curious about us and followed us to the lookout. A couple of them spoke English and were keen to practice on us. At first they were surprised that we could understand what they were saying. They don’t see foreign tourists very often and likely thought English classes were a waste of time. They were soon followed by a group of boys. Word travelled fast about these strangers that had arrived in their small village.

Tip – Ishkashim has a few small shops if you need to buy last minute supplies. They will be the last ones you’ll see until Zong.

Like the rest of the Pamirs, the Wakhi people follow Ismaili, a liberal branch of Shia Islam. There are many Ismaili shrines in the Wakhan Valley. They are not temples but are shrines that commemorate visits by important holy men. The grandson of our guesthouse owner took us for a tour to see a shrine in the village of Ren, near Ishkashim. He speaks excellent English and was more than interested in telling us about his school, his excellent study habits and of course his soccer abilities. He was a great tour guide.

Inside a rugged stone building we found a few Marco Polo sheep (Pamiri sheep) skulls prominent positioned above the shrine. Marco Polo sheep live high in the Pamir Mountains and to the Wakhi people they represent purity. They are placed at every shrine in the valley. The Wakhi Ismailis visit shrines on important Muslim holy days.

The village of Ren surrounds the shrine and is a collection of traditional stone homes with sod roofs.

Where to stay in Ishkashim – There two guesthouses in Ishkashim. Both can be found on Google Maps. You shouldn’t need to book in advance but their contact information is on the map if you prefer. We paid $20 USD each for a double room that included breakfast and dinner. Meals in Wakhan were usually a vegetable soup, followed by plov (rice pilaf), mantu (dumplings) or laghman (noodles) topped with fried vegetables and usually chicken. Every meal is accompanied by raw cucumbers and tomatoes. They were healthy, but not incredibly flavourful as no herbs or even salt and pepper were used.

Getting to Ishkashim – It wasn’t as straight forward to get to Ishkashim as we had assumed. At the New Bus Station in Khorog, there are a few marshrutkas that will take you to Avj Sanitorium, 25 km before Ishkashim. (70 TJS each/$6.40 USD). In Avj, the security guard called his son to drive us to Ishkashim. He charged 300 TJS ($27 USD) and we were able to split it with another person.

Namadgut

The next village up the valley is Namadgut. Before the Wakhis moved into the area from Persia, the valley was inhabited by Zoroastrians. Not much is known about this ancient civilization, but it is believed that they dressed in black and were fire worshippers. A local man told us that some of the Zoroastrian’s ancient beliefs and traditions are still followed by Wakhis today. He said they consider their ancestors to be both Zoroastrians and Persians.

The Zoroastrians built fortresses all along the Panj River. Their forts were placed strategically so that they could communicate with one another by fire signals. One of these fortresses is above the village of Namadgut. Today there’s not a lot left of Khakha Fortress (also spelled Qah-Qaha). The 3rd century BCE fortress mostly consists of remnants of walls and towers.

Even if the fortress is in ruin, its location is fantastic and makes it worth a visit. Set on a cliff above the Panj River it offers great views up and down the river valley. We could see far down the valley into both Tajikistan and Afghanistan and across to the Hindu Kush Mountains.

Walking around the fortress grounds we were very aware that Afghanistan was on the other side of the river. It still felt very strange for us and Maggie at least, was a bit on edge.

Getting to Namadgut – The village is only 14 kilometers from Ishkashim. You can visit Namadgut on a day trip from Ishkashim or stop on your way to Yamchun. We visited on a day trip and hired a taxi from our Ishkashim guesthouse. He charged us 200 TJS ($18 USD) one-way, which is probably too high for 14 km.

Yamchun

The next village that we stopped at along Wakhan Valley is Yamchun. Looking at it from the road below you can see ribbons of green vegetation climbing up the brown hills. This setting makes it is one of the most picturesque in the valley.

The villages in Wakhan and in fact in many parts of the Pamirs, are set in what appear to be small lush oases in an otherwise arid landscape. The people are experts at building networks of canals to irrigate their land. Our Yamchun guesthouse owner took us through his garden so we could see up close how well designed they are.

Water comes down from the mountains in small or large streams. It is connected to elaborate irrigation canals that send the water throughout the gardens. Rocks are placed at intersections to either block water away from an area or moved out of the way to let the water flow. Everything is built on a slight incline which allows the water to run throughout their entire garden. It was fascinating to witness the ingenuity and resourcefulness that goes into these canals. They are very well planned and built. His bountiful garden has potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, barley and even rice. In his yard he also has many trees which are used to provide shade as well as food. Poplar trees are strategically planted for shade and small orchards are filled with apple, apricot, cherry, pear and walnut trees. Our guesthouse owner showed us how he had successfully grafted pears on an apple tree.

After the garden tour, he also showed us his home. Traditional Wakhan homes are called Chids. These one-room homes were built to provide warmth during the cold winter and cooling during the hot summers. Thick walls have only one window to retain the most comfortable temperature inside. There is also a covered hole in the middle of the roof that acted as a chimney. In each home there are five pillars which represent Mohammed and his children.

The one roomed house has raised platforms along each outside wall. Two are covered in colourful carpets and are used to sit during the day and to sleep at night. Under one platform is a wood oven and on its top are elements for cooking. As well, a small stove is used to heat the room. One platform is for dining and has long pillows along the edge and a tablecloth, called dastarkhon, for a table. Our guesthouse had an addition built on the side for the guesthouses. Most homes have a tapchan outside. These gazebo-type buildings are usually set under a tree or over water so it is cool in the summer.

Above the pretty village of Yamchun is a 3^rd century BCE Zoroastrian Fortress. Yamchun Fortress is mostly in ruins but is in better condition than Khakha Fortress. The remains of half walls run along two sides of the Fortress and really show how large it once was. The Fortress is perched on a hill, high above the Panj River. This vantage point allowed them to see far down the valley in both directions.

To reach the fortress, you can drive up the 7 km road that zig-zags its way up the hill. If you walk, a trail lets you take shortcuts and is only 2 ½ km from the village. At 3,123 m (10,246 ft) don’t be surprised if you are out of breath and have to take several breaks.

Above the fortress we could see the green grass around Bibi Fatima Hot Springs and knew we wanted to check it out. The hot springs water contains potassium, magnesium and sodium and is believed to heal almost everything, including infertility. It is a very popular spot for locals. A rather plain building surrounds the springs so you can’t see much until you get inside.

We had heard that everyone goes into the pools naked but since this is such a conservative country, we weren’t completely sure what the protocol would be. Men and women have separate areas. I (Maggie) opened the women’s changeroom door to find about 12 women stripping off all their clothes and heading down the stone steps. They were all completely naked as they went from the bottom step directly into the hot natural pool inside the mountain cave. I was the last to arrive so as I stepped into the water, all the women looked up at me with big smiles. I realized that I was about to take a bath with 12 other naked women. For a group of women who in public, dress in a manner to hide their bodies, they were extremely free and open in the pool. They seemed far less shy about showing their naked bodies to everyone than I was.

The pool is fairly small but has a very mystical setting in the mountain cave. Three waterfalls run down the mountain walls dripping hot water into the natural pool. Behind the waterfall, the rock is blue, green and white from the minerals in the water. Taking a soak in the pool is said to help improve women’s fertility. I asked one of the women if that’s why she was there. She said no, she couldn’t have a baby because she’s not married. 

Bibi Fatima Hot Springs are 1 ½ km away from the fortress. Even if you’re walking you must follow the road. Don’t try to take shortcuts.

Where to stay in Yamchun – We highly recommend Akim Homestay. The family is very kind and interested in showing you the Wakhi way of life. Their home is very clean and their meals are delicious. Richard suddenly became vegetarian though, when he found out the meat for dinner would be marmot.

We paid $20 USD each for a double room and 3 meals. The toilet is outside but it is a flush toilet. 

Getting to Yamchun – Sunday is supposed to be the worst day for hitchhiking because not as many people are on the road, including taxis. For us, that wasn’t the case. Richard was still taking pictures of the scenery when Maggie waved down our ride. They charged us 350 TJS ($32 USD) from Ishkashim to our Yamchun homestay (57 km/35 miles).

As has happened a few times when hitchhiking or taking a long-distance taxi, our driver stopped to get a friend. Whether it was for him to have a friend, or for us to be entertained we’re not sure, but we did appreciate the conversations we had with these extra riders.

Yamg and Vrang

Instead of catching a ride we decided to walk from Yamchun to Vrang (11 km). The slower pace gave us time to appreciate the unhurried pace of life in the valley. We saw many people who were walking along the road like us, or taking a break to chat with their friends. The people in this region are perhaps the friendliest we’ve met yet. They all said hello as we passed and gave us smiles that reached their eyes. We were offered to share a meal or tea countless times as we travelled throughout the region. On this walk to Vrang, at least 5 separate people asked us to come to their home for tea.

As we walked we saw people working in their fields. We even passed a few gardens where army soldiers were hard at work. The army has their own vegetable gardens and part of their duties include tending to them. Occasionally we could see people on the other side of the river in Afghanistan, but they all seemed to be minding their own business, so we started to stop worrying about them as well.

Today, you can easily get between the villages in Wakhan, but historically it was very difficult. When the Wakhis moved to this area they settled in different areas along the Panj, Wakhan and Pamir Rivers. At that time many of the villagers were cut off from each other by the rugged terrain. The result was that different dialects developed. Although they arrived with the same language, in many areas it evolved to be completely distinct from neighbouring villages even though they lived less than 50 km away.

Just outside of Yamchun is the village of Yamg. In the middle of the village is a 700 year old small stone calendar. It was originally part of a larger observatory, but today a small stone is all that’s left.

Eleven kilometers east of Yamchun is a 5^th century AD Buddhist stupa. We hiked up a hill above the village of Vrang to see a six-tiered pyramid stupa. Its design is very different from other Buddhist stupas we’ve seen around the world.

Surrounding it are remains from a monastery and across the creek we could see dozens of caves in the mountain wall. These caves were used by the monks as cells to meditate. Apparently, Buddhists travelled to the area from China but there aren’t many other Buddhist sites in the valley so not much is known about the sites or the people. 

We had intended to stay overnight in Vrang but after looking at two filthy guesthouses, we decided to continue on to Langar.

Getting to Vrang – We actually walked to Vrang from Yamchun. It’s 11 km on a flat road. If you prefer to hitchhike a ride shouldn’t cost more than 50-100 TJS ($4.50 – 9 USD).

Zong and Hissor

Near the end of Wakhan Valley the three villages Zong, Hissor and Langar are all within a few kilometers of each other. Zong and Hissar (2,968 m) are the cutest villages in the entire valley. With lush green gardens and trees climbing up the barren mountain walls, the scenery is quite unbelievable. The homes scale the mountain along side the gardens. As with Yamchun, they also have elaborate irrigation systems that allow them to settle in these unlikely locations.

There are more ruins to see in this area too. Above the village of Zong are the ruins of Abrahim Qal’a (Silk Fortress). Finding the fortress was a little difficult. Maps.Me knows its location, but not the route to reach it. The trail goes between farms, around homes and across rock slabs so it’s never clear which direction to go. Local villagers kept pointing our way. Many asked if we wanted to join them for tea or lunch. It was quite astounding to think that they live in such rustic homes and yet were wanting to share what they had with us.

Eventually a mom told her young boy to lead us through the last section. Without him we probably wouldn’t have found it on our own. Even from below the fortress, we were sure how to reach it. We paid him 20 TJS for his help. He was the shyest kid we’d met on our travels but he was very happy to make a little money for himself.

After all of that effort the fortress itself may not have been worth all it took to get there. It is quite small and mostly in ruins. We didn’t walk around it much because the walls looked quite unstable. Rubble from where the walls had crumbled were scattered over the interior. Centuries of weather, earthquakes, war and disuse have put their toll on the fortress.

It is worth it for the view of the confluence of the Wakhan and Pamir Rivers forming the Panj River. We could see that we were near the end of this incredible valley.

On the way back to the main road we walked through the village and beside farms. On the edge of the villages is another Ismaili shrine.

Tip – There is a store called ‘Big Shop’ in Zong if you need to restock or buy yourself a treat.

Where to stay – There are two guesthouses in Zong and one in Hissor. They look to be very nice villages and we wished we had stayed there instead of Langar.

Getting to Zong – We hitchhiked to from Vrang to Langar where we spent two nights. To visit these two villages we walked back from Langar (7 km), but hitchhiking to either of these villages from Vrang should be 200 TJS ($18 USD) or less.

Langar

This is the last village that we visited in Wakhan. For some reason we had the impression that Langar was a larger village than Zong, but its actually smaller and not as nice.

The most interesting thing to do in Langar is to visit the ancient petroglyphs above town. You can see the large rock slab from the highway. If you look close, you can see two people walking over the slab.

The petroglyphs are approximately 300 m (980 ft) above the village. To reach them, the trail goes through upper Langar village, beside a cemetery and then across a slot canyon. Because Langar is located almost at 3,000 m (9,843 ft), don’t be surprised if you’re huffing and puffing more than usual on the hike up.

The petroglyphs are from the Bronze Age believed to have been made by the Zoroastrians. What we saw were mostly depictions of Marco Polo Sheep and Ibex. Unfortunately though, many are forever damaged by graffiti and other vandalism.

In addition to the petroglyphs, we were treated to an awesome view from the slab. From this vantage point we could were even closer to the confluence of the Pamir and Wakhan Rivers. Above them we could see the snow-capped peaks of Hindu Kush Mountains. From here, the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan travels north for a while as the Pamir River forms the line between the countries. 

Before leaving Langar, we looked at a map and realized that we were only 300 km (180 miles) away from our next destination in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. To get there though would take three days of driving and an entire day of flying. It would have been much shorter if we could have left from here by road, but closed borders meant we had to go the long way around.

Were to stay in Langar – There are three guesthouses in Langar. The one we stayed in was fine, but we think Zong is a better village to spend the night.

Getting to Langar – We hitchhiked from Vrang to Langar for 200 TJS ($18 USD).  We waited an hour for that ride which was the longest wait we had. If we tried to find a ride in Yamchun or Zong, it would have been much easier, but one hour isn’t too bad.  

Returning to Pamir Highway

After spending almost a week in Tajik’s Wakhan Valley it was time to leave this fascinating land and re-join the Pamir Highway. We had heard about a beautiful lake called Yashikul near the village of Bulunkul at the eastern end of Pamir highway and were eager to see it.

A few kilometers after the confluence of the Wakhan and Pamir Rivers is the end of Wakhan Valley.  The dusty secondary road that took us between the Wakhan Valley and Pamir Highway was one of the worst we’d been on yet. Tight squeezes, huge pothole and frequent rock fall ensured that the voyage would be long and uncomfortable. The scenery however was spectacular.

As the road climbed to 3,400 m (11,155 ft) elevation, the Pamir River was far below in a deep, rocky gorge. The other side of the Pamir River was Afghanistan as this river now demarcates the border.

The jeep climbed up to a high plateau surrounded by desolate mountains. On the Afghan side of the Pamir River we saw a herd of at least 20 Bactrian (two-hump) camels.

The road continued to climb up to another plateau at 3,660 m (12,000 ft) where we had to stop at the lonely looking Khargush Army Check Point. From here the road turned away from the Afghan border. It was then that we realized we hadn’t even been nervous about the border for the last couple of days.

The final climb was to Khargush Pass (4,344 m/14,251 ft). It was the highest that this road would get. At this elevation the lunar landscape looked like we had climbed to the moon. We passed a few desolate lakes and hoped that Yashikul would be nicer than this barren wasteland.

Finally, after 4 ½ hours we reached the paved Pamir highway in a wide-open valley. Our bodies could relax a bit on the flat surface. Unfortunately, that only lasted 2 kilometers because our driver turned off the highway and onto the 14 km gravel road that leads to the remote village of Bulunkul. After seeing the desert like surroundings on the long drive, we weren’t sure that we had made the right decision to go to Bulunkul. But in the end, we are so glad we did. The isolated town is fascinating to see and is set in a surreal landscape of colourful mountains.

To read our story in Bulunkul and the rest of the Pamir Highway read our post Pamir Highway – An Independent Travel Guide.

Guide for Independent Travel in Tajik’s Wakhan Valley

• Hitchhiking – This is a very common, safe and affordable way to get between towns. It’s not very common to hitchhike long distances though. Most drivers expect to be paid and it’s easier if you ask how much they expect before getting in. There isn’t a lot of traffic, but almost anyone who has room in their car will stop. At the eastern end of the Pamirs there is even less traffic and may be a difficult area to hitchhike.
• Luggage – To make it easier to get share-taxis and hitchhiking rides we only brought small packsacks for our 10 day trip through the Pamirs. We were able to leave our large bags at our hotel in Dushanbe.
• Guesthouses/Homestays – Most of the villages in Wakhan have one or two guesthouses or homestays. They usually include breakfast and dinner in their price. Some can be found on Google Maps, others you may need to ask when you arrive. They will be basic accommodation, but from our experience, most will be very clean and serve delicious home cooked meals.
• ATMs – Take out enough money for the entire trip in Dushanbe before you leave. There are a few ATMs in Khorog and a few scattered in some of the small towns. They are not reliable though for international cards and often don’t have money. They have a cash-based economy so don’t expect to use a credit card.
• Internet – There is very little cellular coverage in the Pamirs so download any maps or other information ahead of time.
• Safety – Because the area is very close to Afghanistan we had concerns that it may not be safe. What we found was an area that is completely safe for tourists and for the people who live there. Soldiers from the Tajik army are constantly patrolling the area along the river to ensure that it remains safe. In the past there have been hostilities between Pamiris and the Tajik government. This seems to have settled down now, but conditions can change so check with local reports before leaving on your trip. There are also continued concerns about the Tajik-Kyrgyz border, but that was a long distance from where we travelled.
• Altitude – The Wakhan Valley is located between 2,600 m (8,500 ft) and 3,000 m (9,800 ft).If you are not acclimatized before arriving you need to watch for symptoms of high altitude sickness, drink plenty of water and give your body time to adjust. If you have symptoms, you should go to a lower elevation.
• What to wear – The people who live in the Pamirs are more liberal than the rest of Tajikistan, but it is still a conservative country. Women and men should wear long pants, t-shirts or long sleeve tops. Shorts and tank tops are not appropriate. It is also a mountainous region so even in the summer, temperatures will be warm during the day, but cool at night. Bring a jacket and sweater. Good walking shoes are very important.
• Biking – Although biking the Pamir is popular, the Wakham Valley didn’t look like nice bike riding terrain. The entire length of it is on a dusty, gravel road.
• When to visit – Summer (Mid June to Mid September) is the best weather to travel to this region. Travelling when there is still snow may be very difficult or impossible.

Our costs for independent travel in Wakhan Valley

For our 10 day trip along Pamir Highway and Wakhan Valley we spent 6,780 TJS ($615 USD) for two people. The 10 day trip with a private driver would have cost at least $2,400 USD for two people.

Transportation in Wakhan– In the Wakan Valley the transportation from Ishkashim all the way to Langar at the end of the valley was only 700 TJS ($65 USD). Note – Prices are for 2 people. You can’t always divide by two because some rides were for the entire car and some were per seat.
Accommodation and meals in Wakahn– In five days in Wakhan (Ishkashim to Langar) we spent only 2,190 TJS ($200 USD) on accommodation and meals.

Travelling in Wakhan Valley is a fascinating cultural experience that should not be missed. It was a highlight of our time in Central Asia.

Click on the link to read our Travel Tips For Tajikistan.

To read more of our posts from Tajikistan click here.

Coming Next – Best Sites To Visit In Central Asia

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To read about more of our adventures go to Destinations.

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