
Trek The Wakhan
A 22-day journey to visit the land of one of the world’s last and least visited nomadic cultures: the Kyrgyz of the Afghan Pamir. We will begin and end in Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe before travelling along the dramatic Pamir Highway and crossing over into Afghanistan. We will then pass through the Wakhan Corridor to the Afghan Pamir. The last section of this journey will be made by foot as we make our way to the summer grazing grounds of Chaqmaqtin. We will have the opportunity to encounter Kyrgyz and Wakhi nomads who graze their livestock here during the summer months as well as seeing ancient tombs and Buddhist engravings, which live as a reminder of this once great section of the Silk Road.
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Vacation Style Holiday Type
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Activity Level Tough
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Group Size Medium Group
A 22-day journey to visit the land of one of the world’s last and least visited nomadic cultures: the Kyrgyz of the Afghan Pamir. We will begin and end in Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe before travelling along the dramatic Pamir Highway and crossing over into Afghanistan. We will then pass through the Wakhan Corridor to the Afghan Pamir. The last section of this journey will be made by foot as we make our way to the summer grazing grounds of Chaqmaqtin. We will have the opportunity to encounter Kyrgyz and Wakhi nomads who graze their livestock here during the summer months as well as seeing ancient tombs and Buddhist engravings, which live as a reminder of this once great section of the Silk Road.
Highlights:
- Discover the culture of the Wakhi and the Kyrgyz nomads of this rarely visited corner of Central Asia
- Travel along the Pamir highway, one of the world’s highest roads
- Explore deep into territory where few outsiders have ever been
Start Point: Dushanbe, Tajikistan
End Point: Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Maximum number of people: 10
- All accommodation
- All food in Afghanistan
- Breakfast in Tajikistan
- Transport/transfers
- International guide
- Local guides
- Local cook
- Tents and camping equipment
- Pack animals
- Permits to visit the Wakhan region
- Any necessary visas
- Insurance
- Flights
- Entrance fees
- Drinks
- Tips
- Lunch and dinner in Tajikistan
- Days 1 - 2 Arrive - Dushanbe – Kalaikhum – Khorog
- Day 3 Khorog - Qazideh
- Day 4 Qazideh - Qala e Panja
- Day 5 Qala e Panja – Sarhad e Broghil
- Day 6 Sarhad e Broghil – Daliz Pass – Shawr
- Day 7 Shawr – Boharak – Varsgitch
- Day 8 Varsgitch – Masamarad
- Day 9 Masamarad – Bozai Gombaz
- Day 10 Bozai Gombaz – Chaqmaqtin Lake
- Day 11 Chaqmaqtin Lake – Kurchin
- Day 12 Kurchin – Aqbelis Pass – Ghughumdeh
- Day 13 Ghughumdeh – Uween Sar Pass – Nauabad
- Day 14 Rest day in Nauabad
- Day 15 Nauabad – Sang e Nauishdah
- Day 16 Sang e Nauishdah – Shawr
- Day 17 Shawr – Daliz Pass – Sarhad e Broghil
- Day 18 Sarhad e Broghil – Qala e Panja – Ishkishim
- Day 19 Ishkishim – Khorog
- Day 20 Khorog – Kalaikhum
- Day 21 Kalaikhum – Dushanbe
- Day 22 Dushanbe - End




We do not and cannot offer a uniform accommodation standard on our itineraries. We consider comfort, location, design, character, historical interest and whether the money we spend will go into the pockets of the local community when we make our choices of where to stay.
The accommodation will be based on 2 people sharing a room when that is available. When we are in the Wakhan area we will be staying in tents and in local guesthouses that sometimes only offer central communal areas to sleep in.
- All accommodation
- All food in Afghanistan
- Breakfast in Tajikistan
- Transport/transfers
- International guide
- Local guides
- Local cook
- Tents and camping equipment
- Pack animals
- Permits to visit the Wakhan region
- Any necessary visas
- Insurance
- Flights
- Entrance fees
- Drinks
- Tips
- Lunch and dinner in Tajikistan
Our trekking trips are designed to be physically engaging and provide a level of challenge for most people. As a general guideline, we recommend that you have some prior experience walking with a 10-15kg day pack for up to 8 hours over 5 or more days through uneven & varied terrain (and weather); ranging from hard-packed earth, tussock grass, boulder fields, scree slopes, soft snow patches, and knee-deep rivers.
We do not directly arrange international flights to Tajikistan. We run our Wakhan trips to coincide with the regular Turkish Airlines flights from Europe to Dushanbe, which is the most practical route into Tajikistan.
You can also contact the Untamed Borders dedicated team at Flight Centre for other suggested routes.
Mail: untamedborders@rtwexperts.co.uk
Phone: +44(0) 844 560 9966
You will need Double entry Tajikistan visa with GBAO permit and an Afghan Visa for this trip. We will assist with advice on how best to obtain these visas as visa requirements vary from country to country. Obtaining a Tajikistan e-visa (either two single entries with different ‘valid from’ dates or a double entry) is the quickest method. For the Afghan visa we will issue you a letter of invitation to provide along with your visa application at your embassy/consulate.
If you are based in the UK then we recommend Travcour as an agent for your visa requirements. They are UK’s oldest leading travel visa specialist and able to provide full visa support and consultancy for Untamed Border’s destinations. Click here to obtain our specialist visa packages and support from Travcour. They are the people we use when we need visa support for our staff.
The Wakhan and Afghan Pamir regions are both very remote areas in one of the least developed countries in the world. Please ensure that your insurance covers you both for visiting Afghanistan and for rescue in the Wakhan region of Afghanistan. If you have any questions about which insurance company to select please contact us.
Outside of Dushanbe options will be limited and once we are on the trek we will only be able to eat what we bring with us, or barter for from the nomadic people. Any specific allergies or dietary requirements can be accommodated if we are given prior warning. Please feel free to bring your own energy bars/trekking snacks from home, if you want to supplement it with what we provide you.
We always check the vehicles we use thoroughly before each trip. In Afghanistan we aim to use four-wheel drive vehicles and our international guides will carry a satellite phone should the vehicle develop a fault.
When we choose our vehicles and drivers we take into consideration the road conditions, the length of journey and the competence of the man behind the wheel. Your comfort, enjoyment and safety of the journey is the first priority.
For this trip we use team leaders from Untamed Borders who have experience of guiding in the Wakhan. In addition to these experienced leaders we will be working with local Wakhi guides and porters.
Trips to Afghanistan do create dangers all of their own and whilst we want you to have as much freedom as possible we must state that the tour leader has the final word with regards to changes in the itinerary for safety reasons. Whilst the route we have chosen passes through areas that we consider to be relatively stable things can change and we may have to alter the route or cancel sections of the trip at short notice.
Package Confirmed Dates | Trip Status Trip Status | Price (PP) Excluding Flights | Price (PP) Including Flights | |
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August 30, 2021 - September 20, 2021
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Available
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$4,300
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N/A
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