Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Highlights of the route from Dush-
anbe include brief views over Nurek¨
Reservoir and the startling sight of the
11th-century reconstructed Hulbuk¨Fortress-¨
Palace ( % 90-666 7766, 90-800 1708; Kurbon
Shahid; local/foreigner 1/5TJS; h 9am-1pm & 2-5pm
Tue-Sun) at the roadside in Kurbon Shaid.
That's 8km west of Vose, with its fanci-
ful new market, and 30km before Kulob ,
Tajikistan's third biggest city. Though other-
wise forgettable, Kulob is noted for the much
revered shrine of 14th-century polymath Mir¨
Sayid¨Ali¨Hamadani (Somoni 41, Kulob) - the
man credited with taking Islam to Kashmir.
Its golden dome and carved woodwork looks
brand new but the garden setting is photo-
genic. Kulob's large bazaar is the last real
opportunity to stock up with supplies before
the Pamirs. GBAO permits are carefully scru-
tinised at the top of the modest Shurabad¨
Pass , then the road heads down towards a
deep rocky valley which becomes seriously
awe-inspiring after passing the first¨Afghan¨
border¨ bridge . A narrow, raging river
divides the Tajik road from a precarious foot-
path-track on the Afghan side, linking ham-
lets of stone and adobe houses set among
splashes of green amid the utterly stark rock
faces. Perhaps the most appealing stretch
is between Rogak and Khostov (after the
popular Yakhchi¨Hisor¨roadside¨springs )
where the Afghan-side village has a series of
houses perched on rocky riverside outcrops.
In the typical valley village of Yoged , with
its backdrop of wild rock, the appealing little
Hilovat¨Homestay ( % 98-801 51 60; Yoged Vil-
lage; per person US$10) , by the bridge in an at-
tractive garden signed right beside the main
road, is an overnight option, if you don't
want to continue the last hour or so to Kalai-
Khum . The main village of the Darvaz dis-
trict, Kalai-Khum is sweetly sleepy but is the
first place since Kulob to have a few shops.
The appealing riverside restaurant Oriyona
(Kalai-Khum; mains 10-17TJS; h 10am-10pm Mon-
Sat) is behind the far-from-busy taxi stand
junction. A couple of houses down the side
lane towards the two-colour converging
rivers is the water-serenaded homestay of
Roma¨Jurayev ( % 93-471 21 17; Kalai-Khum; B&B
US$12-15) . Around 1km back towards Kulob
there's also a simple MSDSP¨guesthouse
(dm US$15) .
The road south of Kalai-Khum contin-
ues to trail the Afghan border with many
a picturesque scene. The valley widens
at a checkpost at the mouth of the Vanj¨¨
Southern Route
Dushanbe-Khorog can take anywhere be-
tween 14 and 20 hours but should become
considerably quicker by 2016, once sections
of asphalting and many new bridges are
finished.
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0
50 km
30 miles
C H I N A
( X i n j i a n g )
Kashgar
(40km)
Rang-Kul
Rangkul
Muztagh Ata
(7546m)
Shor-Kul
(Border expected to
open in coming years)
Konye
Kurgan
Qolma Pass
(4762)
Subashi
Ak-Bura
Tokhtamysh
Tashkurgan
Shor-Bulak
Ak Tash
(5365m)
Kara-
Shaimak
Jilga
Jarty-
Gumbaz
Ak Beit
Kyzyl Rabat
Ak-Kalama
Chakmaqtin
Mingteke
P A K I S T A N
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