Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
sharing Pamir and Afghan travel tips aided
by helpful owners (Vali speaks good Eng-
lish). One block east, then south, set amid
apricot trees, the new Hotel¨Rumi looks
smarter but was closed when we visited.
topped with some minimal fortress ruins,
then following a clear path up the east bank
of the side river. In under two hours it's easy
enough to reach the trail's star attraction, a
photogenic owring, ie short section of foot-
path where the trail becomes so perilously
narrow that it has been built out on branch-
es and rocks 'sewn' onto the rockface using
wire ropes. However, you will need a guide
if you want to stay at the yurt camp much
further up the valley (five to eight hours'
walk), which are used by exclusive hunting
groups in winter but are available to walk-
ers in summer. From there it's a very test-
ing day-hike past 6095m Mayakovsky¨Peak
and across a snowy 4941m pass to reach
the signed homestay at Bodomdara in the
Shokh Dara Valley.
In Darshai village you can find guides
(per half/full day US$15/25) through local
homestays including that of Gulmammad¨
Matrobov ( % 93-459 42 66; Darshai Village;
US$15) . His traditionally styled 2001 house
is at the end of the first side lane west of the
bridge, prominently painted 'VELCOME'.
For wildlife photo and hunting 'safaris'
visit www.wildlife-tajikistan.org/tourism-in-
darshay.
Ishkashim to Langar
The Tajik Wakhan's greatest appeal lies east
of Ishkashim. Poplars, vegetable fields and
numerous photogenic oasis villages nestle
between soaring arid valley-peaks. Higher
snow-whitened pinnacles and glaciers make
regular theatrical appearances framed in
narrow side valleys across the river on the
Afghanistan side. Our favourite roadside
viewpoints are at Km131 and between Zong
and Langar, but virtually every kilometre
has its own delight. The most impressive of
several fortress ruins, Yamchun, requires a
6km detour.
NAMADGUT НАМАДГУТ
At Namadgut, some 15km east of Ish-
kashim, a lumpy, muddy hillock rises right
beside the road, topped by a series of mud-
wall fragments from the historic Khaakha¨
Fortress F . The oldest sections are
Kushan-era (3rd century BC), but the site
has been reused by many other cultures
since, and indeed part of the mound was
used as a Tajik military watchpost til very
recently - the site stares out across the
border river directly below. It's worth a
15-minute stop. Gravel pathways and steps
make exploration relatively easy.
Amid trees facing the eastern fortress
knoll is an Ismaili mazar (tomb), one of
many places in Central Asia that claims,
quite unconvincingly, to be the final rest-
ing place of Ali, the Prophet's son-in-law.
Next door there's a fairly minimal museum
( % 93-809 13 36; Namadgut; admission 10TJS;
h by arrangement) . The most interesting part
of a visit is dressing up in a Pamiri chakman
(judo-style woollen robe) while director Od-
inmammad Mirzayev plays one of the tradi-
tional musical instruments, demonstrates
the archaic flint fire-stone or shows you his
extensive family tree.
YAMCHUN ЯМЧУН
Two of the Tajik Wakhan's foremost attrac-
tions are high above the valley accessed via
6km of hairpins up from Tughoz (look for
Chashmai signs, 3km east of central Ptup).
The 12th-century Yamchun¨(Zulkhomar)¨
Fort is the most impressive of the valley's
many tumbledown castle ruins, complete
with multiple walls and round watchtowers.
The site is a 6km switch-backed drive from
the main road and sits about 500m above
the valley. Climb up the hillside west of the
fort for the best views.
About 1km further uphill from the fort
are the Bibi¨Fatima¨Springs (local/foreigner
1/10TJS; h 5am-9pm) , probably the nicest in
the region and named after the Prophet
Mohammed's daughter. Women believe
they can boost their fertility by visiting the
womblike calcite formations. Bring a towel
and keep an eye on your valuables as there
are no lockers. Men's and women's bath
times alternate every half hour.
Vichkut is less a village than a scatter-
ing of hillside homesteads, with at least
five widely separated homestays strung
together by the hairpins that wind up to
Yamchun Fort. Our favourite for hospital-
ity, great food and classic Pamiri interiors
DARSHAI ДАРШАЙ
At Darshai a roaring side river howls out of a
narrow canyon and hurtles beneath the road
beside which is a mazor enclosure including
some petroglyphs. But the main attraction
is the trek up the Darshai¨Gorge , starting
near the bridge and walking around a knoll
Search WWH ::




Custom Search