Tajikistan - Central Asia - page 345

of petroglyphs follow the power lines up
from the school, walk east through the cem-
etery and up the slope at the far end. How-
ever, it's hard to tell ancient carvings from
copy-cat ibexes amid all the 20th-century
grafitti. Seeking them out is mostly appeal-
ing for the brilliant mountain panoramas. If
you find the trail, it's possible to hike on up
(around four hours) to a fine camping spot
in Engels Meadows with a jaw-dropping
view of Engels Peak.
After a string of hairpins winding up
some 5km from Langar, charming Ratm is
the very last village of the Tajik Wakhan.
Perched above the river canyon, atop a
three-sided cliff-drop, Ratm's shoulder-high
castle ruins stand on a spot that's suppos-
edly been fortified for at least 2300 years.
From the roadside sign board it's a lovely if
less-than-obvious 20-minute walk through
fields and across streams.
With views from the raised Upper Langar
garden and solar-heated showers, Nigina¨
Homestay ( % 03-848 37 20; Upper langar; half
board US$15) is marginally the most appeal-
ing if hardest-to-find of three official home-
stays in Langar. It's the farmstead on the
right about eight minutes' walk west of the
school, on the lane that parallels the main
road on the north side of a low ridge. The
other homestays are signposted along the
main road, albeit spread out over a consid-
erable distance. There are further options at
nearby Hisor.

snowy Afghan Wakhan. To really appreciate
the majesty of the stark mountain scenery,
consider the breathless walk up Panorama¨
Ridge marked very accurately as a 360-
degree viewpoint on Marcus Hauser's Pamir¨
map . The steep climb takes 1½ hours (30
minutes back) from a roadside cairn, 7km
from Khargush, where the road levels out
and the first of two smallish lakes come into
view.

Pamir Highway

Памирское шоссе
The Pamir Highway (M41) is the remote
high-altitude road from Khorog to Osh
whose classic central section crosses
Tibetan-style high plateau scenery, oc-
casionally populated by yurts and yaks.
It was built by Soviet military engineers
between 1931 and 1934 to facilitate troop
transport and provisioning.
Blue kilometre posts use two systems.
Initially the distances are from Dushanbe
(with the distance to the Kyrgyz border
marked on the opposite side). This makes
central Khorog Km641. At Murgab, Km930,
the system changes thereafter showing dis-
tances from Khorog/Osh.

Khorog to Murgab
While specific sights are rare, the scenery
is truly inspiring virtually every kilometre
of the way between Khorog and Murgab.
Apart from the painful Jelandy-Bulunkul
section, the road is asphalted, albeit rather
half-heartedly.

East of Langar
With no villages, and just two lonely houses
along the 70km between Ratm and Khar-
gush military checkpoint, driving the traffic-
less track east from Langar can feel a little
wearing. But driving westbound along the
same road is contrastingly exhilarating
with serrated fore-ridges and soaring snowy
peaks looming ahead of you for at least
30km.
At Khargush checkpoint you'll need prior
permission, via PECTA (p346) in Khorog, to
take the riverside route via protected Zor-
Kul , once christened Lake Victoria and con-
sidered to be the source of the Oxus River
(by the 1842 British expedition of Lieutenant
Wood).
Alternativey at Khargush, swing north
and head for the M41 near Bulunkul. Once
again the route looks better driving in the
reverse direction for views south across the

GUNT VALLEY TO KOI-TEZEK PASS
A series of well-watered orchard villages
lead out of Khorog and up the Gunt Val-
ley whose rugged valley sides become ever
more dramatic as the greenery becomes
more sparse. Rocky pinnacles and regular
glimpses of white-top peaks are impres-
sive for many miles but especially dramatic
after Dehmyona (Km685).
Though somewhat awkward to reach
without renting a vehicle, Bachor makes
a great base for adventurous, well-acclima-
tised, fully-equipped trekkers heading into
the high-altitude lakes and glacier-lands
of the Tajik National Park (permit fees
apply). The village has several homestays
(ask around) and locals rent out donkeys/
horses. The Bachor turn-off is at Varshedz ,