Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the perfectly preserved red-ink paintings of a
boar hunt. Check out the strange birdman to
the left. Don't get too close to the paintings
to avoid damaging them. The cave is a five-
minute scramble up the hillside; you'll never
find it without a knowledgeable driver/
guide.
Agencies suggest a two-day wildlife tour
that takes in Shakhty, passes the Shor-Bulak
observatory (currently closed to foreigners)
and continues south over two minor passes
to a seasonal lake rich in birdlife.
In the Istyk River valley is the remote,
relatively upmarket Jarty-Gumbaz region
hunting camp/guesthouse. In winter it's
rented out to hunting groups who pay at
least $16,000 to shoot Marco Polo sheep.
But in summer it accepts individual travel-
lers (US$40 full board).
Basic accommodation may also be avail-
able in yurt camps at
Kara-Jilga
, around
30km further southwest, amid classic Wa-
khan scenery - epic views over a string of
glorious turquoise lakes (Kazan-Kul and
Djigit-Kul) to the snowcapped Wakhan
range on the Afghan border. Continue west
to the end of these lakes and you will be re-
warded with rare views of
Zor-Kul
(elevation
4125m) stretching into the distance. Contin-
uing to Khargush and the Wakhan Valley is
tough before mid-July due to muddy track
conditions and you'll need Zor-Kul permits
(issued in by PECTA, p346, in Khorog!) to
get past the checkpoints en route.
many years beyond the end of WWII. Land-
scapes are archetypal Pamir poster-material
with long straight stretches of road disap-
pearing into stark yet colourful mineral
moonscapes, distantly ringed with white
topped mountains in crystal clear air.
Lake Kara-Kul lies within the Unesco-
listed Tajik National Park, but park tick-
ets (40TJS per day) aren't needed if you're
simply transitting or sleeping overnight
in Karakul village (checkpost cops might
claim otherwise). Mosquito repellent is use-
ful when the wind drops. Megafone mobile
phones have coverage. At least four families
offer simple accommodation in very well
signed homestays, all walking distance
from the shore. Osh-bound shared 4WDs
will often stop half an hour for breakfast in
Karakul if you ask. However, if you get off
here without your own wheels, getting out
again might take a day or two. Five fami-
lies, including
Turgumbay¨ Tuktobekov
(
%
090-776 86 55; Karakul)
, offer 4WD rental
(US$0.70 per km, around US$150 to Sary
Tash) should there be a vehicle available.
The first Tajik-Kyrgyz border post is
63km north of Karakul, just before the crest
of the
Kyzyl-Art¨Pass
(4282m) from which
there are briefly spectacular views of colour-
ful red-brown-green mountain spires. The
Kyrgyz post is 20km further at
Bordöbö
,
24km before Sary Tash. Look behind you
here for Pamir panoramas. There is no ac-
commodation at either border post so bring
a tent if you're attempting the route by high-
ly unreliable hitch-hiking.
Karakul & the Road
to Kyrgyzstan
North of Murgab, the high-altitude high-
way follows a fenced area of 'neutral zone'
between Tajikistan and China and crosses
the 4655m
Ak-Baital¨(White¨Horse)¨Pass
,
reputedly one of the easiest places to spot
Marco Polo sheep from the road. The re-
gion is almost entirely unihabited except for
the small, scrappy but intriguing village of
Karakul
, which has an eerie, twilight-zone
air about it. It sits at 3914m beside a vast,
eponymous lake created by a meteor impact
some 10 million years ago. Although salty,
lake
Kara-Kul
is frozen and snow-covered
til May, but there's a new jetty, plans for re-
gatta (from September 2014) and an ongo-
ing attempt by META (p354) to declare it the
world's highest navigable lake, beating Lake
Titicaca. Summer boat trips are planned to
an island that was once a camp for unfor-
tunate German POWs, who were kept here
UNDERSTAND
TAJIKISTAN
Tajikistan Today
In the November 2013 elections President
Rakhmonov (who now uses the Tajik spell-
ing 'Rahmon') won a fourth term with a vast
majority, officially taking over 83% of the
vote. While observers criticised a 'lack of
plurality', the elections were peaceful and,
judging unscientifically from our numer-
ous conversations with locals, it seems that
Rahmon is genuinely popular in much of
the country, credited for having ended the
1990s' civil war and for restoring law and
order. Photos of his waving figure appear
on billboards all over the country. While life
