Trekking in Tajikistan: The northern ranges, Pamirs and Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor

by Jan Bakker, Christine Oriol

Overview

A guidebook to 24 days walks and short treks, plus 2 link routes, in Tajikistan. The graded routes vary in terms of difficulty, although many involve high altitude and remote terrain calling for self-reliance.

The book includes 5 day walks in the Dushanbe region, ranging from 6 to 17km. Covering the Fann Mountains, the Zerafshan and Hissar ranges and Yagnob Valley, and the western, central and southern Pamir, the treks range from 2 to 9 days. Also included is a 10-day trek in Afghanistan’s Wakhan Corridor.

• Route description illustrated with 1:100,000 mapping
• GPX files available to download
• Can be used either to plan an independent trek or to select, prepare for and enhance an organised expedition
• Practical advice on transport and visas, trekking support, equipment, cultural awareness, safety and security
• Insight into Tajikistan’s rich culture and history
• Russian/Tajik/Pamiri language notes and useful phrases

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781783627042
Publisher:	Cicerone Press
Publication date:	11/15/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	400
File size:	30 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Jan Bakker was born in the Netherlands but currently lives in Lebanon. He has led pioneering mountain expeditions in Tajikistan, the Afghan Wakhan Corridor and Iraqi Kurdistan and has written articles about his adventures for various magazines. Born in France, Christine Oriol travelled in Central Asia before adopting Tajikistan as her second home. Settling in the Fann Mountains, she enjoyed exploring both the surrounding mountains and the unmarked trails of the Pamirs. She now trains young local women with the non-profit organization Women Rockin' Pamirs.
Jan Bakker was born in a village below sea level in the northwest of the Netherlands. He saw his first mountain at age fifteen and was instantly sold. Jan is a jack of all trades as far as outdoor adventures are concerned. He worked as an outdoor instructor in Belgium, managed an environmental charity called Respect the Mountains and sold wooly hats to outdoor stores in Scotland. More recently, he co-founded the very first mountain film festival in Tunisia and has been leading pioneering mountain expeditions in Tajikistan, the Afghan Wakhan Corridor and Iraqi Kurdistan. He has written articles about his adventures for Sidetracked, Trek & Mountain Magazine and Adventure Travel Magazine. Jan currently lives with his wife and two sons in Beirut and ventures out into the Lebanese mountains to hike, bike and rock climb whenever he can.
Born in France next to the border with Belgium, Christine Oriol roamed around Central Asia for a few years before adopting Tajikistan as her second homeland. Settling in a village in the Fann Mountains to work on a rural development project, she enjoyed exploring the surrounding mountains during her free time. Four years later, having trodden most of the trails in the Fanns as a hobby and having started to explore unmarked trails in the Pamirs, Christine realised that all this knowledge should be shared. She suggested to Jan Bakker that they work together on a new trekking guidebook for Tajikistan. The resulting guide is the product of seven years of exploratory trekking in Tajikistan. Christine is still eager to blaze new trails in this fascinating country and you can meet her training young local women in the Pamirs with the non-profit organization Women Rockin' Pamirs.

Table of Contents

Map key Regional overview map Overview map northern ranges Overview map Pamirs Foreword Preface Introduction Trekking on the Roof of the World Preparations and practicalities When to go Getting there Visas, permits and border crossings Getting around Trekking support Accommodation and food Cultural awareness Language Money Phones and the internet What to take Low impact trekking Maps Trekking in Tajikistan Staying healthy Safety and security Using this guidebook About Tajikistan Geography History Plants and wildlife Tajik National Park Dushanbe day hikes Route 1 Leilakul Route 2 Gusgarf Waterfall Route 3 Begar Waterfall Route 4 Shirkent dinosaur tracks Route 5 Sioma Valley Fann Mountains Route 6 Mura Pass Route 7 Dukdon Pass Route 8 Fann Lakes circuit Route 9 Kaznok Pass Route 10 Sarymat Pass Route 11 Chimtarga Pass and Bolshoi Allo Lake Link routes Route 12A Sarymat River Route 12B Munora Pass Zerafshan and Hissar ranges and Yagnob Valley Route 13 Darg to Ziddi Valley Route 14 Yagnob Valley and Tabaspin Pass Western and Central Pamir Route 15 Gardan-i-Kaftar Pass Route 16 Jizev Valley Route 17 Ravmeddara Valley Route 18 Pamir mountain lakes 1: Bachor to Sarez Lake Route 19 Pamir mountain lakes 2: Yashilkul and Shtik Lazar Pass Southern Pamir Route 20 Turumtaikul Lake Route 21 Oykul Lake Route 22 Vrang Pass Route 23 Darshaidavan Pass Route 24 Vezdara to Tusion Route 25 Pik Engels Meadow Afghanistan Route 26 Afghan Wakhan Corridor: Little Pamir Appendix A Route summary table Appendix B Useful contacts Appendix C Language notes Appendix D Further reading