An 11-day, 9-night road trip along the Pamir Highway through Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, with Samarkand, the Pamiri people and Lenin Peak views.
Trip highlights
- A nature trip for the long holidays along the Pamir Highway
- Drive the Central Asian route known as the "Road in the Sky", which few travellers reach
- Three "-stans" in one trip: Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan
- A road trip on one of the highest and most challenging highways in the world
- Meet the Pamiris, a legendary mountain people
- See the largest reclining Buddha in Central Asia
- Marvel at Samarkand, a UNESCO World Heritage city
Highlight places
Led by historiansEvery trip travels with an expert history lecturer who brings each site to life in plain language.
Off the beaten pathCentral Asia, the Middle East, the Himalayas — places most tour companies never go.
Private groups, no rushingRight-sized groups and unhurried time at the places that matter most.
Beyond ordinary travelEvery tour is designed by writers and professional travellers to create experiences that reflect who you are — for travellers who want more than an ordinary holiday.
About this tour
Pamir Highway Tajikistan: Driving in the Sky is The Wild Chronicles' overland adventure along the Pamir Highway, a road of more than 1,200 km that climbs above 4,280 m and was part of the Silk Road. The 11-day, 9-night trip also covers Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.
The route starts in Tashkent and Samarkand, crosses into Tajikistan at Jartepa and visits Panjakent, the ancient city of Sarazm, Dushanbe, Nurek Dam and Hulbuk Fortress. It then follows the Afghan border to Khorog, Murghab and Karakul Lake, crosses the Kyzyl-Art Pass into Kyrgyzstan, and ends in Osh and Bishkek before flying home via Tashkent.
Along the way you meet the Pamiri people and their Ismaili traditions, see Pamiri houses, visit a nomad yurt camp and Sulaiman Mountain, and hear the history of each place from the tour's history lecturer. Hotels are 3-4 star, with guesthouses in the mountains.
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1Bangkok – Tashkent – Samarkand
Meet at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 05:00 and check in with Uzbekistan Airways. Flight HY 532 leaves at 08:10 and lands in Tashkent at 13:10.
- Amir Timur Square in central Tashkent
- Uzbekistan Hotel, a book-shaped Soviet-era building from 1974
- High-speed Afrosiyob train (about 2 hours 16 minutes) to Samarkand, a UNESCO World Heritage city
Day 2Samarkand – Jartepa Border – Panjakent
Visit Registan Square, framed by three madrasahs including Shir Dor and Ulugh Beg, built under Sultan Ulugh Beg, a ruler and astronomer. It is a masterpiece of Timurid art.
- Drive 40 km to the Jartepa border to cross from Uzbekistan into Tajikistan, then change vehicles and meet your Tajik guide
- Sarazm, a UNESCO site and archaeological settlement dating from 4,000-3,000 BC, one of the oldest communities in Central Asia
- Overnight in Panjakent, a Sogdian town on the Zeravshan River
Day 3Panjakent – Dushanbe
Drive about 236 km (around 5 hours) to Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, with a lunch stop on the way.
- National Museum of Antiquities, whose highlight is the reclining Buddha in Nirvana, about 13 m long and over 5.5 tonnes
- Ismoili Somoni Monument, honouring the leader of the Samanid Empire
- Dushanbe Flagpole, 165 m tall, built for the 20th anniversary of independence
Day 4Dushanbe – Nurek Dam – Hulbuk – Kalai Khumb
Start the Pamir Highway, built by the Red Army in 1930 along the old Silk Road caravan route and more than 1,200 km long.
- Nurek Dam, the tallest dam in the world when built, with views over the reservoir
- Hulbuk Fortress, a major Central Asian city in the 9th-12th centuries
- Kulob, a former Soviet military base
- A photo stop at the road sign pointing to Afghanistan, just across the river, before overnighting in Kalai Khumb
Day 5Kalai Khumb – Khorog
Drive 243 km (about 6 hours 40 minutes) to Khorog at 2,200 m, following the Afghan border with many photo stops.
- Learn about the Pamiris of the Gorno-Badakhshan region, an Indo-Iranian people who follow Ismaili Islam and retain Zoroastrian influences. More than 200,000 Pamiris live in Tajikistan.
Day 6Khorog – Murghab
Walk through Khorog Botanical Garden, the second-highest botanical garden in the world, with about 2,000-4,000 plant species. Visit a Pamiri house ("chid"), built of stone and plaster on five pillars with a stacked "chorkhona" ceiling that symbolises the four elements.
- Continue about 313 km (around 6 hours) to Murghab, with the route reaching 3,650 m
Day 7Murghab – Ak-Baital Pass – Karakul Lake
Visit Murghab Bazaar, whose stalls are made from shipping containers, and try Tajik food.
- Ak-Baital Pass at 4,655 m, the highest point on the Pamir route
- Karakul Lake at 3,960 m, the largest lake in Tajikistan, a salt lake believed to have formed from a meteorite impact
Murghab and Karakul lie above 3,500 m, so altitude sickness is a risk.
Day 8Karakul – Kyzyl-Art Pass – Sary Tash
Drive about 54 km to the Kyzyl-Art Pass in the Trans-Alay range and cross from Tajikistan into Kyrgyzstan, changing vehicles and guides at the border. Marmots are common along the way.
- Sary Tash, a small valley town in Kyrgyzstan, with walks in the scenery and views of Lenin Peak
Day 9Sary Tash – Taldyk Pass – Osh
Cross the Taldyk Pass at 3,615 m, a road built by Russian troops in 1876 that became part of the Pamir Highway. Stop at a nomad camp to meet a family living in yurts and learn about their way of life.
- Drive about 3 hours to Osh
- Sulaiman Mountain, a sacred mountain venerated since before Islam and a UNESCO site, with the Babur Mosque
Day 10Osh – Bishkek – Tashkent – Bangkok
Fly from Osh to Bishkek on K9 132, departing 09:40 and arriving 10:30.
- Ala Too Square, home to the presidential palace and the statue of Manas, the ancestor and hero of the Kyrgyz people
- Kyrgyz State Historical Museum, in Soviet-style architecture
- Fly HY 778 Bishkek-Tashkent at 18:50, then HY 531 departs Tashkent at 22:30 for Bangkok
Day 11Arrival in Bangkok
Arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 06:40.
Included
- Return international economy-class air tickets
- One-way domestic economy flight
- One-way Afrosiyob express train, Tashkent to Samarkand
- Transport and sightseeing with an experienced driver
- Accommodation as per the program, two guests per room
- Entrance fees as per the program
- Meals as per the program
- Experienced local guide
- Thai lecturer and tour leader
- Travel accident insurance with coverage of 1,000,000 baht per person (subject to policy terms)
Not included
- Business class upgrade on international flights
- Single room supplement
- Personal expenses such as passport fees, phone, internet, laundry, minibar, meals or drinks outside the program, excess baggage, seat reservations, and medical costs for pre-existing conditions
- Tips for the tour leader, local guide and driver (recommended 100 USD per person)
- 7% VAT, 3% withholding tax and other taxes
- Fuel surcharges and airport taxes if the airline raises them
About this tour
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Pamir Highway, Tajikistan: Driving in the Sky
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