MONDAY 3RD SEPTEMBER

ARRIVE DUSHANBE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, TAJIKISTAN
Flights (usually Turkish Airlines via Istanbul) arrive at the rather ungodly hour of 03.45 so this will be a gentle day of sleeping, acclimatising, eating and drinking.

TUESDAY 4TH SEPTEMBER

It’s chocks away as we hit the road to Kala i Hussein 220 km east of the capital. We’ll stop for lunch by a lake where you can swim, and by then we will have left the tarmac behind for a few days as we head into the mountains proper.

WEDNESDAY 5TH SEPTEMBER

KALA I HUSSEIN – KALA-I-KUMB
A thrilling (and at times chilly) 70 km ride over the 3852 m Khaburabot Pass to Kala-i–Kumb, where we join both the mighty Panj River and the border with Afghanistan. On the way we enter Gorno Badakhshan, the autonomous province that defines the Tajik Pamirs.

THURSDAY 6TH SEPTEMBER

KALA-I-KUMB – KHOROG
We head deeper into the mountains, following the Pamir Highway and the Panj 240 km south-east to Khorog along the Afghan border. Expect soaring eagles, stunning mountain scenery and dusty roads carved through deep river gorges.

FRIDAY 7TH SEPTEMBER

KHOROG – YAMCHUN
From Khorog we continue south to Ishkashim. After this we turn east into the Wakhan Corridor, riding in the shadow of both the High Pamirsand Pakistan’s Hindu Kush. Tonight after a total ride of 160 km we stay in Yamchun, home to a 2000 year old Silk Road fortress and some extremely reviving hot springs.

SATURDAY 8TH SEPTEMBER

YAMCHUN – LANGAR
There’s so much to see in the Wakhan Corridor that today we just ride 40 km to the village of Langar. On the way we climb up to Buddhist stupas, visit a great little museum and stop in some lovely Wakhi villages. The views here across to Afghanistan and Pakistan are quite something, and the family at tonight’s homestay are utterly delightful.

SUNDAY 9TH SEPTEMBER

LANGAR – HUNTING CAMP
We leave the Wakhan Corridor and the Panj River behind us today and ride 130 km north and east, following the Pamir River through the Zorkul Nature Reserve. This route lies between the Alichur and Great Pamir mountain ranges and offers some rather spectacular views as we ford a 4400m pass. We’ll spend tonight with a friendly family at a hunting camp at over 4100m. More hot springs await us here!

MONDAY 10TH SEPTEMBER

HUNTING CAMP – MURGHAB
From the camp it’s a blustery 165 km ride across the extraordinary lunar landscape of the Aksu River valley, to the town of Murghab. Now we really are riding on the Bam-i–Dunya, ‘the roof of the world.’ To our right lies the Saray Kol range and behind it, China. To our rear are Afghanistan and Pakistan; truly one of the most remote tri-borders in the world. Watch out for yaks, Kyrgyz nomads and fat golden marmots. Time and weather permitting, we will visit an abandoned Soviet observatory before arriving at Murghab.

TUESDAY 11TH SEPTEMBER

MURGHAB – HUNTING CAMP
From Murghab we head north and then west along the M41 Pamir Highway, crossing two 4400+m passes as we traverse this incredible empty moonscape. After the second pass, we’ll branch off and pursue the wild Bartang valley. Views from here can be rather spectacular and the rural way of life is beguiling.

WEDNESDAY 12TH SEPTEMBER

BARTANG VALLEY
A beautiful ride west down the Bartang valley ending in a delightful homestay where we’ll have a relaxing stay tonight.

THURSDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER

BARTANG VALLEY
Continuing to explore the Bartang valley, which contains one of the oldest threads of the Silk Road, shown on maps from 200AD. It is little visited, being off the ‘main’ road from Dushanbe to Khorog and subject to inaccessibility due to high river levels and landslides during much of the year. Today, we’ll exit the valley at it’s confluence with the Panj river. The road is among the roughest in the Pamirs, as it weaves its way between the Rushan and Yazgulom mountain ranges. By now, we’ll be at one with our motorised steeds, and hopefully the day will prove to be a hugely enjoyable exploration of this remote valley. We will head down the valley to a homestay in an apricot orchard tonight.

FRIDAY 14TH SEPTEMBER

BARTANG TO KALA-I-KUMB
Today we ride north along the mighty Panj, diverting for a brief excursion into a side valley if time allows. We’ll stop with our lovely homestay in Kala-i-Kumb for our final night on the road.

SATURDAY 15TH SEPTEMBER

KALA-I-KUMB – DUSHANBE
Our final day’s riding, much of it on tarmac as we track the Afghan border towards Kulob. After 70km on dirt we have 300km on smooth tarmac roads, we’ll be back in Dushanbe for a triumphant return celebration, and a hearty supper.

SUNDAY 16TH SEPTEMBER

DUSHANBE
Day off in Dushanbe – it’s your time to explore this interesting city, maybe visit a spa for a massage, do a spot of shopping, explore the bazaar or just relax in the comfortable hotel.

MONDAY 17TH SEPTEMBER

DUSHANBE
The suggested Turkish Airlines flight (via Istanbul) departs at another ungodly hour of 05.40. Hardly worth going to bed is it?

What this includes

• Rental of a fully insured Suzuki DRZ 400 motorcycle
• Soft panniers if you require them
• Accommodation in a range of homestays and hotels. These will range to simple family-run homestays in the mountains to Tajikistan’s best hotel, Dushanbe’s 5* Serena, meaning you start and end the trip in extreme luxury!
• All meals
• Local airport transfers
• Fuel
• A professional guiding team including Ants or Marley, an English speaking Tajik guide and a top notch mechanic.
• Back-up vehicle (new Toyota Landcruiser or Hi Lux) and English speaking driver
• Fresh filtered water + a Water 2 Go water filtration bottle, in order to reduce plastic waste
• All spare parts, tools and on the roadside repairs
• Professional route planning and logistics, backed by risk assessments, emergency procedures, satellite communications and medical support. We don’t take risks lightly and we plan for all eventualities, believing it is better to have prepared and not require a procedure than not to plan at all. We also carry a very well stocked First Aid and Trauma medical kit and have been First Aid and Trauma trained by the excellent team at Crux Medical.

What it doesn’t include

• International flights
• Your personal riding equipment – clothing, boots, helmets, protection
• Extra daily costs for snacks, alcohol or souvenirs
• Your personal travel insurance including medi-evac
• Visa and GBAO (Gorno-Badakhshan Oblast Administration) permit for Tajikistan

Where will we be staying?

On this expedition, we’ll be staying from good hotels in Dushanbe and Khorog, guest houses or basic hotels in other towns, and more often in homestays with local people and their families. The homestay concept is widely accepted throughout Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan – particularly the former – so these nights are often highly enjoyable glimpses into local customs and lifestyles. We also stay in yurts in a couple of locations on this trip.

What size of group will it be?

Our group sizes are always small, allowing for an intimate experience of the cultures we meet along our path. On the Pamir Highway and remoter areas, group sizes are dictated by the size of the homes we will be staying in. Our group is usually 7 expeditioners, a back-up driver, mechanic and one of our team. We usually find groups are made of like-minded people, both male and female, from a wide age range, and where motorcycles are involved, this is particularly true.

Why have you chosen such small engined bikes?

In the words of our guide “the Pamir highway kills bikes”. And he should know! Our local guides have huge experience of working in these often hostile terrains, and after trying – and in most cases still owning – almost every type of bike imaginable (including the usual GS, KTM etc) have opted for the lightweight, mechanically simple and hugely robust Suzuki DRZ400. The bikes cope very well with the bumps and lumps and are comfortable both on and off the pegs. If your drop a bike, it likely won’t break and you’ll be able to pick it and yourself back up without needing a support team and a crane. We are huge fans.

What will the weather be like?

A very difficult question to answer when traversing the fourth highest mountain range on earth. But, you can expect some hot days lower in the valleys and off the high plateaus – temperatures could be in 20-30C range or higher. At altitude, we have experienced every season in the course of a single day – warm sunshine followed by winds and rain, hail or snow on the passes and perhaps down to 0 degrees for a short period of time. In general, the rule of thumb is to expect warm days and cooler nights when we are out of the lowland areas.

I’m a solo traveller – is this for me?

Yes. More than 85% of our expedition clients travel alone as part of our group. We don’t charge single supplements to solo travellers – see below.

Do you charge single supplements?

No. We don’t believe that solo travellers should be penalised with extra charges. It goes against our ethos, so unless totally unavoidable or astronomically expensive, all costs are included in the expedition price. Please note that in many of our destinations, single rooms are simply not available due to the nature of the available tourism infrastructure.

What kit do I need to bring?

We will provide you with an information pack after signing up to this trip, and this will detail any particular equipment we think either necessary or useful. For this motorcycle expedition, see below for a smidge more detail.

How do I choose what to wear on the bike?

This is really a matter of personal choice, as all riders have their own modus operandi. However, our experience says that good expedition boots are very useful. We don’t tend to ride using metal-toed dirt boots, but some do. We use an adventure-style boot that allows good ankle protection and is stiff with protection on the shins. In terms of lid; we tend to favour flip-front helmets that can be lowered when cold and raised quickly to meet and greet people along the way. Although we are there during the least-rainy season we tend to use a pull-on overcoat and trousers that are kept to hand for quick access. Under these we ride in a well-ventilated and elbow/shoulder/back/knee armoured bike jacket and trousers – the better ventilated the happier you will be! As already highlighted, most riders have their own tried and tested methods. Our simplest motto would be to layer for multiple weather types.

Is there a back-up vehicle?

Yes. We will travel with a back-up 4×4, carrying filtered water and spares where necessary.

How much are flights?

This is a moving feast! It depends on where you are travelling from and how you want to get there. From London, the cheapest flights to Dushanbe might be via Moscow. We use Turkish Airlines via Istanbul because they are good, cost-effective connections. Costs are usually around the £450 mark, return.

What will the food be like?

Varied; the Pamir area is not particularly agriculturally inclined, mostly due to the precipitous nature of the topography, and often poor soils. But many of our homestay hosts pride themselves on making good meals for their guests, so we will be well looked-after. If you are a vegetarian, food can be a little dull (lots of bread, potatoes and eggs with salads) but perfectly acceptable. For meat-eaters, pilaf is the main dish. Usually rice and meat in one dish and often very tasty. Freshly made non (bread) is available almost everywhere and can be delicious. We try to ensure we have some treat foods in the back-up vehicle for picnics. In general we think food is a core part of any cultural experience and there are a good number of local dishes to try on our route.

Will I have to share a room?

Yes, at times. There will be hotels where we will have separate rooms, but more often where we are staying at homestays or in yurts there is little option but to share rooms. This is all part of the adventure, and a reason we love to travel here. It makes sense for light sleepers to bring earplugs, in case of snorers or the host family waking early.

Will I be affected by altitude?

Altitude can affect different people in different ways. It can also affect the same person in different ways from trip to trip. We will be spending quite a number of days above 3000 metres, and up on the Alichur and Murghab plateaus, often above 4000 metres. We also cross some high passes, with the Ak Baital being 4700m (over 15,000 ft). If you feel that you might suffer from altitude sickness, or have history of it, you should consider discussing this with your doctor prior to booking and travel. Diamox and other similar prescription drugs are available to ease symptoms, but the key way to address any onset of altitude sickness is to descend. Luckily, from anywhere particularly high, descent is possible rapidly thanks to our back-up vehicle. Our route is also planned to gain altitude in the smallest increments possible to aid acclimatisation. Simple precautions and awareness go a long way.

Do you perform proper risk management on your expeditions?

Yes. We employ international risk experts Sirisk to perform our country risk assessments 1 month prior to departure. We also maintain close contact with the relevant Foreign and Commonwealth Office advice for countries we plan to visit. Beyond this, we have a full set of risk management and disaster contingency plans for each expedition and are expedition first aid trained. For final back up we also use the services of Remote Medical Support that allows us to have a UK expedition doctor on the end of a telephone line wherever we may be.