21 Days Wakhan Coridor Tour
Day 1: Kabul to Kunduz
Depart Kabul in the morning heading north past Charikar and ascending the Hindu
Kush mountains until finally crossing the Salang pass (3,363 m), the highest
tunnel in the world. From there the road winds down past beautiful alpine
valleys to Pul-i-Khumri. The road to Kunduz splits off to the right at
Pul-i-Khumri, and we will drive past some of the richest agricultural lands of
the country, until reaching the charming city of Kunduz, most famous for its
multitude of horse-drawn carriages that serve as taxis. We will stay in Kunduz
at a local hotel.
Alternate: pick you up in Pu-i-Khumri
Day 2 Kunduz to Faisabad
The drive from Kunduz to Faisabad has changed dramatically over the past few
years as this remote road has finally been paved, cutting the driving time in
almost half. The route takes us past some of the largest poppy growing areas of
the country, past the infamous Masoud-Taliban front line city of Taloqan. The
road winds up past the beautiful Keshem valley as we enter Badakhshan province,
until finally reaching the boom town of Faisabad. Overnight in a local guest
house.
Day 3 Faizabad to Ishkashim
Expat residents of Faisabad consider the road to Ishkashim one of the most
dramatic drives in the area. This is not a drive to be taken by the
faint-hearted, as the road winds along mountain passes until finally reaching
this remote town on the border with Tajikistan. Spend the night in a local
hotel.
Day 4 Ishkashim to Sarhad
We will drive the dirt track which follows the barren Panj river valley as
snow-capped mountains tower on both sides of the road. On the left side of the
river is Tajikistan, with a Soviet-built paved road still patrolled by Russian
troops in this far end of the former Soviet empire. On the Afghan side, we make
due with a dirt track that must ford various rivers and streams. The road
finally putters out opposite the Broghil pass at the little village of Sarhad,
where we will spend the night.
Days 5-16
We will take our yaks and horses and begin our trek into the heart of the
Wakkhan corridor. The route takes us into the Wakhan valley, past the Big Pamir
and into the valleys surrounded by the Small Pamir, populated mostly by Kyrgyz
nomads. We will walk along the length of the valley to Afghanistan’s furthest
easterly outpost at the foot of the mountains that form the border with China.
This is the place where the Kirghiz nomads have their summer camping grounds in
the Small Pamirs.
Wildlife in the Pamir mountains, and specifically in the Wakhan Valley is drawn
from four biogeograhical subregions: Mediterranean, Siberian, West Chinese, and
Indian. There is abundant wildlife in the Wakhan Valley, and you will be
delighted to see the famous Marco Polo Sheep (Ovis ammon poli) and Siberian Ibex
(Capra ibex sibericus). Although sightings of the elusive Snow Leopard (Uncia
uncia) are quite rare, this is one of the few habitats left in the world where
you will see evidence of these beautiful felines. In the region you might also
catch a sight of urial sheep (Ovis Orientalis), brown bear (Ursus arctos), the
grey wolf (canis lupus), fox (Canis vulpes), and lynx (Lynx lynx).
The Wakhan corridor was given to Afghanistan as a buffer between the
expansionist empires of Czarist Russian and British India as a means to keep a
neutral space between themselves, and is considered one of the remotest, and
least visited valleys in the world. It has been the goal of many a Western
explorer and traveler, yet few have ever made it to this dramatic and
awe-inspiring valley.
Day 17 Sarhad to Ihskashim
Day 18 Ishkashim to Faisabad
Day 19 Faisabad to Kunduz
Day 20 Kunduz to Kabul.
Day 21 Fly out to Dubai.