The roof of the world · Tajikistan

The Pamirs

High plateaus, glaciers and Ismaili villages in Gorno-Badakhshan.

The Pamirs, known in Persian as Bam-i-Dunya, the roof of the world, occupy the autonomous region of Gorno-Badakhshan (GBAO) in eastern Tajikistan. The west is a land of deep valleys and Ismaili villages; the east is a high, cold plateau above 3,500 m where Kyrgyz herders graze yaks.

Part of the region is protected as Tajik National Park, a UNESCO site. Travel here needs a GBAO permit, a sturdy vehicle and time.

Time needed
7–14 days
Best time
June–September
Getting there
By road from Dushanbe (about 2 days to Khorog) or from Osh in Kyrgyzstan.
UNESCO World Heritage
Inscribed 2013

Don’t miss

Highlights

  1. 01

    Khorog

    The regional capital, with a botanical garden high above the town.

  2. 02

    Bartang valley

    One of the most remote and dramatic valleys in Central Asia.

  3. 03

    Murghab plateau

    High desert, yaks and yurts.

  4. 04

    Karakul lake

    A high lake in a meteorite crater, near the Kyrgyz border.

Tours

Tours that include The Pamirs

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