Trekking in Tajikistan

Publisher: Cicerone Press Limited

This guide describes twenty high-altitude treks of 2-9 days in the mountains of Tajikistan, covering the Fann Mountains, Pamirs and northern ranges, plus five day hikes near the capital, Dushanbe, and a 10-day trek in the Afghan Wakhan Corridor. As well as detailed route description and 1:100,000 mapping for each trek, there is a wealth of practical advice on transport and visas, trekking support, equipment, cultural awareness, safety and security, as well as background notes on history, flora and fauna and a Tajik-Russian-Pamiri-English glossary. The guide can be used either to plan an independent trek or to select, prepare for and enhance an organised expedition.

Known as 'the Roof of the World', Tajikistan is one of the most mountainous countries on Earth, with 93% of its landmass considered mountainous territory. This is where the mighty Himalaya meet the Tian Shan, Karakoram and Hindu Kush, and a centuries-old network of trails criss-crosses the remote terrain, linking isolated villages and shepherds' camps. Although infrastructure is fragile and tourism in its infancy, this Central Asian nation presents some outstanding opportunities for the adventurous trekker.

The hand-picked routes showcase Tajikistan's breathtaking landscapes of lofty snow-capped peaks, turquoise lakes and sweeping high-altitude plateaus. Trekking here is also a rich cultural experience: in addition to wild camping, many of the treks include the opportunity to experience the fascinating local culture and warm hospitality in a traditional homestay, meeting those who call this remote wilderness home. This guide will be your companion to discovering Tajikistan, a country with so much to offer and one of Central Asia's best kept secrets.

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.