TAJIKISTAN PT 2 PEEKING INTO AFGHANISTAN WITH AARON RICH AND FAMILY

LAST MONTH KIWI OVERLANDER AARON RICH

DESCRIBED HIS FAMILY’S ENTRY INTO TAJIKISTAN VIA A SNOWY MOUNTAIN PASS AT 4,282 METRES. THIS MONTH THEY CONTINUED EXPLORING TAJIKISTAN’S PAMIRS, REACHING THE WAKHAN VALLEY AND BORDER WITH AFGHANISTAN.

I’d been somewhat anxious about The Khargush Pass Military Checkpoint for a while. Situated near the isolated Khargush Pass (4,344 metres), on the Tajik side of the border with Afghanistan, I’d read of foreigners being harassed by soldiers at this remote military checkpoint.

A Belgian cyclist was robbed with a gun to his cheek here; this by the very soldiers who were supposed to be clearing him safely through the checkpoint!

Fortunately, we’re benefiting from a recent strong drive across Central Asia to embrace tourism and hence tourists. In just the past couple of years alone most countries in Central Asia (perhaps except Turkmenistan) have taken significant steps to open up and combat the worst types of corrupt and/or intimidating behaviour that has sometimes occurred in the past.

From a visitor’s perspective at least, it appears to be working well – we generally haven’t experienced too many issues. There were a couple of efforts to extort us in Mongolia, many dodgy police in Kyrgyzstan (likely in Kazakhstan too, though they were always busy with another victim when we came along). And there was the attempt to levy a fake tax on us upon entering Tajikistan.

However, I’m pleased to report we encountered no issues whatsoever at the Khargush Pass military checkpoint, notwithstanding its intimidating reputation. Just one soldier attended to us, and unusually he was unarmed. I wondered if this was deliberate, perhaps intended to make the soldiers appear less intimidating to overland tourists increasingly passing this way. Moreover, the young soldier was polite and professional – no problem at all.

THE WAKHAN VALLEY

After a long gradual descent through remote rocky landscapes, alongside a fast flowing, clear river, we continued along a lonely cliff edge route all the way down to the valley floor. Being on the valley floor seemed ‘low’, though in reality we were still just above 2,700 metres elevation. This is the Wakhan Valley, and we were immediately captivated by its sheer beauty.

Stopped for lunch at the ‘river border’, we attract attention from some local Wakhan Valley boys.

A Wakhan Valley local has established a tiny museum - pictured here is a collection of Wakhi musical instruments.

A sneaky shot of the large military base at the isolated Khargush Pass (4,344 metres), close to the Afghanistan border.