Journey to the Rooftop of the World – Pamir Highway Travel Documentary

Also known as the Rooftop of the World, the Pamir is Central Asia’s most remote and isolated region. The rugged landscape of arid deserts, high-altitude plateaus, and towering mountain peaks is an adventure travelers’ dream.

Traversing this sparsely populated area is a 1,200-kilometer route, that connects Dushanbe in Tajikistan to Osh in Kyrgyzstan. Along the way, you find small villages and settlements, where local communities welcome visitors with open arms.

In this video, I take you back to one of my favorite journeys, all the way back in 2013, when I had the chance to travel the Pamir Highway.

From the lively markets and busy streets of Tajikistan’s capital city Dushanbe, to the friendly town of Khorog. From the mysterious Wakhan Valley, where we travel along the border with Afghanistan, to the welcoming settlement of Bulunkul. And from the spectacular outpost of Keng Shiber, where people live a partly nomadic existence, to the small city of Osh in Kyrgyzstan.

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Copyright of all footage: Hoffer Media

Here’s a brief overview of the content in this video:

We begin our travels in Dushanbe, Tajikistan’s fast-changing capital, and now one of Central Asia’s most pleasant cities. Wandering the streets, we come across pleasant parks, imposing monuments, and beautiful buildings, including the city’s central mosque, an important place of worship. Probably my favorite place, however, is the lively market, where people come to do grocery shopping, and eat plov, Central Asia’s most famous dish, in local restaurants.

The first leg of the Pamir Highway takes us over steep mountain passes and through green valleys. After driving for the better part of the day (and night), we arrive in the friendly town of Khorog, before continuing to the Wakhan Valley. This popular side route of the Pamir takes us along the border with Afghanistan, through small villages and past monuments dating back to the Kushan empire.

After spending the night in the town of Langar, we continue our way to friendly Bulunkul, known as the coldest place in Tajikistan. Strolling through this welcoming village provides a great insight into the lives of the local Pamiri people, that is gradually improving, through a mix of tourism and education.

We briefly stop in Alichur, and drive onwards to Keng Shiber, a small settlement at the end of a spectacular high-altitude valley. Here, we meet a friendly community that live on these Summer pastures, taking care of their yaks and sheep. Living in traditional yurts, they are almost entirely self-sufficient.

The last stop in Tajikistan is the old Russian outpost of Murghab, after which we finish our journey in Osh, in Kyrgyzstan. This important commercial center is a good place to unwind after spending more than a week on the road.

Timestamps / video chapters:

0:00 Introduction
1:26 Dushanbe
4:05 Khorog
6:03 Wakhan Valley
7:25 Langar
8:20 Bulunkul
10:18 Alichur
11:05 Keng Shiber
13:34 Murghab
14:27 Osh
16:05 End