That’s not a road—it’s more like a turnoff to some village

It is a road, and for the most part, it looks like that. The photo was taken in mid-May.

Now let me share my experience negotiating with the rental company in Khujand: +992 93 930 7000. I’m currently in talks with them, but it seems pointless—their terms are absolutely ridiculous.

Here’s how it went down: I had two options.

1. Rent a car for five days, drive around Dushanbe, and not venture beyond Kulob.
2. Rent for 10 days or more and head toward Khorog and beyond.

Here’s the kicker: The guy flat-out refused to rent out his old Lexuses for trips to Khorog. He charges 500–700 somoni per day with a 2,000 somoni deposit, but he only accepts the deposit in somoni and outright refuses U.S. dollars.

On top of that, he charges an additional 150 somoni per day for any travel beyond Dushanbe. And there’s a strict daily mileage limit of 250 km. When I say strict, I mean it literally—if you exceed the limit, the car just shuts off. So forget about driving 300 km one day and 200 km the next; it’s non-negotiable.

I could just imagine myself driving through the Fann Mountains, falling 60 km short of my destination, and getting stuck on the highway overnight because the mileage limiter kicked in. I only discovered this when I asked about the cost of additional kilometers.

Finally, I sent him my planned route and asked how much it would cost. His response? “Call me the day before your trip, and I’ll tell you if there’s a car available.”

Most likely, he’ll just say no. I think the only reason he didn’t outright reject me was that I mentioned I’m 50 years old, have 28 years of driving experience, and am careful, especially on mountain roads.

Honestly, I have no idea who he’s renting these cars to if the restrictions mean you can basically only drive around the city and its immediate suburbs—and even then, you can’t make a reservation.

can you manage it in a crossover, or is a Land Cruiser an absolute must?

Here’s a good example. Think you could make it through on a crossover?

, there’s no guarantee they’ll even let you go on a rental car.

I asked the driver who took us along the Pamir Highway if it was even possible to rent a car for that route without a driver. He said it’s theoretically possible, but any owner of such a car would demand a cash deposit—somewhere around €7,000-8,000—plus an additional €100 per day for the rental itself.

Why such steep terms? Because the chances are high that the car might either get stuck, sink, or even fall into a ravine. These roads are not for regular tourists; they’re extremely tough to navigate. And the deposit has to be in cash—bank cards are irrelevant in those areas.

So, honestly, it’s way easier to rent a car with a driver for the Pamir Highway. There are plenty of options available.

they don’t allow driving on the Pamir Highway with their vehicles. I doubt they can actually enforce that

They do install GPS trackers, so yes, they’ll know.

Driving on the Pamir Highway isn’t simple at all. You need serious driving skills, and don’t forget about the altitude—it’s guaranteed you’ll deal with hypoxia.

Honestly, I don’t see the point in renting a car yourself. There are tons of offers with drivers and Land Cruisers included.

I doubt they can actually enforce that

Oh, they absolutely can. They install trackers on the cars and know exactly where you’re driving.