The Pamir Highway – What Are the Must-See Spots?

1. Bibi Fatima Zahra Hot Springs – absolutely amazing! Also, nearby, you’ll find the ruins of Yamchun Fortress, and the Wakhan Valley itself has a ton to explore—petroglyphs in several locations and the “Buddha’s Footprint” in the village of Vrang.

3. Definitely mark the exact coordinates in your GPS. 😉 We tried to reach the hot springs near the Alichur River before its mouth. However, one set was on the northern bank, and the other was several kilometers upstream. As for the ones directly by Yashilkul, I haven’t been there myself.

4. The geyser is cool! Don’t trust the road sign nearby—it leads to a dirty puddle. The actual geyser is farther east, visible from the road. I think I marked it on Wikimapia.

5. Garm Chashma has a lot of local visitors, so be prepared for a pretty basic sanatorium. But it’s worth it—the setting is beautiful, and the water is excellent.

As for 2 and 6, I haven’t been to those spots.

Other highlights along the Pamir Highway:

• The botanical garden in Khorog
• The petroglyphs I mentioned earlier—several locations
• A fortress just above Ishkashim
• Bulunkul village and lake—remote, serene, and a great place to spend a day
• Chukurkul and Sasykkul Lakes, with their fascinating red shrimp
• The stunning Karakul Lake
• The meteorite crater southeast of Murghab
• Views of Muztagh Ata mountain near the Chinese border
• Nagarkum sand dunes, northeast of Murghab near the border
• Zorkul Nature Reserve Lake, the source of the Pamir River (you’ll likely need a special permit to visit).

This is just off the top of my head—there’s so much more to discover!

There are even hot springs right in Murghab (Pamir Tajikistan)! The area around Murghab is fascinating, with the crater (perfect for a picnic!) and plenty of mountains to explore.

There are so many lakes! You can find plenty of detailed descriptions in Lonely Planet.