Shaimak

To really get off the beaten track, take the road up the Ak-Suu Valley to Shaimak, 126km from Murgab, at the strategic junction of the borders of Tajikistan, Afghanistan, China and Pakistan. This is about as Great Game as it gets! You may need KGB approval to travel past the checkpoint before Tokhtamysh. After crossing the lovely Subashi plain, the road passes the turn-off to the Qolma Pass, Tajikistan’s only border crossing with China (currently closed to foreigners, check before trying to pass).