Wild and beautiful "Explorer's Road" - Pamir Highway

Wild and beautiful "Explorer's Road" - Pamir Highway

The Pamir Highway 🛣️ is on the Pamir Mountains ⛰️that stretches more than 1,200km, and travels through Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. It is the international highway with the second-highest altitude in the world, only surpassed in height by the Karakoram Highway extending from China to Pakistan. The Pamir Highway is hailed as the wildest and the most beautiful “Road of Adventurers” by many.

M41 is the Soviet road number for the Pamir Highway. Most of its sections run through Tajikistan and have an altitude as high as 3,000m and above, reaching 4,655m at its highest. Much of its route crosses over snow-capped mountains and high deserts, and travels along with the Panj River, the border river between Tajikistan and Afghanistan. There are some small Ismaili Muslim settlements, from where travellers can purchase necessities, dotting both sides of the river.

Explorers and riders 🏍️have to climb up mountains and drive along narrow floodplains. They are often faced with hairpin turns and cliffs above whitewater. Although roads are rugged and bumpy on the route, the enormous gratification from seeing the awe-inspiring scenery surpasses the hardship along the way. It is undoubtedly an adventure of a lifetime.