Tajikistan > Over the Khargush pass

At eight o’clock, we leave Langar. Today a spectacular Khargush mountain pass is on the agenda. Just outside Langar, the mountain path winds steeply upward. In low gear, Brutus handles it without any problems. As we enjoy the view at the top, we see Reinier and Anna arriving in their Volkswagen van. Impressive that they make it up without any trouble, even without a 4x4. It’s nice to see them for a moment. The remains of the Ratm Qala fortress, dating from the third century BC, are disappointing—more like a single rock than a fort. We continue driving. The unpaved path rises slowly, sometimes seeming almost stuck to the mountainside.

Tajikistan - View from Khargush mountain pass

Every view around me is insanely beautiful—left, right, ahead, or behind. Breathtaking! The towering mountains with snow-covered peaks. We stop regularly to take photos. This is exactly how I imagined the Pamir Highway: deep valleys in an otherwise barren and desolate landscape. Along the roadside, golden marmots occasionally dart into their burrows as we approach. Otherwise, there’s no sign of life. Just before the top of the Khargush Pass, we arrive at a military checkpoint. Passports and permits are checked here. The top of the Khargush Pass, at 4,344 meters, is a bit underwhelming—not in terms of the view, which overlooks stunning blue mountain lakes, but there is no signage, no monument, not even a pile of stones. In fact, we’re already past the pass before we even realize it. We descend toward Bulunkul. On unpaved roads, a ripple pattern gradually forms over time. Rain and wind enhance this effect. The road turns into a kind of washboard. Everything starts to shake if we drive too fast over the ridges—very uncomfortable driving. I realize, however, that we will encounter this much more in Mongolia—hundreds of kilometers of it. Just before Bulunkul, we pass the official M41, also known as the Pamir Highway.

Tajikistan - The Khargush Pass sometimes seems glued to the mountains

This paved main road connects Khorog to Murgab. Tomorrow we will take this road toward Murgab. For now, we cross the road and head toward Bulunkul. The village is smaller than I expected. About forty small houses sit in a sandy area. There are no streets. It looks desolate. We drive between the houses looking for a shop. On a small house, a sign reads “shop,” but the door is locked with a padlock. When we ask about the shop, an old woman opens the door for us. Proudly, she shows her little shop. There isn’t much in stock. We buy some sausages and instant soup for lunch. We don’t see any bread. The woman doesn’t understand us at first. Using a pictogram of bread helps. Now she understands, but she still doesn’t have any. A neighbor boy comes running with a loaf of bread and lets us have it. We leave the village on a dirt road toward Bulunkul Lake. We heat the sausages and have the soup. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of wind on this plain. It feels like whirlwinds, sometimes from the left, sometimes from the right—not ideal for camping. We drive around the lake to find a more sheltered spot. Although there is wind almost everywhere at this 3,717-meter altitude among the mountains, we find a nice spot by a stream. We set up the tent. The planned macaroni for tonight is canceled. Either due to the jostling or the air pressure differences in the mountains, the jar of sauce has burst open. All the macaroni sauce has spilled through the crate. We clean the container in the stream and prepare two ready-made meals. As soon as the sun sets, it quickly becomes chilly at this altitude. We crawl into our tent early.