The Wakhan Corridor

The Wakhan reaches its narrow arm between the Pamir and Hindu Kush toward China - the map's strange hallway, and on the ground one of High Asia's last quiet worlds: Wakhi farming villages terrace the valley floors under 6,000-metre walls, Kyrgyz herders move yaks across the high pamirs by ancient rotation, and trekking expeditions (when the standing terms allow) walk lapis-blue lakes, hot springs and passes where Marco Polo sheep watch from the scree. The corridor's remoteness has been its long shelter; travel sits wholly at specialist-arranged, when-possible terms, and rewards in proportion.

What you actually see

• The Wakhi villages - terraced oases under the great walls.
• The Kyrgyz pamirs - yak herds on the high pastures.
• The peak corridors - Hindu Kush and Pamir facing across the valley.
• Marco Polo country - the great sheep on the high scree.

When to go

June to September is the trekking window in principle. Check current travel advice before planning, and arrange the trip through specialist local operators.

Honest expectations

The frame precedes all: expeditions here run wholly on current conditions and specialist partnerships, with permits and logistics as the method. On the trail: altitude, distance and self-sufficiency are the honest terms; the corridor's communities host by mountain custom - match it.

Nearby

Ishkashim and the Panj valley's facing Tajik Wakhan.