Bartang Valley

The Bartang runs down from Lake Sarez through one of the narrowest and least forgiving valleys in the Pamirs, and the track that follows it is cut into the rock above the river, washed out regularly and impassable for parts of most years. Villages sit wherever a fan of soil allows, growing apricots and wheat on terraces. It is the route towards Sarez and the way into Jizeu, and it has a reputation as the hardest of the Pamir roads.

Highlights

• The gorge - a narrow valley with the track cut into the rock above the river.
• The perched villages - settlements on alluvial fans wherever soil allows.
• The terraces - apricot and wheat plots worked by hand.
• The Sarez approach - the route towards the earthquake lake at the valley head.

When to go

June to September is the only practical window. Washouts close the track regularly even in summer. A GBAO permit is required.

Practical notes

The track is genuinely difficult and vehicles are damaged on it routinely; a capable four-wheel drive and an experienced driver are necessary. Washouts can strand travellers for days. There is no fuel or repair for long stretches.

Nearby

Jizeu is off the valley, and Khorog is south.