IMPORTANT NOTICE - October 2012: Following the occupation of Khorog by armed government forces in July 2012, the Tajik government stopped issuing permits for tourists to visit Gorno-Badakhshan. According to a notice published by the US embassy in Dushanbe, the issue of GBAO permits has resumed - see here.

Get advice from your Foreign Ministry and check with the nearest Tajik consultate before leaving home.

This website is dedicated to the children and other people of the Pamirs, a region they know as POMIR – “the roof of the world”, although some claim that POMIR means “feet of the sun”. The Pamirs are one of the last "undiscovered" tourist destinations.

This mountainous area, a large part of which is located in Gorno-Badakhshan in Tajikistan, is one of the most inaccessible in the world. A former British Ambassador to Tajikistan described the fascination and beauty of the region as “one of the world’s best kept secrets”. The website is sponsored as a non-profit activity by a few lovers of the region who want to share this “secret” with others who are in search of an unusual and challenging experience. In doing so, a supplementary goal is to bring additional revenue to the remarkable inhabitants of POMIR, among the poorest in the world, by encouraging travellers to go there.

The aim is not to replace the many useful existing websites and other sources containing information on Tajikistan and the Pamirs but to bring together in one place as much as possible of what today’s explorer needs or would like to know before setting out on the adventure that is POMIR: accurate and helpful information on “getting there” and “getting around” together with description and pictures of some of the features of the region, not least its unforgettable children and other people

When visiting the Pamirs, bear in mind that you are enjoying a tradition of hospitality that has existed since time immemorial. While there are now a large number of "official" homestays, you can be certain of finding a place to stay in every house and in every village in the Pamirs - you may, however, find it very difficult to pay your hosts for their hospitality, but be sure to do so, even if it means hiding a few bank notes under your breakfast plate when you leave. In this way you are making an investment in the well-being of these wonderful people and in the future of their children.

Your feedback on the contents and intent of this website is welcome. If you would like to comment or ask a question please send a message by clicking here. N.B. Because of spam, this contact address is frequently changed, so even if you have used it before and saved the address, please click again to be sure your mail gets through.

Don't forget to have a look at the advertisements by clicking on the icon at the top left of this page or here. This free service is offered to small businesses and local communities in the Pamirs to enable them to inform tourists about their tourism initiatives.

 

THE PAMIRS: CLOSE TO HEAVEN - GET THERE BEFORE THE TOURISTS COME

 

Many thanks to Misha Romanyuk for the design of the website and to Alexander Goutkin for putting the panoramas together.

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All text and photographs (c) Robert Middleton 2002