There is increasing interest today in the Afghan Wakhan and many travellers either combine travel in the Pamirs with a visit to the Afghan Wakhan or access it directly via Ishkashim on the Tajikistan’s side. In recognition of this trend, the Odyssey guidebook Tajikistan and the High Pamirs includes a section on the Afghan Wakhan.
Here some useful links on getting to and around the Afghan Wakhan:
- 2018-2019 practical advice from “Backpackingman” – see here.
- 2018 practical advice from a Chinese trekker – see here.
- A report (May 2014) by James D. Poborsa, with striking portraits of the Wakhi people there (and, perhaps inevitably in a blog, of the author); see here.
- A superb BBC film by Kate Humble, who – with appropriate humility – describes the life of Wakhi shepherds; see here.
- 78 min. film on Afghan Wakhan by Cédric Houin – see trailer and order here.
- A beautiful brochure published by the Aga Khan Foundation, a little outdated but with a good map of the little Pamir: here.
- Trekking information by Julien Dufour, who has probably the most informative website on the Wakhan: https://www.juldu.com/Pamir/index_pamir.html
- Very practical travel advice: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=2229124
- The following website by Nicole Smoot contains all the information you will need for travel (and trekking) there – see here.
Nicole also has a page dealing specifically with the Tajik Wakhan, here. - N.B. See however a June 2016 report on Taliban presence in Afghan Badakhshan – here.
- More practical travel advice by the authors of the AKF brochure (see above): https://www.mockandoneil.com/wakhan.htm
- https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2012/08/20/documentary-wakhan-culture/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM72c1AlIQY
- https://wakhanexpedition2012.jimdo.com
- https://www.pilk.net/update4.centralasia.html
- “I am proud that I am Wakhi, I was Shepherd, I am Shepherd I am the language of absolute faith, I was Shepherd, I am Shepherd” – Nazir Ahmad Bulbul (Article in the Express Tribune of Pakistan) https://www.secretcompass.com/mountain-bike-afghanistan/
- Article in DestinAsian December 2012 https://www.destinasian.com/countries/east-southeast-asia/afghanistan/frederic-lagrange-in-afghanistan-wakhan-wayfaring/
- Afghanistan Analysts Network: fascinating article on the Ismaili community in the Wakhan. See here.
National Geographic post by Avery Stonich (for Dylan Taylor) – November 2013 – note the comment about the incorrect visa (visiting the Afghan Wakhan from Tajik territory requires a double-entry Tajik visa for the return). https://adventureblog.nationalgeographic.com/2013/11/21/climbing-in-afghanistan-adventure-beyond-the-lifeline/ - Comprehensive report with superb photos and excellent maps by Steffen Graupner, Kristina Kunze, Christine Fischer & Matthias Muelleron on their 2016 expedition to the source of the Oxus and ascent of “Koh-i-Wakhan” (6094m).
https://wakhan-expedition.de/report.html - Recent (July 2018) post by Marta Pascual Juanola on the Western Australia website. https://www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/this-is-afghanistan-the-nomadic-community-living-at-the-end-of-the-world-20180709-p4zqfe.html
- A well-written article by Patrick Pittman for Studio D. https://medium.com/studio-d/the-panj-drift-hitching-the-tajik-borderlands-9b2a03d17162
IMPORTANT NOTICE ON SAFETY
The Pamirs – and especially the Wakhan – are very much “virgin territory” for tourism. Make certain that you know the conditions of the tracks, rivers and bridges that you envisage taking and check meteorological conditions. Take a good driver and a reliable vehicle – if your route includes uninhabited territory, it is advisable to travel with at least two vehicles. For example:
a) in summer in the Great Pamir there are large areas of treacherous terrain where a mud-slide has been covered with a baked clay surface that looks stable but is not;
b) many mountain sides are covered in scree (broken rock fragments) that is unstable and very slippery.
c) flooding/flash floods can destroy roads and make driving dangerous
d) unseasonal snow can block the Pamir Highway and other roads
