Day 1 . ARRIVAL IN KABUL
We will sleep a few hours in the hotel and at 9 a.m. we will be at the Embassy of Afghanistan in the city of Islamabad to process the Afghan visa (the process takes about 3 hours. After obtaining the visa we will go to the airport to catch a Kam Air flight (Afghan private company) to Kabul. The flight usually leaves around 4:30 p.m. Overnight at: Hotel Cedar. FB
Breakfast. Very early in the morning we will leave the Afghan capital towards the province of Badakshan. We will cross the country being able to observe impressive landscapes and traditional towns and cities that were part of the historic silk route. We will cross the Salang pass (3878m), and continue towards Faizabad, the economic center and capital of Badakhshan. Overnight at: Local hotel. FB
Day 3 - FAIZABAD-ISHKASHIM (4h)
Breakfast. First thing in the morning we will go to the Taliban government office to manage our permission to visit the Wakhan area. Due to the current political structure of the country, the bureaucracy has become complicated, and for each area that you want to visit you have to request a specific permit. Likewise, it is necessary to go in person, so that the leaders can meet us. If we are lucky, our permit will be granted in a few hours and we can continue our journey to Ishkashim (4 hours), the starting point of our exploration of the Wakhan corridor. Upon our arrival, and if we still have time, we will get to know this small town and take a walk through its market, stocking up on food for the following days of our expedition. Accommodation in: Local Guesthouse. FB
Day 4 - ISHKASHIM-QALA E PANJA (100km, 4-5 hours)
Breakfast. Today we leave Ishhkashim behind and we will fully enter the Wakhan Valley, a traditional area of special geostrategic importance. The corridor forms a tongue that was of great relevance in its day for serving as a buffer between the British and Russian Empires. In fact, if this area had not been artificially created from a political point of view by the British (they forced the Afghan king to annex it to their territory in 1893) both borders would have touched- British India Empire with Russian Turkistan, present day Tajikistan. The road in this area of Afghanistan is no longer paved, so we will have to use 4x4 vehicles to explore this territory of great scenic beauty, a green and fertile valley flanked by dramatic mountains, generating a particularly beautiful visual contrast. We will go through traditional villages of the Wakhi ethnic group, and we will observe their traditional way of life. We are 100 km from the Chinese border, and a few kilometers from the Tajik and Pakistani borders, allowing us to perceive the geostrategic importance that this area continues to have today. Accommodation in: Local Guesthouse. Pc
Day 5 - QALA E PANJA - SARHAD E BROGUIL (85km, 5h)
Breakfast. Today we will continue our exploration through traditional wakhis villages. We will stop at several of them to introduce ourselves to their local life and culture. The Wakhis herders are an ethnic group of Persian origin whose fundamental religion is Ismailism, a somewhat more liberal variant of Islam, whose leader is the Agha Khan. They have their own language, Wakhi, and their population is scattered between Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and China. Its people and its adobe towns with traditional interiors sometimes decorated with carved wooden columns and characteristic zigzag-shaped vaults that fulfill a mixed function of ventilation and lighting, make up a set worth exploring. We will continue traveling in our 4x4 fantastic unpaved roads until we reach the last sedentary and inhabited village in this area of the Wakhan, Sarhad e Broguil. Accommodation in: Local house. FB
Day 6 - SARHAD E BROGHIL - BUZYA GUNBAD (6h)
Breakfast. Today we will change scenery, as we will enter the Little Pamir area, a mountainous and inhospitable area, and home to Kyrgyz nomads. Some of the trails on this route are only passable by horse or donkey. Despite the harshness of the territory, this area was traditionally used as a trade route at the time of the Silk Road, and Marco Polo apparently traveled through it. After a long journey in which we will make different stops to admire the landscape, with the possibility of spotting rare native fauna and traditional wakhis shepherds, we will arrive at the Buzya Gunbad area, an area inhabited by traditional Kyrgyz people. Accommodation in: Local yurt or camping. FB
Day 7 - BUZYA GUNBAD
Breakfast. Full day dedicated to living with the Afghan Kyrgyz. Little by little we will get in touch with their way of life, nomadic and very authentic. The Pamir Kyrgyz are descendants of the Kyrgyz who arrived in Afghanistan between 1575 and 1930 as a result of various revolts and expulsions. The Kyrgyz ethnic group is a Turkic group originating from southern Siberia and northwestern China. It is a group that despite its vulnerability due to being dispersed in different regions, has always tried and made an effort to maintain its own identity. Due to their geographical isolation, they were not affected by Sovietization, and therefore, most retain their traditional way of life and beliefs. This first contact with the Kyrgyz of the Pamirs will have an important visual impact, not only because of the place of great beauty in which they live, but also because of the traditional way of dressing of the women, usually dressed in colorful costumes decorated with traditional jewelry and striking red or white hats according to their marital status (red single women, white already married). Accommodation: Yurt or camping. FB
Day 8 - BUZYA GUNBAD - CHAQMAQTIN LAKE (5h)
Breakfast. Day of transit by jeep in which we will go to the Chaqmaqtin Lake area, an area also inhabited by Kyrgyz nomads. Along the way, we will enjoy imposing mountains, pristine rivers, and views that will take our breath away. We are in an area called the Pamir knot because it is surrounded by renowned mountain ranges: the Himalayas, the Tian Shan, Karakorum, Kun Lun and Hindu Kush. Chaqmaqtin Lake is located at more than 4000 meters high, in a privileged location. It is here that the Kyrgyz find fertile summer pastures for their yaks, goats and sheep. This entire area is surrounded by different settlements of traditional yurts more or less distant from each other, which can be visited by taking different walks. Arrival, acclimatization and first contacts with our hosts for the next two nights. Accommodation in: Yurt or camping. FB
Day 9 - CHAQMAQTIN LAKE AND SURROUNDINGS WALKS
Breakfast. Today will be a day that we will dedicate to do different walks to visit various nomadic settlements. Little by little we will become more and more familiar with their way of life, as we will observe them in their various daily activities related to caring for livestock, maintaining their yurts, and housework. Unlike the Wakhis herdsmen who speak a language derived from Persian and are Ismailis, the Kyrgyz speak a Turkic-like language and are Sunnis, the majority branch of Islam. Despite this, some still practice certain shamanic rites, having generated a syncretism with Islam that is interesting to observe. Many still turn to shamans to cure illnesses, practice magic, communicate with spirits, and control events. While the Wakhis combine agriculture with livestock, the Kyrgyz nomads are dedicated solely to livestock and tend to settle in fertile pastures at high altitudes for the upkeep of their yaks and regular livestock. Throughout today we will visit different settlements of this people in danger of extinction, at least in the very traditional way of life that is preserved in the Afghan Pamirs, since resettlement and sedentarization programs promoted by the government of Kyrgyzstan, for these nomads to move into Kyrgyz national territory. Accommodation in: Yurt or camp. FB
Day 10 - LAKE CHAQMAQTIN - SARHAD E BROGHIL (7h)
Breakfast. After saying goodbye to our hosts, a long jeep ride through the mountains awaits us to return to the small town of Sarhad e Broghil. Various stops will be made along the way to enjoy our last moments in these isolated high mountain areas. Arrival at our local house in Sarhad e Broguil, chance to rest and enjoy a quiet walk around the area. Accommodation in: Local house. FB
Day 11 - SARHAD E BROGHIL - KANDOOD
Breakfast. Today we are once again in the Afghan Wakhan area, and it will be a calm day in which we can calmly enjoy the different towns in the area until we reach the small and isolated town of Kandood. Here we can soak up the Wakhi culture again, visit different families and traditional houses and observe their way of life and local customs. Accommodation in: Local house. FB
Day 12 - KANDOOD - ISHKASHIM
Breakfast. First thing in the morning we will head towards Ishkashim. Stops en route (towns). Accommodation in: Local Guesthouse. FB
Day 13 - ISHKASHIM - FAIZABAD
Breakfast. Very early in the morning we will return to Faizabad, the economic center and capital of Badakhshan. Stops en route (towns). Overnight at: Local hotel. FB
Day 14 - FAIZABAD - KABUL (12-1pm)
Breakfast. Very early in the morning we will leave for the Afghan capital. We will cross the Salang pass (3878m). Arrival in Kabul and rest at the hotel. Overnight at: Cedar Hotel or similar. FB
Day 15 - KABUL – FLIGHT BACK HOME
Breakfast. At the indicated time, departure to the airport to catch the flight that will take you back home. BB
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