We had to make an important decision: take the relatively easier route through to Khorog, or head over the Khargush pass and take the remote and infamous Wakhan valley detour. With majestic scenery, lots of village life and a chance to glance at Afghanistan’s Wakhan Corridor, it is one of the most captivating parts of the whole Pamir Highway. We were hesitant to do this mainly because it was reportedly a treacherous and rough road with some pretty big river crossings to boot. If Nina broke down or got stuck we would be in trouble as the Wakhan is remote, hard to access, and less travelled than the rest of the Pamir Highway.

We decided to take the risk, how often in life do you self drive the Pamir Highway? May as well do it properly! Nina was going well and even Tommi drove for a while until the usual problem with the fuel pump started as we climbed the Khargush pass. It was a hot day which wasn’t helping and we had to continuously stop and ‘give Nina a blowjob’ every 5km or so. 

We were almost at the top of the pass and were contemplating stopping to let the engine cool down when all of a sudden Sunny the Landcruiser appeared driving down the pass towards us! Our guardian angels had arrived with impeccable timing, claiming they had waited at the pass for us and decided to come looking for us after we hadn’t arrived. We got out the tow rope and Sunny helped us up the final stretch to the top of the pass. From here it was a simple matter of cruising down the pass towards the Wakhan Corridor.

The Wakhan corridor is a narrow strip of territory in Afghanistan separating Tajikistan, China, and Pakistan. Steep, rough-walled mountains are intersected by river valleys that braid together the Pamir, Tien Shan, Karakorum and Hindu Kush mountains. This valley is the source of both the Pamir and Panj rivers which we would be following for many days as they eventually converged into the Amu Darya river. For centuries this corridor has facilitated trade to and from East, South, and Central Asia. Many historic figures from Alexander the Great, Song Yun, Huisheng, Xuanzang, and Marco Polo have reportedly traversed these valleys.

We arrived at the Pamir river around lunchtime and caught our first site of Afghanistan on the other side of the river. We soon found a delightful spot for lunch with a herd of camels grazing on the Afghanistan side of the river. The Pamir was raging but we found a sheltered spot for a swim and the water was truly freezing!

After lunch it was mostly downhill as we followed the Pamir winding its way down the valley. The driving was spectacular and the road was treacherous at parts. Luckily growing up driving mountain roads in New Zealand had prepared me well and I wasn’t too concerned with the exposure or narrow sections. The views down the valley of the Hindu Kush mountain range in Afghanistan were incredible and we arrived at a rather alarming site.

Around sunset and about 20 minutes away from the nearby town called Langar we reached a very daunting river crossing. Some brave souls were driving it in much bigger trucks, but it seemed impossible for Nina. Apparently the river would be much lower in the morning before the snowmelt starts so we opted to find a campsite and try our luck early in the morning.

We found a campsite next to the road with incredible views of the surrounding mountains. Our lovely friends Tommi and Orshi cooked us some true Italian pasta with Central Asian ingredients. Some friendly Romanian guys on motorbikes joined us, they were on a trip motorbiking all the way from Romania (check out their Instagram). After the delicious pasta we finished the night drinking some Georgian wine and dancing. It had been an incredible day with new friends, no issues for Nina, incredible scenery and Afghan camels! We just had to hope the river would be crossable in the morning!