Yeah I hope that this is just a rumour which turns out to be untrue.

The British cyclist has been turned away at Kalaikhum today and is heading back to Dushanbe. All of that does seem to confirm that the army doesn't want any western eyes or cameras in Khorog for a while.

Received this email yesterday from a Scottish bloke on a pushbike I met on the Sary Tash/Murgab border road:

quote

Scenery was too much to resist and I entered Tajikistan. Caught up with Belgians and Christine (German girl). Ended up cycling with Christine as far as 20Km's from Murghab. When ... you guessed it ... we were turned back by the army! Camped for the night in hope of more info but army jeep picked us up in morning and swept us and 3 other cyclists to the Tajik border in a jeep. Quite an adventure. Cycled back to Osh....

unnquote

bummer
 

Bummer, I am sitting in Jalalabad and I had hoped by now things would have started clearing up, but it doesn't look like it. Tajikistan was the part had been looking forward to most, but my second attempt looks like will be a faillure as well. Chris, when did they actually let you enter?

KP

true
 

as far as I know it's still closed.
we went through Khorog on the 26th. No one coming from Taj, or Kirg was allowd pass Murghab.

here a little vid:
Khorog, Tajikistan, 26.July 2012 - YouTube


cheers mex

It travelled today from Sari Tash west and int TJ. The Kyrg border official had to call Bishkek to see if it was Ok for me cross there into TJ with my US passport, but in the end they let me go travel on. No problems at the TJ border. Tons of tourists traveling from TJ to KG on this road.

Kp

M41 / A372 (Lab-i-Jar) and Anzob Pass
 

On my way back to Kyrg I tried to get a little ways south to Tavildara on the M41, but I was not allowed to go in that direction at all. At the checkpoint at the M41 / A372 (Lab-i-Jar) the only options are to go to Dushanbe or to KGZ, not adventureing to the South at all.

I tried to go to Aini by means of ghe Anzob Pass, but was blocked by the last little bit of snow on the North side of the pass. This applied to my motorcyle. Bicycles will have no problem and I suspect in a week the snow will have sufficienlty melted for motorcycles.

I have given up on TJ for this year.

KP

Hi everyone,

the border was completely closed as we tried to exit Kirgistan to drive into no man´s land on the 2nd of August. That was a completely new situation as the Kirgise let you out until then.

However I just got the following brand new information from the tourist info in Khorog:
For those to them you have passed my message i would like to say that right now Pamir is accessable only bu plane from Dushanbe.
Our government has closed all roads to the Pamirs.

If anyone want to conatct them: here is the address:

Alisho Sultonasainov
Junior comminication officer
Pamir Eco-Cultural Tourism Association
10, Davronov str., Central Park, Khorog
Tajikistan, 736 000
tel.:+992 3522 22469
e-mail:info@pecta.tj
www.pecta.tj

And for those still in Kirgistan: it is worth having a look to Mount Lenin insted. Great area and there is a yurt from the CBT.

Alexandra

I'm not really 100% on the political/ historical situation that has led to the oit break of fighting as it's not hugely well covered in the media here.

I have plans to run through the region next year I'm just wondering if pamir highway is likely to be closed until then?? (however I'm pretty certain that the answer to my question is "how long is a piece of string).

Hi

Please can you specify which border was closed?
I know the sary rash one is closed but have also read the one on the a372 at karamyk is now open to tourists.

Thanks

Fern

Some good news on this front is that the 'warlord' the Tajik government wanted has surrendered.

Hopefully this will begin to improve things in the Pamir.

there seems to be a lot of people sitting it out in Dushanbe. Tried to get into the Adventurers last night but it was full, even camping.

Its only 150kms from Dushanbe to where the road forks down to Khorog. Might go and check it out tomorrow.

Fingers crossed.

Has anyone considered going south to Kulob and following the tiny road along the border north east?

As we were coming from fightiings from Khorog July 25th or 26th we met at least two austrian bikers with old BMW's who were planning to take that road from Ruslan to Murghab. I got impression they have been in Pamir also before but i dont know that road condition.

Later we also met a group of italian bikers with small bikes and group was guided by a Pamir guy living in Khorog and he was driving a car. They were also going to Khorog. This pamir guy attitude towards goverment was well not so impressed and he said that if they cant go to Khorog they go to Ruslan and that road to east.

I guess that road would be interesting if its drivable condition and would take you back to Murghab and Kirgisia.

This a very easy road. We did it two up. Lots it is brand new pavement. The run along the Panj is good gravel (from a new road the Iranians are building and last bit to the intersection with the Pamir is a new Chinese road (which Colebatch mentions on Sibersky extreme). It is no longer the 'extreme' road he describes, unfortunately.

3 days ago I could not go south on the 41 towards Khorog (see post 21). Where the road splits there is a police post and I could not even go a km south.

4 days ago I ran into some german bicyclist who tried the Kulob route and they were stopped a few km past the point where the road joins the border.

FWIW,

KP

Still in Dushanbe today. Spoken to two cyclists who have both been to the GBAO office. They will restart issuing permits as of Tuesday and have said to the cyclists they can then head to the pamir highway.

We will see. There is also a typhoid outbreak in khorog now.