Road conditions bartang valley
 

Hallo, me and a friend are going to Ride the bartang valley this August? Can anyone tell me if The final week of August is a good time? I suposse that The water stream will be lower than in june or july, for example

Sorry, but my english Is al bad

Another question: it is easy to find a place to sleep in the plateau?

It's all about luck. I was there in august 2017, and water was very high because of high temperatures (and a heavy snowfall winter). We could not pass going from Rushan upstream.
Maybe in june temperatures are lower

Hi, Last August I met an italian rider who just went thru the Bartang Valley and he explained us that it was the hardest thing ever. BUT, he was riding an old Transalp, with a lot of luggage. So I guess, it's about luck, yes... but also about the bike you ride.

I know about the bartang valley only from this video, it looks kind of like fun....

https://youtu.be/Z4FhyMtrha8

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Hola Alberto,

I have been in the Bartang valley in 2019 in August and it was an amazing experience. The road condition is as bad as advertised! The faster you drive, the smoother it gets(until you hit a large pothole that completely shatters your spine) :)

The Wakan valley is also a fun challenging drive, little to no tarmac and many potholes to drive you crazy and impatient to finish the stretch of road(I would recommend 2 days to complete it)!

If you enter from Uzbekistan via Panjakent(the road is open although Google Maps say it isn't) don't miss-out on the 7 lakes and Iskanderkul lake. A fun road and some of the most handsome lakes I ever saw.

Seven Lakes
Tajikistan
39.104960, 67.857674
Google maps does not have show a road to here but the OsmAnd app is a better alternative.

Enjoy your trip!

Just a question as we will be visiting the area next year from the Mongolian side, Bartang or Wakan valley if you had to chose. Both on big KTM's but we can ride... sort off.

If you're coming from the Mongolian side, then presumably you'll be coming from Kygrz and so the Sary Tash border crossing with Tajik?

If so then, unless you're tight on time, the two aren't mutually exclusive - you could head to the Wakhan via Murghab from Sary Tash, and, riding the route to Khorog, then go on to Bartang from there.

I didn't ride Bartang when I was last near there five years ago, but was planning to do so this year before COVID hit.

However I did ride the Wakhan - there were quite a bit of deep sandy tracks to start off with as you head south off the main M40, but once you make the Afghan border and start heading west it 'improves' to either tarmac, knackered old Soviet road or dirt/gravel tracks. Watch out the drainage gutters - they're big! As in 'hit one at 70kph and pop a front tyre', kind of big.

Ed