Kyzyl Art Pass- Crossing the border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan

Kyzyl Art Pass- Crossing the border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan

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This is an important point on the epic Pamir Highway, one of the most spectacular border crossings in the world. It is a place of incredible natural beauty, combined with adventures. However, there are some specific tips and details about how to cross it, and depending on how you travel on this route, you have to be prepared. So, let’s cross it: Kyzyl Art Pass.

About Kyzyl Art Pass

The mountains of Pamir consist of several large and many other small ridges. One of them is the Trans-Alay Range, a giant mountain range that forms the northern edge of Pamir. The highest point of this range is Lenin Peak (7134 m), one of the most famous 7000-ers among travelers and climbers. It stretches for 250 km from west to east and is divided into three parts- Western, Central, and Eastern. These parts are separated by two mountain passes- Ters-Agar Pass (3595 m) and Kyzyl-Art Pass (4282 m).

Kyzyl Art Pass and the Marco Polo sheep monument
Kyzyl Art Pass and the Marco Polo sheep monument

The border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan

Today, the border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan runs mostly on the main summit of the Trans-Alay Range, including Kyzyl-Art Pass. The epic Pamir Highway crosses the border between the two countries through Kyzyl-Art. As a result, this pass has become one of the most famous mountain passes and border crossings in the world for adventurous travelers.

So, Kyzyl-Art Pass is an iconic point for those who travel on the Pamir Highway, along with Khorog, Alichur, Murghab, Ak-Baital Pass, Lake Karakul, and Sary-Tash. There is an emblematic statue of a Marco Polo sheep, one of the symbols of Central Asia, erected at the pass- a point where every traveler on the Pamir Highway stops for a photo.

However, since it is a border crossing in a desolate area, you should be prepared with some important tips and info about how to cross it. Normally, your goal is to travel from Lake Karakul (Tajikistan) to Sary-Tash (Kyrgyzstan) or vice versa but how to plan this section of your itinerary?

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From Lake Karakul to Sary-Tash

This is the section on the Pamir Highway that every traveler on this route has to pass (let’s describe it from the Tajikistan-Kyrgyzstan direction). It is 98 km long and can be divided into four sections:

  • From Karakul village to the Tajikistan border checkpoint: 52 km
  • From the Tajikistan border checkpoint to Kyzyl-Art Pass: 1,5 km
  • From Kyzyl-Art Pass to Kyrgyzstan border checkpoint: 18,6 km
  • From Kyrgyzstan border checkpoint to Sary-Tash: 26,5 km

To travel on this section from end to end, you have to resolve two main problems: transportation and crossing the two border checkpoints.

Approaching the pass
Approaching the pass

Transportation

First, there is no public transport on the Pamir Highway, including the section between Lake Karakul and Sary-Tash. So, there are two ways of traveling in this section- by local transport (organized tour, shared taxi, hitchhiking, etc.) or by your own vehicle (rented or yours).

Traveling by your own vehicle

Most of this section is in bad road quality- some parts are paved (80 years ago), and other parts are dirt roads. There are several critical points where mountain streams cross the road and have formed ravines where lower vehicles can get stuck (I personally saw it) or get damaged. So, the only vehicles that can pass this section are high caravans, SUVs, motorcycles, and bicycles.

Traveling by local transport

This is limited too. Here is the problem: the border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan is currently closed to local people, and open only for third-country travelers. So, if you come from Lake Karakul by organized tour, the driver can take you only to the statue at Kyzyl-Art Pass. From there, you have to wait for another driver from the Kyrgyzstan side to take you to Sary-Tash.

And it is only for organized tours with permits. If the local driver (in Tajikistan or Kyrgyzstan) doesn’t have such a permit, he can take you only to the border checkpoint, and you have to wait for another driver on the other side of the border to pick you up from the other checkpoint. This means more than a 20 km hike (on foot) between the two border checkpoints unless you can hitchhike a passing vehicle with a free seat!

Travelers transfer from a Tajik jeep to a Kyrgyz jeep
Travelers transfer from a Tajik jeep to a Kyrgyz jeep

Hiking

This is what I did (as well as several other travelers who I met on the way). The hike is easy, especially if you come from Tajikistan because most of the time you walk downward. It is a bit boring because at some point the road seems “endless” but at least the landscape around you is fantastic all the time.

If this is your case, you have to plan a whole day of moving between Lake Karakul and Sary-Tash or vice versa, starting earlier in the morning. A local driver will take you to the border checkpoint, and then you will walk for about 5-6 hours (or more, with lunch breaks and other stops), but you don’t know whether you will find another driver beyond the second border checkpoint in the afternoon. In this case, predict an option for camping (let’s say about 500 m away from the checkpoint).

Requirements for border crossing

Besides the way of travel, you have to be ready in advance for crossing from one country to another (and they are not in the Schengen area in Europe!). For those who are eligible to cross it, the process is easy, and passing through the border checkpoints is relatively fast. But if you don’t present the required paper, you can get stuck in the first country, or even worse- in the “no-man’s land” between the two checkpoints.

To avoid such a situation, prepare before traveling in this section.

Approaching the Tajikistan border checkpoint
Approaching the Tajikistan border checkpoint

From Kyrgyzstan to Tajikistan

If you travel in this direction, first you will arrive at the Kyrgyzstan border checkpoint at Bor-Dobo. Normally, they will only check if everything with your passport is ok, and if you come from a country that requires a visa for Kyrgyzstan, they will check it. Also, if you come with your own vehicle, they will check the documents required for this vehicle.
>Then, they will stamp your passport and you can proceed into the no-man’s land to Kyzyl-Art Pass and the Tajikistan border checkpoint.

When you arrive there, you have to show your passport again, and if you need a visa for Tajikistan, it should be in your passport. Also, if you come with your own vehicle, they will check the necessary documents for it too.
But that’s not all. When you enter Tajikistan, you also enter the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO), so, you have to present a GBAO Permit! It is for everybody, no matter if you need a visa or not.

How to obtain a GBAO Permit

It can be a bit difficult, depending on which country you come from.

If you come from a country that doesn’t require a visa for Tajikistan, you have three options:

  • Go to a Tajikistan embassy/consulate that can issue a GBAO Permit. The problem is that only some Tajik embassies/consulates offer such service. For more information, check here
  • Obtain it online (but it means that you have to pay also for a visa that actually you don’t need, because you can’t apply only for a permit- hope they will correct this issue soon).
  • Contact a Kyrgyz travel company to help you obtain a GBAO Permit.

Surprisingly, if you are required an e-Visa, it is the easiest way to obtain a GBAO Permit, because you can do it at once from their website. Easy and convenient. This is a paradox in which citizens from countries that require e-Visa are better than visa-free ones!

Normally, if all the required documents are ok, you can pass through the Tajikistan border checkpoint quickly, usually for about 15 to 30 min. Then you can enjoy the majestic landscapes of Pamir on the road to Lake Karakul.

From Tajikistan to Kyrgyzstan

So, you come from Lake Karakul and reach the Tajikistan border checkpoint. You must present your valid passport, and your GBAO Permit (in this case, if you come from Dushanbe, you can easily obtain it from there, and you must bring it during the whole section of the Pamir Highway and its alternative routes within the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region), and your vehicle documents, if you travel by your own vehicle.

The procedure is usually quick and smooth. About 15 to 30 min and you are in the no-man’s land.

Then, you cross Kyzyl-Art Pass and descend all the way downward to the Kyrgyzstan border checkpoint. Here, you must present your passport and your visa, if you come from a country that requires a Kyrgyz visa, and your vehicle documents (if you travel by your own vehicle).

But that’s not all.

Approaching the Kyrgyzstan border checkpoint
Approaching the Kyrgyzstan border checkpoint at Bor-Dobo

Registration in the Kyrgyzstan Ministry of Tourism

Currently, Kyrgyzstan authorities require a registration invitation from the Kyrgyz Ministry of Tourism! You have to do it in advance, and since you come from a different country, you can do it only by contacting a Kyrgyz travel company that will arrange it for you. Normally, most of them do it for about 15-20$.

When they do it, your name appears on a list of entering foreigners in the Kyrgyzstan border checkpoint. You don’t need to show them anything, they will just check if your name is there (usually, they do it at the gate of the checkpoint). If your name is there, they open the gate, you enter inside, go to the counter, present your passport (and your vehicle documents), they stamp your passport and you are free to enjoy Kyrgyzstan.

But if your name isn’t there… Probably, you contacted the Kyrgyz travel company too late and they haven’t done it on time? Or probably you didn’t know that you have to do it and arrive completely unprepared? Not everything is lost.

In the first case, they can allow you to install your tent beside the checkpoint and wait until the confirmation arrives and your name appears on the list. If you don’t have a tent, they have a small cabin (a bit dirty, obviously used by many other travelers with such an obstacle, but still can be used) to spend the night there.

In the second case, they can help you to contact a Kyrgyz travel company to do this service for you, and if you want it quickly, you have to pay more (probably 30, or even 50$). Then, you can be allowed to enter even sooner than those from the first case scenario. But if you reject it, then they will politely tell you to back to Tajikistan (not a nice option, especially after a 20 km hike).

On the Pamir Highway in the no-man's land, Kyrgyzstan
On the Pamir Highway in the no-man’s land, Kyrgyzstan

So, to recap:

Crossing the border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan at Kyzyl-Art Pass is a stunningly beautiful adventure. But no matter how you travel on the Pamir Highway, for this section (between Lake Karakul and Sary-Tash), you need some specific plan in advance, depending on how you travel.

First, you have to prepare all the necessary documents for the two border checkpoints. Second, you have to plan your time according to the type of transportation you use. In general, if you travel by organized tour, the whole trip on this section can be passed for about 2 hours (in the best scenario), normally for 3 hours.

But if you travel independently, plan at least one whole day, and keep in mind that you don’t know whether you will find transport after the second border checkpoint (regardless of your direction).

If you prepare well, this part of your Pamir Highway adventure can be another exciting experience on this epic route.

Take a look at the videos about the Kyzyl Art Pass below: 

Check some travel books about Tajikistan and Pamir:

    

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This is a guide about how to cross the border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan through Kyzyl Art Pass, traveling on the Pamir Highway. This is a guide about how to cross the border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan through Kyzyl Art Pass, traveling on the Pamir Highway. This is a guide about how to cross the border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan through Kyzyl Art Pass, traveling on the Pamir Highway.

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