On the Pamir Highway: Murghab, the easternmost town in Tajikistan

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Pamir Highway is one of the most epic routes on Earth, revealing fantastic landscapes where you can feel like you are traveling on another planet. On this route, you can see vast barren spaces under the deep blue sky, turquoise lakes, icy mountain peaks, and unique local culture, scattered in only several small settlements. One of these settlements is Murghab, the easternmost town in Tajikistan, far from the rest of civilization.

About Murghab

This is one of those settlements located “at the end of the world”, in a harsh environment, remote, like a local closed society “in the middle of nowhere”. In fact, it looks more like a large village with white one-storey houses. If there aren’t a few governmental buildings that look newer and higher than the rest of the houses, you can’t feel that it is a “town”. The only thing that connects Murghab with the rest of the world is the passing Pamir Highway and the road to China.

Some geography

The town of Murghab is located in the valley of the Murghab River which originates from the border with Afghanistan and flows into the Sarez Lake, then to the Bartang River which joins the Panj River. The altitude of the town is around 3600 m. Many other side valleys, smaller rivers, and streams join the main river.

Murghab is surrounded by the harsh nature of the Pamir Mountains. The ridges around the valley of the Murghab River reach 5000 m and above. They are rugged, almost constantly covered in snow above 4800 m, and with almost no vegetation. There is some thin grass coverage here and there but the whole landscape is mostly stony.
Nevertheless, local people still have found a reason to settle here.

Local people

Most of the locals are Kyrgyz, and the rest are Pamiri Tajiks. You can easily recognize them- Kyrgyz have more Eastern Asian faces while Tajiks look more European. But all of them live in peace and harmony, in their small closed society.

These people have chosen this spot since ancient times. First, they established nomadic settlements in the area, then a constant village. At the end of the 19th century, the Russians established a military outpost, and the modern Murghab was constructed during the Soviet era, as an important stop on the Pamir Highway.

Pamir Highway

Pamir Highway is a road built by the Russians, more than a century ago. Its last version was gradually determined and called M-41 during the Soviet times. Today, this road has a different numeration and only a part of the former M-41 is named “Pamir Highway”- from Dushanbe, Tajikistan to Osh, Kyrgyzstan. Pamir Highway has two alternative versions but all of them join in one between a point called Razlivka (about 23 km west of Alichur) and Osh.

So, Murghab is one of the important stops on the Pamir Highway. The road was paved about 80 years ago and currently, its pavement is in bad condition, forcing drivers to make alternative dirt roads beside the main road.
But it can’t stop travelers from having adventure experience on the Pamir Highway, on the contrary, the bad road even adds to the adventures. And most importantly, the landscapes of the strait, endless, and empty road “in the middle of nowhere” are really spectacular. In fact, you don’t go to Murghab with a special purpose to visit it like a specific destination, but you go traveling with a focus on the Pamir Highway and Murghab is only one of its epic stops.

What to do in and around Murghab

Murghab is not a place with specific “points of interest” like most “normal” tourist destinations. There is nothing special to visit in the town, but the town itself is one big “point of interest”. And when we talk about Murghab, we don’t mean only the town but also its surroundings, and they are really fantastic.

Normally, you would not arrange a special trip to Murghab only but you would arrange a journey on the Pamir Highway or the road to China through Qulma Pass, and Murghab would be only one of its stops. But don’t be in a hurry to skip it. Stay at least one or two nights because there are still some things you can do in the town and around it. Let’s see some ideas below.

Spend some time with locals in the town

The whole town of Murghab is like a “museum of authenticity”. It is a remote and silent place. Sometimes, you can hear a passing car or a truck, you can see a flock of sheep, children playing between the houses, or scarce locals walking here and there.

You can just walk on the two “main streets”- the road to Qulma Pass or the Pamir Highway, and the small streets (most of them unpaved) between the houses. The government buildings are mostly beside the Pamir Highway, and the market area, beside the lower road to Qulma Pass.

But when I mention markets, don’t expect bustling open-air stalls full of people. The main market of the town consists of small shops in containers. Another place that can be called a “point of interest” is the nearby Murghab Mosque, located on a grassland beside the town.

And all of this is surrounded by a stunning wilderness of rugged alpine mountains, a temptation for adventurous hikers.

Hike to the nearby summits

Several ridges rise around Murghab, separated by alpine valleys. The nearest and the highest one is located right west of Murghab (it is called Pshart Ridge, with Mt Kayazen- 5389 m as its highest point), and it is easy to go out of your guesthouse and just start ascending on its slopes- on a small valley or a ridge, without a trail.

But be careful because it gets steeper and stonier, and stone falls are not impossible, especially if you get caught by a thunderstorm (something really dangerous!). Anyway, there is a small trail that is safer and it can lead you to the summit.

The other ridges are lower and easier but not less beautiful. They are just farther from the town and you have to walk more or get some local transport to reach them. Btw, if you look eastward from some of the heights, and if the weather is clear, you can see Mt. Muztagh Ata (7509 m) in nearby China, the second-highest peak in the Pamir Mountains!

Look for snow leopards in the new Snow Leopard Sanctuary

The snow leopard is an amazing and beautiful animal. It lives in the mountains of Central Asia, including the mountains around Murghab. However, today it is rare and endangered. It is shy, it keeps itself far from people (there aren’t records of people attacked by snow leopards), and the chance to see it is extremely small.

However, there is a new sanctuary, a breeding center for snow leopards located southwest of Murghab. It opened in 2023 and you can see small snow leopard cats and enjoy them. The purpose of the sanctuary is to protect this beautiful species and to educate visitors about its nature.

You can easily reach the sanctuary by local taxi. It is located beside the Pamir Highway, about 10 km in the Alichur-Khorog direction.

Enjoy the beauty of the nearby Pshart Valley

The ridges rising around Murghab are separated by picturesque valleys, covered by scarce wild alpine tundra. During summer, local shepherds establish their yurts in the valleys and live in full solitude and serenity. Everything is silent and extremely remote.

The most beautiful of these valleys is Pshart Valley. It is a double valley, with western and eastern parts, where the rivers (actually, mountain streams) Western Pshart and Eastern Pshart flow. The valley is separated by a low pass, called Ak-Tash Pass (4325 m) and a trail follows it from end to end.

You can easily reach Pshart Valley from Murghab. Just walk (or better, use local transport) on the Pamir Highway in Lake Karakul direction and behind an ark over the road turn left on a dirt road (5 km from Murghab). This road (actually, just a trail) follows the valley on its whole length (90 km) westward until the junction with the Murghab River.

Make Gumbezkul Pass trek to Madiyan Valley

This is the best trek you can do around Murghab. Gumbezkul Pass (4731 m) is one of the passes across the Pshart Ridge and there is a trail connecting the Pshart Valley in the north with the Madiyan Valley in the south.

The whole circle from Murghab through Pshart, Gumbezkul Pass, and Madiyan is about 55 km long but you can cut a large part of it if you use a local 4WD transport. The actual trail is only 13 km and it doesn’t involve walking along the Eastern Pshart and Madiyan rivers. There are two yurt camps located at both ends of the trail and you can spend the night there or arrange a transport to the first yurt camp, and another transport from the second yurt camp.

In this way, you can make the trail within one day. It is recommendable to make it from north to south due to a stone fall zone on the southern slope of the pass (when you come from the north, you will descend there and pass it more quickly). Be also prepared for some spots of snow on the northern slope of the ridge.

Visit Shorkul and Rangkul lakes

This is another one-day activity you can do while you stay in Murghab. Shorkul and Rangkul are impressive alpine lakes, located in the wide valley of Uzyukdarya River, northeast of Murghab. This valley joins Southern Ak-Baital Valley in the southwest, and then- the Murghab River valley. Uzyukdarya flows into Rangkul Lake, and then reaches the Shorkul Lake and stops there- beyond Shorkul, the valley is “riverless” with small wetlands only.

Shorkul and Rangkul Lakes are located very close to the border with China. From the 26th km of the Pamir Highway in the Lake Karakul direction, a road starts to the northeast and after 13 km reaches Shorkul Lake. Another 11 km further is Rangkul Lake, and beyond that- the small Rangkul village, only 4 km from the border.

There is a spectacular rock formation with a cave at the shores of Shorkul Lake, called Charyktash. It is known as a “stone lamp” (and it is what its name means) due to the mysterious moonlight reflections during a cloudless full moon night. The whole area is included in the Rangkul Valley Important Bird Area.

You can visit the lakes in one day by joining a local tour from Murghab, or you can go there independently by your own vehicle, by shared or passing taxi, or by hitchhiking (if your time is flexible). There are a few guesthouses in Rangkul village, so you can do it in two days.

Explore the ancient cave paintings in Shakhty

This mysterious spot is located in the south-southwest of Murghab, in the valley of Karauldyk Dala River. Shakhty is a cave located on the slope of the valley at 4000 m altitude. It is the best prehistoric site with paintings in Central Asia. It’s amazing how the prehistoric people have chosen this harsh and remote area to settle there and paint on the wall of the cave.

You can arrange a day tour to Shakthy from Murghab (ask your guesthouse or hotel host for that) or you can visit it independently if you have proper transport or find such a transport. To reach the site, you have to travel on the Pamir Highway in the Alichur direction to the 31st km. From there, you have to turn left on a dirt road for about 5 km, and then another 4 km on a trail. If the vehicle is enough strong, you can reach the site by it, otherwise better stop earlier and proceed on foot.

How to reach Murghab

Today, Murghab is not too difficult to reach because it is located on the Pamir Highway- a popular traveler’s route and the only on-land connection between Tajikistan and China, and the only road connecting Tajikistan with China.

And in general, you would visit Murghab as a part of your Pamir Highway or Tajikistan to China (or vice versa) trip.
Many travelers arrange their journey on the Pamir Highway (or Tajikistan-China route) by their own vehicles- a car, a caravan, a motorcycle, or a bicycle. Or they join an organized tour. All of them do it from Dushanbe to Osh, or Dushanbe to Tashkurgan (China), or vice versa.

But some travelers don’t have their own vehicles and don’t use organized tours. And since there is no public transport on the Pamir Highway or Tajikistan-China route, the only way to travel is by shared taxis or just hitchhiking. Normally, there are shared taxis traveling from Khorog to Murghab (through Alichur) or sometimes in the opposite direction (from Lake Karakul).

However, sometimes (as it was in my case), especially during holidays, you can’t find a shared taxi. In this case, you better ask the host of your hotel or guesthouse (in Khorog, Alichur, or Lake Karakul) to help you arrange a passing car. Actually, if you are ready to pay enough, you can easily find a car (for about 100-150$) but why would you pay “an air ticket price” when you can just find a passing car (with a bit of patience) for about 10-15$, even cheaper?

In general, finding transport from Lake Karakul is more difficult because locals seldom travel on this road. They can’t cross to or from Kyrgyzstan at the moment (the border is open only for third-country tourists), and there are only a few small villages between Murghab and the border with Kyrgyzstan. But it is still possible, with more patience. Anyway, if you try hitchhiking, be ready to be more flexible.

Where to stay in Murghab

Due to its “strategic adventurous position”, the people in Murghab have noticed the growing number of travelers, mostly on the Pamir Highway, and in recent years- on the road to and from China who were looking for a place to stay. They saw this as a good opportunity for a business that could increase the local standard of life. As a result, dozens of guesthouses, and even hotels opened in the town.

Here are the best of them:

• Pamir Hotel. The most popular hotel in Murghab among travelers. However, a bit expensive.
• Guesthouse Erali. A great guesthouse in traditional style, right at the foot of the Pshart Ridge.
• Guesthouse Aruf. Another nice guesthouse, in a strategic location (especially for hitchhikers) at the highest point of the Pamir Highway inside the town.
• Adyl Guesthouse. A good guesthouse, located inside the town, convenient if you want to get closer to local people.
• East Pamir Ecotour Guesthouse. Actually, it is a small hotel with good experts in tour arranging, located near the eastern exit of the town.

Don’t expect any luxury in Murghab (like X-star hotels, etc.). This is a totally different place, proper for adventurous travelers. The properties mentioned above (as well as some other homes that can be open for travelers) are great places to communicate with the local people and to find other travel mates.

Pamir Highway is an amazing route through a fantastic wilderness, and Murghab is one of the precious gems on it. So, don’t skip Murghab, and don’t be hurry to leave it quickly. When you plan your Pamir Highway journey, consider some time in this town “at the end of the world”, because it is one of the highlights of this epic route.

Take a look at the videos about the road to Murghab below: 

Check some travel books about Tajikistan and Pamir:

    

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