This is a key point on the Pamir Highway– a town, well-known for the travelers that go for adventures on this epic route. They use it as an important hub, a place to recharge their supplies (food, water), as a starting point for their further travel on the Pamir Mountains, or just for relaxation. So, here is the question: When you plan your Pamir Highway itinerary, how long should you plan to stay in Khorog? What can you do there? Is it worth staying long, or is it a miss if you leave too fast? Let’s get into detail.
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About Khorog
Khorog is a town, established in the deep canyon of the Panj River, at the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan, where the rivers Gunt and Panj join together, at about 2080 m altitude. Gunt River also flows on a bottom of a canyon. Thus, the two canyons join in a T-shape, surrounded by extremely steep mountains with alpine peaks, reaching more than 4000 m altitude. This terrain forms magnificent and spectacular mountain landscapes and Khorog is built inside them.
Khorog is not an ancient town, although small local villages have existed for centuries. It gradually formed as a town only about 150-200 years ago. In 1896, the town entirely became a Russian possession, and the Russians built a fort. 29 years later, during the Soviet period, Khorog became the capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, and it remains as such until today.
So, there aren’t any ancient fortresses, “old towns”, or other cultural or historical sites in Khorog. But it doesn’t mean that there is nothing interesting there.
First, the surrounding landscapes are a “place to see” by themselves, and you can enjoy them everywhere, from the bottom of the canyons to some high points on the slopes of the surrounding mountains.
Then- the people and their daily life. You can meet locals, you can try their meals, go shopping in their markets, watch them relaxing and playing in the park, and if you have an opportunity, you can find local friends. This is another “place to see”. All of it makes Khorog one of those destinations where the whole environment is more interesting than some small spots here and there. But let’s describe what you can do in Khorog, anyway.
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Things to do in Khorog
You can use these ideas to plan better your stay in Khorog before you proceed further to Pamir or back to Dushanbe.
Walk around the streets of Khorog
As already mentioned, the whole town of Khorog is a place of interest by itself. So, you can explore it like a sightseeing. There is a main street (boulevard) passing through the center- this is the Pamir Highway crossing the town, north of the Gunt River. The whole town is about 5 km long and less than a kilometer wide, easily walkable on foot for about 1-2 hours.
You can walk downtown to the Central Bazaar (Central Market). Not because it is exclusively interesting as a “tourist attraction” but because this is one of the best places to dive into the local atmosphere. You can also go to the center at Mehrubon Nazarov Theater and further east to Somoni Square, then to the smaller streets of the town. And of course, try some local food.
Relax in the Central Park of Khorog
During your walk around Khorog, you should definitely visit Central Park. It is small, with an artificial pond, beautifully established at the northern bank of the Gunt River.
Don’t expect something too special- it is just a normal park. But its location and its surroundings, combined with the park itself make it a place you should visit and have a rest.
When you go to the park, you will see the local Ismaili Center. It used to be open to the public before but currently, it is closed, you can see it only from outside, behind the fence.
Visit the local Museum
Another point of interest, right beside Central Park is the Museum of Khorog. It is established on the second floor of a local government building. The museum is small, with several exhibitions, presenting the local nature, ancient artifacts from Pamir, an ethnographic part with musical instruments, and some artifacts, photos, and other items from the modern history of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region.
Although this “old-school” museum isn’t something so attractive, it still has a good educational value, if you want to dive deeper into the culture of Pamir. About 15 to 30 min are enough to explore it in detail and it is worth it.
Entrance fee: 5 TJS.
Stroll around the Botanical Garden
This is the most beautiful spot to see in Khorog. It requires planning extra time because it is located east of the town, on a ridge between the Gunt River and its tributary Shakhdara River. The terrain where the garden is established has an altitude between 2150 and 2350 m. The garden is located about 6 km east of the center.
The Botanical Garden of Khorog was made as a laboratory. The idea behind it is to test a few thousand species of trees, bush, and grass- how they grow in the environment of Pamir, in a dry climate, in a not-too-high but not-too-low elevation.
Although you can’t find too much information, the whole garden was made as a beautiful park. And all of this is surrounded by stunning views of Khorog from above.
Enjoy the Afghan Market
This is one of the most popular and attractive points of interest in Khorog. Afghanistan is a country with a special (and sensitive) popularity, established from the media and news. “Everybody knows” that going there is a “dangerous affair”. You can see Afghanistan all the way along the Panj River, but it still remains on the other side of it.
But here, in the Afghan Market, you can not only see the mountains of Afghanistan, but you can also meet people from this country, face to face, and talk with them. You can see their traditions, their attitude, and their culture. You are still in Tajikistan, but at the same time, in a piece of Afghanistan.
The problem is that the Afghan Market is open only on Saturdays. Sometimes it is temporarily closed for some reasons (political, unrest, or just bureaucratic). So, if you want to enjoy this attraction, plan a Saturday for your Khorog visit. The market itself is located northwest of the town, about 4 km on the way to Dushanbe.
Hike above the town
The easiest way to do it is by visiting the Botanical Garden, described above. You even don’t need to hike but you can go there by taxi. But hiking is a different experience, and the mountains surrounding Khorog are tempting.
However, you can easily see that the surrounding slopes are extremely steep and difficult to hike. And yes, I would not advise you to try randomly, it can be dangerous, with stone falls in some places. Instead, follow the hiking paths. There are many hiking paths that ascend above the town. They don’t go too high, only about 200-300 m in elevation but it is enough to see Khorog from a bird’s view. The paths finish there because it gets too steep to climb further.
Useful tips
That’s what Khorog looks like, and these are the most essential things to do in the town. You can do all of there within one day (if it is Saturday, to include the Afghan market) but I would recommend at least one more day, to do it more slowly, more relaxing, and to have more time to feel and experience everything better. Besides, since Khorog is a traveler’s hub, it is very likely to meet other travelers in the hotel or guesthouse where you would stay and share each other’s experiences.
How to get to Khorog
There are two ways to get to Khorog- by plane and by vehicle on the road.
Khorog Airport is a small domestic airport, connected only to Dushanbe Airport. Once a day, there is a flight between Dushanbe and Khorog, for 85$. The views from above are spectacular but you would miss the landscapes on the ground.
By far the most popular way to reach Khorog is on the road. Khorog is located at a T-shape junction, leading to Dushanbe, Alichur and Murghab, and Ishkashim (Wakhan Valley). Coming from Alichur or Ishkashim is usually a part of your Pamir Highway trip from Osh to Dushanbe, and after that, you would proceed to Dushanbe. And coming from Dushanbe means that you are at the beginning of your Pamir Highway trip.
From Dushanbe to Khorog
This is a challenging and long trip. There are two versions of the route- northern and southern. The northern route is the original Pamir Highway (M-41), passing through Obigarm and Tavildara- 532 km long. The southern route is 595 km long and passes through Kulob. Both routes join in Kalaikhum.
Nevertheless, the southern route is preferred by the shared taxis because it is of much better quality. From Dushanbe to Kalaikhum (353 km), the road is well-paved (while the northern version is mostly with old pavement, with bad quality).
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However, the rest of the road, from Kalaikhum to Khorog is horrible. It is mostly a dirt and extremely dusty road, where trucks and jeeps raise clouds of dust, with occasional potholes and bumps everywhere. This section is 242 km but the vehicle’s speed can’t exceed 35-40 km/h. As a result, you travel from Dushanbe to Kalaikhum for 5-6 hours, and from Kalaikhum to Khorog- for at least 10 hours.
They are going to pave the section between Kalaikhum and Khorog but obviously, it will need time, at least a few years, maybe more.
From Murghab and Alichur, and from the Wakhan Valley
These are the other two branches of the T-junction. The road coming from Murghab is the original Pamir Highway, and the road coming from the Wakhan Valley is its alternative, considered more attractive by many travelers.
Here the road quality is poor, with 80-year-old pavement, partially destroyed during this long time. But still, it is not as dusty and bumpy as the section between Kalaikhum and Khorog.
Once you arrive in Khorog, you can easily walk around the town, but since it is about 5-6 km long, you still will need more than an hour in one direction. If you don’t have your own vehicle, you can use local taxis and public transportation- minivans (marshrutkas). They are cheap and convenient, although the marshrutkas can be crowded sometimes.
Where to stay in Khorog
Khorog is getting popular among travelers, so there are a lot of places to stay– homestays, guesthouses, hostels, and hotels, from budget to splurge (not as luxurious as the big hotels in Dushanbe). You can easily find some of them on Booking or Agoda, but there are more properties that can be seen only on Google Maps.
Check for hotels in Khorog on Agoda!
Check for hotels in Khorog on Booking!
Good examples are Pamir Mountain Lodge (the new “Pamir Lodge”, now located in a much better point) and Hotel SiTORA among the budget properties, and Pamir Palace, Hotel Zarya, and Pamir Alibaba Hotel. Of them, Pamir Mountain Lodge is the most popular, a favorite place of adventurous travelers.
The tourist image of Khorog that is gradually forming can be felt also in the new cafes and restaurants like Café Barakat, Luni Coffee Shop, restaurant World Cuisine, restaurant Shugnan, and more.
So, although Khorog is a small town without too many special points of interest, it is a place worth staying and relaxing, at least for one night. If you arrive in Khorog on your way from Osh to Dushanbe, it would be a great place for “returning to civilization” and rewarding relaxation. And if you go from Dushanbe to Osh, Khorog can be your first inspiration before you proceed into the adventures of Pamir.
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