As the road doubles back beside a small mountain stream there are brief but impressive glimpses of two iconic peaks. At over 6000m a piece, Engels (6510m) and Karl Marx (6723m) appear to pierce the sky above a corrugated ridge of mountains in the middle distance. The drive into a cleft valley frames more views of Marx, but for a further glimpse of the glaciers of Engels, it's worth casting an eye in the rear-view mirror.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
28.77 MILES
This 12th-century fort is the most impressive of the Wakhan Valley's many tumbledown castle ruins, complete with multiple walls and round watchtowers. The…
28.73 MILES
Rock faces on the steep slopes above Langar are inscribed with over 6000 ancient petroglyphs. Climbing to see them is hard work in the high altitude and…
27.6 MILES
Some 500m off the main road in Yamg (Ямг) is the reconstructed house museum of Sufi mystic, astronomer and musician Mubarak Kadam Wakhani (1843–1903). One…
28.99 MILES
By the bridge, across the main road from the village jamoat khana (prayer house; easily recognisable by its colourful murals decorating the window frames)…
23.64 MILES
The potholed Koi-Tezek Pass (4272m) leads into lunar-like, high-altitude desert scenery to the east, framed by a series of snowy if relatively…
17.74 MILES
In the village of Sezhd (Km71), a tough, easily missed 4WD track spirals up and over a dusty ridge finally petering out after 6km in the green, very…
28.67 MILES
Around 10km from Langar, on a promontory fortified for at least 2300 years, these minimal castle ruins are signposted off the main Wakhan road. A path of…
27.7 MILES
At Zong, 5km west of Langar, this fortress was built to guard a branch of the Silk Road from Chinese and Afghan invaders. The fortress ruins, while not…
Nearby The Pamir Highway attractions
4.68 MILES
This 8th-century Shashbuvad Fort is easily missed as it resembles an unfinished local house but it makes a necessary leg-stretch on this long and rough…
17.74 MILES
In the village of Sezhd (Km71), a tough, easily missed 4WD track spirals up and over a dusty ridge finally petering out after 6km in the green, very…
18.53 MILES
These springs lie alongside the Pamir Hwy in Jelondy. A Soviet-era hotel offers basic accommodation and a spa of sorts.
23.64 MILES
The potholed Koi-Tezek Pass (4272m) leads into lunar-like, high-altitude desert scenery to the east, framed by a series of snowy if relatively…
24.81 MILES
This impressive canyon can be glimpsed from the roadside but it's best getting out of the vehicle to appreciate it properly. A 30-second walk from the…
25.86 MILES
Close to Yamchun, on an obvious salt-bleached patch of mountainside directly behind the hamlet of Vrang (Вранг), is a five-level stone monument claimed to…
27.6 MILES
Some 500m off the main road in Yamg (Ямг) is the reconstructed house museum of Sufi mystic, astronomer and musician Mubarak Kadam Wakhani (1843–1903). One…
27.7 MILES
At Zong, 5km west of Langar, this fortress was built to guard a branch of the Silk Road from Chinese and Afghan invaders. The fortress ruins, while not…