Pamir Highway and Wakhan corridor with own car?

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jun_fan
jun_fan

Hi everyone!

This june me and my friend are planning a road trip from Europe to Almaty by our own car. Our route goes through Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzistan and finally to Kazakhstan. My main wish for this journey is to pass Pamir highway and to visit Wakhan corridor on our own. But after doing some basic research, I am still not sure if this is possible. So I would be very grateful if you could help me answering the following questions:

  1. What's the possibility to get the GBAO permit for the vehicle (if we presume that the road will be opened at that time)?
  2. Is it possible to visit Wakhan with own vehicle?
  3. What are the road conditions usually at that time?

Thanks a lot!

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99dragons
99dragons

June should be OK for travel in Pamirs; however, the altitude may cause some problems for your auto, and I would invest in snow chains. Although the roads are asphalt they are uneven due to winter freeze thaw heaving that causes craters in the road. Not knowing the age of your auto I can only guess about its computer settings, but I don't think they will be calibrated to cope with >11,000 feet of elevation.

Also the benzene (gasoline) will not be clean, it is generally watered down, which will screw up your computer settings, your filters, and your trip. Finding skilled mechanics will be very difficult in Eastern half or Tajikistan. I drove an old 1980 mercedes turbo 300 diesel when I worked there and still had troubles with water and trash in my fuel. If buying fuel from a vendor by the side of the road, NEVER use the last liter of fuel from the container. I would advise driving a diesel engine because fuel will be easier to find. All the agricultural machines and "18 wheeled" trucks use diesel fuel.
I cannot advise you WRT the GBAO permit, nor visiting Wakhan.

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jun_fan
jun_fan

Thanky you for all the advice 99dragons! I don't have a car for the trip yet, planning to buy it in next months. At the end of the trip we will try to sell (give) the car to someone in Almaty or Bishkek (I heard it's easier to get rid of the vehicle in Kyrgyzistan). It's very difficult to find cheap diesel 4*4 in my country. So I think that at the end we will have to go for Lada Niva or Fiat Panda (10-15 years old). Is it really so difficult to find normal gasoline over there?

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travelinxs
travelinxs

The Wakhan Corridor has a pretty terrible road and is definitely 4x4 territoy. I went through on a bicycle and found myself pushing a few times because it was impossible to ride it. However, you can get more advise as you get closer and can always leave out the Wakhan if you don't have a vehicle up to it and take the more northerly Pamir Highway to bypass it.
Cheers.

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roro
roro

Hi Jun,

"It's very difficult to find cheap diesel 4*4 in my country"

I don't know what is your country; I'm French and I have a nice almost cheap Land Rover to sell which is very practical for this kind of trip: I've used it during 20 years in africa,Midle east.
If interested contact me for a lot of detailes and photos.
Now I have a new one.
RR

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