The Bactrian Trail

The Bactrian Trail

Most of the best hiking trails and routes in southern Tajikistan’s Khatlon Province have been regularly visited by the employees and volunteers of the Bokhtar-based non-profit organisation SWORDE-Teppa over the last 20 years. All information linked below is from their guides, employees, volunteers and friends of the organisation.

The long-term plan has been to map a route from near the border with Uzbekistan, heading east throughout the most interesting terrain of southern Tajikistan (i.e., Khatlon Province), and ending in the Childukhtaron mountains after a trek through Sari Khosor National Park. We’re calling it “The Bactrian Trail,“ as southern Tajikistan was part of the historical region of Bactria. We’ve hiked most of the route, with just a few very short sections and one longer section still to be scouted. Consider this route a work in progress.

UPDATE [March 2021]: We’ve taken some time to do more research on the route, and we want to make some route changes to take the trail through some newly “discovered“ scenery (new canyon and riverside routes). We also needed to make some changes to take into account the difficulties in finding water in the drier fall hiking season. Also, one section is very close to a newly built military training range, so we need to do some more exploring to find an optimum alternative route. In sum, the trail is not ready (for anyone who is not fluent in Tajik and Russian and who knows southern Tajikistan well).

UPDATE [November 2021]: Much has changed over the last year. Water is now a serious issue. If the drought of the last two years is now a permanent or regular phenomenon, then parts of this trail may no longer have enough water for the fall hiking season (meaning we may need to detour through a few villages for water re-fills). Additionally, the massive increase in gravel quarrying and gold mining has made some previously beautiful areas quite ugly. The drought has also made some areas unappealing, with some blue rivers now small muddy or algae-filled streams. All of these problems have occurred suddenly within the last two years. So again we are scouting alternate sections to avoid these areas.

UPDATE [September 2022]: The ecological situation along the trail is bleak. The weather is bizarre and unpredictable. The paranoia of local security officers has worsened. The ability to do an organized survey is just not possible at the moment due to bureaucratic obstacles. The likelihood of a complete and well-surveyed route with the necessary information (especially on the changing situation with spring water sources) is low for the near future.

We chose the route based on the following factors: ease of travel, quality of trail, natural beauty, diversity of terrain, seasonal weather, access to water, and access to villages (for food, accommodation and battery charging). We also did our best to set a route while avoiding these areas: busy car roads, formally or informally restricted zones, districts requiring a permit, areas with too large a population, military installations and training grounds, dangerous flood zones and high river crossings, ravines that are home to wild pigs, large VIP dachas/mansions and the areas nearby, gold mines, shiraikamol medicinal plant harvesting areas, over-visited tourist spots, etcetera…

For those who trek or thru-hike in Australia, the American Southwest, on the Jordan trail, Turkey, the Mediterranean, or any other warm and dry place, then there is nothing here that you will find especially difficult (aside from language difficulties). If you have never had to plan a trek around water (e.g, you’ve only every hiked in places like Scotland, British Columbia, Norway, Patagonia, Switzerland, etc.) then you will really need to carefully consider our warnings and instructions. You won’t be hiking here in the summer, but the temperature will still be warm and the water sources few.

The trail sections, from west to east:

1. Shahrtuz to Highway Crossing

2. Highway Crossing to Vakhsh Valley

3. Vakhsh Valley to Levakant

4. Levakant to Upper Vakhsh River

5. Upper Vakhsh River to Baljuvon (*not fully scouted and mapped*)

6. Baljuvon to Sari Khosor

7. Sari Khosor National Park

8. Mullokoni Waterfall to Yakhsu River

9. Yakhsu River to Childukhtaron (*not fully scouted and mapped*)

Alternate Trail Spurs:

1. Nurek

2. Khingob and Rasht Valleys

3. Hazrati Sulton (Khovaling)

4. Tavildara

5. Qalai Khumb (*not fully scouted and mapped* *GBAO permit required* *Possibly a prohibited route*)

Direction: Yes, the Bactrian Trail can be done in both directions. But it depends on time of year. See below.

Time required: A fast trekker traveling lightweight would probably take 3 to 4 weeks for the entire route.

Best time of year (west to east):

Summer: Absolutely not. To be safe, avoid early May until late September. We have gone hiking in the hotter low elevation areas in May and September, but some days can be quite hot, and you will have to drink very large amounts of water and avoid the hottest part of the day.

Spring: Yes. But bring a rain jacket. If you want to start your hike in the best part of the spring, you can leave Shahrtuz as early as March and as late as mid-May, but you can only go as far as Nurek (the end of section #3) as the sections after that to the east will have too much rain and high rivers in the spring and early summer.

Fall: Perfect weather. If you want to do the full trek and you are starting in Shahrtuz and heading east, you will need to wait until the end of September when the temperature drops.

Winter: if there is no snow in the weather forecast, you can hike from Shahrtuz to Nurek (Sections #1, #2 and #3). Bring warm clothing, and plan your trek so that you don’t camp at higher altitudes.

Best time of year: (east to west):

Mid-Summer to Fall: Start from late July until late September. Any later and you will take a chance with some snow at higher elevations. The starting elevation in the village of Childukhtaron is about 1700 meters, so it will be cooler than Dushanbe. From here the trail quickly gains elevation and the temperatures drop.

Spring? The eastern trail sections are not possible during the rainy season. You may get stuck between flooded river crossings. Winter? Too much snow.

The Bactrian Trail sections

Note: all map waypoints are best used in the OsmAnd map app (more info here on what app to use and how to use it). The trail is on the map, but only if you use the “OsmAnd Live” map (other maps using Open Street Map data will show the trail by later this year).

Bactrian Trail, main route only: Download GPX waypoint file (unavailable, currently being updated). Note that many map apps do not support GPX waypoints files, but rather only GPX tracks. We will eventually have GPS tracks available to download in GPX and KML.

The instructions below go from west to east.

1. Shahrtuz to Highway Crossing: This trek starts at Khoja Mashad for those with an appreciation for history (or at the Shahrtuz train station if you want to start in the mountains right away) and ends when you cross the main north-south highway that goes from Dushanbe to Bokhtar. The trail starts with mountainous grasslands, then moves up higher through some sparsely forested areas. The trail then descends to a plateau and some badlands. The route ends at a roadside monument on the north-south highway (no services of any type here).

Length: ??kms. Two days, longer if you start at Khoja Mashad, shorter if you have a 4x4 car drop you off where the dirt road ends in the mountains.

Low/high points: 400 meters (Shahrtuz), 1375 meters (unnamed pass below Kaypiaztau mountain). The highway crossing at the end is 540 meters.

Best time of year: March to early-May, early October until early November.

Difficulties: there is no drinkable water anywhere. This will make for a heavy backpack. The shepherds disappear after the spring, so you will have nobody to help you if you go hiking in fall or early winter. Summer is impossible due to the heat. Don’t wander south or east of the southernmost point of this trek - that will take you into border guards’ patrol areas. How long is this trek? We’ve never done this entire trek in one single trip. Our best guess is 4-5 days of trekking. But the terrain is easy, so a ultralight trekker in marathon-runner shape could likely do it in 2 nights/3 days.

2. Highway Crossing to Vakhsh Valley

…moves through eroded badlands, up higher through pistachio tree forests, up to the evergreen tree line, and then down through canyons again to the Vakhsh River. The low point of the trek is 400 meters (Shahrtuz) and the high point is in the Aktau Mountain Range at about 2030 meters.

Low/high points: 540 meters at highway crossing, 2150 on the Aktau ridge.

Difficulties: Animals to worry about: sheep guardian dogs. The wolves and hyenas here are not interested in people. As for water, the trail will in some places take a circuitous route in order to take you by springs for a water refill. [NOTE: we are yet to check all the springs in the drier fall hiking season. They may be dry. Check back for information in late 2022].

3. Vakhsh Valley to Levakant :

The walk is a mix of grassland foothills, farmland, industrial areas, fish farm ponds, and riverside rock beaches.

Low/high points: Elevation is not a factor in this section, with the low point being 400 meters on the Vakhsh River and the highpoint being about 600 meters in the grassland foothills.

The best time of year is spring or fall, as summer here is so hot that swimming is the only activity you should do between 10am and 6pm. Hiking here in winter is possible as long as you stay out of the water.

4. Levakant to Upper Vakhsh River

There used to be a riverside trail network from Levakant (Sarband) to Nurek (Norak). However, the construction of three new hydroelectric dams on the Vakhsh River put some of the trails underwater, and the roads that are newly built go across two of the dams, and passage is restricted to dam employees and local villagers (we and others have been turned away over the last decade). The area is also home to other restricted areas and facilities. So we set out to make a route that avoided all restricted and prohibited areas. It is, of course, not as direct and easy as the old riverside trail.

Addition considerations we took into account when choosing the route are the availability of water, requiring the trail to occasionally return to the river (and for you to have a water filter), as well as doing our best to select the route based on the beauty of the landscape (as opposed to prioritising the quickest possible route).

Low/high points: 450 meters (Vakhsh River by Levakant), 1500 meters (Aktau ridge). Trail section ends in the riverside village of Ghirdob (650 meters).

Best time of year: spring, until late May, and fall, starting in late September. In winter there will be snow on the Karatau Mountains.

5. Upper Vakhsh River to Baljuvon

From the village of Ghirdob you can go north to Nurek city (see above) and leave the trail, or continue east to Baljuvon. This section has not been hiked by us, but we have driven on most of the roads. This section starts with a trail, then becomes a rural mountain road before connecting to a trail over the Sanglok mountain ridge. On the other side there is a network of roads that you can mostly avoid walking on (including a short section of the main highway) if you go through the fields. You follow these fields until you are close to the Nurek reservoir, where you can camp and swim. Then the route follows an old dirt road into the mountains before turning into a sheep trail. From here we have a good idea of the short mountain route we want to do, but we have not yet been in these mountains. After going up and down a couple of ridge lines, the route goes down to the town of Baljuvon, and the next stage.

We are still mapping this area, and we will update when we finally set a route. For now, this is the rough route: Ghirdob >> Belesu >> Kalkot >> (any spot on the shore of the reservoir) >> Kulisufiyon >> Sebiston >>> (undetermined route) >> Baljuvon. Your route should go through the town of Sebiston where you can visit grocery stores to restock on food.

6. Baljuvon to Sari Khosor

We usually take a Gaz-66 truck taxi from Baljuvon to Sari Khosor. The Gaz-66 (20 Somoni per seat) crosses the Shurobdaryo/Surkhob river numerous times on the way to the village of Sari Khosor (the trip takes anywhere from 90 minutes to 3 hours depending on how many side trips and stops the driver is doing). There is a road being built on the north side of the river, and the length you can travel on a normal roads gets longer every year. But we didn’t see any potential for a trek on the north side of the river, so we chose a route on the ridges to the south of the river. It should be two full days of hiking.

The only problem on this route may be if there has been heavy rain. You will not find it easy to get across the Tira River on foot. In this case, go from Sari Mazor to Qairubak via the village of Chorbogh where there is a bridge(???).

7. Sari Khosor National Park

Most of this section takes you through Sari Khosor National Park to the Mullokoni Waterfall. All images below are from this route.

For Sari Khosor National Park, we have set a route that avoids roads as much as possible while still taking you close to some of the most well-known sights in the park. A very rough road in the bottom of the valley is the quickest and easiest, and the trail we have set adds time and difficulty, but gives a hiker a much better experience.

Best time of year to visit: late summer until early winter (mid-July to late-October). The main consideration is the rain and snow melt that raises the river levels in the spring, plus the seasonal rain at that time of year. The photo above on the top left above shows the river crossing by Dashtarho in October. In August, little children swim in the river and it is possible to easily walk across (but you do get wet unless you strip down to your underwear). The photo below is in July (near Dashtarho), when the river rose again after a couple of days of rain (the water is usually blue at this time). This is the highest river crossing you will encounter anywhere on the route during this season (July-October). Further upriver near Dashtarho the river is braided into multiple channels and is easier to cross.

And what about springtime? I would avoid Sari Khosor during this time (and early summer as well). This area is notorious for spring flooding. The video below shows an attempt at a crossing during spring.

8. Mullokoni Waterfall to Yakhsu River

After leaving Mullokoni Waterfall the route continues up the Mullokoni River - an open river area where you can pick your own route. After 2.5km you will pass by the Balancing Rocks formation and then 3km later you take a turn to the right up a side tributary river, which will probably be dry by late summer. Following this dry stream takes you into the eroded badlands and, once you cross through the 2585 meter pass, out of the Sari Khosor National Park. The trail then heads northeast - briefly out of Khatlon Province - and down a tributary stream of the Dashtikhovak River. After your brief hike in the Tavildara District of the “Regions of Republican Subordination“ (no permit required), the route turns back to the southwest and towards Khingak Pass (2490 meters). From here the trail zigzags on ridge lines as high as 2790 meters and then down to the village of Siyofark on the Yakhsu River.

9. Yakhsu River to Childukhtaron (*not fully scouted and mapped*)

We have visited this section only a couple times, and we need to collect much more information. Some of the canyons here may be very hazardous, and parts of the route are like a labyrinth. Furthermore, some areas are now closed for mining operations, so our old routes need to be heavily modified. We are still mapping here, and hopefully in 2021 we will have a safe and predictable route finalized.

DO NOT attempt to trek the unmapped area between these two sections without speaking Tajik and without a local shepherd or hunter as a guide. The geology of this area can send you down into areas you can’t get back out of. And certain gold miners may not be happy to see you hiking near their gold.

The Bactrian Trail ends in Childukhtaron, which refers to both the mountains and the village of the same name. There is a hotel and informal guesthouses in the area. From Childukhtaron it is very easy to find a taxi to the town of Muminobod, and from there a taxi to Dushanbe.

Alternate Trail Spurs

There are several spurs off of the main trail that may be used to leave the trail early, or to access the trail from alternate starting points. These were chosen with ease of transportation in mind, with some variation.

1. Nurek

2. Gharm to Khingob to Sari Khosor

3. Tavildara

4. Qalai Khumb or Yoged (*not fully scouted and mapped* *GBAO permit required* *Possibly a prohibited route*)

1. Nurek

In springtime, Nurek will be where you are starting or ending if you want to do the entire western half of the bactrian trail. If you are planning to end in Nurek after hiking from the western starting point, then the riverside village of Ghirdob on the upper Vahksh River will be where you leave the trail. From Ghirdob you continue up the river on goat/sheep trails until reaching the village of Daldakhuron. From this village you can continue on the same side of the river, or cross the footbridge to the other side. Both sides will take you to the city of Nurek, where everything you need awaits you (restaurants, hotels, onward transportation, etc.). We recommend taking a taxi for the road section between Nurek and Daldakhuron.

Spur route (OsmAnd links): Ghirdob village, Daldakhuron village, Nurek city.

From Nurek you can find a spot in a shared taxi to Dushanbe for 20-25 Somoni (I can’t recall exactly, and the price steadily rises). The drive is about 90 minutes and you get dropped off at a car station on the eastern outskirts of Dushanbe.

2. Gharm to Khingob to Sari Khosor

If it’s late summer or early fall and still hot, then you should consider hiking the eastern-most sections of the Bactrian Trail, starting in Gharm, a town in the Rasht valley. This is a good place to start, as it’s a quick, direct drive from Dushanbe.

This route includes farmland, mountain grasslands, forests, small karst sinkhole lakes, Qarokul Lake, a mountaintop view of both the Rasht and Khingob Valleys, a stop at Havzi Kabud, the “Blue Pond“ (with a cafe and accommodation), and a trip through mountain shepherd trails that take you over a ridge and into the Sari Khosor National Park. The trail ends by a couple of hotels at the Mullokoni Waterfall where you connect to the Bactria Trail.

We have not yet personally hiked the section between Mullokoni and Havzi Kabud. So we can not yet report on water availability in this section. More information coming in late 2021.

Directions: take a taxi from your hotel/hostel to the ‘Garm avtostantsiya‘ (car terminal) by the eastern gates of Dushanbe (OsmAnd, Google Maps), referred to in Russian as “vostochnaya vorota.“ Here, find a car going to Gharm (the Russian pronunciation “Garm” will work fine). A seat should cost about 100 Somoni. But don’t go all the way to Gharm. Instead, get out before the bridge over the Vakhsh River 2kms west of Gharm. The exact place to exit your taxi is about 500 meters west of the bridge (Exact location: OsmAnd).

Plan for at least four days if you don’t want to go too fast.

3. Tavildara

We don’t expect the average trekker to need/want to start or end in Tavildara. But the option is there, and the trail is very clear. Perhaps this spur is best for a person who wants to go onward to the Pamirs without going back to Dushanbe, and sees a taxi ride from Tavildara to Qalaikhumb (the Dushanbe-Khorugh halfway point) as progress towards getting to Khorugh.

Tavildara has a hotel, a homestay, restaurants and plenty of taxi drivers headed to Dushanbe. From a Tavildara-Qalai Khumb driver will take much more effort and money.

4. Qalai Khumb or Yoged (possible future spur)

This section is not fully scouted (but we have mapped the mining roads and shepherd trails in the area). Also, a GBAO permit is required, and we do not know if it is permitted to hike through the mountains to Qalai Khumb, as opposed to how every other tourist travels on the main road and gets their permit stamped and their name registered. The reverse is also likely a problem, leaving you with a GBAO entry stamp, but not an exit stamp. So consider this possibly a prohibited route.

Practical information

Accommodation: Your tent. But hotels and guesthouses are available along the main route in Shahrtuz, Levakant, Baljuvon, Sari Khosor, Mullokoni and Childukhtaron. None of these places are likely to speak any English at all, wifi is non-existent in most places, and you will likely be the first foreigner they meet who is not an NGO employee traveling with locals. See section descriptions for more information.

Food: No section is too long between village grocery stores and bazaars for you to run out of food. We never bothered to add bazaars and grocery stores to the map, as we are all Tajik-speakers and have no problems finding them (or a village bread-seller in the very small villages). But we do plan to re-visit the entire route and collect this sort of information to make it easier and quicker for the traveler to make plans and buy food.

Water: This is occasionally a problem. You will need to carry extra bottles in some sections, and a water filter or disinfectant tablets are needed for some sections. Elsewhere we will need to retrace our steps to get exact locations on the good springs (many are not on the trail, but rather nearby). So until we re-scout the route with the goal of mapping the springs, you will need to carry extra water. If you get desperate, just wander into a village and wave your empty water bottle. The local people will help you out.

Battery and navigation: You need to regularly check your position on your phone, as the trails often fork, and in some locations you will be moving over open terrain from one point to another. Plus you will be taking photos. Buy an extra large external battery pack to charge your phone. Hotel stops may be required to charge your batteries. This can be avoided, of course, if you have a battery-efficient, dedicated GPS device (Garmin, etc.) that can download Open Street Map data.

Paper maps?: You can find old Soviet topographical maps down to the 1:100,000 scale for Khatlon. Much of the information on these maps is out of date (and not in English). But a bigger problem is that the terrain in the south is not dramatic enough to navigate with a 1:100,000 map. We do plan to draw the trail on these maps and make them available for printing, but you will still need to use a map app on your phone to assist with navigation. There is also a 1:500,000 map of southern Tajikistan, available for sale several places online.

Downloadable guide: We plan to make all the information on this page, plus much more navigation instructions and practical info (transportation to and from the trailheads, buying food, etc.) available as a PDF document that you can print and take with you (to save you from reading on your phone and wasting your battery).