Bartang Valley

Whether you’re looking for an alternative or an add-on to the Pamir Highway, the Bartang Valley will surely not disappoint. Long a secret favorite among cyclists, trekkers, culture and language aficionados, and those looking to get off the already far-flung beaten path in the Pamir the Bartang Valley will offer up something of interest for almost any traveler.

You’ll find the Bartangi dialect spoken in the villages that dot the Bartang Valley, a language similar to Shughni but markedly different from the Tajik spoken out west. Each village in the valley can even have its accent compared to the next. Bartangi people are some of the friendliest you’ll meet in the Pamir, so don’t surprised to receive a lesson in basic Bartangi upon making a new friend.

The Bartang Valley is best enjoyed from mid-July through early November when the Bartang Highway is at its most allowable. Before mid-July, it’s not uncommon for the roadway to be cut off intermittently owing to spring rains and meltwater coming down out of the Pamir.