The Bartang Valley
We had made good headway along The Pamir Highway and were fortunate enough to have time for a detour into the hidden Bartang Valley. It is a less trodden route and veers away from the Panj River and up one of its tributaries. Moving away from the river, the infrastructure is simpler but the tranquility and the access to the tributary and the incredible surrounding mountains give the Bartang Valley a magic all of its own.
We left the 4WD close to the crossing over the suspension bridge. The hike to Jizew is only a little more than a couple of hours and the scenery is magnificent. At points the narrow tributary seems to rage despite appearing shallow. Clusters of trees gave us a moment’s shade to snack, drink, and rest.
A couple of days into the trip and I was beginning to gain back a bit of strength. I’m sure that hiking surrounded by the exhilarating Bartang Valley helped the adrenaline to kick in and make it that much easier.
We stayed at a homestead, and several other travellers had joined us. The homestead was made up of a series of small and spartan stone buildings. There were obviously more guests than expected, and some of the family generously gave up their rooms to accommodate us. There are two lakes close to the homestead. The first is smaller, shallow and tucked in among the sparse greenery of the Jizew Valley. The views form the second lake are stark and impressive.
