Here’s part 2 of our amazing journey along the Wakhan Valley in Tajikistan where we explored impressive ancient castle ruins, fortress and soaked in natural hot springs. In case you missed part 1 where we cruised along the Pamir highway and experienced the coldest place (-38°C) in Tajikistan and explored ancient rock engravings left behind by people in the early centuries.
Langar to Ishkashim – Yamchun Fort
Yamchun Fort is one of Wakhan Valley’s most impressive castle ruins where part of its walls and round watchtowers still exist. As we walked through the rumbles, it almost felt like we were transported back into time! It was fun imagining what went on here in the castle back in the 12th century. We were happily choosing our “rooms” and guessing which was the kitchen, the torture chamber, the grand hall, etc.


Langar to Ishkashim – Bibi Fatima Springs
We were really looking forward to this hot spring as we’ve not had a hot shower for almost 3 days already! There’s a separate hot spring for both men and women. According to Daniel, his hot spring was sort of outdoor and there was even a “cave” where he could crawl in and stand fully with the water level reaching up to his shoulders! This natural hot spring was named after the Prophet Mohammed’s daughter and apparently the local women believe that by visiting the womblike calcite formations, it’ll help boost their fertility! Unfortunately for the female’s hot spring, the water level was pathetically low! It only measured up to our ankles! How to soak like that 🙁 My guide said that it’s not like that during summer and it’s probably because it’s low peak now and they’re using this period to clean the pool. But at least there was a nice strong gush of hot water from a pipe near the top of the room which left me more than satisfied 🙂
Tip: Leave your valuables in the car. There are no locker facilities at the hot spring and a lot of locals frequent this place and it might not be safe to just leave your valuables unattended on the bench outside the hot spring.

Langar to Ishkashim – Khaakha Fortress
This fortress was built way back in the 3rd century BC and has since been reused by many civilisations. Not too bad, still worth a stop, but not as impressive as the grandiose Yamchun Fort which was much larger in scale and had more remains left.
Ishkashim to Khorog – Garam Chashma Hot Spring
This was the second natural hot spring that we went during this tour and both hot springs left us with a different experience. For Garam Chashma, the hot spring for the guys was in the open while for women, it was inside a room. This time round for the girls, the hot spring’s water level was much higher and we could enjoy it properly while sitting down on the steps inside the pool (unlike the Bibi Fatima hot spring where the water only reached up to our ankles!).


Overall we had a really enjoyable time travelling the Pamir Highway and Wakhan Valley and it’s definitely recommended if you’re planning to travel to Tajikistan too! Apart from the attractions, the drive itself was also picturesque and Daniel requested to stop the car almost every 30 minutes to take a snapshot of the stunning scenery. That’s one benefit of having your own private taxi, you have the liberty to stop anytime you wish to have a photo taken.
Essential Information
Tour Company: Pamir Offroad Adventure Tours
We highly recommend Pamir Off Road Adventures as they were very professional and responded promptly to our emails. They provided us with a skilled driver, Musa, and guide (his wife), Nadezhda who spoke fluent english, and a solid 4X4 jeep! Trust me, the jeep’s one of the most important factor to consider when travelling the Pamir Highway! The price that we paid was actually for the driver only, and it was a bonus to have a knowledgeable english speaking guide to join us for this tour 🙂 Throughout the 5 days, they were very attentive to our needs and ensured that we were always kept warm and comfortable at night in the different guesthouses. We were exceptionally pleased when on the very last day, both Musa and Nadezhda sent us to the market at Khoroq to negotiate a very cheap price for a taxi to send us to Dushanbe. This was an extra value added service which we really appreciated. Overall we were very satisfied with their excellent service!
Contact Information: Januzak (Director), 900577888, janpamtour@gmail.com
great post! Im planning a trip to Tajikistan myself in Oct-Nov. did you feel any political instability/ terrorist concerns while you were there?
Hey Christina!
Glad you found our post helpful!
We found Tajikistan really safe, in fact the whole of Central Asia was really safe. There wasn’t any kind of unsafe issues when we were there. The only thing we encountered in Tajikistan was that our taxi driver had to be stopped quite often along the roads because of ‘fees’, and he was very irritated because it happened really really often, (and this happened only in Tajikistan) But then, we as tourist were not affected, just the delays. We have a overall guide for Central Asia here if you’re interested! https://sunriseodyssey.com/sunrise-odysseys-guide-to-travelling-central-asia
Wow! Im really amazed that you guys did a trek across Central Asia. I probably only have 2-3 weeks on my own adventure though. was thinking Tajikistan at first but now it all seems beautiful. Is there a particular area you guys highly recommend for a 2-3 week period? (looking for the less ‘touristy’, more off the beaten track areas to discover:)) PS I may be missing the date that you guys went to Central Asia. could you enlighten me on that? Cheers!
Hey Christina, yeah Central Asia was part of our 9 months footprints across asia travel! We spent almost 3-4 months in the whole of Central Asia 🙂 We were there from October 14 to Jan 15.
It depends on what your interests are actually…The least touristy and off the beaten route would definitely be Tajikistan…where the bulk of our travel there was moving from villages to villages, no wifi, unstable electricity…but otherwise, almost zero tourists (but also cos we were there during winter) and super beautiful! The scenery is stunning and most of the time you’ll find yourself being surrounded in midst of nature.
But if you’re into historic buildings and amazing architecture, then you’ll definitely love Uzbekistan. the architecture of their mosques are seriously out of this world! (https://sunriseodyssey.com/samarkand-heart-great-silk-road and https://sunriseodyssey.com/bukhara-holiest-city-central-asia) You would probably need around 2 weeks to cover the main sights of Uzbekistan (Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva) Uzbek is definitely more on the touristy side though…
Kyrgyzstan is more of nature and a lot of trekking and even skiing. We particularly enjoyed our time at Arslanbob village. If you’re planning to head there, look for Hyat! Kyrgyzstan also has a Community Based Tourism (CBT) which can help you plan your activities or treks in Kyrgyzstan! (https://sunriseodyssey.com/unique-things-arslanbob-kyrgyzstan-winter, https://sunriseodyssey.com/part-1-trekking-worlds-dangerous-road-altyn-arashan-bumping-unexpected-visitors, https://sunriseodyssey.com/skiing-and-snowboarding-in-central-asia)
Turkmenistan is only worth going for its “Gates of Hell” gas crater..But turkmenistan’s a very expensive country…you probably just need 3-4 days here only….https://sunriseodyssey.com/darvasa-gas-crater-gates-hell-turkmenistan
The only stan that we would perhaps recommend to omit is Kazakhstan, which was quite expensive and not that much to see actually…
Hope our info’s useful to you! 🙂
Thank you so much for your detailed insights!! your posts on your adventures are really inspiring:) and your info puts my mind at ease as initially I was weary of travelling to Central Asia solo as friends and family keeps telling me it is riddled with political instability and terrorist. I will continue my trek to Tajikistan! Im really drawn to the Fann mountains:) I will check out the Pamir Offroad Adventure Tours you guys recommended. Im really glad I found your post:) have great fun and experiences on the rest of your journey!
Cheers!:)
Hey guys – Great blog.
I’m looking at heading to the Tajik Wakhan area as well soon, and was wondering if you considered the excursion into Afghan Wakhan via Ishkaskim at all? If you didn’t, was it due to security concerns?
Also, what range is the lens on the landscape photos you’ve taken in this entry pls?
Thanks!
Amy
Hey Amy,
For us, it was a combination of security issues, border consideration and visa difficulties.
Oh we were using Canon’s 16-35mm 🙂
Daniel