5 Days Hiking Alone in the Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan (Jelondy-Javshangoz-Vrang)

5 days and 82 km trek through the Pamir Mountains in Tajikistan, starting from Jelondy, in the Gunt Valley (M41) and finishing in Vrang, in the Wakhan Valley. The trek was completed in early August. Crampons were not needed on Vrang pass.
02:00 Jelondy village: a 4 hour shared taxi ride from Khorog. Taxis are leaving almost every day.
02:58 Day 1: 17 km with 900 meters elevation gain
04:08 Turumtaikul Pass
05:33 First night camping, a few km past a shepherd's hut while approaching the small pass. Camping is possible almost anywhere in this valley.
06:30 Day 2: 16 km with 100 meters elevation gain
08:03 Javshangoz village
08:49 Day 3: 22 km with 1,250 meters elevation gain
10:30 Camping on the 3rd night, before the approach to Vrang Pass
11:10 Day 4: 15 km with 600 meters elevation gain. In spite of the short distance, this may have been the most difficult day. I was checking my map often on the approach to the pass, and the descent from the pass involved multiple river crossings and plenty of loose scree.
11:50 Vrang Pass: it looked intimidating from a distance, but the actual glacier crossing was straightforward with no need for crampons.
13:04 Camping on the 4th night near an abandoned shepherd's hut (3,900 meters). There are very few places to camp in this valley, and this probably was the last good spot.
13:52 Day 5: 12 km with 200 meters elevation gain
Alltrails Map:
www.alltrails.com/explore/map...
www.alltrails.com/explore/map...
Pamir trekking guidebook:
www.amazon.com/Trekking-Tajik...
Instagram:
/ david_p_fancsali
Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!)
#silentfilm #solohiking #tajikistan

[@Travel_Nest]

Wow wonderful

[@diyorjonnasriddinov]

that's the fantastic video

[@dario8220]

based

[@someanimation6807]

My grandpa was born in Javshonkooz( in kyrgyz language means jewel eye)

[@davidfancsali]

Thank you! It's a beautiful place and I'm happy that I had the chance to visit.

[@JungBokLee]

fantastic video..thank you ~~....will help my backpacking in May June...

[@paulscheeder7203]

Hi David, great video and tour you have chosen! Planning to do the same in July this year, but starting at Duzakhdara, similar to the official Pamir trail (lets hope that the Vrang pass has little snow and is passable. Another question, what drone and water filitering system do you use on your trips?

[@davidfancsali]

Thank you! The Vrang Pass certainly looked intimidating on the approach, but when I arrived at the glacier the route was much more mild than I expected. The descent, however, was much more treacherous. The entire walk down to Vrang, in fact, was slow and tedious.

[@davidfancsali]

The drone is a DJI mini 2. I know there are some newer models out now, but this thing has been flying for several years without any problems. The filter is a Sawyer Mini, I think. Again, it's so old that I don't remember the exact model. I haven't had any stomach issues on the trail though so I can't complain about it.

[@KhurshidsChannel]

Amazing video. Thanks for sharing. subbed & 👍69

[@davidfancsali]

Thank you Khurshid! Very much appreciated!

[@user-se4fg1qw9r]

The trek looks amazing, the video is really beautiful ! 😍 Congrats !

[@juliusbicasan1427]

Wow nice view❤❤❤

[@carloslosa8850]

Completely speechless!!

[@chinaman171186]

Wow!!! So good.

[@NoZZram]

So you were as close to Afghanistan as a US Citizen can get 😄 Stunning and calming. ❤

[@davidfancsali]

Thanks! Yeah, we spent several hours along the Tajik/Afghan border during the long car ride to Khorog, and sometimes you're less than 100 meters from the villages on the other side. It used to be possible to get a visa in the region and enter Afghanistan by land, but I have no idea if that's the case anymore.

[@sylviabicasan7863]

Amazing, hope to go there someday

[@hakimakhmedov8670]

👍

[@dondraper3871]

Hi David. Congrats. Superb video. I am planning on doing this section of the Pamir trail using Pamir trail website to prepare but was wondering: - How tricky was the descent to Vrang? I have read it's a steep, hard and risky slope - Any advice on logistics re transport from/to the trail? Thank you and a happy new year full of hiking

[@davidfancsali]

Thank you! The descent to Vrang was a huge pain. I wouldn't say dangerous, but lots of loose scree and river crossings. It took a really long time to cover the short distance. If you're starting from Jelondy, it was pretty easy to get there from Khorog. There should be shared taxis going that direction almost every day. It took around 4 hours to get there from Khorog. Getting back from Vrang was more difficult though. I spent lots of time waiting by the road and negotiating with drivers.

[@dondraper3871]

@@davidfancsali thanks a lot. This is much appreciated.

[@kamilkamil1852]

Amazing View.. What Kind of tent is this?

[@davidfancsali]

Thank you! The tent is Black Diamond First Light. It's a 4 season tent, which isn't really necessary for a hike like this, but it's fairly lightweight (1,200 grams) and also useful for mountaineering.

[@bzkdnb]

How about wolves? Any infos about them? Im planing to camping in no mans land between TJ and KRG borders

[@davidfancsali]

I have no idea about wolves, but there was a recent bear attack in the region that I trekked (it was in a valley near Javshangoz), so do take care out there, especially away from the villages. And best of luck!

[@bzkdnb]

@@davidfancsali Cheers pal!

[@travelierkor]

I like this video. did you need some permit to enter pamir?

[@davidfancsali]

Thank you! Yes, I got the permit along with the visa. I do believe it's possible to get the permit in Dushanbe also.

[@travelierkor]

@@davidfancsali oh yeah. but i don't need the visa because i'm from korea. so that's why i'm wondering

[@davidfancsali]

@@travelierkor Ok, you should be able to get it in Dushanbe. There's some good information here: caravanistan.com/visa/tajikistan/gbao-permit/#ovir-dushanbe

[@paulevans1139]

Stunning video, what an incredible place 👏 👍🏻

[@travelierkor]

@@paulevans1139 i did it. you should check my video as well