21. July 2026

Day 76: Tajikistan

Overview

Driving duration: 4:22 h
Distance: 173 km
Avg Speed: 40 km/h
Start: Ultra Hostel Dushanbe
End: Close to Shagmon
Night Location: 38°13'15" N 69°49'41" E

Tajikistan

The day started with the fact that part of our laundry was put wet into a bag yesterday and now smells awful. Damn, really not a great hostel we picked. They washed it again, which led to some delay, but it is what it is…

We used the waiting time to fill up on diesel. The situation in Dushanbe is still not perfect regarding diesel, there is some shortage. So we had to wait at the gas station, or maybe it was just because their diesel was a little bit cheaper, we are not 100% sure.

Close to 12 we were then ready to leave Dushanbe and start the Pamir Highway, crazy! This is one of the highlights of this trip, the next 1500 km will be along the Pamir Highway. Even though it doesn’t have much in common with a highway, it’s still called that. A sometimes bad, sometimes worse road, through the Pamir Mountains. Half of it is at more than 3000 meters of elevation and will put both the car and us to the ultimate test.

But today’s stretch was quite easy and good road, some small potholes, but that was it. We drove through some hills and found a nice spot for the night close to the main road, but far enough to have some space.