We started Pamir (9. May 2024) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan and we take the south route via the Afghanistan, Pakistani and Chinese border. We expect to end this journey around 1.600 km and 4 weeks later in Osh, Kyrgyzstan.
Why now?
We are close 😂👍. The Pamir Highway should offer stunning views of the rugged Pamir Mountains and is considered one of the most beautiful and remote highways in the world. And the Pamir Highway is part of the ancient Silk Road, and has been used as a trade route for thousands of years, making it a fascinating journey. But, it can also be a challenging adventure, with narrow, winding roads, high altitudes, and harsh weather conditions. Traveling this route in May will give us hopefully the best chances of snow free roads and good weather.
Permits
Car, entry more then 5 days and per
It for Wakhan to be close at the Afghan border.
High altitude
Our Unimog truck on high altitude
Unimog is running okay but starting the truck at 10C and above 3.800 meters take some longer starting. After this a lot of smoke and ikt takes still at least a minute for the engine to run properly. To drive up the passes needs more effort amd we are ashamed for how bad the exhaust fumes are bluring out. But then, the diesel quality is also not guaranteed in Tajikistan, so this maybe a factor also. Our airtanks are back to 5 bar, normally they stay steady above 10 bar after one night sleeping and also filling the airtanks seem to take longer.
The aircilinder which switches from high to low gear has a hard time.
Tyre pressure …
Eberspacher diesel heater at high altitude
We do not use our diesel heater so much. We only used it above 3.800 meters to keep it cosy amd warm in the evening. I have the feeling it had some problems starting up, but it is running and keeping us comfortable. Also with the diesel heater the diesel quality might be an issue.
Preparing ourselves for high altitude
We are careful in picking our spots for the night.
Sleeping, sport, hikes. breathing while sleeping is more difficult then hiking.
What else happend at high altitude?
First our chips bags exploded around 2700 meter so we ste all of it 👍😂. The higher we came the more stuff “exploded” or made a mess when we opened them. The shampoo and sunblockers made a mess yoghurt put open while friving so our fridge was all over either it. At 3700 meter we woke up st night from an explosion. I did not want to go out to check out the damage but then we smelted something very strong. After some researching I found a little can with paint where the little blew off jjaacckkes.