Bikepacking Tajikistan | Episode 1

This year, endless mountains, perfect nature, and sensational hospitality. I traversed this country via the Pamir Highway and the Bartang Route. I will be challenged with high alpine, river crossings, and questionable roads. Follow me along on this journey. It's going to be amazing. This is Bikepacking Tajikistan. People made it easy to feel welcome from the very first day. As evening fell, I pitched my tent beneath the mountains, wondering what lay ahead. The next morning the road introduced me to fellow cyclists. Everyone was chasing their own adventure but for a while our path became one. As the kilometer passed the landscape quietly began to change. Leaving the lower valleys behind, I continued east. The mountains grew larger and the road became more remote. This way, the Pamir Highway, beyond this point there lies the road. I've been wanting to do for quite a while known as the Bartang Valley it's remote isolated and packed with insane beauty i'm so ready to do it absolutely surrounded by high peaks hello hello lovely friendly villagers this is beautiful six o'clock i just got up i have my coffee ready and i have one of the most spectacular views you can possibly imagine this is beautiful spring day number two on the road through the Bartang Valley today i did about 75 kilometers very tired but really happy and really satisfied with the outcome honestly i'm surprised how well the road has been my tent's been set up i'm gonna sleep right next to these gigantic mountains is such a privilege. Honestly I cannot think about any better place I would rather be right now. This is just spectacular. And today I'm planning to do a bit of vertical and hopefully I can call home at about three, three and a half thousand meters tonight. That would be incredible. Some moments demand your full attention with one careful step after another with nothing but a raging river beneath my feet then just as quickly everything opened up the valley stretched to the horizon and for a moment there was nothing left to do but stop and take it all in i just come across a lovely pool and i might as well have a bath in here i'm on the path looking my way up three thousand meters faces it's right on kubuamo that looks incredible just crossed the river this afternoon that's when the water level is at the highest a lot of melting water coming down so this was actually uh it was okay i had never planned to come this far today apparently i have so i might just i might as well just crack on carry on for those mountains and on the other side i'm going to find myself a nice place for the night. Call it a day. Crazy long day on the road. I did two passes, 2,000 meters of vertical in total. Luckily, and this is my reward, I got a nice campsite for tonight with some spectacular views. Behind me there's a spring so I don't have to worry about water. It's a bit windy though. I hope it's not going to be too bad. I'm quite exposed. Making me some dinner. It's not gonna be fancy but it'll do the job because I'm too tired to top up anything so it's gonna be pasta and buckwheat as usual. Today is gonna be fun. I'm riding up to 4,000 meters and also this stretch the next 50 kilometers are known for its river and stream crossings. I'm breaking down early, thereby I can hopefully avoid most of the water. That would be really cool. Otherwise I'm just gonna enjoy this ride. It's so quiet. The closer I got to Kudera, the more often I crossed paths with people who call this valley home. A wave, a smile, a few curious faces. Kudera would be the last village before the road disappeared into the wilderness. From here on it would be just the mountains, the river and whatever the trail had in store. Hello, how are you? Fine, good, good. These folks are quite nice. Just got a few meters of climbing left. As I expected, most of the pass I had to push was just way too steep. But that allows me to enjoy beautiful epic scenery on the road. Riding in heaven, folks, has honestly been my favorite stretch of this whole track, this whole part of it. I'm currently riding at roughly 4,000 meters. Altitude, I mean there's really not much to complain about There are moments when everything just clicks. The effort, the silence, the endless road, it all comes together. I felt completely alive, full of energy, and deeply connected to the place around me. It's a feeling that's hard to put into words, but impossible to forget. Have a look at this, they make their own bread. quite cozy in here and i have a bite of these this is some type of of yogurt i guess what can i say i think i'm being spoiled here lovely bread this is very very good this is all for me i guess as you can see wow there's more bread oh this is warm i can't believe it this is the freshest being made they just put the dough in the pan and then they put it on the stove for a couple of minutes and they flip the pan upside down so it takes about five to ten minutes before the bread is done and i can assure you this bread tastes lovely that's crazy what an incredible encounter that was my tummy is full it's going bonkers that was nasty for a second I lost orientation apparently, but I managed to find my trail back before I hit the Palmer Highway again, see if I get to see Ryan, his shoes are soaked already plenty of tailwind and by the way I changed my footwear, my shoes are soaking wet this is crazy, four thousand meters, oh my god spectacular, I was quite cold though, it's chilly for sure, but I'm happy made it to the the Karacol Lake means we travel from the campsite. I'm happy and I'm absolutely satisfied with how the trip has been. I cannot ask for anything else. Tomorrow, that way. It's so beautiful and so peaceful. There's virtually no wind. A few folks ready for setting off. The motorcyclist I just bumped into, he broke his windshield. That was just too hard. I'm literally on the border between two countries. This is pretty much the demarcation line in Tajikistan. That's where I headed.