Alichur
Alichur Village
Alichur is a small village situated in the middle of magnificent high-altitude scenery along the Pamir highway. The landscape is not as barren as it seems, but has instead rugs of low-lying Alpine flowers hunkered down against the bitter winds and thick-furred marmots and yaks grazing on tentative grass shoots. The population of the village consists mainly from ethnic Kyrgyz who are happy to invite you for a tour around the village. From Alichur you can have a trek to the lakes Zorkul, Yashilkul and Bulunkul or rest here in one of the modest guest houses on the road between Kochkor and Murghab.
Tours visiting Alichur
Alichur lies on the Pamir Highway between Murghab and the Koi-Tezek pass, and the tours below pass through it. Like the rest of Gorno-Badakhshan, Alichur needs a GBAO permit.
Pamir Highway and Wakhan Corridor Tour from Dushanbe to Osh
Car with an English-speaking driver; homestays and meals paid locally (about 30 USD a day)
Pamir Highway and Bartang Valley Tour from Dushanbe
A 4x4 loop along the Afghan border to Khorog and the Wakhan, on to Karakul Lake and back through the Bartang Valley.
9-Day Pamir Highway Tour from Osh to Dushanbe
Car with an English-speaking driver; homestays and meals paid locally (about 30 USD a day)
Pamir Grand Tour
Tulpar-Kol, Karakul, Murghab, Bulunkul, the Wakhan Valley, Khorog and a trek to remote Sarez Lake in the Pamirs.
9-Day Pamir Highway Tour from Dushanbe to Osh
Car with an English-speaking driver; homestays and meals paid locally (about 30 USD a day)
Pamir Highway and Wakhan Corridor Tour from Osh to Dushanbe
Car with an English-speaking driver; homestays and meals paid locally (about 30 USD a day)
Alichur Valley
Alichur Valley is a desolate region located high up in the Pamir Mountains. The Valley is not the most welcoming of places with the lowest elevation at a still-high altitude of 2987 meters above sea level. The Alichur Valley continues for over 60 kilometers and is characterized by freezing gusty winds, frequent hailstorms, and thin air that makes breathing difficult. Water is scarce and altitude sickness is common which can make especially hiking here a challenge.
Not many people can handle these harsh conditions – particularly not voluntarily but the local residents do live in unusual-looking whitewashed yurt camps dotted here and there across the hillside. For those that do attempt to this untouched and rather desolate part of the globe, the Alichur Valley does have its rewards. It serves as a gateway to some of Tajikistan’s most beautiful lakes like Bulun-Kul and Yasil-Kul, and some authentic mountain villages.
Sights around Alichur
Bash Gumbez Caravanserai
Bash Gumbez is a ruined caravanserai that lies about 30 km east of Alichur in the tiny village of Bash Gumbez. About 3 km west outside the village, you can also find an old Chinese tomb.
Ak-Bulak Spring
Ak Balyk translates as the “white fish pond” (White spring by straight translation) and it is a holy spring located 12 km east of Alichur village, just by the Pamir highway. The water in this small pond is extremely crystal clear and you can see all the way to the bottom of the spring with the trouts swimming in it.
Tomb of the Chinese Merchant
The tomb belongs to the Chines commander who died here. The reason is unknown but the story tells that his friend built a tomb for him. They were passing through the Wakhan Valley along the Silk Road when something happened. A fence was added recently around the tomb as there are also graves of locals around the tomb and tourists have been carelessly walking over the graves.
Sasyk-Kel and Tuz-Kol Lake
Sassyk kul lake is located southwest of Alichur, on the way to Yashikul lake. Sassykul translates as “stinky lake” due to the smell of spoiled eggs because of the sulfur gas released from it. The lake mirroring the mountains and the deep blue sky give the frame a somehow unreal touch. Just next to the Sasyk kel lake, to the west, lies the Tuzkol lake. Tuzkul means “salty” according to the saline water of this lake.
Jelondy Hot Springs
Jelondy is another tiny town near Alichur and is the home to several hot springs. The town is located 120 km east of Khorog on the road M42 (Pamir Highway). The Jelondy town is popular for its healing sanatoriums with some bathing and accommodation options. Hot springs are located inside buildings and if you are not squeamish you should try it. Hot springs of Jelondy are not the luxury ones but more for the local standards.
Kyrgyz yurt stays and off the beaten path
Along the road between Murghab and Alichur, Kyrgyz families live in yurts on the summer pastures from about June to September, and some offer a night’s stay and yak trekking. South-east of Alichur, the remote hunting camp of Jarty Gumbez has a hot spring and is run by a family from May to October (about 35 USD per night with full board), close to the Shakhty cave with its red Neolithic paintings of a boar hunt.
The wide valleys of Sary Goram and Cheshtebe towards the Afghan Little Pamir have Kyrgyz family yurts in summer and are reached only on jeep tracks. Plan these with a local driver, as many tracks cross rivers and areas near the border need extra permits. More in staying in Kyrgyz yurts and off the beaten path in the eastern Pamirs.
Other sights near Alichur
Written by Anssi Karppinen, Central Asia Guide · Page updated