Wakhan Corridor
Valley · Ishkashim, Badakhshan
A 350-kilometre finger of high valley squeezed between the Pamir and the Hindu Kush, drawn on the map in the nineteenth century to keep the Russian and British empires from touching — home to Wakhi farming villages, Kyrgyz nomad camps on the high Pamir pastures, and Noshaq, Afghanistan's 7,492-metre highest peak, on its southern wall. It has been the country's safest and most self-contained trekking destination for two decades, entered through the border town of Ishkashim and travelled on foot, yak and 4x4. Trips here are expeditions measured in weeks, not days.
Wakhan valley road east of Ishkashim, Ishkashim, Badakhshan, Afghanistan
No hours — an inhabited high valley, practically accessible mid-June to mid-September only; snow and river levels close it otherwise. Every aspect of access is verified through your operator, starting with the permit regime at Ishkashim.