People who are tired of beach tourism are trying to find new, “unsubstantiated” tourist routes. It often turns out that traveling to this end of the world, to another continent is completely optional. The unknown and the beautiful are sometimes located right under our nose. The mountains of Tajikistan in their beauty, greatness deserve special attention. It has everything - hard-to-reach peaks for climbers, bowls of mountain lakes surrounded by virgin forests, for lovers of picturesque landscapes ...
On the roof of the world
The mountains of Tajikistan are the Pamirs. Most of the Central Asian republic consists precisely of mountainous regions. Pamir - a kind of node where the Tien Shan, Hindu Kush, Karakoram converge.
It is here that there are such high mountain peaks as the peak of Communism (Ismail Samani) reaching 7495 m, the peak of Lenin (Abu Ali Ibn Sino) with a height of 7134 meters.
The climate of the Pamirs is sharply continental, the peak of precipitation falls from March to April, the minimum - from August to September.
Zaalai Range
What mountains in Tajikistan can be found by understanding the complex system of the Pamirs. In the northern part of the massif lies the Zaalaysky ridge.
After independence, many geographical names in the republics of the former Union were changed. The mountains of Tajikistan are no exception. The name of Lenin's highest peak, for example, was changed to Abu Ali Ibn Sino - in honor of the famous physician and encyclopedic scholar of the Muslim East.
The Zaalai ridge spreads over 200 km, wedging into the territory of China. High mountains like walls surround the Alai Valley. Having reached the passes and peaks of the Western Zaalai, you can enjoy unusual views of the highest peaks of the Pamirs - the peak of Communism, the ridges of the North-Western Pamir, the peak of Korzhanevskaya.
Of particular interest for mountain tourism are the areas of Central Zaalai. In the southern part extends a network of mountain spurs, which allows you to plan tourist routes of varying difficulty. Mountains of Tajikistan - the habitat of representatives of the cat family. Snow leopards are found in the Zauksai river valley. If you are lucky, you can stumble upon gold diggers washing gold.
The Zaalai Range is also noteworthy for its glaciers. There are more than 500 of them.
Turkestan Range
The natural border of three states - Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan forms the Turkestan ridge, stretching for 340 km. The northern parts of the ridge are a virgin, little explored area where climbers who are fed up with well-groomed paths can find a huge field of activity.
Ak-Su and Karavshin is an area where there are all the opportunities for mountain lovers. Well-established routes have been laid here, and there is also a field of activity for pioneers. Rock formations here are composed of granite, sandstone, limestone.
Fan mountains
The mountains of Tajikistan cannot be imagined without Kuhistan. So in ancient times the Fan Mountains were called . By right, this area is considered the pearl of the Pamirs. It is here that the edge of azure and emerald lakes with clear water is located, of which there are more than thirty. Sandwiched between high ridges, they are surrounded by forests of conifers.
If the rest of the mountainous areas are of interest primarily for lovers of extreme sports and mountaineering, then here you can relax, lounging on the green grass and swimming in the cool waters of numerous lakes. Many of them are of glacial origin.
There are mountain trails of varying degrees of difficulty. Very often the Fan Mountains become the arena for various mountaineering tournaments.
Diamonds of the Pamirs
The lake in Tajikistan in the mountains is a special decoration. Ridges cut by rivers adorn numerous natural reservoirs. There are more than a thousand lakes.
The largest of them is Karakul.
The history of his formation is curious. 25 million years ago, a huge meteorite struck a crater with a diameter of 45 km. So a bowl for a lake 236 m deep was formed. The bottom is covered with non-melting glaciers. This lake has no runoff and, therefore, its waters are salty.
The dramatic story has Lake Sarez. At the beginning of the last century, a huge collapse buried a whole village under itself and blocked the course of the Bartang River. As a result, behind this huge natural dam, a lake began to form, named after the settlement that it absorbed. This grand pond spreads over 60 km and reaches 500 m depth.
Those who admire such a natural site as Niagara Falls are simply obliged to visit Iskanderkul. This is a real gem of the Fan Mountains, surrounded on all sides by impregnable ridges. The water in the lake is cold, but in the summer off the banks of prominent bays it is quite possible to plunge. The lake gives rise to the Iskanderdarya River, which is overthrown by a magnificent waterfall 38 m high.
Khoja Mumin - The Grand Pillar of Salt
The mountains of Tajikistan are full of curious natural phenomena and mysteries. One of them is Khoja Mumin. The mountain, completely composed of salt, is visible for tens of kilometers. The height of this pillar is almost a kilometer. There is enough space at the top to accommodate a small city.
An interesting fact is that the reserves of salt in this mountain will be enough for all of humanity for hundreds of years. A particularly beautiful sight is Hodge-Mumin in the sun, when slopes, consisting of pink, green and gray salt, shimmer with different colors.
For thousands of years, the wind applied a thin layer of soil to the top of the mountain and some of its slopes. In the spring, a picturesque carpet of mountain herbs and flowers blooms here.
This vegetation is nourished by freshwater streams that make their way from the bowels of the massif. Apparently, other rocks are hidden in the thickness of the mountain, in which fresh water is hidden.
Salt Mountain in Tajikistan is an object of tourist attention and local pride.
The mountains of Tajikistan have not yet truly revealed their rich potential for tourists and people who are fond of outdoor activities. This is a picturesque region that can be studied for years and find new miracles every time.