Cycling the Yaghnob Valley

This is the third of three parts detailing my cycling and hiking tour around Tajikistan's Fann Mountains in August 2025. Here are links to Part One and Part Two.

I returned from Samarkand to Panjakent using shared taxis on either side of the border. These are very easy and efficient to arrange and run very regularly throughout the day. From Panjakent I arranged a transfer through the hotel with my bike to the village of Takfon, situated near the confluence of the Yaghnob and Fondaryo rivers.

My plan was to cycle into the beautiful and remote Yaghnob Valley, where I would stay in a yurt camp in the heart of the mountains to do some hiking. I would then ride some more through the valley, before returning towards Dushanbe over the Anzob Pass.

I was very excited about this part of the trip, and planned to spend as long as possible here, rather than rush it trying to fit in a detour to Sarytag. I was also meeting up with Lucia and my sister at the yurt camp, who would join me on the hikes.





It was a two hour drive from Panjakent to Takfon and I arrived in early afternoon - the hottest time of the day. Fortunately, temperatures were a few degrees cooler than in Uzbekistan and continued to drop as I rode further up the Yaghnob valley.

The first part of the ride between Takfon and Anzob was on a mixture of paved and dirt roads. There was some traffic from the coal and antimony mines in the area which made the road and air quite dirty in places, and I wondered slightly whether I had made a mistake choosing to spend so long here. The scenery was very impressive, with the road running alongside the river, but these initial kilometres were not as enjoyable as the riding I had been doing around Artuch and Haft Kul.

In Anzob, however, I was pleased to pass several large quarries, after which the road narrowed and became unpaved. From here, the riding was some of the most spectacular and enjoyable I have ever done. The road climbed gently with a good surface as far as picturesque Margib - a small village with a couple of homestays. Leaving Margib I rode through an imposing gorge with some loose stones, before emerging into the wonderful valley, surrounded by high mountains peaks on three sides.

The Ride with GPS route shows this as a paved section, but it wasn't. The surface was mostly gravel, with a few looser stones, particularly on the intermittent steep ascents. For the most part, the road was on a balcony shelf above the Yaghnob River, with stunning views, crystal clear air and absolute calm and tranquility. I couldn't recommend riding this section - between Anzob and Kashi - any more highly.



One note of caution, however, is that the ride from Takfon to my Yurt Camp above Bedev gained around 1,700m (5,800ft) in elevation. It is not an easy ride, with several short descents along the way as you gradually make your way up to over 2,800m (9,400ft) altitude.

After crossing the river on a bridge near Bedev, I left the main road and ascended to the yurt camp. This was mostly rideable, but there was a short steep section that I had to hike. The yurt camp was in a fantastic location surrounded by the mountains. It had a stream running through from which you could filter water and a rudimentary toilet.

It was in place as a trial for the summer, so it might not exist in the future, but you can find the information on this link. If the yurts are no longer there, it would still be a great place to pitch a tent for a few days.

Anzob Pass

I would spend several days at the Yurt Camp enjoying the scenery, doing a couple of hikes and some short rides through the valley. See below for details of the two main hikes I did, neither of which are very well documented, but which were both exceptional.

To leave the valley, I returned the same way, enjoying the stunning road between Kashi and Anzob once more - this time it was even more fun in a mostly downhill direction. From Anzob you can either continue along the paved road to Takfon and the junction with the M34, or ride over the Anzob Pass.

The Anzob Pass is a long, but manageable climb constructed in Soviet times. The gradient is fairly steep but quite consistent and the surface is a bit loose at times but all rideable, as long as you can pedal with enough speed to maintain traction. The views are obviously fantastic, although not quite as impressive as further down the Yaghnob Valley in my opinion.

Aside from the scenery, the main advantage of riding the Anzob Pass, if you are going to Dushanbe, is that you avoid the 6km long Tunnel of Death. As the name suggests, this is not the kind of place you want to end up on a bike - it is incredibly unsafe to ride, due to the high volume of trucks.



At the junction with the M34, I got picked up by Lucia and my sister, who gave me a lift back into Dushanbe. From this point the road is relatively safe to ride (particularly in a downhill direction to Dushanbe), but there are still a few tunnels and Tajik drivers can be a little be erratic.

On that note, I generally found the drivers here to treat cyclists with a fair amount of respect. I avoided paved roads as much as possible, but on the short sections I was on them there were only a few close passes, and mostly at quite low speed. However, from spending time driving on the M34 it was a bit scary. The high volume of trucks, the high speeds of some of the car drivers, and the very proactive overtaking culture were slightly hair-raising at times.

Yaghnob Valley Hikes

Back in the Yaghnob Valley we did two main hikes, both starting and finishing from our yurt camp. One (via Kashi) was modifield from a guidebook, while the other (along Mount Kool Ridge) we made up largely by following various sheep tracks.

They were both fantastic, although I think I slightly preferred the Mt Kool Ridge for the views and more remote feel.



The Kashi hike began by following an aqueduct through the abandoned village of Showeta, before descending to the main dirt road along the Yaghnob River.

We crossed a bridge at Passarotud and began the most enjoyable section of the route, following narrow trails to the north of the river, perched on the mountainside. The section between the villages of Kashe and Bedev offered great views through the valley.

Bedev was the most populous village on the route, where we were greeted by a few local children, before a steep descent took us back down to the river. Much of the Yaghnob Valley was depopulated in Soviet times as it was seen as too remote to provide basic services, but a few villages did remain. I was told that due to its remoteness, some of the inhabitants still practice the traditional Persian Zoroastrian religion, as Islam never fully penetrated the valley - however, I don't know how true this is.






The hike up Mt Kool was a higher level route following makeshift trails created by the shepherds and their flocks that roam the mountains in the summer. It is pretty easy to follow when you are there if you have a GPS track and aim roughly for the ridge, but can be dangerous if you get off course, so follow this at your own risk and avoid completely in bad weather.

The route ascends gently on single tracks before arriving at the foot of the ridge underneath Mount Kool. The trail mostly runs on top of the ridge for around 2km, offering absolutely stunning panoramic views throughout. At times in the distance it looks steep and almost impassable, but as you get closer the gradient eases and there is a way up until you reach a fabulous plateau at around 3,220m elevation.

From here you could continue towards the peak of Mt Kool itself, but the sheep tracks become less obvious and the gradients get steeper. It looked too hazardous for our liking (nobody will be coming to rescue you if you get into trouble here), so we returned along the ridge and descended through a beautiful fertile valley back towards the abandoned village of Showeta. From here we followed the aqueduct back to the yurt camp.

In the evening, after the sun set, there were magnificent views of Milky Way and other stars standing out brightly - with the area almost completely free of light pollution. It was a special and memorable experience, and I left the Yaghnob Valley with extremely fond memories and profound images etched in to my mind's eye.







Back in Dushanbe I packed my bike up and reflected on a interesting and rewarding trip. The scenery in the valleys of the Fann Mountains was the undoubted highlight, with the high mountains peaks, lakes and quiet gravel roads making for idyllic cycling. The Tajik (and Uzbek) hospitality was another highlight. It was interesting to learn more about the profound cultural differences between Kazakstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan on this trip - three countries that I had, in my ignorance, previously rather lumped together.

I don't know if I will return to the region any time soon, but I also wouldn't rule it out. The scenery was up there with parts of Georgia, Spain, France and Italy as the most spectacular I have seen. Although I feel like other parts of the country might be somewhat lacking in other aspects of cycling holidays that I enjoy. Good food, visiting historic places and generally just exploring things that look interesting can be a bit hit and miss depending on the region.

Having spent time here I don't really have any strong desire to ride the Pamir Highway - I'm sure it would be spectacular and a dream destination for some cyclists due to its remoteness and awe inspiring mountains, but it's just not the kind of touring that I enjoy so much.

If this sounds overly negative, I don't mean it to. I did really enjoy the Fann Mountains and would thoroughly recommend it both for cycling and hiking. I left with strong memories of both the scenery and the culture, and would rank it highly for riding, particularly if you can avoid cycling on the paved roads as much as possible.



Part 1 - Cycling Artuch to Panjakent

Part 2 - The Seven Lakes & Samarkand

Tajikistan Fann Mountains Tour Overview

Cycle Touring Guides