Pamir Highway Hitchhiking :)

[louguellec]

Hi everybody! First, thank you for the posts, it's incredible how much one can learn reading that!
I plan on doing the Pamir Highway this summer from Osh to Doshambe, hitchhiking (both because it's a nice way to travel and because as a student, i cannot waste money).
I was wondering how much it would cost (since I understand you have to pay people when you hitchhike), and how much time it would take if you're trying to get it done as fast as possible (just so I have an idea). Also, in which way is it easier to do hitchhiking, from Doshambe or from Osh (since there apparently are a lot of chinese truckers, I figure there might be a difference)?
Thanks a lot for the interesting topincs and hopefully for the answers!

ps : I speak some Farsi/Tajik, is that going to be of some help un the Pamir?

[bwv812]

Nobody really goes between Osh and Murghab except by shared taxi (Chinese trucks to Osh come through the Irkeshtam pass, while those to Murghab come through the Qolma pass, so there are really no trucks between Sary Tash and Murghab), and even for those there can be a fair wait. Trying to hitch your way between these places will likely be very slow. The story is pretty similar for the Murghab-Khorog and Khorog-Duchanbe legs.

[bremmo]

From the Kyrgyz border to Murghab we maybe saw 1 car per day, so don't count on being fast

[noahakinci]

Hi. i hitchhiked from astana all the way to dushanbe- this included the pamir highway from osh to murghab and on to kohorog and dushanbe. It is certainly possible althugh at times you might have long waits. there are a few lorries that do the routes although not many, some ask for money some dont. i always offered but was never expected to pay. this forum told me the same stuff before i started, and i did it in the middle of december- i was told it would be very difficult or impossible- but i went for it and it was fine, although cold. great epxperience, also if you are finiding it hard to find a lift, if you are in or near a population center there are always share taxis or these tiny mini bus things. a couple of times i used them but for the most part it was locals and lorries. really friendly people, always offering you to stay at their home, alot of the people i got lifts with lived in really remote villages along the pamir which are unknown or very hard to access without local knowledge, or your own transport. go for it, itll be great.

[noahakinci]

at the norther end of murghab main road (going through the town) there is a truck depo with heaps of lorries- some are heading north and others heading toward khorog- i went there and found a lift toward murghab- after waiting at the soutern tip of murghab for a few hours with no luck i trecked back up to the truck depo and found a lift within minutes. There are UN food agency vehicles from khorog that literally go all around the place- even to tiny setllements not on the map and they often speak english- if you find one of these trucks theyll help you out for sure- usually tajik guys in the trucks but with good english. the aga khan foundation also has members driving around, sometimes even foreign aid workers that go out and check villages- so in this respect there is actually probably more traffic on the highway than alot of people think- especially between murghab and khorog and small settlements inbetween