Bartang valley
 

Hi
Just watched a video of a guy riding the Bartang valley in June and it was very dry. He said that in the months of July and August the high snow melts more rapidly and there are many water crossings - just wondering if this is, generally, true.
Many thanks

This picture is from early September 2019

My comment on FB was


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Bartang. Bl00dy brilliant! Lots of fun. Great riding, scenery, local people and riding buddies.

Rode the usual way. South to North from Rushan towards the M41 near Karakol lake. Took a day and a half. 86km the first day and 200km the second to where we hit the highway. Water levels seemingly quite low.

A super experience!
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Yes, early and late in the season is best for Bartang. Less meltwater. Also lower water in the mornings when the sun is less strong. Over night things freeze again.

Motorcyclists tend to ride S to N as it's uphill/ easier Push bikers the other way for the same reason.

Thanks

Bartang early June 2025
 

Hi!
Any up-to-date information regarding Bartang?

I am planning to do a loop very similar to what's shown here with the Bartang section starting around the 10th of June. However I am gathering contradicting information - some say it will not be possible so early in the season, others say it'll be colder but there will be less watermelt so it may actually be better.

Another option would be to do the loop clock-wise which would delay entering Bartang Valley by about a week.

Any thoughts on this? I understand that conditions may vary a lot and I'd need to assess the situation once I get there anyway - but am I straight out crazy thinking this could be done early(ish) in June?

I'll be on a rented Honda CRF250l, by the way.

Usually the backwaters are much more probaly in early than late summer as the ice is melting up to July-September and locals have time to unclog the road behind Gudara toward Kokjar. But of course - these are mountains and you cannot be sure. One year you can drive easily all the valley from Rushan up to Kokuibel plateau, another year you will be stopped by a huge stone in the Kokjar corner or landslides along the streams behind Gudara. You never know. And even locals in Rushan sometimes don't know if all the valley is passable to Karakul.

Mazeno sorry, are you suggesting that June may be OK because snow hasn't started melting yet or the other way around?

Anyway yeah I'll decide once I get there I guess. In your experience is it a bad idea do do it east to west on a motorcycle?

The snow is melting from spring to late summer, in the beginning of autumn (August/September) the peaks are usually covered only with hard ice, not snow, except situations where there have been heavy snowfalls (which is rare, especially in the eastern Pamir). So melting is smaller. In the western part of the Pamirs there is much more snow in the mountains, valleys are deep, and there are a lot of glaciers. Eastern pamir is much more dry, valleys are flat and wide, so they are more windy, and snow is being blown away. You can notice there the nothern slopes covered with ice and southern just naked rocks - even over 5500m (!).
So the late summer is better than early. And of course the clarity of air is better (for taking photos).
On bike you have more chance to pass road blocked e.g. by a huge stone but be carefull at the Kokjar corner - there is not too much place for a fault. Turn over may be dangerous or even deadly - there are steep zigzags and the road is narrow, so better to keep close to the slope.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/6VainaSTzgRxihHo8
For me east to west (from Karakul to Rushan) is easier because you go downstream. But if there're waterspreads in the lower parts of the valley (usually below Yapshorv where the valley is narrow), you have to return a lot (which is not so bad idea as you see another views). Above Gudara up to Kokjar there are possible landslides along the sidestreams after rainfall/snowfall in the mountains which can stop you. Maybe you can even notice a buldozer above Gudara by the road ready to clear the way after spring melting.

One more thing - melting is smaller during the first half of the day (as the snow and ice is frozen during the night), sometimes you even cannot recognize the small stream from the morning which becomes almost a river afternoon.

And again one more - don't rush. Take Bartang in 3 days. Make stops and look arround, especially above Gudara.

Understood, yeah I'm planning 3 to 4 days for Bartang to be able to do most of the riding in the morning and then finish early. And mostly to enjoy it, I've been eyeing this place for years. Hopefully I'll be able to get some information in Karakul and decide from there. Thank you again for all the info!

You don't have to wake up very early. It is possible to seize Bartang in 2 days, but it is not worth to rush.

According to Caravanistan the Bartang valley is not passable due to the fact that the bridge of Basid has been washed away last year. No info if it has been restored (or no).

I'm pretty sure I recently saw posts on FB of people crossing this year.

Usually on caravanistan there is a Tajik guy posting recent infos (I think he owns an agency)

I think there's nothing to worry about. You'll find out on the spot - in Rushan or in Murgab/Karakul. At last you can turn back before the bridge. Looking at the same area from the other side gives completely different views.

Hey, just to confirm that Bartang was awesome :) I did it East to West and it was totally fine. In fact I think I preferred it this way. I met multiple cars and cyclists mostly travelling West to East. This was around the 10th of June, took me 4 days but just because I really wanted to take my time. Water levels were fine. If they had a bridge problem it has been sorted because I can't remember coming across any issues around Basid.

Bartang seems to come very popular nowadays.
How many (circa)?
Closer to five or dozens?

https://i.postimg.cc/rsKjwybR/thumb-up.gif

Definitely closer to 5 :-) ! Two couples on bicycles and maybe 3 -4 cars travelling together (guess it was a bigger group on a tour)