Waterfall in the Stone Sack, Kharangoni Ridge, Varzob, Tajikistan

I had known about this waterfall for a long time, but I never managed to see it. The thing is, the waterfall can only be seen in the spring. By June it dries up, and in its place is only a black wall – black because it's damp, as some water still seeps through constantly. I first visited this place as a child at the "Cosmos" pioneer camp, which was located nearby, sometime in the early 80s. It was from this pioneer camp that a big hike involving several groups was organized to the "Stone Sack," as this place is called.

Hiking to Mount Fang along the ridge between the Odzhuk and Begar gorges, Varzob, Tajikistan

I first wanted to hike this route when we were returning from another trip. I got curious back then whether it was even possible – to walk the entire ridge and descend straight to the village of Varzob. We didn't have time on that hike, so we just descended to the fourth bridge in Odzhuk. But the curiosity remained, and last Saturday I decided to check out this route. It is, of course, doable, but I want to make an important note.

The Crossing from Chayka to the Odjuk Gorge, Varzob, Mountains of Tajikistan

I have planned several big hikes for the season. In anticipation of these hikes, it's time to start getting into proper shape. That's why I did this kind of training hike-crossing from the Chayka gorge to the Odjuk gorge. I chose this short route because it consists only of going up and down, without any long treks. You get off the minibus near the former "Chayka" pioneer camp, then it's up, up, up, a stop for lunch and rest, and then down, down, down, straight to the bridge near the department store in the village of Varzob. Convenient, quick, a good workout for the first time, and I was home by about four o'clock.

Mount Mushtepa, Day 2 of the Hike, is a Ridge Between the Varzob and Ramit Gorges, Mountains of Tajikistan

The second day of my four-day hike was entirely dedicated to Mount Mushtepa. Mount Mushtepa is located on the watershed ridge between the Varzob and Ramit rivers, so on this day, I visited both of them. I began the ascent on the Varzob side in the Harangon River gorge, and by midday, I had reached the summit of Mushtepa before descending to the Ramit side in the Semiganch gorge.

The Harangoni Gorge and Ridge, a One-Day Trek, Varzob, Mountains of Tajikistan

So, I decided to go on a hike, during which I planned to visit places such as the Harangoni Ridge, climb Mount Mushtepa, descend from the mountain into the Semiganch Gorge, and hike through it to the Kumkayakutal Pass. After crossing the pass, I would end up in the Ojuk Gorge and hike through it all the way to the village of Varzob. I fully completed this route plan in four days. This is a photo overview of the first day of the hike.

Hiking from Begar Gorge to Odjuk Along the Ridge Between Takob and Odjuk, Varzob, Mountains of Tajikistan

Spontaneous hike, when it was offered to me, I didn't really know where we would end up or how we would get there. Despite the uncertainty, the hike turned out to be very successful. There were a lot of impressions, first of all, intriguing old mine tunnels at the beginning of the hike. Secondly, it was very interesting to walk along the watershed ridge, looking down at the gorges that I had already walked through many times at the bottom.

Hiking from Takob to Odzhuk, Varzob Gorge, Mountains of Tajikistan

We decided to make a two-day hike with a crossing over the watershed ridge from the Takob gorge to the upper reaches of the Odzhuk gorge. The plan was to go through the Childukhtaron pass, but since no one knew the exact path, we asked the locals for directions. They confused us a little, and we initially went to the wrong couloir. As it turned out, locals don't use this pass to get to Odzhuk, as it is not very convenient for them. Moreover, the locals refer to the whole ridge as Childukhtaron, which does remotely resemble the famous mountain of the same name in Muminobod. And one can cross this ridge from Takob to Odzhuk in several places.