The Siyoma Gorge, Varzob, Mountains of Tajikistan

The Siyoma River Gorge is situated 54 kilometers along the Varzob highway, almost directly opposite the Varzob Climbing Camp. It is a popular destination for mountain hikers and on weekends, both local residents of Dushanbe and visitors from other cities and countries can often be found here. The Siyoma River starts at an elevation of 1782 meters above sea level, at its confluence with the Varzob River near the road, and rises to 3000-3200 meters in its upper reaches.

Hike to Mount Olam Jakhon, between Varzob and Romit, Tajikistan

I first saw this mountain while hiking the Odjuk Ring route. At the same time, I also first heard the name "Olam Jakhon" from a local guy I met along the way. At that moment, I didn't believe him. If you translate the name into Russian, the closest meaning of the phrase "Olam Jakhon" would probably be Universe (World of worlds). So I doubted it, thinking maybe the guy decided to "slightly" embellish or just didn't know the name.

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 the 21 km Gorge for herbs, Varzob, Mountains of Tajikistan

This time, I decided not to do a photo review like I usually do, for the simple reason that there are already more than enough photo reviews from this gorge. However, since we did go on a hike, I think I should post something. In this post, I've shared photos of myself in a somewhat humorous context. Well, maybe it's only funny to me; judge for yourselves... :) First, for the sake of completeness, I'll provide links to the photo reviews I've already done of this gorge.

Varzob Peak, a hike from the 21 km Gorge to Odzhuk, mountains of Tajikistan

I had wanted to climb Varzob Peak for a long time, but it never worked out due to the inconvenient location of this mountain. In the sense that the mountain is seemingly close, but no matter which side you ascend from, you only reach Varzob Peak closer to evening, meaning I would have to plan an overnight stay. Although, you could go via the quarries; there's a road that leads to the ridge, and from there the climb would take a couple of hours. But that doesn't seem very sporting to me; if you're going to climb, it should be properly, from the foot of the mountain.

Hike to Mount Chorbed, Varzob Gorge, Tajikistan

Mount Chorbed, 2022 meters high, is clearly visible from the city of Dushanbe. It is the first high mountain on the right side of the road when looking from Dushanbe towards Varzob. Mount Chorbed itself is located between the Kharangon Gorge and the 21 km Gorge, meaning between the Kharangon and Darifanfarok rivers, respectively. The mountain is not very high, and you can ascend it via several routes. We decided to climb Mount Chorbed through the village of Fanfarok. To do this, we got out of a marshrutka in the village of Shaftimichgon, near the gas station, right where the trail leading to the village of Fanfarok begins.

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.

The Siyoma Gorge in Winter, Varzob, Mountains of Tajikistan

Of course, it's hard to call this trip a hike, but let's do a photo review, as is the tradition. We happened to drive to the Siyama River Gorge and took some photos. In winter, there's nothing to do in Siyama; everything is covered in snow, and right now this snow is also melting during the day. Small avalanches are constantly falling from the sides, but you might be unlucky and get caught in a larger one somewhere. So, it's not worth taking unnecessary risks. In general, we didn't plan anything special, the opportunity just came up, and we went just to have a look. We walked a little way into the gorge, up to the gazebo on the right side.

Gorge with a Waterfall at the 50km Mark, Varzob, Mountains of Tajikistan

Back in mid-October, I had the chance to visit a small but very intriguing gorge near the 50th kilometer of the Varzob highway. I can’t say exactly which kilometer it was—it completely slipped my mind to check. On the way back, I asked the driver; he gave an answer, though he didn’t seem entirely sure, so let’s just say it’s in the vicinity of the 50km mark in the Varzob Gorge. Regardless, the hike happened, which means it’s time for a photo review.

All Ten Bridges in the Odjuk Gorge, Varzob, Mountains of Tajikistan

On the last day of my hike, I trekked through the Odjuk Gorge from the Kumkayakutal Pass to the village of Varzob. I took this opportunity to dedicate a photo review to the ten bridges that now span the gorge. Previously known as the "Gorge of the Seven Bridges" among tourists, the presence of these ten bridges is a welcome sight compared to the Semiganch Gorge, where no bridges exist, and I had to jump over stones to cross the river.

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 to the Peak of Gushor, Varzob Gorge, Mountains of Tajikistan

The peak of Gushor is well visible from any point in Dushanbe. I have been planning to climb it for a long time, and finally I did it. The mountain, or rather the peak of Gushor, is one of the peaks that crown the Chilikak ridge. This ridge stretches from the Varzob River (approximately 16-21 kilometers from the Varzob highway) to the Luchob River in the area of the village of Shiratalo. The Gushor peak (2450 meters) is not the highest point of the Chilikak ridge; there is another peak with a weather station above it (2552 meters), another unnamed peak (2606 meters), and the highest point, the Chilokak peak (2702 meters), which is already closer to Shiratalo and cannot be seen from the city.

Hiking to the Waterfalls in Voru Gorge, Odzhuk, Varzob, Mountains of Tajikistan

The first hike of the year, I decided to go to the waterfalls in the Voru Gorge in Odjukskie Mountains, Varzob district, Tajikistan. Previously, I called it the Lost Waterfall. Of course, no one lost this waterfall, but it needed a name, so why not call it Lost? I had already seen it a couple of times before, once when we descended from the ridge that lies between Takob and Odjuk on this hike: Crossing from the Begar Gorge to Odjuk. At that time, I thought I should go to this waterfall, and the convenient moment finally arrived. I also thought it was the only one there, but there were other waterfalls, though smaller.

Hiking the Odzhuk Circuit, Varzob, mountains of Tajikistan

I completed a solo trek along the Odzhuk loop. The route, as the name suggests, passes through the Odzhuk gorge in Varzob, Tajikistan. To complete this route, one must hike through the entire Odzhuk gorge up to the Kichkine pass, then traverse the plateau to the Childukhtarun pass and descend back into Odzhuk. Ideally, this route can be completed in two days with one overnight stay, but since I was alone and taking my time, climbing and taking photos wherever I could, my trek took three days and two nights.

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.

Hike to Adit in the Beggar Gorge, Varzob, Mountains of Tajikistan

We decided to hike from the Beggar gorge to the Ojuk gorge and wander around the ridge separating them. During this hike, we stumbled upon abandoned mines in the Beggar gorge. These abandoned mines, where fluorite used to be extracted, seemed interesting to me, so I decided to dedicate a separate photo review to them. I have already come across old mines in the Varzob gorge. Just this year, I did a photo review of such a hike, which can be viewed here if anyone is interested.".

Spring Hike to the Waterfalls in Gusgarf, Varzob Gorge, Mountains of Tajikistan

I can't say exactly how many waterfalls there are in Gusgarf, but the most famous ones are two waterfalls: "Pioneer" and "Eagle's Nests". Well, officially, these waterfalls are called the Big Gusgarf Waterfall and the Echo Waterfall, respectively. However, I have been to these waterfalls even three times, as I found another one, let's say, unnamed but quite decent waterfall. I visited these waterfalls at different times, and it was interesting to see how these waterfalls look in spring, when there is a lot of water. So, when spring came, I went to see the waterfalls in Gusgarf.

Hiking to Childukhtaron Pass, Odzhuk Gorge, Varzob, Mountains of Tajikistan

The elongated canyon along the Odzhuk River begins from the Varzob highway, or from the Varzob River if you will. The canyon has many branches that lead to Begar, Kharangon, and Chayka. The official end of the Odzhuk canyon is considered to be the Childukhtar, Kichkine, and Kumkayakutal passes. The first two passes lead to a high mountain plateau with Takoba tributaries, respectively, beyond which lies the Takob canyon. The Kumkayakutal pass leads to the mouth of the Semiganch River, a tributary of the Romit River, and thus to the Romit canyon.