Border Zones in Kuhistoni Mastchoh District

Unlike Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan does not publish a list or a map of restricted border zones or areas. But over the year, climbers and hikers have discovered where these border zones are in Tajikistan, sometimes in a very unpleasant manner.

For this area, I will give a brief and cautious outline. You will need to be looking at the OsmAnd Maps app, or be online and looking at Open Street Maps.

For the Turkistan ridge (the northern boundary) of the Kuhistoni Mastchoh District, find Kamodon Pass. Do not go east of this pass on the ridge top.

For the southern slopes of the Turkistan ridge east of Kamodon Pass, you may see some interesting trails going up the gorges to shepherd pastures. The higher you go up these gorges, the closer you get to the border. Are these gorges off limits? Nobody knows for sure. But one Russian climbing group did come across some border guards at the top of a gorge while doing an acclimatization hike. The guards very harshly confronted the group. So it’s best to stay away from the higher hikes on the north side of the Zarafshon River (up river from the village of Vitkom). If you stay in the guesthouse in Langar, you may be tempted to do a quick hike in the lower parts of the Yakhrud or Rukhshif gorge. Make sure to consult with local people before doing this.

For the valley floor itself (of the Zarafshon), do not go farther east upriver than Dehissor. There is a border guards station in the area. And do not attempt to walk up the river on the opposite bank. They will see you.

With this all being said, about a hundred Russian climbers have illegally crossed the Tajik-Kyrgyz border. No guard can follow them in mountaineering terrain, and they always seem to have a way to squeeze out of any sort of situation with local security forces (this is a special Russian privilege that won’t work for you).

How about border zones permits for the far Upper Zarafshon after Dehissor? Two Russian groups did secure some sort of mysterious permit through a tour agency in Dushanbe, but upon arrival at the border post they were met with confused border guards who had no idea such a thing existed. They were delayed for quite a while.

First non-Russian anecdote (September 2022): A French tourist hired a driver in Ghuzn and attempted to drive to Esiz (100% in a zone where tourists are free to go). A very young soldier who was hitchhiking (seriously) spotted him and made an “arrest.“ He was taken to Mehron (the administrative center) and help for several hours and interrogated about the weapons capability of his trekking poles (seriously) until an officer arrived and immediately set the tourist free while berating the young soldiers for being idiots. Full story here in French. Hopefully this has taught these soldiers/police (border guards in fact, I believe), that tourists are actually allowed here.