Rasht Valley to Zarafshon Valley (Kuhistoni Mastchoh District)
Before the construction of modern roads that bypassed the Kuhistoni Mastchoh District, there were caravan routes that connected Rasht Valley (Gharm) to the upper Zarafshon Valley (Mascho/Kuhistoni Mastchoh). It was possible even for horses. However, these routes have fallen into disrepair. Footbridges have been destroyed and paths are no longer clear and easy. “Ovring“ trail/bridges that were tacked to cliffs have long ago fallen into the rivers and gorges.
There are several possible routes: via the Ghorif gorge (the main historical route), over the Khojai Muso Pass (a dead end shepherd’s route), over the Beob Pass (a difficult hiking and glacier route used to by people going to or coming from the town of Navobod), via Sari Jazira Pass, through the Zamburkhona gorge and pass (a glacier route), and a complex and very difficult route that goes up the Vanjrud gorge. Finally, there is a route that does a wide swing around the obstacles, but which adds extra days: a detour through the Kaniz (upper Romit) gorge.
For the Ghorif Gorge, read further below on this page. For my 2023 report on Beob Pass, read here. For all the other routes listed above, read this article. For my 2023 report on the Pakshif-Ghorif Pass, read here.
Ghorif Gorge
Local people on both sides are very clear: you can not travel from the Rasht Valley (Gharm) up the Ghorif gorge until the water levels drop in the fall. They suggested waiting until October, while one person told me late September. I tried the route regardless of their advice (June 2022) as sometimes local people overexagerrate the dangers of certain hikes. However, they were right: I was blocked immediately by high water and cliffs.
In September 2022 a video was uploaded (but not dated) showing a crossing over two cables above the Ghorif river right above the confluence with the Duburso river. This allows for a hike on the right bank of the Sorbogh river (via Shingilich and Siyoh Jangal), bypassing the long mining road walk on the left bank and the very dangerous short section along the Duburso river below the bridge. This cable crossing was not there in June 2022 when I visited. However, the quality of the crossing does not look so good.
Update: Two French hikers (Jérémy Bigé and Aubin Durif) made it successfully up the Ghorif gorge on September 10-11, 2022. They are experienced long distance hikers and climbers, so this doesn’t mean that a September trip will be easy. They describe the gorge as very rough, with numerous diversions up the mountainside needed to avoid obstacles. The photo below shows one of their uphill diversions.
After the Vanjrud River there was a cliff to go up/down. They describe it this way: “…you need to climb few meters on rocks (easy) but the downhill after that is quite dangerous. Around 10 or 15m of vertical drop. I would give a 3C or 4A quotation in rock climbing. So going down it is doable but taking care.“ Check here to see a conversion chart for French climbing grades. They mean doable for a mountain climber. I think that most hikers would find this too dangerous.
After the cliff upriver from the Vanjrud, they describe their trip: “After that, two times you have to climb up little passes (39.21415, 70.12938) a few hundred meters above the river to avoid cliffs. The climbs are ok. Really steep but ok. And the downhill were tough. Really steep (bit less than the 10m drop before) but really slippery so we were so slow. After those two climbs you come back near the river and it is easy (but long) to go along the water jumping from rocks to rocks and screaming [to scare away] the bears!“
If you are wondering about the bears, they report that the abandoned village of Nasrud is full of apple trees, so the gorge nearby has plenty of bears.
The cable crossings are also a concern. I saw a video of one over the Ghorif River just above the confluence with the Duburso River, and the two French hikers crossed one over the Vanjrud River. Based on the video, and the photo, I feel that these cables are not permanent structures. They may be degraded or destroyed by the time you get here.
Even with both cable crossings, and an ability to climb the cliff described, the gorge is — as local people told me — impossible in the summer season due to high water. The French hikers describe it this way: “I am quite sure that it is impossible to go up the gorge earlier in the season. In the second part of the climb we walked along the river for a few kilometers. With 30 cm more water we would have had to walk in the water.“
So, what are the other options if not the Ghorif Gorge? Read my summary of the alternative routes.