With support from the European Union,
the Mountain Societies Development Support Programme (MSDSP - a project of
the Aga Khan Foundation) has opened a Tourism Information Centre in Khorog
located in the Khorog Central Park.
The Centre provides general travel advice as well
as information on local tourism service providers (tour operators, hotels, home stays, drivers, guides
etc.). See the PECTA list of tourism service providers in Khorog
here.
Manager: Mrs. Rohila Nazarbekova
Tel. (mobile) +992 91 926 2965
To send an e-mail click
here. N.B.
Because of spam, this contact address is frequently changed, so even if
you have used it before and saved the address,
please click again to be sure your mail gets through.
TOUR GUIDES
The University of Central Asia offers courses for tour operators and guides on the
Khorog campus. These courses are structured as follows:
The certificate programme ”Mountain Tour Operator” is directed at developing practical
skills in organizing and developing operational business activity with specific focus on
mountain tourism as well as business theory. The students are expected to
gain skills in the following areas: Essence of mountain tourism, Development of
tourism routes and related services, Marketing and promotion of tourism services,
Safety, Legislation matters, Business and Finance management, Information technology
in Tourism, Business English in tourism, Final project on developing a business plan
on initiating and operating tourism service.
Guides training is a short program and consists of two modules:
1. Natural, cultural and historical heritage of the Pamirs, and
2. Guides training: (mountain excursion tourism guides; horse tourism; auto tourism; educational tourism; eco-tourism; ethnographic tourism).
Click
here
for a list of persons who have completed these courses and are available as guides/facilitators.
IMPORTANT NOTICE ON SAFETY
The Pamirs are very much "virgin territory" for tourism.
Large tracts of the territory are uninhabited and, as in any mountain
environment, weather and temperature are subject to sudden changes.
This can result in avalanches, mudslides, flash floods, and damage
to, or destruction or blockage of, pathways and bridges. Visitors, especially trekkers,
should act prudently at all times and ensure that they have adequate
equipment, supplies and warm clothing.
Make certain that you know the conditions of the tracks, rivers and bridges on your route
and check meteorological conditions. Take a good driver and a reliable vehicle - if your
route includes uninhabited territory, it is advisable to travel with at least two vehicles. For example:
a) in summer in the Great Pamir there are
large areas of treacherous terrain where a mud-slide has been covered with a baked clay surface that
looks stable but is not;

b) many mountain sides are covered in scree (broken rock fragments) that is unstable and very slippery.

c) flooding/flash floods can destroy roads and make driving dangerous

d) unseasonal snow can block the Pamir Highway and other roads

The sponsors of the present website decline all responsibility for accidents.

All text and
photographs (c) Robert Middleton 2002
Web master Romanyuk
Mikhail