CENTRAL ASIA: TAJIKISTAN 2018

"Now when I was a little chap I had a passion for maps. I would look for hours at South America, or Africa, or Australia and lose myself in all the glories of exploration. At that time there were many blank spaces on the earth and when I saw one that looked particularly exciting on a map (but they all look that) I would put my finger on it and say: When I grow up I will go there." - Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness 

This is a set of images taken on a journey I led in September 2018 for KE Adventure Travel of Keswick, UK. The Fann Mountains are one of the least known and visited corners of what we call collectively the Great Ranges - the Himalaya / Karakoram / Tien Shan / Pamir. They lie in Tajikistan, which was one of the Soviet Central Asian Republics until 1991 and are considered to be part of the Zeravshan and Gissar mountain systems. 

The climate here is very dry with only 260mm of precipitaion annually. Glaciation is not extensive today, but obviously was in the past. The highest summits are just shy of 5500m, and we found the hiking very rewarding - stunning scenery and very hospitable people. It is a fabulous place.