Hey guys, attached is an image of two routes I keep pondering over. My decision might and will probably depend on how much time I have, I’m unsure for now as I won’t arrive until the summer. But it would be great to get some opinions and insight on where the route splits both times, and what I should aim to cycle in an ‘ideal’ world. For example, I could totally cycle the first part of the red (pamirs) and then cross over to the blue in Bishkek if I have loads of time to fill and am really enjoying it.
RED: The start is pretty obvious, through the pamirs. Looks like an interesting place but as a solo traveller, it also does intimidate me slightly. The Pamirs seem like the thing to do in this region, but I’ve also heard lots of negatives (tough climbs, terrible roads, awful food, bad stomachs etc). As the pamirs are quite time consuming, the route from Bishkek is very short.
BLUE: The blue takes a shorter route initially and goes through Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan rather than Tajikistan. It’s a bonus not having to get a visa for Tajikistan! This stretch is the part I know the least about though, so some insight here would be amazing. From Bishkek, the route follows the Tian Shan Traverse Loop for most of the way, making a much longer route to Almaty.
Thanks in advance and look forward to chatting
by Whole_Neck_3770