Studio D recently completed an expedition to Tajikistan and the Borderlands with Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and China. It didn’t go quite to plan.

The Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) of Tajikistan literally sits at the roof of the world, with scattered high-altitude communities that exist at the very edge-of and beyond the grid. It is a seductive environment for anyone that is interested in learning about resilience, Central Asian cultures, geo-politics and their own limits.

Drone footage of the Tajikistan/Afghanistan Borderlands

The goal of the expedition was to prepare the team for a three-day high altitude hike, one that would take us from a remote hunting lodge over a 5,000m pass down to Zorkul Lake, a nature reserve on the Tajikistan/Afghanistan border (photo above). Our two week expedition started out with two 4WDs carrying our group of seven, including our local fixer. Snow line permitting, we also had the support of yaks to carry equipment on the trek.

What marks the difference between an expedition and being on a tour?

On a tour, you can just be along for the ride.

In comparison an expedition provides sense of purpose: in this instance, to reach Zorkul Lake; detailed preparation; a nuanced understanding of what can go wrong; and a mindset for problem-solving. We were constantly assessing the context and environmental conditions and adapting plans as required. Everyone had a role to play and none of us could achieve our goal without everyone pulling their weight.

Life at altitude is a sparse existence, warmed by khorog-burning stoves, strong tea and rich local traditions. There is no mains electricity or running water and limited service infrastructure. Roads are poor quality when they exist at all and some of the days were entirely off-road. We spent much of the time at altitude of between 3,000 and 4,500m (<15,000') with the consequent impact on wellbeing and performance. At that altitude the weather can be severe — with temperatures alternating between plus 29 and minus 15 celsius.

Khorog.

Layman conversations about Afghanistan, even if only about the border regions within Tajikistan, center on war and terrorist risk. While the area is remote, there are regular army patrols on parts of the border and, with the sun beating down and the cherry blossom in full bloom it feels closer to northern mediterranean than a northern theatre of war. From our vantage point on the Tajikistan side of the border the nearest known Taliban whereabouts was an estimated 50km inside Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province, the flat-land equivalent of 300km when you take in to account the mountainous terrain — it’s essentially a non-risk. There’s even a sandy beach on the river between the two countries a good spot for a BBQ the next time around.