Pamir Trail with Jan Bakker – Wanderwach & Kaffee
Jan Bakker is my guest today. He is not just an adventurous spirit and hiker but also the person behind the Pamir Trail that crosses Tajikistan. I’m happy to have him on the show today for many reasons: I am very curious about the Pamir Trail and what it takes to create a trail in Central Asia. I am also looking forward to hearing more about Jan’s story, as he is a very experienced traveler and an outdoor person.
Jan was born and raised in the Netherlands and eventually fell in love with hiking while on trips to the High Tatras in Poland and the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. Consequently, Jan first got into leading hiking groups and expeditions in Ladakh, India, and later to Iraq, various places on the African continent, and many other destinations. Currently, he lives with his family in Uganda, but he also calls Scotland home and works as a freelancer for a UK-based expedition company.
Such an adventurous life calls for an adventurous trail: on a cycling trip with his wife in Tajikistan, he fell in love with hiking in the Tajik Mountains. The idea for the Pamir Trail was born!
With prominent advice and a lot of motivation and passion, he eventually devised a route that roughly traveled the length of Tajikistan from the Uzbek border to the southwest, bordering Afghanistan. These 1300 km cross 23 mountain passes in total, climb 65,000 m of ascent, and offer the country’s most pristine and breathtaking mountain scenery. Even though Jan’s goal is to create a trail for hikers, not mountaineers, the Pamir Trail is not for beginners.
Join the conversation about a fascinating new trail created by an inspiring human who is one of those people who feel comfortable when the going gets tougher.
Yours truly,
Mareike
More information about the Pamir Trail
Jan Bakker’s guidebook on hiking in Tajikistan