Why this ride
From Kirov it runs 216 km to Kirov; allow about 4 h 50 of riding. It goes by way of Halevard, Tugay forests of the Tigrovaya Balka Natur and back through Halevard.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Ajinatepa Buddhist monastery and Tugay forests of the Tigrovaya Balka Natur
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 216 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 50
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Ajinatepa Buddhist monastery
In the Vakhsh valley of southern Tajikistan, near the city of Bokhtar, once called Qurghonteppa, a low mound of earth in the fields hides the remains of a Buddhist monastery from the seventh and eighth centuries. Excavations at Ajina Tepa, which means the hill of the demons in local tradition, revealed a complex of courtyards, cells, corridors and stupas, built of mud brick and decorated with paintings and clay sculptures. The most spectacular find, uncovered in 1966, was a giant reclining Buddha, around thirteen metres long, depicting the Buddha entering nirvana.
Read the complete Ajinatepa Buddhist monastery write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Ajinatepa Buddhist monastery is where the day begins. Next is Halevard.
2. Halevard
Southern Tajikistan is a land of wide river valleys and dry hills, where the Vakhsh and the Panj rivers flow towards the Amu Darya, the Oxus of the ancients, on the border with Afghanistan. Near the town of Kolkhozobod, known today by its newer name, lies Halevard, an archaeological site in the fertile Vakhsh valley. This region was part of ancient Bactria, a land of cities and fortresses that flourished under the Persians, the Greeks who followed Alexander the Great, and the Kushans.
Read the complete Halevard write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Halevard comes up about 47 km into the recorded legs. Next is Tugay forests of the Tigrovaya Balka Natur.
3. Tugay forests of the Tigrovaya Balka Natur
The Tigrovaya Balka, the Tiger Gully, lies in the far south of Tajikistan where the Vakhsh river runs down to meet the Panj and the Amu Darya, and it is an odd, lush corner in a dry country. The nature reserve protects tugay, the riverine forest of poplar, willow, tamarisk and wild olive that grows along the flood plains of Central Asian rivers, with thick reed beds and clearings of tall grass. It looks like a jungle, which is why it was called a gully of tigers. The Turan tiger, a relative of the Siberian tiger, lived here until the 1950s, when hunting and the clearing of reed land for cotton drove it to extinction.
Read the complete Tugay forests of the Tigrovaya Balka Natur write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 108 km into the recorded legs you reach Tugay forests of the Tigrovaya Balka Natur. Next is back through Halevard.
4. back through Halevard
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Halevard write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Halevard, late in the day. Next is Ajinatepa Buddhist monastery.
5. Ajinatepa Buddhist monastery
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Ajinatepa Buddhist monastery write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Ajinatepa Buddhist monastery. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Ajinatepa Buddhist monastery to Halevard
Ajinatepa Buddhist monastery → Halevard is 47 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Halevard to Tugay forests of the Tigrovaya Balka Natur
Halevard → Tugay forests of the Tigrovaya Balka Natur is 61 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Tugay forests of the Tigrovaya Balka Natur to back through Halevard
Tugay forests of the Tigrovaya Balka Natur → back through Halevard is 60 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Halevard to Ajinatepa Buddhist monastery
back through Halevard → Ajinatepa Buddhist monastery is 48 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.