Oytagh — Ghez River Upper Valley Campground

The Oytagh area in the upper Ghez River valley, roughly 100 kilometres south of Kashgar on the KKH approach road, has a known designated camping area used by Chinese domestic tour groups and overlanders heading into the Pamir highlands. The setting is dramatic — glaciated peaks crowd the valley walls, the river runs clear and cold, and the road shoulders flatten into a manageable camping shelf. Facilities are minimal: basic pit toilets at the designated area, no reliable water treatment, and no shade structures, but the valley itself provides wind break from the dominant westerlies. It’s a genuine elevation step-up camp at around 2,100 metres before the serious climbing begins.

Access is off the sealed KKH via a short gravel spur. The road into the upper valley can be rough after spring melt and early summer rains — high-clearance is useful but not mandatory in dry conditions. The area is inside a controlled zone requiring prior documentation from Kashgar authorities. Summer weekends see domestic Chinese hikers and tour vans; early mornings are quiet. No fuel available — carry what you need from Kashgar or Upal.

Glacier valley step-up camp before the Pamirs.