Tajikistan may not have reached the top of most people’s ‘must-see’ destination lists quite yet, but this remote country is doing its best to attract tourists and to compete with its neighbours, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, both of which see quite a lot of tourist traffic.

Having read up on the country in the excellent Odyssey guide Tajikistan and the High Pamirs (£18.95) and having sourced a viable route with the Lonely Planet’s Central Asia (£17.99) I set off alone, armed only with these books, to see how I - a solo, vegetarian, non-Russian speaking female traveller - would cope with travel in this remote corner of Central Asia.

My journey began at Marian’s Guesthouse (marians@tajnet.com, from £70 a night) where Zulfiya, one of a crack-team of ‘helpers’, assisted me to change money and explained how to buy a plane ticket to Khorog, the capital of Gorno-Badakhshan and the gateway to the awesome Pamir mountain range.

I learnt quite quickly that without enlisting local help, organising the smallest travel arrangements without speaking Russian, let alone Tajik, was not going to be easy.

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After securing the last ticket the day before the flight, I prayed for clear skies the following morning as just a hint of bad weather meant no take-off, a refund and frustration.

We were blessed with the bluest of clear skies, much to my relief, and after a breathtaking flight over Afghanistan and through 7,000 metre high peaks, I arrived in Khorog. Here, my adventure began in earnest with a three-day trek in the Geisev valley, while staying with a local family in their homestay.

This had been arranged with an Aga Khan-funded initiative, PECTA (Pamirs Eco-tourism Association) who can arrange tailor-made trips to Pamiri villages with guides and drivers (www.pamirspecta.com).

My driver and guide Tatik and I screeched along hairpin bends and past lakes to a large suspension bridge where our walking began. At 3,200 metres we left the jeep and ambled along, conquering a few steep paths without passing another soul.

Two hours later we arrived at a small bundle of mud-walled buildings surrounded by apricot trees and animal skins drying in the hot midday sun. Lola Home Stay was where we were to sleep and eat for two nights and three days.

I asked Tatik how many guests the owners can accommodate over the short summer months: "two or three a week. This brings money to buy medicine. Otherwise the family relies on selling their apricots and animals."

Tourism is clearly in its infancy but the little money tourists bring in helps. Mealtimes were simple - mountains of survival food: bread, jam, buckwheat, dried chickpeas, fried eggs, spring onions and fried potatoes. Meat, I was pleased to discover, was too precious for the villagers who work their animals rather than eating them. We ate together crossed-legged on goatskin rugs.

The glittering turquoise lakes, mountains and kind hospitality of the people of the Pamirs had been a great introduction to the region, but after three days of no showers and sleeping on a thin mattress on the floor, I was looking forward to a bit of luxury.

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