View Shopping Cart
The Destination Guide Map
Get Connected
Subscribe to Our Articles, Sell Your Items, Publish Your Work, Advertise Your Business, Share Your Ideas!
Driving in China can be a bit crazy at times. Driving in Pakistan’s far northern tribal areas can be pure suicide. Couple those two together and add a bout of altitude sickness, and you have a must see Pyrodes‘ post. Welcome to the Karakoram Highway, or the Friendship Highway as it is called in the PRC, which connects China’s Xinjiang Province to the Northern Areas region of Pakistan. The Highway runs along at an altitude of over 4,000 meters, making it the highest major highway on earth. If you can stand the oxygen deprivation and love a good border crossing in a politically tumultuous climate, then this is the road trip for you. (For Pyrodes’ other famous road trips, look here and here). It is an adventure that takes you through a myriad of cultures and natural environs before leaving you deep in the Peshawar region of Pakistan or Kashgar in the Uyghur cultural center of China. Either way, it is a road trip for the ages, so let’s explore after the jump…
The Karakoram was built in the 1980s by the governments of Pakistan and China to facilitate trade and good relations between the two superpowers who had their mutual qualms with India. It traces one of the traditional routes of the old silk road of days past, and many of the old trading posts remain as small villages. Starting from the north in Kashgar, or Kashi in Chinese, you begin in one of the liveliest cities in central Asia. Despite tensions between the local population and the Chinese government, the city nevertheless is lively and colorful, especially if you venture into the marketplaces. Be respectful of local Islamic traditions and mosques, and you will experience nothing but a friendly and open welcome from the local population.
As you head down the Karakoram, you ascend into some of the highest altitude driving on the planet. Make sure you give your body time to adapt and bring enough fluids to allow you to stave off altitude sickness. The Karakoram is the road for those interested in climbing some of the world’s most daring peaks, including the infamous K-2. Check out this website for more up to date information on the climbing permits and climbing conditions if this is your poison.
The Highway Takes You Through Some of the World's Highest Mountains
At the half way mark, you hit the nether region of Tashkurgan, where China shares a border with Pakistan and Afghanistan, and where India and the CIA recently alleged Osama bin laden was laying low (look here). After a nice afternoon “find Osama” hike, you can head into town to find a bite to eat. The border town itself has numerous restaurants and hotels that are detailed in the links below. Before approaching the border itself, make sure you have kept up to date on the current information of visa requirements and travel permits in the area. During times of high security, China has been known to close the border. Even though it is open now, don’t count on it in the future. After you pass Chinese immigration, it is another many kilometers through the Khunjerab Pass before you reach the Pakistani checkpoint of Sust.
The Border Few See
The next part of the road takes you down through the Pakistani mountains and into the city of Gilgit, the capital of the Northern Areas. The road dips and winds through the Indus River Valley and then goes over some gently rolling hill country before taking you to either Peshawar or the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, depending on which direction you go. You will also notice a marked increase in traffic, so get your road rage wound up. Peshawar is the capital and main administrative region of the tribal areas of Pakistan that so frequent Western news coverage these days, and it is definitely worth a stop for the more adventurous out there. It is a dynamic and vibrant city of culture clashes and commerce. Take care to understand the security concerns and customs, as the political situation is fluid and prancing around in shorts and an ipod may not be exactly healthy. Some hotel listings are provided below.
Pyrodes, as always, has provided you much of the info you need below. Get your visas, check out the maps and hotels, and watch the informative video. Be aware that it is generally not safe to camp overnight in many areas due to banditry, but most of the villages that spot the highway will rent you a wooden bed for a modest price. Whether you take a car of your own or ride one of the many new bus services that have opened up between Pakistan and Kashgar in recent years, get ready for the road adventure of a lifetime on the “roof of the world.”
Helpful Links:
Browse Pyrodes’ Other Great Destination Ideas
View Larger Map
2Comments »
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL
Nice blog my friend. What are the chances of getting altitude sickness crossing over the Khunjerab pass on bus? Can you get oxygen to buy in Kashgar? Thanks.
comment1