Karakoram Highway

The highway forms a long north–south corridor between Pakistan and China. Its Pakistani route runs through Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Gilgit-Baltistan, with the N-35 officially beginning at Hasan Abdal and the Pakistani section described as extending through Abbottabad, Thakot, Jaglot, Gilgit, Nagar, Hunza, and Khunjerab Pass. At Jaglot, the Gilgit River joins the Indus and the Hindukush, Himalayas, and Karakoram meet. The road reaches 4,714 metres near Khunjerab Pass before crossing into China.

The surrounding geography changes continuously along the route. The road follows the Indus and Hunza rivers in Pakistan, then enters the Sarykol valley and the Gez River canyon in Xinjiang before passing near Karakul Lake and Muztagh Ata and descending toward Tashkurgan. Nanga Parbat is visible from the highway, while the route gives access to high mountain landscapes containing glaciers, lakes, passes, and major climbing objectives.

The highway has significance on several levels. It is part of Asian Highway AH4, links Pakistan and China across the Karakoram, and follows one of the paths of the ancient Silk Road. Its position in the collision zone between the Eurasian and Indian plates gives the route strategic importance to both countries, particularly Pakistan and China.

For travellers, the road is also a gateway to the high mountains of Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir, and Xinjiang. The evidence describes it as a niche adventure-tourism destination and notes that it has made many high mountains, glaciers, and lakes more accessible to mountaineers and cyclists. It provides road access to Gilgit and Skardu, identified as two major hubs for mountaineering expeditions in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Pakistan and China jointly constructed the modern highway. Work began in 1962, was completed in 1979, and the route opened to the public in 1986. Pakistan initially favoured Mintaka Pass, but China recommended the steeper Khunjerab Pass in 1966 because Mintaka was considered more vulnerable to air strikes. On the Pakistani side, construction was carried out by the Frontier Works Organisation with the Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers; Chinese counterparts also played a major role.

The project came at a severe human cost. About 810 Pakistanis and about 200 Chinese workers died during construction, mostly in landslides and falls. More than 140 Chinese workers who died are buried in the Chinese cemetery in Gilgit. The documented history of the road includes the transition from the Indus Valley Road to the present highway and records the work of the Pakistani and Chinese engineering teams.

The highway can be approached from Pakistan’s major urban transport network. Bus services are offered between major towns along the route from Rawalpindi and Lahore, with NATCO identified as the largest operator and several other private companies also named. The route provides road access toward Gilgit and Skardu, two important regional hubs for expeditions, and continues north to the Pakistan–China border at Khunjerab Pass.

Beyond Khunjerab, the Chinese section continues through Xinjiang toward Kashgar, passing through the Khunjerab River corridor, Pirali, Tashkurgan, the Sarykol valley, and the Gez canyon. The evidence also records a daily Gilgit–Kashgar bus service through the Sust and Tashkorgan border area beginning in 2006. Border-pass arrangements described in the source apply to permanent residents of Gilgit-Baltistan and Xinjiang and are valid for travel through Khunjerab Pass only.

One of the highway’s defining engineering episodes followed a massive landslide in the Hunza Valley on 4 January 2010. The landslide created Attabad Lake, destroyed parts of villages, killed inhabitants, displaced thousands of people, and inundated more than 20 kilometres of the highway. It also submerged a 310-metre bridge south of Gulmit. Until a replacement route was available, vehicles and freight had to be transferred onto small boats across the reservoir and reloaded onto trucks at the opposite end.

Pakistan began constructing a higher route around the lake in July 2012. The replacement section, contracted to the China Road & Bridge Corporation, was completed in September 2015. It comprises five tunnels and several bridges, including the 1,480-metre Shishkat Great Bridge. The five tunnels have a combined length of 7.12 kilometres within a wider 24-kilometre series of bridges and tunnels, restoring the road connection between Pakistan and China.

The corridor preserves an extensive record of movement through the mountains. More than 50,000 pieces of rock art and petroglyphs are concentrated at ten major sites between Hunza and Shatial. The carvings were made by people who passed along the trade route—including invaders, traders, and pilgrims—as well as by local communities.

The earliest examples date from approximately 5000 to 1000 BC. They include single animals, triangular human figures, and hunting scenes in which animals are shown larger than the hunters. The source describes the images as pecked into rock with stone tools and covered by a thick patina that helps indicate their age. These sites give the road a cultural and archaeological dimension in addition to its modern transport and mountain-tourism roles.

The highway opens access to a dense concentration of high mountain features. Mountains named in the evidence include Nanga Parbat, Rakaposhi, Diran, Shispare, Ultar Peak, and Tupopdan, also known as Cathedral Peaks near Passu. Nanga Parbat is identified as the world’s ninth-highest mountain at 8,126 metres, while Rakaposhi is listed at 7,788 metres. Diran is described in the source as the most dangerous mountain in Pakistan.

Named glaciers include Minapin, Passu, Ghulkin, and Khunjerab. The route also connects with the Indus, Hunza, Gilgit, and Khunjerab rivers, as well as Attabad Lake and Karakul Lake in Xinjiang. The combination of road access and proximity to these features explains the highway’s importance for mountain travel, cycling, and expedition approaches.

The supplied guidance identifies spring and early autumn as the best periods for travelling the highway. Conditions are not uniform throughout the year. Heavy snow during harsh winters can shut the road for extended periods, while heavy monsoon rains around July and August can trigger landslides that block the route for hours or longer.

These conditions are particularly relevant on a route where access depends on a single long mountain corridor. Travellers using road transport should treat the journey as season-sensitive and check the condition of the relevant section, especially when planning passage through the higher northern stretches or toward the international border.

The highway links or provides access to several important places in northern Pakistan and western China. Gilgit lies on the Pakistani route, while the Baltistan Highway connects Skardu to the KKH at Jaglot. The road continues through the valleys of Nagar and Hunza, and Naltar Valley is described as one of the scenic valleys accessed via the highway, with snow-covered mountains, high peaks, alpine ski slopes, high-altitude lakes, glaciers, and mountain passes.

Further along the route, Pakora Pass is associated with glaciers and meadows. On the Chinese side, the road passes near Karakul Lake and Muztagh Ata before reaching Tashkurgan and continuing toward Kashgar. These connected places make the highway a framework for exploring a broad network of valleys, peaks, lakes, and expedition areas rather than a destination limited to the pavement itself.