The Karakoram Highway, or KKH, is the
greatest wonder of modern Pakistan and one of
the most spectacular roads in the world.
Connecting Pakistan to China, it twists through
three great mountain ranges - the Himalaya,
Karakoram and Pamir - following one of the
ancient silk routes along the valleys of the
Indus, Gilgit and Hunza rivers to the Chinese
border at the Khunjerab Pass. It then crosses
the high Central Asian plateau before winding
down through the Pamirs to Kashgar, at the
western edge of the Taklamakan Desert. By this
route, Chinese silks, ceramics, lacquer-work,
bronze, iron, furs and spices travelled West,
while the wool, linen, ivory, gold, silver,
precious and semi-precious stones, asbestos and
glass of South Asia and the West travelled East.
For much of its 1,284 kms (905 miles), the
Karakoram Highway is overshadowed by towering,
barren mountains, a high altitude desert
enjoying less than 100 millimeters (four inches)
of rain a year. In many of the gorges through
which it passes, it rides a shelf cut into a
sheer cliff face as high as 500 meters (1,600
feet) above the river. The KKH has opened up
remote villages where little has changed in
hundreds of years, where farmers irrigate tiny
terraces to grow small patches of wheat, barely
or maize that stand out like emeralds against
the grey, stony mountains. The highway is an
incredible feat of engineering and an enduring
monuments to the 810 Pakistanis and 82 Chinese
who died forcing it through what is probably the
world's most difficult and unstable terrain.
(The unofficial death toll is somewhat higher,
coming to nearly one life for each kilometer of
road).
The Karakoram and the Himalaya, the newest
mountain ranges in the world, began to form some
5 million years ago when the Indian
sub-continent drifted northwards and rammed into
the Asian land mass. By this time the dinosaurs
were already extinct. India is still trundling
northwards at the geologically reckless rate of
five centimeters (two inches) a year, and the
mountains are still growing by about seven
millimeters (1/4 of an inch), annually. the KKH
runs through the middle of this collision belt,
where there is an earth tremor, on average,
every three minutes.
Karakoram is Turkish for 'crumbling rock', an
apt description for the giant, grey, snow-capped
slag heaps that tower above the gorges cut
between them.
The Indus River flows northwest, dividing the
Himalaya from the Karakoram, before being
knocked south by the Hindu Kush. the KKH hugs
the banks of the Indus for 310 kilometres of its
climb north, winding around the foot of Nanga
Parbat, the ninth highest mountain in the world
and the western anchor of the Himalaya. The
highway then leaves the Indus for the Gilgit,
Hunza and Khunjerab rivers to take on the
Karakoram Range, which boat 12 of the 30 highest
mountains in the world. By the time the road
reaches the 4,733 mere (15,528 foot). Khunjerab
Pass, it has earned the name of the highest
metalled border crossing in the world.
At an elevation of 1453.90 meter lies the
Gilgit valley, offers spectacular scenic beauty.
It is surrounded by lakes, rivers, glaciers and
high mountains ranges. Some of them world's
largest peaks, such as Nanga Parbat, 8125 meter
and Raka Poshi, 7788 meter are located here.
The best season to visit is from May to mid
October. The local
dialect is Shina, however, Urdu and English are
also spoken and understood.
Buddhist Rock Carvings carved out of the
mountain side are worth paying a visit. It is
about 10 kms away from Gilgit and the distance
is covered in about 20 minutes in a jeep.
The Victory Monument of Taj Mughal was built
about 700 years ago and lies at a distance of 11
kms from Gilgit and it takes about 25 minutes by
jeep to get there.
Miles and miles of terraced fields and fruit
orchards mark Karimabad, the capital of Hunza
Valley. It offers a panoramic view of the
Rakaposhi, Ultar and Balimo peaks. It is 112 kms
from Gilgit and it takes a jeep about 3 hours to
cover the distance.
Punial
Sher Qila is the main village of the
picturesque Punial valley. The distance is 40
kms and time required to reach there is about 2
hours.
This 1250 feet long pass connects Gilgit to
Chitral. The pass remains snow-bound during
winters. It is 250 kms and 15 hours away by
jeep.
Rama
A lake in this region offers an awe-inspiring
view of the eastern side of Nanga Parbat, 8126
meters high. It is 120 kms away and takes 6
hours to get there.
For the adventure-loving tourist, hiker, angler,
art-lover, mountaineer or polo enthusiast, there
are few places in the world that could compare
with Gilgit.
Naltar is the loveliest fully-day outing from
Gilgit. About a two-hour drive away, it is an
area of alpine meadows and pine forests 3,000
meters (10,000 feet) above sea level and
surrounded by snow-capped mountains. the road up
from Nomal climbs steeply through a rocky gorge
to emerge on the fertile, high-altitude
pastures. Those who wish to stay can choose
among the Public Works Department rest-house,
the very basic local hotel, or camping. Naltar
is the perfect base for gentle walks through the
forest or up to Naltar Lake, where the fishing
is excellent. The village is also the starting
point for more energetic treks across the 4,000
(13,000 foot). Naltar Pass to the Ishkoman
Valley, or across the 4,800 meter (15,700 feet).
Daintar Pass to Chalt. The two ski-lifts at
Naltar are reserved for army use.
lakes, rivers, glaciers and
high mountains ranges. Some of them world's
largest peaks, such as Nanga Parbat, 8125 meter
and Raka Poshi, 7788 meter are located here.