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Going through the biggest mountains, glaciers and rivers for 1300 km, the Karakoram Highway (KKH) is one of most amazing feats in engineering history.
Pakistan and China took up this project to build the 'modern Silk Road' to increase trade between the two countries. This is why it's also called the 'PAK-CHI Friendship Highway'. The drive is beautiful as it is a very smooth road giving you a direct view of the biggest mountains in the world, from the comfort of your car. It's also a humbling experience as you feel insignificantly small next to the grand nature surrounding you.
You can visualize how the rocks and ice have moved and rearranged themselves on the mountains over the years - it feels like a massive living thing.
Looking at all the different landscapes the highway can take you through, really makes you appreciate the location and scale of the project. All of the places I'm about to show you are either on top of the KKH, or a short detour from it:
- Eagle's Nest viewpoint at Hunza
- Attabad Lake
- Husseini Bridge
Eagle's Nest viewpoint at Hunza
The KKH passes straight through Hunza, which is a mountainous valley in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of North Pakistan. As a former princely state, it is a beautiful town with ancient Tibetan and Afghan architecture, including the 700 year old Baltit Fort, which gives you a view of the whole valley.
Apart from the history and culture of the town, the valley is famous because it has one of the highest concentrations of peaks above 6000 m tall - the highest being Rakaposhi at 7,788 m (photo below).
To get the best view of the peaks, you have to go through a harrowing journey to the 'Eagle's Nest' viewpoint. It's at the top of a mountain over 2800 m above sea level. The hotel we stayed at was also called 'Eagle's Nest' which was a thrilling climb to reach. It's hard enough for cars to go up the climb to the hotel, but we decided to take a bus there. At night.
Even after being on the road the whole day, our fearless driver took us through the long, high-altitude journey while blasting English and Pakistani tunes the whole way. Below is a gallery of pictures you can see from the viewpoint.
From our hotel the viewpoint was just a 5 minute hike. Once you get to the top you are already amazed by the size of all the mountains around you. You can see lots of friends and family walking around the big viewpoint or sitting on top of big boulders and taking pictures. It was summer time so we could be among the clouds with basic winter clothes. You would have to be more prepared if you're planning to come during winter. After you get to the top of one the boulders, you have a 360 degree view of various peaks around the region - 6 of them being over 7000 m tall!
After we reached the viewpoint it was finally official - we were at the roof of the world.
Attabad Lake
We left the Eagle's Nest early next morning and headed north through the famous KKH. We soon reached Attabad lake which is a stunning lake about a 45 minute drive from Hunza. As you come out of a tunnel, the pristine turquoise water blinds you through the window of your car. At the back, the stone monoliths rising very steeply out of the water creates a view that you can't find anywhere else in the world.
Even though the lake is beautiful, it's birth is an unfortunate story. This lake appeared in 2010, when a landslide dropped on the village that used be in the picture above - you can see the road leading into the water on the left. The landslide also blocked the river which submerged the village underwater. Right now the lake is about 21 km long and you spend a whole day sitting on its beaches or take a very scenic boat ride one of the colorful Pakistani boats.
Husseini Hanging Bridge
The day after visiting the Khunjerab pass, we made a stop at the Husseini Hanging Bridge, one of the most iconic figures in the Gilgit-Baltistan region. Situated in one of the most epic locations, it's considered the most dangerous bridge in the world. Located in Upper Hunza, it is a short detour from the KKH.
The bridge is constantly undergoing repairs but each wooden step is still separated by 20 cm at least. The constant wind makes the bridge sway ever so slightly. Besides all that, the river below you flows really fast. Because of the constant need to look down to cross the bridge, you get a strange dizzy feeling the whole time. Make sure you cross it with a local or a tour guide so you can get the essential safety tips before attempting it!
In the picture above, you can see a local middle school kid climbing the bridge. I was amazed when I saw that the boy was fixing the cardboard sign at the top of the bridge which said "Maximum three people on the bridge at once'. They also collected bits of trash lying around the area, including the cardboard bin that they have put on the bottom right of the picture. I don't know if they have been assigned to keep the bridge clean by their community, but they are doing a very impressive job! It shows how much the locals here care preserving their own land.
Locals are so used to crossing it, that you can see kids running across it without even looking down. They usually cross to the other side to reach their farmland or to collect firewood. Even though the bridge doesn't have a big purpose anymore, it's still a real adventure for anyone who dares to cross it!