PAKISTAN - Karakoram Highway

This page has been assembled with photos from Jim Cann and notes from other OCD Members. (A larger image of each picture is available by clicking on the small picture.) Jim was on a CTC-organised tour in 1991 when he travelled from Islamabad to the Chinese border and back.

The road is not the world's highest - that is in Kashmir - but passes two spectacularly high mountains, Rakaposhi, 7754m to the SW of Sust, and Nanga Parbat, 8126m ESE of Chilas.

	04. A typically ornate bus customised by a proud owner near Islamabad.
05. Hotel at Murray Hill north of Islamabad where the tour party stayed.
	15. The Karakoram Mountain range is relatively unstable and a major mud slide like this is not uncommon. This was just above Hunza.
17. Open valley near Hunza at about 8000 feet/2400m. While you cycle along you could consider how the huge boulders got there!
	22. Customs' post at Sust, about 8500feet/2500m. It is the last town and 54 miles to the summit and the Chinese border from here and the only practical way to do this was to ride there and back in the day. The party's passports were retained to ensure it chose to come back!
24. Still well below the snow line.
	25. At the snow line and almost the summit.
26. The summit post can just be seen to the right. This is called the Khunjerab Pass
	30. Jim Cann at the summit. Height is quoted variously between 4700 and 4890m or about 15500 to 16000 feet.

The OCD magazine Cycloclimbing has had two articles on this road:

• A full crossing from China by David Pindar, published in 1990
• A ride from Pakistan to China by John Mackle, 1993

These are available to OCD Members at the cost of copying or within our guide to the Himalayas. The OCD Files include newspaper cuttings and a longer article on the construction of the road, again available to Members.

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