Karakoram Highway - Kohistan
KKH Part 2

Northern Areas of Pakistan
KKH-Ascent | KKH-Kohistan | Gilgit | Hunza-Main | Hunza-Altit | Hunza-Duikar | Gojal-Gulmit | Gojal-Pasu

As we move north along the KKH, huge peaks appear from behind the ridges. This area has extreme terrain, with ridges often obscuring the large peaks from the road. Much of Kohistan skirts Nanga Parbat, the western anchor of the Himalaya. This mountain, at 8124 meters [26,656 feet] ranks 9th in the world. While you skirt its edge for hours, one can only see the top when you are moving northward and past it.

Rockfalls and accidents cause many deaths on the KKH. While we returned from Gilgit to Islamabad via helicopter, the same weekend one bus went off the road and another lost it's passengers while they traversed a rockslide on foot. Given the volume of traffic which goes up and down, it is no wonder.

This road explains the common response to the question, `Why do the bus drivers take so many drugs?' .... To make the roads look big enough to drive.

We expected the Sand People from Star Wars to jump out around here. There was an area that seemed like a moon scape: dust, broken rock, and dunes. This desolate portion made the irrigated terraces seem even more lush.

This area, on the river north of Nanga Parbat, is shielded from much of the remnant monsoonal rains which make the Kashmir, Swat, and lower valleys so lush. While desolate, irrigation from glacial melt makes the settlements a stark contrast to the desertic surroundings.

The plains north of Nanga Parbat.

This is near Chilas, on the northern end of the KKH's trip through Kohistan. Located here area incredible rock carvings detailing the travels of many Chinese monks who brought Buddhism from Pakistan and India up the Indus gorge and to their homelands.

We did not stop to look, we wanted to make Gilgit by nightfall. Already lacking in sleep, we were sad to pass it by.

Looking back to Nanga Parbat from where the Indus River splits with the KKH. Only here could we see Nanga Parbat fully, when we were only miles [horizontally] from the peak we could see nothing but huge ridges.

After such a long wait, the view was underwhelming.

We pulled into Gilgit after around 20 hours on the road from Rawalpindi. Exhausted, we found a nice hotel and had a good meal, hot shower, and wound down to a long sleep.

We followed the KKH after a few days up to Hunza, then Gojal as well.