karakarum highway

The Karakoram Highway
is one of those legendary roads to travel in Asia. The name implies it's a big 2 or 4 way street. In fact, it's not even close to a "highway" but it is a road. This road is the road that connects Pakistan to China, for many years. It's a magnificent road!

I know, I should be more precise, the Karakoram Highway, or KKH as it is known starts actually in Abbottabad. Up to this town the road is 4 way street and pretty busy.

The legend of the KKH is long and spectacular. Everybody has heard of the legendary Silk Road. As the legend goes, it was the road where silk was transported from China to Europe. The truth of the Silk Road is slightly different.

In the old days there were no merchants traveling the whole route. In fact, silk and other goods from China were transported via different roads, which includes the legendary road Marco Polo traveled. However, goods were usually traded in cities on the roads going west and south (looking from Chinese perspective.

Trucks on the Karakoram Highway Pakistan
Trucks like this one all the time passing by

Therefore we can't say there was one Silk Road. In fact, there were many. The Karakoram Highway as we know the road nowadays was one of those Silk Roads. From Kashgar (or Kashi as it is known in China) goods were transported over the Khunjarab Pass to the lower lands of the western Indian subcontinent. It was a hard and dangerous road. And even today, it's still a hard road.

I have traveled the Karakoram Highway two times. It's a beautiful experience. As said above, the road starts in Abbottabad and goes north following the Indus to the Khunjarab Pass. The last 15 kilometers are hairpin curves to the pass and then the road swindles down to a more widespread open land with mountains surrounding and gorgeous lakes. In my humble opinion, some of the most beautiful landscapes I have seen where on this road.

Most people start in Islamabad and cycle from there on a modern 4 way street to Abbottabad, the official starting point of the Karakoram Highway.