Karakoram Highway

The Karakoram Highway is an international high-altitude road linking northern Pakistan and western China across the Karakoram mountain range. The route is notable for its extreme elevations, mountain engineering and scenic valleys along its roughly 1,300-kilometre length.

Key travel highlights include high passes, deep gorges and the Hunza Valley, with opportunities for sightseeing, trekking and cultural visits to mountain towns. The highway attains its highest point at the Khunjerab Pass, near 4,693 metres, which also serves as the international border crossing.

The road was built in stages by Pakistani and Chinese engineers primarily during the 1960s and 1970s, with major completion by the late 1970s, and has been upgraded over time for trade and tourism traffic. It remains one of the highest paved international routes in the world and a strategic transport link between the two countries.

Geographically the highway runs from northern Pakistan’s plains and valleys up into the Karakoram, crossing remote high-mountain terrain before descending into China’s Xinjiang region.

• Length and altitude: The highway reaches the Khunjerab Pass at about 4,693 metres and connects northern Pakistan with western China over a route of roughly 1,300 kilometres.
• Construction: Constructed by Pakistani and Chinese engineers in the 1960s-1970s with major phases completed by the late 1970s, it remains a key overland trade and tourism route.

What to See#

• Khunjerab Pass: A high mountain border pass at 4,693 metres that marks the road crossing between Pakistan and China and is the highest paved international border crossing in the region.
• Hunza Valley: A scenic highland valley along the highway in northern Pakistan noted for terraced villages, viewpoint towns such as Karimabad and access to local cultural and trekking routes.

The Karakoram Highway (KKH) runs from Hasan Abdal near Islamabad in Pakistan to the Khunjerab Pass on the China-Pakistan border, and connects to China’s Xinjiang region. Major access points are Islamabad (then through Abbottabad and Mansehra toward Gilgit-Hunza) on the Pakistani side; in China the G314 branches off toward Kashgar. Travel often begins in Islamabad for the Pakistani stretches or Kashgar for the Chinese approaches; local permits and vehicle paperwork are required for cross-border travel.

• Plan for border formalities-sections of the highway cross contested or sensitive zones; visas and permits depend on the route chosen.
• Carry cash and spare fuel; services are sparse between major towns.
• Acclimatize to altitude gradually; many stretches are above 3,000 m and contain steep passes.