The Karakorum Highway (KKH) is a 1,300 km (810 mi) national highway connecting China and Pakistan, also known as the China-Pakistan Friendship Highway. It’s one of the highest paved international roads in the world, reaching 4,714 m (15,466 ft) at the Khunjerab Pass. The highway is a popular tourist attraction due to its stunning scenery and challenging terrain.
The KKH runs from Hasan Abdal in Pakistan’s Punjab province to Kashgar in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. It passes through Gilgit-Baltistan and connects with China National Highway 314.
Built jointly by China and Pakistan, construction began in 1959 and was completed in 1979, opening to the public in 1986. It was a challenging project, with about 810 Pakistanis and 200 Chinese workers dying during construction.
The KKH is considered a vital trade route and a major tourist attraction. It’s also known as the “Eighth Wonder of the World” due to its impressive feat of engineering and the dramatic landscapes it traverses.
The highway offers breathtaking views of the Karakoram mountain range, including peaks like Nanga Parbat and Rakaposhi, as well as high-altitude desert scenery. Popular destinations along the route include Gilgit, Hunza Valley, and Skardu.
For travelers, the Karakoram Highway offers one of the most dramatic and scenic road trips in the world.Hunza Valley is famous for its serene beauty, friendly people, and majestic mountain views. Attabad Lake is a turquoise lake formed after a landslide in 2010, now a top tourist destination. Passu Cones has Sharp, jagged peaks resembling cathedral spires. Khunjerab National Park: Home to snow leopards, ibex, yaks, and marmots. Ancient petroglyphs and Silk Road relics along the roadside.The journey along the KKH is popular with adventure travelers, cyclists, hikers, and photographers.
Despite its beauty, the Karakoram Highway is not without danger landslides and floods frequently damage sections of the road.Severe weather can block the route, especially in winter. High altitude may cause altitude sickness for traveler. Limited medical and rescue facilities in remote areas.Travelers are advised to prepare carefully, check weather and road conditions, and acclimatize to the altitude.
The Karakoram Highway follows parts of the ancient Silk Route, used for centuries by traders, monks, explorers, and caravans. It carries the historical spirit of cultural exchange and East-West connection. Even today, it stands as a powerful symbol of friendship between Pakistan and China and a gateway between South Asia and Central Asia.The highway is susceptible to natural disasters like landslides and earthquakes, especially in the Hunza Valley where a 2010 earthquake created Lake Attabad.
The Karakoram Highway is more than just a road — it’s a bridge between worlds, a feat of human determination and a path through some of the planet’s most stunning and remote places.Whether you’re a historian, an adventurer, or a curious traveler, the KKH invites you on a journey where nature, history, and modern development meet at the roof of the world.
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