China Travel Forum

[sonia]

Hello,
i will be greatly appreciated if some one can tell me how to travel from pakistan to china with kora korum high way by bus , how long it takes ? is it very cheap ?what kinds of papers need to get to china as a canadian citizen?

[kamal]

The great Karakoram Highway - fully opened in 1986 - spans the 'collision zone' between the Asian and Indian continents, setting a winding route in a place where China, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India come within 250km (133mi) of each other.
The Karakoram Highway follows a network of ancient trade routes linking the Silk Road oasis of Kashgar in western China with the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.
The glaciers and peaks are mind-bending, but designated drivers miss most of the spectacle, too worried about the hairpin bend, the oncoming maniac, the narrow, crumbling road and the sheer drop. It's possible to navigate the highway by car or bus . Though the roads are often treacherous, this part of Central Asia is among Asia's safest destinations. Of course, caution should still be exercised, particularly in the communities of Indus Kohistan, and travelling on the highway at night should be avoided.
While the road itself offers a visual spectacle rivalled by few places in the world, the real treasures are to be found village-hopping off the main drag. The geographical isolation of the villages has created a huge wealth of diverse cultural practices, clothing and crafts. The locals are unremittingly friendly - more so if you have postcards, tea, salt or sugar to trade.

Highlights of the road itself include the highway-nudging glaciers between Passu and Gulmit, the millennia-spanning excavations at Taxila, near Islamabad, and the centrepiece of the Karakoram Highway, the Hunza Valley's majestic snowy peaks. Theoretically the whole trip could take 48 hours. With breaks, breakages, detours, road blockages, disputed territory and the friendliness of villagers along the way, most journeys take about three weeks.