Pakistan: Your Travel Destination in 2019 - Forbes Tells

Pakistan offers startlingly striking scenery. Add to this the warm welcome of the people, the glacial blue of Atta-abad lake, the centuries of history, the juxtaposition of granite to greenery, the chance to walk through an age old-apricot orchard along water channels cut by hand, and the blazing snow-covered glory of Rakaposhi, and you must acknowledge there is a grand adventure to be had. - Forbes

And the claim is nothing but fully justified. Those who haven't seen Pakistan or staying away from it just because of some negative propaganda, mist listen to those who come here and do not want to go back - and even they go back, they come back again fro there is so much to bee seen of the untapped beauty that resides in the valleys guarded by towering snow capped mountains and welcomed by warm hospitable people.

Come visit the land of five of the Eight Thousanders,, the K2 (second highest peak after Mt Everest), Hunza, the beautiful place where people do not age, the mountain ranges of the Karakoram, the Himalaya and the Hindukush - all await you this year and tears after.

Watch the spectacular video about Pakistan's loveliest travel destinations:

Have you packed up your luggage to visit Pakistan already?

Photo | More Information and Destinations in Pakistan | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |

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Pakistan: Your Travel Destination in 2019 - Part II (The Heaven on Earth)

Tourists abound Switzerland each year to be closer to Nature in its purest form. But those who dare and venture into the scenic Northern Areas of Pakistan are spellbound to see another Heaven of Earth. While most of Pakistan's Northern Areas remain virgin, the much visited places leave the tourists spellbound for they may have never expected such natural beauty to have been there in Pakistan.

Pakistan is among those fortunate countries who have five peaks towering more than 8,000 metres, called the Eight Thousanders, including the mighty K-2, the second highest mountain of the world after the Mount Everest. But it is the most deadliest for the climbers as it is said that out of four climbers, one never returns. Scary, well yes, but the mountaineers from around the world still dare and come every year to scale this huge pyramid shaped mountain peak. Even K-2's famous base camp Concordia is a haven for the trekkers, though an adventure in itself.

We have lot to share as far northern areas of Pakistan. Some we have already shared and more leaves to be shared. There are places that takes days to reach on foot, but once there, one forgets about the hardships one has faced reaching there. Recently, there is a hike in youth of Pakistan venturing into the desolate mountains, crossing roaring rivers and walking on hair-raising mountain tracks where even a slip can cost one's life. But this does not deter the adventurers and each day a new area is explored, an unbeaten track walked on and rising and setting of sun watched in awesome lonesome landscape amid whistling sound of the winds, that sometime even rip through one's body leaving one chilled and numb.

The social media is abound in videos by tourists and foreigners coming to Pakistan and admiring the natural beauty of every part of the country, specially the northern areas of Pakistan. The rugged mountain tracks and inviting mountain peaks are a haven for trekkers and mountaineers.

This also reminds me of a series of posts I shared of Mary Loosemore, who along with a group of adventurers came to Pakistan some years ago and explored the Hindu Kush mountain range of Pakistan. Do read my blog by searching posts related to her adventure stories. Herein under is just one such video which leaves tourists spellbound of the awe inspiring landscapes, the very indigenous people and their warm hospitality.

This is just the second post of the series and we will add many more ind days to come to introduce to you the realities that are hidden from the outer world. Do give us your feedback if you have been to Pakistan or intend doing so in days to come.

Photo: Shangrila - Skardu, Pakistan | References: | Eight Thousanders of Pakistan  | 1 | 2 |

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Fascinating Pakistan - The Karakoram Highway (KKH)

I started reading the famous Reader's Digest right from childhood as my father had subscribed it. In one of the issues, I read about Karakorum Highway, an ambitious venture undertaken by Pakistan and China to build a road on one of the treacherous mountains of the world and rising up to a height of 16,200 feet metres at Khunjrab, the Pakistan-China border. The article give out fascinating details of how the road venture started and how the heavy machines braved the slopes of the mountains along wild and roaring waters of River Indus hundreds of feet below. A large number of Pakistani and Chinese labourers perished in the river when a slope gave away or a machine faulted and fell down in the river.

Making of KKH - Vintage Photos of early 1960s when the project kicked off

I still remember an interesting anecdote mentioned in the article. Since it was the first time that vehicles were ever entering the area and people had never seen any mode of transportation other than mules and donkeys. So when a leading vehicle finally entered a settlement and a small village, one of the villager brought a big pan full of water and placed it under the front of the vehicle. When the driver asked as to why he had placed the water pan under the vehicle, the innocent villager replied, "Your animal must be thirsty so I placed water for it to drink."

Although now for parts it has clear roads, but there are place where one can feel the hard work of those remarkable engineers and labourers who blasted away hard rocky mountains but still could not clear the overhanging as these were too solid to remove or would have had the mountain falling down. This tunnel like clearings had to be made to allow high roofed heavy trucks to pass through. See one of such clearances near village Dassu in the Kohistan region:

The Pakistan-China border at KKH - Photo: Pamir Times

Today from that stage of innocence, the Karakoram Highway, commonly known as the KKH, has transformed the life of millions living astride the KKH and their lifestyle and even lives have changed and linked to the outside world of their once tightly closed lives. No doubt the road is often referred to as the Eighth Wonder of the World as the road was carved out of granite and solid rocky mountains that took over two decades to complete. It is one of the most impressive engineering feats of human history, for it is the highest paved international road in the world.

Map KKH (Courtesy John the Map)

Aligned to the parts of once famous Silk Route - a fairy tale like travelers' dream route from Central Asia to the rest of the world, the KKH project started off in 1959 and every inch forward was written with the sweat and blood of its makers, both Pakistanis and Chinese. Known as the N-35, the 887 kilometers long KKH was completed in 1979 but was open to public in 1985. Khunjrab Pass is located in the Karakoram Mountains in a strategic position on the northern border of Pakistan's Gilgit–Baltistan Hunza-Nagar District on the southwest border of the Xinjiang region of China.

I had the pleasure to drive on KKH when I visited Gilgit many years ago with the aim of visiting Khunjrab zero point. Unfortunately due to closure of the road near Sust, we had to return from Passu. But the pleasure of driving on the KKH was a lifetime experience. It was here that while driving ahead of Hunza, that we came across the Rakaposhi Point -  a place on KKH from where you can see the Rakaposhi Mountain rising right from the ground level in front of you.

I do not know for now, but while coming back, we encountered a major road block and there was a long queue of vehicles. I had ask my family to dismount and with the help of tractor trolley,  I sent them across the road blocked by large stones. And for myself, I slowly steered my car from bigger stones and inched forward till the clearance. However, my car's undercarriage had a good feel of smaller stones which brushed well and 'polished' my car from  below. It is due to the efficient services by a special Road Maintenance Battalion of the Frontier Works Organization of Pakistan Army that the road is continuously monitored and road blocks are removed to keep the KKH open.

In 2010, a massive landslide blocked the Hunza River near the Atta Abad village and soon the blockage formed a huge lake. Initially, massive efforts were made by Pakistan Army engineers with the help of Chinese assistance, but the gigantic task was far beyond human effort. So while the Atta Abad and neighnbouring submerged under water forever, so did part of KKH. In order to resume traffic on KKH, a ferry service commenced to transport heavy trucks carrying goods to and fro China.

Meanwhile the Chinese and Pakistani engineers worked on alternatives and the KKH was realigned with five tunnels to open the KKH. The realigned route comprises 5 tunnels and several bridges. The longest tunnel is 3,360 m while the Shishkat Great Bridge on Hunza River is 480 m long. And finally the KKH was reopened in 2015 to allow smooth traffic between China and Pakistan. 

Meanwhile efforts are at hand to connect KKH with M1 Motorway near Burhan, Hassan Abdal. This will allow access to Islamabad and Lahore while Hassan Abdal will become the intersection of the Eastern Alignment, and the Western Alignment which will lead towards the port city of Gwadar. In years to come with the CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor) between China and Gwader Port of Pakistan on the Arabia Sea, the KKH will assume extreme importance and draw heavy traffic.

National Bank of Pakistan sets Guinness World Record by installing ATM machine at highest altitude (at a height of 16,007 feet above sea level) in Khunjrab Top.

Now watch a beautiful video by a couple of motorcyclists who embarked upon a journey to travel on KKH starting from city of Lahore. The video has been beautifully shot with each landmark en route appropriately captioned along with spectacular view of Atta Abad Lake  - in fact this is one of the best videos on KKH that I came across:

Those intending to travel on KKH and reach right up to the Pakistan-China border at Khunjrab may do so in  the spring or early autumn. In winters, heavy snow cuts off the road and the Monsoon rains in July and August cause occasional landslides that can block the road for hours. The border crossing between China and Pakistan at Khunjrab Pass is open only between May and early November. However, it is best to consult tour operators as they are in best position to give first hand knowledge in the state of KKH.

References:
The Karakoram Highway (Pakistanpaedia)
Karakoram Highway (Wikipedia)
All photos above are shared due courtesy from Northern Areas of Pakistan except that of ATM shared by Muhammad Afaque Amin‎ and where exclusively mentioned

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Khunjrab to Islamabad: A spectacular journey from top of the world on bicycle

Karakoram Highway is one of the unique highways in the world for it connects Pakistan's capital Islamabad to China at Khunjrab - the highest place in the world connected by a metalled road. 

Part of the old fairy tale Silk Route, which had long vanished,  Pakistan and China agreed to construct the Karakoram Highway, commonly called the KKH, in 1966. The area had never been visited by machines and automobile and it was the first time that people of region came to know about automation.  One of the workers narrates an interesting anecdote about the remoteness of the area: 

When after lot of difficulties, a Pakistan Army jeep managed to reach a so far inaccessible village, a villager ran and brought a vase full of water and placed under the front of the jeep. When asked what he was doing, the villager innocently replied, "Sahib, your animal must be thirsty."

The 1300 kilometres (800 miles) long KKH, or the N-35, originates from Hassan Abdal, a place some 45 kilometres from Islamabad on the Islamabad - Peshawar Highway, goes through Abbotabad, Manshera, crosses the River Indus at Thakot, on to Gilgit (through Besham, Pattan and Sazin) and then to Chilas, Hunza and Sost before crossing the Khunjerab Pass at the height of some 4800 metres (15,750ft) - the Zero Point between Pakistan and China.

It is a marvel of human endurance, ingenuity and determination. Both Pakistani and Chinese workers and engineers worked day and night over some of the most formidable and inaccessible mountain ranges of the world, with deep gorges and torrential Indus running along the track with its full might. 

The Indus River flows northwest, dividing the Himalaya from the Karakoram. The KKH runs along the Indus for 310 kilometres of its climb north, winding around the foot of Nanga Parbat, the ninth highest mountain in the world.  Not far north of Jaglot the Gilgit river joins the Indus from the west. The highway then leaves the Indus for Gilgit, Hunza and Khunjrab rivers to take on the Karakoram Range - where 12 of the 30 highest mountains in the world overlook the KKH. 

At Khunjrab Pass, the KKH proudly stands as the highest metalled border crossing in the world. En route to Khunjrab, before Gilgit, there is a road sign inviting the attention of the tourists to stop and see the the Hindu Kush mountains converge with the Karakoram Range, a part of the Himalayan mountain system (see the board above). 

The Karakoram (the 'crumbling rock' in Turkish language) Highway is an incredible feat of engineering and an enduring monuments to the 810 Pakistanis and 82 Chinese who died forcing it through  the world's most difficult and unstable terrain, making it possible to surface on earth the Eighth Wonder of the World.  Karakoram Highway has a strategic importance that overarches the whole region. It forms the Asian 'high road' loop that binds Pakistan and China and can also serve as a link between China and the Central Asian states. In 2003, the Silver Jubilee celebrations (1978-2003) of the construction of the road were held both in Pakistan and China.

Huawei Mobile Pakistan has recently covered and sponsored a solo bicycle adventure by on Moin Khan from the freezing cold Khunjrab at the Zero Pint of Pakistan-China border to Islamabad. This post covers the spectacular bicycle adventure that covers journey from The Pak-China border to Battagram on KKH.

The video below shows part of the journey through the border custom post Sost, Bay Bar, the famous Passu Cones, the Attabad Lake, Hunza and finally ends at Battagram. 

A massive landslide on 4 January 2010 blocked the Hunza River at Attabad, 9 miles (14 km) upstream (east) of Karimabad Hunza, and made a huge lake called Attabad Lake (above) or the Gojal Lake, for the lake lies in the Gojal Valley of northern Pakistan. The lake flooding has displaced 6,000 people from upstream villages, and inundated over 12 miles (19 km) of the Karakoram Highway - thus cutting the Pakistan-China road link. Although, ferry services promptly came in transporting people and goods across the lake, it badly hampered Pakistan-China trade.

With Chinese help, the part of the submerged KKH was realigned and 24 new road with five tunnels, totalling seven kilometres, was constructed and inaugurated on 14 September 2015. The realignment restored the road link between Pakistan and China and it is expected that significant amount of trade will be conducted between China and Pakistan through KKH. KKH is also a part of Pakistan China Economic Corridor, and is expected to significantly increase economic integration between China and Pakistan. 

Watch the video below:

My Huawei My Pakistan - Khunjerab to Islamabad
Posted by Huawei Mobile Pakistan on Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Related References:
The karakoram Highway (Pakistanpaedia)
Making of the KKH
Attabad Lake (Wikipedia)

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Gilgit – the China Town of Pakistan

It was awhile ago that I along with my family decided to see Khunjrab Pass – it was a rather hasty decision and hence we did not cater for the hurdles en route and the total length of journey and the leave that I have. And we just left by road. Although, Gilgit is connected by air with Islamabad but due to uncertain weather, road travel is much preferred.. Though some tourists choose to travel Gilgit by air since the road travel between Islamabad and Gilgit by Karakoram Highway takes nearly 18 hours, whereas the air travel takes a mere 45-50 minutes. 

We took the N-5 and stayed a night at Abottabad. Early next morning we reached Mansehra and from there we headed towards Pattan – where a Road Maintenance Battalion of the Frontier Works Organization is stationed (the unit is responsible for the repair/maintenance of the Karakoram Highway – the KKH).  Next morning our journey resumed and soon we were on the right bank of the roaring Indus river with its gushy muddy water ( far different from its rather bluish water at Attock). At Thakot, we crossed Indus and now we started moving on the left of the river. The small town en route were Chilas, Dasu, Besham.

Near Gilgit, the KKH branches off and continues to head towards Khunjrab Pass through Hunza (Karimabad) and Sost. We finally reached Gilgit in the evening – which is the hub of various valleys to the North Hunza and China. To the South, Diamar, Kohistan and Swat. To the East Skardu and Kashmir, and to the West Ghezir and Chitral.  Here we were told that the air service had been suspended for the last five days and while thanking our stars for choosing to travel by road, we had a pity on tourists stranded for days altogether in hotels and messes.

The Gilgit bazaars are infested with Chinese good, decoration pieces, cloth and what not – it looked like a mini China Town. While my wife got busy in looking for Chinese cloth, we window-shopped for Chinese decoration pieces and carpets. By the time we came back, we had loads of small decoration pieces and naturally ladies garments.

There is much to be seen other than Chinese stuff in and around Gilgit. There is a monument to commemorate the fact that the boy scouts of Gilgit were the spark that set the flame in the battle between Pakistan and India for supremacy over Kashmir.  Two miles out of town there are a pair of Buddha's carved in to a high rock. They go back to the 5-th century. From where we parked our car, the path up to the rocks was a nice hike – and the carving looked really awesome. I admired those who did this.

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One bright sunny day morning, we kicked off towards Khunjrab Top – but luck was not in our favour. Near Hunza, we were told that the road ahead was blocked and wont be open for days. So the trip ended in a mere flop and we could only visit Karimabad and the Baltit Fort – something one mustn’t miss when in Gilgit. This wooden fort is a class of its own. The fort is said to date back around 700 years. The architectural style is a clear indication of Tibetan influence in Baltistan at the time. The Fort is also listed as one of the UNO sponsored world heritage architecture. On our way back, we stopped to eat some of the most delicious apricots in the world – fresh from the apricot gardens. When we asked the garden owner to pack us a few kilos as souvenir for relatives back home, he told us that those apricots were so delicate that they would not withstand the heat even out of Gilgit – still we insisted and true to his words, those melt hardly a few hours out of Gilgit.

The best lunch that I ever had was at a  place from where the mighty Raka Poshi is seen rising from the ground and reaching its pinnacle. The Raka Poshi View Hotel was a small hutment but served us sizzling hot “parathas” with scrambled eggs and hot tea. A feast I would always cherish.

The beautiful valley of Naltar – some 35 kilometers to the south east of Gilgit has lush green pastures and green carpeted ground make it a jewel of the Gilgit. It is a forested (pine) village known for its wildlife and magnificent mountain scenery. It also houses the Skiing School operated by Pakistan Air Force. We were offered a helicopter ride to Naltar but having reached the helipad, we were told that due to extra load, we could not be accommodated – so a golden opportunity was missed out.

Well then we finally returned. En route we also encountered a road block due to falling rocks and had to wait for 4-5 hours till the road was cleared.

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Snow Leopards - a beautiful animal on the verge of extinction

Pakistan is among few lucky countries where snow leopards can be found high up in the snow bound areas of its northern region, specially in Khunjrab (bordering China). They are found at altitudes varying between 3,000 and 5,500 metres .  

This beautiful animal, now on the verge of extinction, has thick hair, wide fur-covered feet that act as natural snowshoes. These leopards have powerful legs which aid them in jumping as far as 50 feet. They use their long tails for balance and as blankets to cover sensitive body parts against the severe mountain chill. Their favourite meal is devouring the poor Blue Sheep and mountain ibex. The snow leopard does not roar like other big cats of Africa and India. Rather it has a sort of a chuffing /sneezing sound that it emits to attract attention during its mating.

The snow leopard has a cryptic nature of hiding from people, or even its prey, until the final rush when it can catch something. There are generally no reported cases of snow leopards being man-eaters. In fact, they are so non-aggressive and so timid in a number of cases where a snow leopard got into a corral with the livestock, the herdsmen simply got in with a club and beat it to death.  

At present, only a few hundred of these beautiful animals are left in Pakistan and a few thousands the world over. If their unabated hunting continues, a few years from hence, these animals will only be seen in zoos or in picture books. The snow leopard is listed in the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Animals as Endangered.


Nisar Malik, a Pakistani journalist along with cameraman Mark Smith, spent 18 months following this most enigmatic of animals. Thus eventually gaining valuable insights into the day to day life of the snow leopards. Set in the wilds of the Hindu Kush, this film profiles a much misunderstood part of the world, going beyond the myth to tell the snow leopard's real story. Watch the first part of the video below. You may watch the complete series of six episodes from YouTube.

Related Reading:

Fauna and Endangered Wildlife of Pakistan (Pakistanpaedia)

Snow Leopard Conservation in Pakistan

Snow Leopards (Wikipedia)

Snow Leopard Photo Courtesy Wikipedia

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