I stumbled across some images of the Karakoram Highway, and had to do some more research. The route is also known as the KKH, and it connects China to Pakistan. It follows the trail of an ancient Silk Road used for trade between Chinas Xinjiang region and Pakinstans Hiligit-Baltistan and Kyber-Pakthunkhwa regions. For much of its 905 miles, the Karakoram Highway is overshadowed by barren mountains, which basically form a high altitude desert with very little rain. In many of the gorges it passes, it rides a shelf cut into a sheer cliff face as high as 1,600 feet above the Indus River. The highway then leaves the Indus moving away from the Himalayas for the Gilgit, Hunza and Khunjerab rivers to take on the Karakoram Range, which boat 12 of the 30 highest mountains in the world. By the time the road reaches the 15,528 foot. Khunjerab Pass, it has proves to be the highest roadway and border crossing in the world.

The KKH has also opened up many remote villages where progress in technology has not been made in hundreds of years due to lack of contact with the rest of the world. Because of the high elevation and the horrendous conditions it was constructed in, people refer to it as a new ‘wonder of the world’. It opened up for travel in 1986 and approximately 800 Pakistanis and 200 Chinese workers were killed during construction.

Suspension bridge

Bus accident on the way to Gilgit

Road cut into sheer cliff

Highway cut into the sheer cliff

Highway Map