The Karakoram Highway is the trip that turns travellers into evangelists for Pakistan. It climbs from the Punjab plains into the densest knot of high mountains on Earth — the Karakoram, where the Himalaya, Hindu Kush and Pamirs collide — ending at the 4,693-metre Khunjerab Pass on the Chinese border. Along the way sits Hunza, a valley of apricot orchards and thousand-year-old forts beneath 7,000-metre walls, where the hospitality is so relentless you'll struggle to pay for your own tea. Allow ten days minimum; most people take two weeks and wish for three.
Islamabad and the long ride north
Sort your logistics in Islamabad: a local SIM (essential — buy it at the airport, as registration is harder upcountry), cash (ATMs exist in Gilgit and Karimabad but are temperamental; carry rupees), and your onward transport. Most nationalities can get Pakistan's e-visa online now, typically $35-60 depending on nationality.
The classic budget move is the NATCO or Faisal Movers overnight bus from Rawalpindi to Gilgit: 18-22 hours, $15-20, on a road that swaps the plains for canyon country somewhere in the night. If the Babusar Pass is open (roughly June-September), the ride is shorter and spectacular. The alternative is the 50-minute PIA flight to Gilgit or Skardu ($60-100) — one of the world's great commercial flights, passing Nanga Parbat at eye level — but it's weather-dependent and cancels often, so never fly with a tight connection.
Gilgit to Karimabad
Gilgit is a transport hub more than a destination; grab a chapshuro (a meat-stuffed flatbread, about a dollar) and move on. Shared minivans run up the KKH to Aliabad and Karimabad in 2-3 hours ($3-4). En route you pass the Rakaposhi viewpoint, where a 7,788-metre peak rises almost six vertical kilometres from the road — the kind of relief that makes you laugh out loud — and the highway signs marking where the continental plates meet.
Karimabad, capital of Hunza, is the place you settle in. Guesthouse beds run $8-15 with mountain views included; family-run spots will feed you dal, apricot oil salads, and endless chai. Walk up to Baltit Fort ($5, a 700-year-old Tibetan-style fort restored beautifully) and its rougher, older sibling Altit Fort with its garden café run by a women's social enterprise. At dusk, climb to the Eagle's Nest viewpoint above Duikar for a 360-degree horizon of giants: Rakaposhi, Diran, Ultar, Ladyfinger. In April the valley froths with apricot blossom; in October the poplars go gold and the harvest dries orange on every rooftop.
Attabad Lake and Passu
Continuing north (vans, $2-3), the highway dives through tunnels beside Attabad Lake, a startling turquoise sheet created by a catastrophic 2010 landslide that drowned villages and severed the KKH for years. It's now the valley's playground — boat rides ($10-15), jet skis, lakeside camps. Better, keep going to Passu, a village of a few hundred people beneath the serrated ridge of Passu Cones (Tupopdan), the most photogenic skyline in Pakistan. From here, do the Hussaini suspension bridge — a legendarily rickety span of spaced planks and cables over the grey Hunza River ($1-2 crossing fee, knees optional) — and the half-day walk toward the snout of the Passu Glacier. Guesthouses charge $8-12 and serve apricot soup if you ask nicely.
The road to Khunjerab
The finale is a day trip to the Khunjerab Pass, the highest paved border crossing in the world. Hire a car and driver from Passu or Karimabad ($50-70 split among the car) or take the morning NATCO bus toward Sost and beyond. At the top: a red-arched border gate, yaks, absurdly tame golden marmots, snow in July, and air with two-thirds of the oxygen you're used to. National park fee is around $8. Go slowly; people genuinely feel the altitude here.
Practical notes
May to October is the season; the pass opens roughly April to November. Budget $25-35 a day — Pakistan remains staggeringly good value. Dress modestly, accept at least some of the tea you're offered (you'll be offered a lot), and check current advisories and any permit requirements for foreigners before you go. The KKH's biggest danger is that it ruins other roads for you permanently.
