Pakistan – Karakoram, China – Pamir, 2004
The Mustagh Ata expedition had two parts: 1st was an acclimatization trek in the Karakoram in Pakistan, 2nd part was the climb to Mustagh Ata (7 546 m) in Pamir in China itself.
We arrived to Islamabad in Pakistan and continued North using the Karakoram Highway.
At the confluence of Gilgit and Indus river, which naturaly divides the three highest mountain ranges in the world – Himalaya, Karakoram and Hindukush – we have turned East and followed the Indus river upstream to Skardu, which was the starting point of our acclimatization trek.
After the trek we returned to Skardu and drove along Indus river back to Karakoram Highway. This time we headed North.
We stopped for a rest day in the fertile Hunza river valley in Karimabad before continuing to the Pakistani – Chinese border on Khunjerab Pass at the altitude of 4 934 m. This is one of the world´s highest passes, which can be reached by car.
In China we have continued North along the Karakoram Highway up to Subashi village, which is to be found just a few kilometers North East from the Karakoram Highway.
After the Mustagh Ata climb we have returned once more to the Karakoram Highway and drove North up to its end in Kashgar.
We have driven over the whole Karakoram Highway from East to North, from Thakat in Pakistan up to Kashgar in China. The total length of the Karakoram Highway is 1 100 km. This road leads mostly along the former Silk route. Major part of it is carved in the rocks above the Indus, Gilgit, Khunjerab, Tashkurgan and Ghez rivers. The Karakoram Highway is sometimes called the 8th wonder of the world. Building the Karakoram Highway took only fifteen years.
We have flown from China back to Pakistan (from Kashgar to Islamabad) and managed to cross the distance we have travelled by road for four days in just a few hours. We have been lucky to see the Karakoram range from the airplane in a wonderfully clear weather and realize how enormous it is.
We flew back to Europe from Islamabad.
