Adventures on the Karakoram Highway: May 29th: From Karimabad to Khunjerab Pass – Part 1

Alright, so these trips have taught us one important thing: if you want to fully enjoy the journey and make the most of daylight, start your travel early in the morning. Today was our fourth day... since leaving home, and the third day in these valleys. And one thing was decided every night before sleeping—that we need to wake up early and head out on time.

We were told:

The journey from Karimabad to Khunjerab Pass takes approximately 4 hours. Along the way, you'll pass by some stunning landmarks, including the Passu Glacier and the iconic Passu Cones. Don't miss a stop at the breathtaking Attabad Lake, which is another must-see on this route.

In today's and the next travel diary (part 1 & 2), I'll be giving you a detailed insight into my trip from Karimabad to Khunjerab Pass. We'll be making stops at all the above-mentioned spots, and perhaps even a few more along the way.

Sacred Rock of Hunza

We had to make our first stop pretty quickly...

The Sacred Rock of Hunza: It caught our eye just about half an hour later. The interesting thing is, we didn't know about these rocks beforehand. So, the moment we saw them, we stopped the car and, well, thoroughly explored and admired the sight!

_{The Sacred Rocks of Hunza or Haldeikish constitute one of the earliest sites of Petroglyphs along the ancient Silk Route. It is a cultural heritage site in Gilgit-Baltistan region of northern Pakistan. The carvings on the rocks dates back to the 1st Millennium AD}

_{The rock is situated on a top of a hill which lies to the east of the Hunza River. The site is located on the main Karakoram Highway (KKH), positioned between the Ganish village & the AttabadLake.}

The name Haldeikish translates to ‘a place of many male Ibex’, with engravings of Ibex scattered along the rock faces, a message to all travellers that wild Ibex were plentiful in this area.

_{The information in sub is from Wikipedia. Pictures are mine}

I came across a very interesting information regarding ibex while searching more about them:

Himalayan Ibex has a wider distribution and is plentiful and its future survival is not so threatened in Pakistan largely due to the inaccessibility of its habitat provided by the very extensive concentration of very high mountain ranges in the extreme north western regions. Baltistan and Hunza are undoubtedly the strong holds of the Himalayan Ibex in the region today. In the early spring the Ibex are half starved and eagerly seek new sprouting grass when it is available at lower milder elevations. This is the only time when they descend as low as 2450m (800 feet) and are thus much easier to hunt spot.

_sr

And now, I’m about to share with you the most interesting photo from this journey. Since we’ve already mentioned the ibex, it’s essential to talk about this. We took this photo much further along, near Khunjerab Pass (Pak-China Border), even beyond Passu Cones. We spotted a man with a telescope by the roadside... At that moment, we didn’t pay much attention. But on our way back from the Pak-China border, we saw the same man again. This time, we got out of the car and approached him. So, here you go, take a look:

I took this picture through the eyepiece of the telescope. You couldn't spot them with the naked eye from up here, down to the crevice by the riverside where they were grazing. There are a few more:

_{Can you spot the ibexes in this photo?}

_{This one is sitting in the sun}

We all took turns to look through the 🔭. It was really fun to look at them.

Erm, you know: The tunnel again!!!

No, I can't ever got enough of them. Passing through them made me excited every single time :))

We passed by the Attabad Lake but didn't stop because we had planned boating on our way back from Babusar... Below is the shot from car. I have detailed pictures and much more to tell about this beauty later...

Passu Cones

Have you heard about the Passu Cones? I had heard so much about them. And ever since we began the journey, you could say I was eagerly waiting for the Passu Cones... I had seen them countless times in pictures, on friends' stories, but that day, for the first time, I saw them live.

Passu Cones are few pointed peaks in the Karakoram Range that are located East of KKH in Passu / Husseini village areas. The peculiar pointed shape of the numerous peaks located on a single massif and their visibility from most areas in Gulkin, Gulmit, Hussein and Passu areas make them famous.

_sr

The shape of the mountains begins to change gradually. It's a subtle shift, and soon, you can start to make out the cones forming in the landscape.

And voilà: You are standing Infront of the famous Passu cones!

So, of course, sitting right in the middle of the road to take this picture was a must, right? You can just ignore his stares and, instead, nudge him to capture the moment... His patience hadn’t run out just yet!

We made a proper stop on our way back from border. But for now; we did some photography from the side of the road.

They’re these sharp, pointed mountains that look like if you tried walking on them, they'd prick you. Ok, that’s my perception. But yes, they truly are a marvel of nature. Wonders of the natural world, standing tall alongside the eighth wonder of the world that we call the Karakoram Highway.

Grey clouds and such beautiful weather. Everything in the world seemed lovely. Even the flowers on the side of the road that someone had painted caught my eye... Of course, I captured them too in my camera, because who knows if I’ll ever come back here again...

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_{To be continued...
Keep tuned for the next part: I will show you the world on the other side of the border.}

_{Links to previous travelogues from the Gilgit-Baltistan Diaries}

_{Adventures on the Karakoram Highway: A Journey Through Gilgit-Baltistan – May 28th: Karimabad}

_{Travel Diary: Gilgit-Baltistan Through the Karakoram Highway – May 26th to May 28th, 2024}