Safety of KKH
 

Hi

We're going to take 7 days for a Karakoram Highway Tour drive of the Northern Areas. I get a little nervous when there are sheer drops on the side of roads - is this route nerve-wracking in that way?

I did the KKH back in 2001. I did not find the road particularly scary, although one or two of the side trips were! At present I would be a lot more worried about terrorists than about the road. Also, while the people living in the northern stretch near the Chinese border are Ismaili Muslim and pretty laid back, that's not true of the lower reaches and if you're female you need to cover up and don't wander around solo.

It has been a while since I did that trip all the way up to Khunjerab Pass, but I believe that certain conditions remain. I was quite frightened along major stretches of the road (very narrow, sometimes really just one lane) where there were drop offs of hundreds of feet to the valley/river below and maybe a small rock or two as a guardrail. I was traveling alone and I hired a Hertz car with driver in Islamabad for a week to do the KKH, thereby having a male escort and transportation. It worked out well and that is a beautiful trip.

In addition to the scary road conditions, seeing villages en route that had been destroyed earlier by earthquakes and rebuilt and knowing the vulnerability of the region to earthquakes made me jittery. Travelers should consider their tolerance of risk.

Aside from these factors, I ask you to rethink the prudence of visiting Pakistan at this time. Not wanting a bullet behind my ear or shrapnel piercing my body, I would not go near the place. Even if you are not the specific target, domestic chaos is such throughout Pakistan that you could be caught up in a fatal event. Talk about risk! If you are a Westerner, stay away. ZZ

And if you really insist on doing at least part of the road, which does go through magnificent scenery, I would approach from the Chinese side, and not go south of Karimabad, if that far. But frankly, unless you actually are Pakistani, I'm not sure why you would be in the country right now in the first place.

Following the KKH still is one of my most memorable trips. The scenery is unbeatable. I don't know of many bus stops positioned at the foot of a 7.000 meter mountain.
The road itself is well maintained by the Pakistani Army Corps, with bulldozers ready to clear the last landslide. And I always trust on the bus driver wanting to get home alive as much as I do.
Having said that, I would indeed check with recent travellers whether the climate at the moment is friendly enough for westerners. A lot has changed in the region since the last time I was there. Maybe you could post this question also on the Thorn Tree Forum.

thanks for your concerns and help above here. I was there three months ago. Pretty safe already, Hunza valley, Skardu was jammed with tourists' cars. Similarly everywhere else was filled with tourists, Though can't guarantee too far into the future. I agree and can't stress enough.... But do do do invest in good and trustworthy local drivers or guides or travel agents - Just not be alone. I don't believe in saving money this way, as in totally free & easy there. Locals that you hire will generally look out for your safety -I used Vertical Explorers tours
( www.vepakistan.com ) and highly recommend for their services. People in tourism industry provide good service (at least those I encountered in my 20 days long trip).

My wife and I went there in May 2016 and the KKH in Gilgit-Baltistan was great, no issue except for the occasional landslide that would get cleared reasonably quickly to allow at least 1 lane open.

The part that was scary was the drive from Gilgit to Skardu; the road is not tarmac'd and is 1 lane with traffic in both directions. However, local drivers are courteous so no issues. Just sheer cliffs on either side

For the drive from Gilgit to Skardu/Khaplu/Shigar, it may be better to hire a local driver/guide

Be prepared at the district boundaries to have your ID's checked, and occasionally get an armed escort to ride with you in your car for your own safety :)

Interested to see a second KKH question within a short time here on Fodors and to see replies both from people who have been there within the last couple of years and those who went sometime ago.

I can't speak to other's evaluation of safety and this is always a personal descision but we've been gathering information from those who have been there recently and have been quite heartened. We spoke to Johnny Bealby at the recent NY Times Travel Show as his company Wild Frontiers runs multiple trips to Pakistan every year (both for groups and individuals), they currently feel confident about bringing foreign groups in relation to the security concerns in these areas. Obviously nothing is without risk and the situation can change rapidly, but different people have very different assessments and tolerance for these kinds of situations.

Thanks Cocoji - we'd read that Hunza Valley is a very popular local tourist spot but it was interesting to read your recent experience.

Just realized my mistake the original poster was from 2015 ;).

I captured our travels in May 2016 from Khunjerab Pass (went overland from China to Pakistan) all the way to Lahore with side trips to Skardu/Khaplu/Shigar. My travelogs are non-commercial; simply a hobby, and to inspire people to travel.

Silk Road Pakistan June 2016 ? Ali Karim Travelog

Enjoy and share :)

A few years back, we did a nice trip through Jaipur, Lucknow, and Varanasi; and I captured the trip in a travelog below. It is not commercial, just a hobby site through which I hope I can inspire people to travel to some beautiful places in the world.
Check it out at
Jaipur-Lucknow-Varanasi Feb 2012 ? Ali Karim Travelog

Enjoy

An ooops post; pelase ignore