قاراقورۇم تاشيولى يۇرۇش خاتىرىسى: قونجىراپ - تاشقۇرغان

Part 1 of my drive from Khunjerab (on the Pakistani Kashmir border) to Kashgar on the Karakoram Highway (China National Highway G314), via Tashkurgan. Go to 9:20 to skip my drive up to Khunjerab, before heading down.

Karakoram Highway is the only road connecting China and Pakistan, and is known in Pakistan as National Highway 35. It reaches its highest point at the China-Pakistan border pass, Khunjerab Pass (4693 m altitude, 15397 ft). The road is dotted with exotic landmarks, such as Attabad Lake, K2, and Mt. Muztagh Ata, and became the ultimate destination to cyclists, bikers and mountaineers.

Because of the Coronavirus, all visitors heading from the Chinese side in 2021 are stopped 9 km from the actual China-Pakistan border and Khunjerab Pass itself. So my starting point is actually the Khunjerab Border Police Station 9 km from the border.

As of 2019, in order to visit any part of Tashkurgan County, foreigners must either travel with government-approved tour groups (these can be found in Kashgar). Foreigners *could* also pass through Tashkurgan in transit to Pakistan (only between May and December), provided they hold a valid passport, Pakistani visa, and not stray away from the Karakoram Highway (G314). However, few hotels on this route are allowed to serve foreigners. Chinese citizens can apply for a border permit and travel on their own to Tashkurgan, but these permits are not valid for all villages; permits for these villages must be applied for locally. As such, it is much easier for foreigners to visit the Karakoram Highway on the Pakistani side.

Keep in mind that the above rules were only valid up to 2019, and rules are updated on a daily basis in 2021. Vast swathes of Tashkurgan County are sealed off to nonlocal visitors in 2021, due to the pandemic, military exercises, government paranoia and other reasons.

0:00 The road up
9:20 Khunjerab Border Police Station
39:40 Mazar village (also road to Sino-Afghan border)
55:43 Dafdar
1:37:23 Entering Tashkurgan

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