Pakistan offers some of Asia's most mind bending landscapes. Attractions include a kaleidoscope of cultures and a wealth of generous people with a heritage going back thousands of years to the cradle of ancient civilisations. The human settlements here are among the oldest in the world.
After crossing the border, we headed for our first night stop in Pakistan at the small town of Dalbandain in Balochistan. The next morning, after refuelling in the desert, we left for Quetta, an important miltary outpost near the Afghan frontier. Enroute, we passed Afghan refugee camps and met various ethnic groups including Baluchi and Pashtun.
Entering the Indus Valley, we noted the change from desert to lush greenery. We crossed the mighty Indus, passing Sukkur Barrage, the largest irrigation scheme in the world. Enroute to Lahore, we visited some of the most important archeological sites in Asia including Harrapa and Taxila. Peshawar proved intriguing with its wealth of history and Moghul architecture. From here, we visited the historic Khyber Pass. We also chanced upon the notorious gunmakers of Pakistan’s tribal lands, and visited some ancient relics of Pakistan’s past. By comparison, the capital Islamabad seemed surprsingly young.
Beesham provided our entry point to the 1,200 km Great Karakoram Highway to China. We were treated to magnificent vistas where the River Indus gushed below and gaunt cliffs of bare rock soared above the Highway.
Making our way through the arid Indus Gorge of Kohistan - one of the most isolated regions in Pakistan - we reached Chilas on a desert plain some 1,200m above sea level. From Hunza, we headed for the last customs and immigration check point before entering China at Sost after passing through the Khunjerab National Park.
