Route de l'amitié sino-pakistanaise

The Karakoram Highway, known locally as the China-Pakistan Friendship Highway, is one of the most celebrated road journeys in Asia, linking Kashgar with the Pakistani town of Thakot via the high passes of the Pamir and Karakoram. The full length of the road runs for roughly thirteen hundred kilometres, with the Chinese section, from Kashgar to the Khunjerab Pass, accounting for somewhat more than four hundred kilometres. For travellers to the Kashgar region, the highway is both a practical route to the high-altitude sights of the eastern Pamir and an attraction in its own right.

The road was built as a major international engineering project, and its construction required sustained work over difficult mountain terrain. The Chinese section climbs steadily from the Kashgar oasis, ascends the valleys leading towards the Pamir, and reaches the high plateau around Tashkurgan before climbing further to the Khunjerab Pass. The landscapes along the way are among the most dramatic of any paved road in Asia: bare desert mountains, deep river gorges, glacial lakes, and the ice peaks of the Pamir and Karakoram, including the great summit of Muztagh Ata and the high pastures surrounding it.

The cultural landscapes along the route are as significant as the natural scenery. The highway passes through areas inhabited by Tajik and Kyrgyz communities of the high Pamir, whose pastoral and agricultural traditions are adapted to the altitude. Small settlements, stone-built villages, and herders' camps dot the valleys, and the road itself has shaped contemporary life in the region, connecting previously remote communities to larger markets and services.

For international visitors, the Karakoram Highway is best experienced as part of a multi-day itinerary, with stops at the major natural and cultural sites along the route: Opal Village, Baisha Lake, Karakul Lake, Muztagh Ata, Tashkurgan, and ultimately the Khunjerab Pass. A four-wheel-drive vehicle and an experienced driver are strongly recommended. The altitude of the high sections requires acclimatisation, and the road is generally passable only between spring and autumn. Allow at least two to three days for the Chinese section, longer for travellers who want to explore the side valleys and the smaller cultural sites along the way.