We left the Karakorum Highway for several days and drove into the Skardu valley. The gorge became narrower and also the road. Sometimes only one car fit on the narrow road. The road didn’t have boundaries and after the edge it went sometimes more than hundred meters down to the wild Indus River. It was a terrific part of the route. Apricot trees were in their bloom and huge snow covered peaks were appeared left and right of the road. “In 20 kilometers is supposed to be a nice valley. What do you guys think to go there and look for a place to camp?” asked Heiner via walkie-talkie which we used for communication between the cars. It was 4pm and a good time for looking for a nice place for the night. Wild camping is not a problem in Pakistan but it is always important to find a suitable place before it is getting dark. The valley was on the other side of the river so first we had to cross a small suspension bridge which was probably not made for our cars haha. Then we had to climb a steep dirt road. In small turnings we had to go backwards to come around the turn. A driving mistake could end up deep down the hill. Because of a problem with the car of Anna and Heiner we started late and it was getting dark. And after we couldn’t find any nice camping for the night we decided to go half way back to a small plateau with a stunning view towards the Indus valley. The detour was worth!
We passed Skardu and continued to the last corner of Pakistan. Meanwhile the river Indus was blue like the sky. Apricot trees had the most colorful bloom. The snow covered peaks stood left and right of the road. It was a journey like through the paradise. We left the Indus after we crossed the river over another suspension bridge. But we also weren’t allowed to continue. The controversial border line of Kashmir was only a few miles away. The last corner of Pakistan was for us the small village Machulo. The village is an alternative end point of expeditions to the K2 peak. We wanted to start a two day hike from here to have a chance to spot the second highest mountain of the world. The village itself was one of the most beautiful places on earth. It was situated in a valley surround by snow peaks and apricot plantations which were in their bloom. The villages called and waved to us. Kids ran laughing besides our cars. It was the moment when I felt in love with Pakistan.
Lieber Mathias,
Dank für Deinen Mut, diese Länder zu bereisen!
In Indien bin ich Motorrad gefahren. Nachdem ich mich an das Chaos gewöhnt hatte, fand ich´s lustig. Aber ohne Mantra geht natürlich nichts…
Ich suche noch Reisepartner, will mit meinem VW Polo Kombi Richtung Indien.
Darf ich hier Irene einladen?
Hey Irene, wahrscheinlich brauchen wir noch einen Mann, um in Pakistan klarzukommen!
Mitte Oktober bin ich mit meinen Terminen hier durch…
Türkei, Iran und Pakistan werdn neu für mich sein, ich bin dankbar für jede hilfreiche Info:
gayatri@gmx.de
Hallo,
steht die Reiseplanung denn nun schon? 😮 Mein Partner und ich planen auch über den Landweg nach Südostasien (vorerst wahrscheinlich aber Indien) zu reisen.
Liebste Grüße Lu ♥
Was für ein unglaublich schöner und eindrucksvoller Trip und fantastische Bilder & Videos. Lässt mein Herz höher schlagen und mein Wunsch, nach Pakistan zu reisen, wird immer dringender. Hab das schon lange im Hinterkopf, aber da Mitreisende zu finden, die sich trauen, war bisher unmöglich.
Danke dir für deinen wunderschönen Bericht!
Oh man, Pakistan! Tolles Land, schreckliches Image.
Deine Bilder sind großartig. Wenn wir das nächste Mal in Pakistan sind, dann vielleicht auch mit dem eigenen Auto und nicht nur mit den Autos der anderen 😀
Die lästige Polizeieskorte hat sich bis dahin hoffentlich erledigt.
Bezüglich der Madrasas lohnt es sich auch den Zusammenhang zwischen der Radikalisierung pakistanischer Schüler und der „Hilfsorganisation“ USAID zu hinterfragen. Spannend ist das allemal und mit dem Kopf schütteln kann man auch.