The narrow and windy road from Deosai Plains to the small village of
Astore will blow your mind. Go there in autumn because the colors of
the nature will boost your experience dramatically.
TRAFFIC IN PAKISTAN
Drivers in this area present characteristic
foolishness with little or no consideration
for safety. Many come here from the south
(big cities), and they just don’t know how
to drive in the mountains, as witnessed
by the large number of accidents along
the way.
I’m sure you’ve heard stories of how
awful traffic in India is. Well, I’ve got bad
news... Pakistan is no better, and may
be worse. Here are a few things to watch
out for:- Drivers drastically cut corners and stay
long in the wrong lane.- Drivers often overtake or pass so
close they will touch your vehicle, so be
mindful of your cases and saddlebags.- On hairpin turns, there’s a tendency
to ride too close to you while
approaching from the rear. Depending
on the circumstances you could get
pushed off the road.- Overtaking on turns and elevations
is SOP. And you can be all but certain
that behind a blind curve will be a car
using your lane to overtake another.- Drivers overtake not when they
can but when they want to. After
overtaking they’ll immediately cut
you off.- Apparently, drivers do not need
rear view mirrors, nor quite fre-
quently head or tail lights. Instead
of turn signals they’ll compensate
by waving their hands. If you see
a person waving from behind,
they’re not greeting you!- While pulling out, drivers will
completely ignore an approach-
ing vehicle.- Policemen controlling traffic
have absolutely no idea what
they are doing, and nobody pays
attention to them.
- Policemen controlling traffic
- While pulling out, drivers will
- Bus drivers are the worst, while
truck drivers are the best as they are
very predictable and often help you
overtake them.
- Apparently, drivers do not need
- Drivers overtake not when they
- And, finally, the omnipresent
honking horns....
- Overtaking on turns and elevations
- On hairpin turns, there’s a tendency
- Drivers often overtake or pass so
The Shimsal Valley is in a safe oasis at the top of the Hunza Valley.
In our opinion, it is one of the most beautiful (if not the most beautiful)
places along Karkakoram Highway. There is a spot called Eagles Nest, from
which you can admire a great view of the entire valley with mountains over
7,000 meters in the distance. There is also a hotel, not the cheapest, but it’s
definitely worth a stay for one or two nights.
From the Hunza Valley, we rode towards Shandur National Park. The park
did not impress us that much, but the road leading there was a completely
different story. You take a curved road with a good asphalt surface along the
turquoise Gilgit River. Riding through valley after valley, the trees and bushes
slowly shift to autumn colors. Every valley is surrounded by high mountains with
steep sunlit tops. Completely wonderful. This route is one of our Top 3.
Another interesting route leads to the Valley of Skardu, where you can also get
the feeling of being on the edge. Some of its sections lead extremely high among
the rocks; the road is often not very wide and can surprise you with sharp, blind
turns. And, the surface is not the best, riddled with potholes. All this made the 200
kilometers from the Karakoram Highway to Skardu a very tiring leg of our trip, and
we ended up nervously night riding until we could find accommodation.
Skardu is worth visiting mostly for Deosai National Park—a mandatory desti-
nation for every motorcycle traveler in Pakistan. Although the park is not too
impressive, it is an empty and raw space at over 4,000 meters, making it the
second highest highland in the world. If you get excited about such “records,”
it’s worth seeing, though riding through the park is truly a nightmare—the
worst road we encountered.
That said, the most interesting element there is a road leading to the park
from Skardu and from the park towards Astore. It’s worth visiting Deosai
for those two sections, which will blow your mind. The scenery is like no
other, and you’ll have a great time.AdventureMotorcycle.com 63