Gilgit-Baltistan · 4,693 m
The highest paved border crossing on earth.
The place
Khunjerab Pass sits at 4,693 metres on the border with China, at the top of the Karakoram Highway. The national park around it protects snow leopard, Marco Polo sheep and Himalayan ibex.
The drive from Passu takes about three hours and gains 1,600 metres. There is a gate, a monument, a lot of wind, and usually a queue of people photographing the sign. Coming straight up from Hunza in a day is a genuine altitude risk — most operators break it.
What people do here
01
Thin air, a stone gateway, and China on the other side of it.
02
Ibex on the slopes above Dih most mornings in spring.
Journeys
Editor’s pick
Upper Hunza · Gilgit-Baltistan
Five days in Gojal — Passu, Borith, Sost and the pass at 4,693 metres, taken slowly enough that the altitude doesn't ruin it.
$610 per person
Next 7 Sep · 7 places left
Upper Hunza · Gilgit-Baltistan
Seven days built around light rather than distance — pre-dawn starts, long stops, and nothing scheduled between eleven and four.
$1,180 per person
Next 28 Sep · 2 places left
Before you go
