Five days in Gojal — Passu, Borith, Sost and the pass at 4,693 metres, taken slowly enough that the altitude doesn't ruin it.
Most operators run Khunjerab as a day trip from Karimabad. That means going from 2,400 to 4,693 metres and back inside twelve hours, and it is why so many people describe the pass as a headache with a signpost.
This itinerary sleeps two nights in Gulmit and one in Passu before going anywhere near the top, which gives the body three days at 2,500 metres first. The pass day is then short, and the walk at the top is actually enjoyable.
Along the way: the Hussaini bridge, Borith Lake, the Passu glacier viewpoint, the Batura glacier snout, and — for anyone who wants it — the old Silk Route trail above Ghulkin that the Karakoram Highway replaced.
01
The reason people remember the pass instead of the headache.
02
A working village bridge with slats missing and a long drop underneath.
03
Ninety minutes up, and you look straight down the ice.
04
The highest paved border crossing on earth, with China on the far side of the gate.
05
Four days of food cooked by the cooperative that owns the guesthouses.
Through the Attabad tunnels with a stop at Shishkat. Afternoon walk to the Gulmit glacier viewpoint and the old village.
Cross the suspension bridge at Hussaini, then walk up through Ghulkin to Borith Lake. Optional continuation on the old Silk Route trail above the village.
Short move up the valley. Afternoon on the Passu glacier viewpoint walk, with the cones behind you the whole way up.
Early start up through Sost and the national park gate at Dih. Ibex on the slopes most mornings. An hour at the pass, then back down to Passu for the last night. Total ascent 2,200 metres and back.
Down the valley with a stop at the Batura glacier snout, arriving Karimabad around midday.
Included in the price
Not included
Prices vary by date: high season costs more, and the shoulder weeks are the quietest on the route.
4.8
from 2 reviews
Michael Brennan
Ireland · Travelled September 2025
I did Khunjerab as a day trip from Karimabad in 2019 and felt terrible for six hours. This time we had three nights at 2,500 first and I walked around at the top for an hour feeling fine. Same road, completely different day.
Léa Rousseau
France · Travelled June 2025
The guesthouse, the jeep and the kitchen are all owned by the same eleven families in Gulmit, and you can feel where the money goes. Best food of my three weeks in Pakistan, by a distance.
The difference
Same objective, run differently. The price gap is usually about group size, who carries what, and how many nights you spend acclimatising.
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