Don’t glance down at your phone on the Astore Valley Road

Astore Valley Road is the name of a very challenging drive located in the Gilgit-Baltistan territory of Pakistan.

Astore Valley Road

Set high in the Himalaya Range, near Gilgit, the road is metalled. It’s 115km (71 miles) long, running from the exciting Karakoram Highway to Astore, a town renowned for its versatile natural beauty and access to a number of world’s unique mountain attractions. This beautiful mountain town is located at an altitude of 2.600m.

The road tops out by Burzil Pass, a high mountain pass at an elevation of 4.210m (13,812ft) above the sea level. It runs alongside the Astore River. Due to heavy snowfalls, the road is accessible only from July to September. The first 25km are very dangerous because of landslides, especially in rainy days.
Located in the northern part of the country, the road is part of the historic caravan route between the cities of Srinagar and Gilgit. It has steep sections, hitting an 11% of maximum gradient through some of the ramps. Landslides and rockfall may be an issue in some areas of the Indus Valley.
Pic: Hammad Mustafa