Shandur Top (el. 12,200 ft.) is a high mountain pass that connects Chitral to the Gilgit in Pakistan.

The top is flat, a plateau and can be crossed between late April and early November. The grade is very gradual, and the area is crossed by small streams of trout. Grazing in summer is plentiful.

Every year there is a polo match played...

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The Mustagh Pass or Muztagh Pass is a pass across the Baltoro Muztagh range in the Karakorams which includes K2, the world’s second highest mountain. The crest of the Baltoro Muztagh marks the present border between Pakistani and Chinese territory.

There are actually two passes, the eastern or ‘Old’ Mustagh Pass (alt. about...

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The Mintaka Pass (also known as Minteke Pass) (el. 4709 m./15,450 ft.) is a mountain pass in the Karakorum Mountains, between Pakistan and Xinjiang in China. The Mintaka Pass and the nearby Kilik Pass (4,827 m or 15,837 ft (4,827 m) high; 37° 05′ N; 74° 41′ E), 30 km to the west, were, in ancient times, the two main access points into...

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Khunjerab Pass (simplified Chinese: 红其拉甫山口; traditional Chinese: 紅其拉甫山口; pinyin: hóngqílāfǔ shānkŏu) (elevation 4,693 metres (15,400 ft)) is a high mountain pass in the Karakorum Mountains on the northern border of Pakistan and the Xinjiang Autonmous Region of China. The name is derived from Wakhi for Blood Valley.

The...

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Dorah Pass, also spelled and pronounced Durah Pass, connects Badakshan in Afghanistan with Chitral in Pakistan. The Dorah Pass is more than 14,000 feet (4,300 m) high. It crosses the Hindu Kush. It became important during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan because the Soviets were unable to stop the flow of arms and men back and forth across the...

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The Burzil Pass situated at a height of 13,500ft above sea level is an ancient pass and caravan route between Srinagar in Kashmir and Gilgit. This route was active up to Pakistan’s independence. The travellers used horses and ponies to cross the pass. The pass lies close to the Indo-Pak line of control that has since closed the Burzil.

The...

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Hunza (Urdu: ہنزہ) was a former princely state in the northernmost part of the Northern Areas of Pakistan, which existed until 1974. The state bordered the Gilgit Agency to the south, the former princely state of Nagar to the east, Chinese Turkistan to the north and Afghanistan to the northwest. The state capital was the town of Baltit (also...

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The Baltoro Glacier, at 62 kilometers long, is one of the longest glaciers outside of the polar regions. It is located in Baltistan, in the Northern Areas of Pakistan, and runs through part of the Karakoram mountain range. The Baltoro Muztagh lies to the north and east of the glacier, while the Masherbrum Mountains lie to the south. At 8,611 m (28,251...

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Gasherbrum II (also known as K4) is the 13th highest mountain on Earth, located on the border of Pakistan-China. Gasherbrum II is the third highest peak of the Gasherbrum massif, located in the Karakoram range of the Himalaya.

The standard route is via the SW ridge as it is relatively free of objective hazards such as ice falls and avalanches....

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Gasherbrum I (also known as Hidden Peak or K5) is the 11th highest peak on Earth, located on the Pakistan-China border. Gasherbrum I is part of the Gasherbrum massif, located in the Karakoram region of the Himalaya. Gasherbrum is often claimed to mean “Shining Wall”, presumably a reference to the highly visible face of the neighboring...

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