Duku Highway is really unnecessary, China-Pakistan Friendship Road is the right choice

I walked along the Duku Highway once in 2019 and 2022, and the feelings were very different.

First of all, when choosing a place to travel in Xinjiang, you should consider the season. If you go to the Duku Highway in June, there are snow-capped mountains and green grass. It even snows from time to time, so you can play in the snow at close range. There are relatively few people before the summer vacation, and the experience is really very good❗

When we went there in mid-July of the following year, not only was there no snow on the road, but even the top of the Tianshan Mountains in the distance was almost snowless. The surrounding grass was dried and yellowed by the sun, and was littered with garbage by low-quality tourists 🖕🏻 The snow-capped mountains may have something to do with the climate of that year, but global warming has really accelerated the disappearance of many peerless scenery.

If you are considering going to Xinjiang in July-August, I suggest giving up the Duku Highway (you don’t have to go there specifically, you can just pass by or walk a section of it) and go to southern Xinjiang ❗

The summer climate on the Pamir Plateau is really friendly, mild and cool, with a high chance of sunny days, abundant vegetation, sufficient oxygen, and a low chance of altitude sickness. The key is that you can still see huge snow-capped peaks in southern Xinjiang in summer. The China-Pakistan Friendship Highway is a top visual feast on the border.

The China-Pakistan Friendship Highway is 1,224 kilometers long, of which 415 kilometers are in my country, from Kashgar to Khunjerab; and 809 kilometers are in Pakistan, from Khunjerab to Takht, with the Khunjerab national gate in the middle. Check-in points along the way:

❤Road signs in Wakhan Corridor, Afghanistan and Pakistan;
❤Yak-carrying-sheep farm (there are many yurts of Tajik residents here, and you can make an appointment for the yak-carrying-sheep show, which is not commercialized and super exciting);
❤The Shuibulanggou branch checkpoint and the former site of the China-Pakistan meeting station;
❤Khunjerab National Gate

The road conditions are safer and more grand than the Duku Highway! The whole journey was filled with snow-capped peaks. The ancient ranch had large meadows that were rare in southern Xinjiang, and it was a real pleasure to have few cars. Parking📸Don't forget to pay attention to road safety❗

Post by ChantOiseau444 | Jun 8, 2024