Cycling In China And Pakistan - Border Crossing - Kashgar To Sost

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China to Pakistan Border – Kashgar to Sost Kashgar – roundabout- follow road past law courts – it eventually joins up with the bypass road about 3km out of town

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Shufuxian – largish town with shops and places to eat

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Upal – largish town with shops and places to eat. Once you leave town it feels as though you are really heading up the river valley, big cliffs, mountains all around and a few houses dotted along the road. You are likely to see camels and the colour of the rocks and shadows is fantastic.

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Around this distance there a few places to pick up water – one tourist place where they speak good English. Just after it there was a hotel under construction (2008)

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Valley starts to narrow – you begin to enter the Ghez canyon although the start of the canyon not easy to define. Lots of places to camp but none of them really good. If you wait to dusk – easy, or you could follow one of the bits of old road that are still left down to the river.

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Deserted farm building on right in large wide part of valley. We camped behind it. Family lives about 200m away, friendly.

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Ghez (2400m)

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Hot springs – can stay there

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Road finally leaves the canyon and begins at last to flatten out (3300m). It enters a wide high valley with amazing white sand dunes on the opposite side. The wind can pick up here and blows in every direction, sometimes good....

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First of many villages calling themselves Buyunkul – food available..no shop

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Village to right just after bridge - shops

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Village – shops – 3400m From here the road follows the valley off to the left – gently climbing following the river

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Road starts to climb (3500m)

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Top of climb – North Karakol Lake is on your right behind hills. Easy to camp if you follow the old road and then nip off down to the lake. Lots of sheltered places. Prevailing wind on lake comes from the South.

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Yurts

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Karakol village tucked into corner by lake Road follows flattish gently climbing valley (possibly into prevailing wind)

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Road finally starts to ascend the switchbacks up to the pass. This climb is more sheltered but unless acclimatized it is really hard and dreary. Goes on for ever

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Top of pass (4070m) Down hill all the way from here.

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Tashkurgan From Tashkurgan you have to use the Chinese arranged border transport (driven by Pakistanis) to take you out of China. You can get out as soon as you get tom the Pakistani border and ride down the amazing road to Sost. You will probably need to sleep at the army checkpoint before Sost or camp on the way. It takes too long to get to Sost unless the days are really long. On the right just out of Tashkurgan there is a customs place where you buy your transport ticket and go through customs. Very easy system. The customs place opens at 10am