Pakistan - 23 - Gilgit To Chitral - Riding Up The Valley

November 3rd 2008

Gilgit to Chitral – Part 1 - riding up the valley

From Gilgit we decided to try and cycle the 370km to Chitral, climbing up the Gilgit river to the 3750m Shandur pass and then dropping down steeply to the town of Chitral near the Afghan border. The road is about 2/3 tar-sealed although the middle section over the pass is mainly rock, very steep and very poor quality. Riding up the valley we had no idea how bad the road was going to get. The weather was good and the scenery spectacular. It was great to be riding on a road with very little traffic (a few jeeps a day) and despite the many ups and downs we loved it. We stayed in simple Guest Houses and one night were invited to stay in the house of a local school teacher, a fantastic experience.

© Simon Taylor 2008