Shimshal by motorcycle. How was the Shimshal valley road created?

There is no more intriguing community in all of Pakistan than the one that lives in the Shimshal Valley. And there is no road more poetic than the one that leads to it.

There was no road until recently and anticipating a bit, no, it wasn’t built by the government. To get out of the village to the main thoroughfare of Karakoram, one had to walk for about 3 days. That was how long it took to cover 56 km of rocky terrain, crisscrossed here and there by streams from melting glaciers. This journey along the icy Shimshal river was made only by those who really had to. Horses or donkeys could be used for transportation, but how many things could be moved this way along a narrow path carved in the rock?

Shimshal Valley

For 400 years, people have lived on what they can produce here themselves. They divided the fertile land at the riverside plain into small plots that were easy to cultivate by hand. Only potatoes, wheat and barley grow well here. Apricots and apples supplement the diet. Traditional mills were built by the river to turn grain into flour effortlessly.

The valley is surrounded on three sides by the Karakoram mountain range and is adjacent to the seven-thousanders Yukshin Gardan Sar, Disteghil Sar and Karun Koh. No wonder that the most famous guides and porters come from here and willingly accompany Himalayan climbers on their life changing expeditions.

It is not easy to take care of the heat here, because the village lies really high – at 3100 m. The temperature in the valley drops to -27 in winter. Until recently, electricity came only from hydropower plants, operating from June to October, later the water froze. In winter, Shimshal was plunged into coolness and darkness, illuminated only by the soft flame of kerosine lamps in the evenings.

In summer the area comes alive. If you want to have a harvest, you have to sow and take care of the crops. Cattle, sheep, goats and yaks must be herded to summer pastures to produce milk and wool, and then become a valuable trade commodity. House roofs require repairs after winter. Water must be brought to the fields,  the fields fenced with stone walls, and broken bridges restored.

It is clear that most of the work will not be successful without cooperation with neighbors. Together it’s easier and faster. “Together” is necessary for survival here, because in these remote, hard-to-reach areas you can’t count on outside help.

Shimshal Valley Road

Shimshal Valley Road – perversely called the immortal road is “jeepable” or passable … only for vehicles adapted to difficult terrain. An inconspicuous, unmarked turn from the Karakoram asphalt thoroughfare leads across the bridge straight to the “low” section regularly flooded by the river. During the summer season, water takes up the road almost every afternoon – as the level rises, fed by streams of melting glaciers.

Shortly thereafter, the trail climbs to the mountain ledges. The most difficult part is the one where the narrow route was cut in almost vertical rocks 700 m above the gorge. The blind turns wind numerously, making your heart beat faster. On one side there is a vertical wall up, on the other – vertical wall down. The waters of the Shimshal River roar loudly below. Shale debris regularly slides onto the road, creating traction traps. There is no room for error. One false move and death is guaranteed. You won’t even be able to get down to retrieve the body or whatever was left from the vehicle.

The Shimshal River is to be crossed several times via wooden suspension bridges before the gorge turns into a boulder-strewn plain. The landscape suddenly becomes Martian. And only the detour marked with stones indicates that a bridge has been submerged by water again.

The kilometers seem to pass quickly. From time to time, however, the road climbs again to the ledge and here you also have to watch out for landslides – active ones that can cause further movements and those that have been repaired, which left the ground uncertain and the road uneven. Eventually the track enters the valley and the dangers are left behind

The Shimshalis built the road with their own hands. Over the years, they demanded it from subsequent governments, but all they got was a proposal of resettlement to other, more easily accessible valleys. However it was hard to leave their fatherland.

They received explosives and heavy equipment as support from Aga Khan Rural Support Program – an institution named after the spiritual leader of the Ismailis, which invested largely in the construction. All the work they had to do themselves.

For 18 years, only women took care of the families in the village. They cultivated backyard plots, groomed goats and chickens, and coordinated cattle grazing on summer pastures. The men spent their time cracking ledges in the rock high above the rushing river. They were building a path to a better future. And not everything always went smoothly. Someone took a careless step and fell into the abyss straight into the Shimshal River, and several were seriously injured in the blasts.

The first trip to Shimshal was made by 4 jeeps driven by local drivers. People in the village rubbed their eyes, unable to believe that they had finally succeeded. And they shed tears of emotion. A great festivity was organized in the village to celebrate the new beginning of life in the valley.

The opening of the road in 2003 provided people with a connection to civilization. Solar panels, cell phone towers, and a whole host of previously unavailable technology have appeared in the valley. Young people gained new opportunities for education in the city and were more willing to migrate permanently to Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi. The villages of Shimshal opened up to more tourism, and now, in addition to houses, the construction of guesthouses according to Western standards began.

Initially, only 6 vehicles could travel on this road. There were few daredevils willing to tackle technically difficult turns at heights. And able to control their emotions when they encounter an oncoming vehicle on a narrow, single lane of the road.

But in 20 years – a lot has changed here. At least 1 public transport runs into the valley every day. The shared jeep starts in the town of Ali Abad and you can buy a seat here for only $3.

Renting the whole car costs $65. Cargo jeeps are hired frequently and mainly carry construction materials, household chemicals and food that cannot be produced locally.

Privately rented jeeps with tourists also travel here, because suddenly the valley became accessible without any special effort. Getting to Shimshal in just 5 hours opens the way to numerous scenic trails, such as the week-long day trek to the Shimshal Pass.

And more and more motorcycles can be found here.

Shimshal Valley Road by motorcycle

Mainly the inhabitants of the valley and the surrounding villages of the upper Hunza run  on their Suzuki GS150 on the road to Shimshal,. In rural, less accessible areas of northern Pakistan, such a motorcycle is the most popular means of transport. Locals usually ride without helmets, without protectors and wearing flip-flops – so as not to accidentally get their proper shoes wet while “rowing” their feet through streams.

The turn  (east direction) of the Karakoram Highway is few kilometers above Passu. A gravel road leads to a wide suspension bridge behind which there is the last checkpost (passport and visa must be shown).

A few kilometers further, the road goes along the Shimshal River and there is a place flooded by the river regularly. When the water level is too high for the passage, local road services appear and build the road a little higher.

Further on, the road gently climbs up with not too sharp bends. You can encounter active landslides here, which deposit locally thick gravel layers – they are not removed on an ongoing basis. These landslides do not pose a threat to cars, low motorcycles can traverse this area slowly, but riding faster in standing position is more difficult and the conditions are demanding. On this section there are also fast-flowing, although not very deep, streams on the bends.

Then the road ascends to phenomenal rock ledges. The route is incredibly scenic, unfortunately it is very narrow and has a lot of blind turns. When riding close to the walls, you have to be very careful not to hit the rocks with your side paneers. Although traffic here is not heavy, it is advisable to honk before turns and be prepared to brake on loose ground.

It is advisable for bike riders to let an oncoming vehicle pass by sticking to the rock wall and waiting until the driver outmaneuvers his vehicle.