Entering Pakistan from China over the Khunjerab Pass

To cross the Khunjerab Pass from China to Pakistan you need a Pakistani visa in your passport before you reach the border, because none is issued at Sost. The usual route for foreign travellers is Kashgar to Tashkurgan, where you leave China, then a Chinese-run bus over the 4,693-metre pass to Sost, Pakistan's immigration post, about 210 km and most of a day. The UK government's travel advice says the crossing is open to foreign tourists, typically from April to November, but that it can close at very short notice.

This guide follows the journey south: the paperwork, the season, the Chinese side, what happens at Sost, and why most foreign visitors fly out of Gilgit rather than drive the Karakoram Highway down to Islamabad.

Do you need a Pakistani visa before you reach Khunjerab?

Yes. The UK's advice is plain: "You need a visa to visit Pakistan and you must apply in advance." Most nationalities apply online through the official e-visa portal at visa.nadra.gov.pk, which you can do from anywhere, including from China. Our guide to the Pakistan tourist visa covers the application, the documents and how long approval takes.

Travellers used e-visas at Sost in 2025, though we could not reach the official portal to confirm its list of entry points. Print your visa grant and keep a copy on your phone. If you are re-entering Pakistan on this trip, the visa must allow more than one entry.

Reports of a visa on arrival at Sost refer to a September 2026 proposal, reported by Dawn, for Chinese tourists only. On the Chinese side, your visa or permitted stay must still be valid when you exit at Tashkurgan.

When is the Khunjerab border open?

The UK advice describes Khunjerab as "open seasonally, typically from April to November", and warns that it "can close at very short notice", with snow and landslides the usual causes. Pakistan and China agreed in 2024 to keep the pass open all year (before that it opened from 1 April to 30 November, Dawn reported), but that does not get a bus through heavy snow. We would plan an overland crossing for May to October and keep two or three spare days.

Closures are not only about weather. In 2025 traders in Gilgit-Baltistan held a 68-day sit-in at Sost over taxes, blocking the highway and halting travel through Khunjerab until it ended on 27 September, according to Dawn. Foreign travellers were among those stranded.

Reports also disagree on which days the crossing runs. Wikivoyage's Tashkurgan page said in May 2026 that buses to Sost leave daily at around 11:00, while a traveller's guide updated in 2026 says the border closes at weekends. Plan for a weekday and confirm at the bus station in Tashkurgan the day before.

How do you get from Kashgar to Tashkurgan?

The road is about 290 km of the Karakoram Highway on the Chinese side. Wikivoyage's Kashgar page gives a shared taxi at about ¥120 (2025), roughly PKR 5,000 or USD 18, for a ride of around five hours. Its buses to Sost from Kashgar include a night in Tashkurgan that you pay for yourself.

Two points catch foreigners out:

• The Border Area Pass. Travellers' reports from 2025 and 2026 say foreigners need a free Border Area Pass, issued in Kashgar, to get through the police checkpoints on the road to Tashkurgan. Rules in Xinjiang change, so ask your hotel in Kashgar what is needed now.
• The clocks. China runs on Beijing time, but many people in Xinjiang also use a local time two hours behind it. Pakistan is three hours behind Beijing time, so check which time any departure is given in.

What happens at Tashkurgan and on the bus over the pass?

You leave China at the border post in Tashkurgan. Expect your passport to be checked and your luggage X-rayed, and allow time: travellers going the other way describe the Chinese checks as slow and thorough. Buses from China into Pakistan are run by Chinese companies, and Wikivoyage gave the fare as ¥225 in May 2026.

From Tashkurgan it is about 126 km to the pass and another 85 km down to Sost. Travellers report no food, water or toilets on the Chinese stretch, so carry water, snacks and a warm layer on the bus. At 4,693 metres the air is cold and thin even in summer; move slowly if the bus stops at the top.

Below the pass the road runs through Khunjerab National Park. Foreigners can be asked for the park fee on the way through; it is set in US dollars and has changed more than once, so keep some small dollar notes to hand.

What happens at Sost immigration?

Sost is the last town on the Pakistani side, where Pakistan's immigration and customs offices sit. Buses stop at the immigration office, where you fill out a health declaration form and show your passport and visa. Expect customs to look at your bags too. Wikivoyage warns that the office can be "busy and chaotic".

Check your passport before you walk away. The UK advice says to make sure you get your passport stamped on entry, because "leaving Pakistan will be difficult if you do not have an entry stamp."

The UK's current advice mentions no separate registration requirement for Gilgit-Baltistan. Your details are recorded at hotel check-ins and police checkposts, so keep your passport and a visa copy in a pocket, and report in if police ask you to.

Formalities often run late into the day, so you may want a night in Sost; our guide to Sost covers the town. Two things to sort out on arrival:

• Money. A traveller's report updated in 2026 found nowhere to change money in Tashkurgan, and says changers in Sost deal in yuan and rupees, with other currencies easier in Aliabad or Karimabad. Bring some yuan and clean US dollar notes; see our guide to money in Pakistan for tourists.
• A SIM card. You can buy one on your passport at an operator's outlet; our guide to Pakistani SIM cards for tourists covers the documents and PTA phone registration. Expect weak or no signal in parts of upper Hunza.

How do you get from Sost to Hunza and Gilgit?

Karimabad, the main town in central Hunza, is about 87 km south of Sost, and Gilgit about 185 km. NATCO, the Gilgit-Baltistan government's transport company, runs passenger services between Sost, Gilgit and Islamabad and sells tickets through its app. Passu, Gulmit and Karimabad all sit on the highway between Sost and Gilgit, so many travellers spend their first nights in Pakistan there rather than going straight through.

Why fly on from Gilgit instead of driving the KKH south?

Because of where the road goes after Chilas. The UK advises against all travel on the Karakoram Highway between Mansehra and Chilas, through Battagram, Besham, Dasu and Sazin up to the N15 junction. Pakistani travellers still use that road, but if you hold a foreign passport, travelling against your own government's advice can invalidate your travel insurance.

The alternative is the N15 over the Babusar Pass to Naran, which the UK does not list. It only opens in the warmer months, and it takes you into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the UK says foreigners must get advance permission from local or federal authorities to travel. Emergency measures and Governor's Rule were introduced in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on 11 October 2026, and the UK advice now mentions road closures, transport disruption and internet problems there.

Flying avoids all of that. PIA flies between Gilgit and Islamabad on small ATR 42 turboprops, and the airport is about 2 km east of the city. Flights in the mountains are often delayed or cancelled by weather, so keep a spare day before any international departure. Our Islamabad to Gilgit flight guide covers fares and how cancellations work.

Is the overland crossing worth it, and is it safe?

It suits travellers who are already in Xinjiang and heading south anyway: overlanders, cyclists and people on a long Silk Road trip. Gilgit-Baltistan is not on the UK's list of places to avoid. If you are coming from home with two weeks, the route rarely makes sense. Flying into Islamabad and up to Gilgit is simpler, and our honest look at whether Pakistan is safe for tourists covers the wider picture.

Whichever way you arrive, read your own government's advice, such as the UK's Pakistan travel advice, close to your travel date, and follow local news for protests or closures at Sost. If you would rather have the Pakistani side arranged for you, our tours for international travellers run from airport pickup to drop-off and are quoted in US dollars on request.

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