Approach: The approach time from Paris to the trek starting base, Sholkot, was seven days. From Islamabad, the 10-people group settled with the luggage in a private bus to go in Peshawar, then two minibuses for Chitral and of the jeeps to Sholkot. The way from Islamabad to Peshawar took "Grand Trunk Road", a modern road from east to west, with four lanes, built on the old caravan trail of the Moslem invaders which connected Kabul to Delhi. The road to Chitral was asphalted then a dirt road.

Islamabad is one of the new capitals built back in 1961 in quadrilateral shape with perpendicular streets and unattractive concrete buildings. The Shakarparian park at the Himalayas foothill offers two sites, the concrete mosque in the shape of Bedouin tent and a viewpoint on the city.

Peshawar is the capital of the NWFP area, English initials "North-West Frontier Province". The name of the city means, Border Town, given by emperor Akbar. The group was not authorized to go in Khyber Pass nor to Tribal Areas. The city is difficult to know, due to its remote origins and its tormented present. It was one of the capitals of the powerful Kushan kingdom after the domination of the Bactrian Greeks, Gandhara.
The museum recalls this glorious past. The bazaar and the mosque are interesting.

Chitral is a tourist stop to visit the Kalash valleys. The visit of the bazaar and the mosque is rather interesting. Foreigners must register at the police station, "Chitral Scouts Posts" before trekking in the NWFP.

Kalash valleys: This territory is populated of Kafir Kalash, Kafir=pagan and Kalash=black the colour of women's dresses. They live in  three valleys, Birir, Bumburet and Rambur.
The kalash people are a tourist curiosity in process of Islamization.

Yarkhun: The Yarkhun river takes its source at the foot of the Broghil pass, 3,600 m high. It runs is from east to west to bend to the south at the foot of Tirich Mir, 7,708 m high, and of Hindukush  on Afghanistan border. The part of the valley from east to west runs alongside the Wakhan corridor, a corridor between Pamir and Hindukush, bordering Tadjiksitan, China, Pakistan and India.
The Broghil-pass is the crossing point of many caravans active from Pakistan through Pamir towards Central Asia. This area is populated by Wakhi, coming from Tadjikistan and Persian-speaking. Wakhi have large herds of yaks, sheep, goats as well as horses and camels. Almost all the high valley population is Moslem of the Ismaili Shia. The women bread and look after the herds. They very often offered me goat's milk yoghurt, very refreshing in this arid area.
Thousand years ago the Chinese pilgrims crossing the Broghil-pass and going to the south to search Buddhist Masters, named the Karambar-year, "Pass of Wild Onion". Indeed there are plenty of wild onions in the area.
This area was opened for trekking in 1992.

The trip: Seven days were necessary to go up the Yarkhun valley and to reach the Karambar-an pass. The trail follows the right bank and goes up gradually to north along the Afghan border, from mountain pasture to mountain pasture. Two police checkpoints were crossed before the Broghil-pass.
As far as Lasht, where the valley curves to east, the landscapes are green and the plain is cultivated. The trail is steep-side and bordered with trees. Then the landscapes got more arid, dry and the heat was more intense.

Karambar: The Karambar river takes its source with the foot of the Eastern face of the Karambar pass with water from the turquoise colour lakes. The lakes are a pleasant stage for many migratory birds. The river runs from west to bend to south at Chillinj and to be finally a tributary of the Ishkoman river at Imit. It is the watershed between Hindukush in the west and Karakoram in the east.
The valley is inhabited by Gujar also Persian-speaking and ismaili. This area is known under the name of Gojal. They are stockbreeders, like the Wakhi, in pastures well irrigated by water of the glaciers and the lakes. The herds of yaks are many.
This trek part is the continuation of the Chinese pilgrims road coming from Kashgar towards Gilgit, two very important stages of the old caravan trails.
The Pakistani government has offered  the Chinese government to build a motor-road on this way, as an alternative of the Karakoram Highway.

The trip, Five days were necessary to go down the Karambar valley and to go up the Chillinji-an pass. The trail is on the left of the Wakhan corridor and on the right of the Chattiboi and Chillinj glaciers, on right bank then on left bank of the Karambar river. The change of bank was made by a metal box suspended from a steel cable little before arriving at Chillinj. The trail continues in the mountain pastures to reach the Western base camp of the Chillinj-an by crossing the Chillinj glacier several times.

Chapursan: The Chapursan river takes its source at the foot of the eastern face of the Chillinj pass. The river runs from west to east parallel to the Chinese border. The valley consists of alluvial grounds that give abundant food crops. The potato was recently introduced and gives the Wakhi sufficient resources. The name of Chapursan may come from the old man Persian, chi pursan, and may mean, Which is needed ?.
Upstream the Yaskuk glacier there is one of the most sacred sites of this area, Baba Ghundi Ziarat. It celebrates a saint man, Moslem ismaili, which may have made various miracles. Baba is a Hindi word which means "Old Man"  and is used with the respect due to old people. The Chapursan dramatic scenery of small fields amid red and yellow cliffs topped by snow peaks is strikingly beautiful.

The trip, Three days were necessary to go down the valley from Chapursan and to go up the village of Sost after a trip in jeep from Baba Ghundi Ziarat.

Sost, 2,750 m high, is the last city before the Chinese border, the Xinjiang area. It has become the customs and police station on the Pakistani side. It is a stop for modern caravaneers, truck-drivers with their multi-coloured vehicles.

Kunjerab-pass, 4,700 m high. The collar has been opened to tourism since 1986. It is located 90 km north of Sost. Due to the snow conditions, the pass is opened to the traffic from May to November. At the junction of the Khunjerab and Ghujerab valleys, the Khunjerab National Park was created in 1973 at the Dih village.
The pass is an important splitting line between two geographical, political, ethnic and linguistic worlds. It is the passage from the attractive Hunza valley to the austere Xinjiang and Chinese Central Asia. A notice board of the pass warns divers, in English and in Chinese, "China : keep right - Pakistan : keep left".

Karimabad, 2,400 m high, is a pleasant holiday resort appreciated by tourists as well as Pakistani. The valley looks like a small Switzerland. Built at a few kilometres away from the KKH opposite the Nagar valley, it offers an exceptional scenery on Rakaposhi, 7,790 m high. The inhabitants, Hunzakut, speak Burushaski which does not belong to any known linguistic group. At the hilltop over the village dominating the valley, the Baltit fort was the Mir residence, lord of the area. Each family cultivates wheat, corn, apricots and nuts. Hunzacut are famous for their longevity. I tasted Hunzawater, apricot alcohol.

Islamabad: The return was a problem. The KKH was cut in four places by masses of fallen rocks to torrential rain. The group remained stuck two days  in Karimabad waiting for the road to be re-opened by the authorities. At the place of the fallen rocks they set up local porters and tractors norias to cross and to go to the following rock fall. After the ultimate rock fall, the return to Islamabad was made by night to take the plane to Paris, in time.