Between the Central Asian desert and the plains of Pakistan is a geographical vortex that is rich with history, natural beauty and cultural diversity. In this 'collision zone' of the Indian and Asian continents, the Pamir, Kunlun, Hindukush, Karakoram and Great Himalaya ranges are knotted together and China, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India all come within 250km of each other.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Pakistan and China jointly cut a road across these mountains, following a branch of the ancient network of trade routes called the Silk Road. In 1986 their mutual border was opened to travellers, completing an Asian 'high road' loop taking in Pakistan, China, Tibet, Nepal and north India.

The Karakoram Highway (KKH) is also well known as Pakistan-Chinese Friendship Highway, it connects the Silk Road oasis of Kashgar with Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan's capital, via the 4730m Khunjerab Pass, the semi-mythical Hunza Valley and the trading post of Gilgit.

Within reach of the KKH is some of the most mind-bending mountain scenery anywhere and, in the Karakoram, the highest concentration of lofty peaks and long glaciers in the world, some virtually at the edge of the road."

China tours inclusive of visiting Kashgar