Azad Kashmir gets less attention than it deserves. Maybe it’s the political complexity. Maybe it’s the shadow of the more famous northern destinations. But Neelum Valley — running for 240 kilometres along the Pakistani side of the Line of Control — is one of the most beautiful places I have put tyres on. And the road that runs through it
Nobody talks about Sharan the way they talk about Hunza or Skardu. That’s exactly why you should go. Sharan Forest, tucked in the Kaghan Valley district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is Pakistan’s quiet masterpiece. No Instagram influencer crowds. No jeep convoys. No overpriced “luxury glamping.” Just dense deodar forest, mountain meadows, cold streams, and a silence so complete it feels physical.
The sign at Thakot said: Skardu — 472 km. I looked at it for a long moment. My odometer already read 847 kilometres from Lahore. My chain needed oiling. One of my panniers was making a rattling sound I’d been choosing to ignore since Mansehra. I turned left toward Skardu. The Indus, Your Constant Companion From Besham onward, the Indus
I had been riding for three days straight when Hunza finally revealed itself. Not slowly. Not gently. All at once — like someone pulled a curtain off the sky. The Karakoram Highway had been punishing me for hours. My back ached, my visor was cracked from a stone chip somewhere near Besham, and I hadn’t slept on a proper bed