The route starts in southwestern China, in
the rural town of Dali, just to west of Kunming, Yunnan. This
area forms the eastern terminus of the great Himalayas, the start
of the journey. From there it goes northwesterly into the eastern
part of Tibet, locally known as Kham. The high forested mountains
and valleys of Kham finally give way to the area of central Tibet
and the capital city, Lhasa. Leaving Lhasa the road goes toward
Mt. Everest and just before reaching the Nepal border a dirt
track points the way to the holy Mt. Kailash of Western Tibet.
From this most scared pilgrimage site, the main road goes northwesterly
through Ali, then across one of the highest most desolate roads
in the world, crossing the Askin Chin basin. After descending
from this 16,500 foot basin, the Kunlan Shan Mountains are one
of the last obstacles before reaching Kashgar in far western
China. The Karakoram Highway connects this silk road town with
Pakistan and is followed to the final ending point of Gilget,
Pakistan. The entire route covers a distance of more than 3,300
miles (5,500 KM).
