The following is a report on my experience crossing the border from Sost, a town on the Pakistani border, over to Tashkurgan in China!
Traversing this particular region requires the use of a special border crossing bus designated by both countries.
Said buses are operated by the country they depart from; from Pakistan to China, they are run by Pakistani bus companies, while those from China to Pakistan are run by Chinese bus companies.
On this route, buses only stop at customs and immigration, and then continue driving nonstop without even a break for lunch. The primary function of these buses is very much just to cross the border.
Firstly, just before 9:00 a.m., I went to the NATCO ticket office in the town of Sost, where I purchased a ticket for 10,000 Pakistani rupees and submitted my passport and e-Visa. Notably, there are several other companies operating this route besides NATCO.
Afterward, we went to the customs office in Sost, but found there was no staff to greet us there. Having no other choice in the matter, we waited about 40 minutes before the customs procedures finally began in earnest.
Passengers were called by bus number to undergo baggage inspection. Men and women underwent separate baggage inspections, and once completed, passengers loaded their luggage onto their respective buses. Next, we proceeded to immigration.
I made my way to the immigration building next to customs, went straight to the “Quarantine” desk on the right to answer some questions, and then went to the “Immigration” desk on the left to complete the departure procedures. After everyone had finished, we finally departed.
On the day I traveled, there were six buses (all Toyota Coasters) crossing the border. Generally speaking, buses that depart first will get through Chinese customs and immigration first, and therefore also arrive in Tashkurgan first.
After leaving Sost, the next stop was the Khunjerab National Park Office, where you pay the entrance fee (60 yuan for Chinese nationals and $30 for other foreigners as of May 2025). Incidentally, the only usable bathrooms are at the national park office and at a place called Koksar on the way to the pass (and buses may not stop at Koksar). There are no available bathrooms on the Chinese side until you reach Tashkurgan, so it is better to use one of these two in advance.
The bus climbed higher and higher, heading for a pass at an altitude of about 4,700 meters. Between Barhon and Koksar, we were able to see a herd of Himalayan ibex.
By the time we reached the top of Khunjerab Pass, it was already 13:00 in Pakistan time. The border gate area was crowded with tourists from both Pakistan and China.
After crossing the border gate and driving a short distance, we came to the Chinese customs office. There were two border crossing buses that had departed earlier, and we had to wait quite a while for our bus’s turn.
Finally, it was our turn to board the bus and enter the building. We unloaded all our luggage from the bus, separated into three groups (Chinese, Pakistani, and other foreigners), and underwent X-ray and baggage inspections. We waited outside until everyone had finished the inspection, then loaded our luggage and departed again.
Once we crossed the border, the road ahead began to slope downward. There were several curves, and we could see the Pakistani side—as well as some yaks scattered here and there.
Passing through the town of Mazar Sultan, we saw grazing yaks before reaching the town, and finally got our first glimpse at Bactrian camels too. The mountain scenery on this leg of the trip was simply beautiful.
At around 16:00 Pakistan time, we finally arrived in Tashkurgan. The bus took us to the immigration building. We unloaded all our luggage and said goodbye to the border crossing bus that had taken care of us since early in the morning.
Upon entering the building, we underwent quarantine and immigration procedures, and then our luggage was X-rayed again before we were finally allowed to exit.
We had finally made it to our destination: the town of Tashkurgan!
There are no places to buy water or food along this border crossing, so be sure to bring some with you before boarding the bus.
Photo & text: Mariko SAWADA
Visit: May 2025
※This article is based on actual times and photographs taken. Please note that the times and procedures are as they were at the time of writing and are subject to change in the future.
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Category : UncategorizedTag : Pakistan Blog , Pakistan Travel Blog , Indus Caravan , Pakistan border crossing , Khunjerab pass , Pak-China border crossing , Sost , Tashkrugan
