Khyber Pass
Historic Mountain Pass Between Pakistan And Afghanistan Through The Spin Ghar Range; Access For Visitors Controlled By The Khyber District Authorities · Landi Kotal, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
The Khyber Pass is the most famous mountain pass in South Asia, the road through the Spin Ghar hills from the Peshawar valley to Afghanistan, and for thousands of years it was the gateway through which traders, pilgrims and invading armies came into the subcontinent. The name alone draws people. The route starts at Jamrud, where the Bab-e-Khyber gate of 1963 stands across the road beside a nineteenth-century Sikh fort, and climbs through narrow defiles past Ali Masjid and Shagai fort to Landi Kotal, a smuggling bazaar town, and the Michni viewpoint above the Afghan border at Torkham. Along the way, British regiments carved and painted their badges on the rocks, and the old Khyber railway, one of the great feats of colonial engineering, still winds through its tunnels, though passenger trains no longer run. The honest truth is that the pass is hard to visit. It is a security zone; access beyond Jamrud needs permission from the authorities and an escort, often refused to foreigners. Seeing the gate at Jamrud is straightforward.
Jamrud to Torkham, Khyber District, west of Peshawar, Landi Kotal, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Jamrud and the Bab-e-Khyber gate can be seen from the road. Travel beyond into Khyber District requires permission from the district authorities and usually an armed escort; foreigners are often refused, and rules change with the security situation. Trips must be arranged in advance from Peshawar, about half an hour from Jamrud. Daylight travel only.