Pakistan is a blessed country for having the luckiest geographical diversity. Visiting Pakistan is like experiencing all the topographical features of nature in an area of 7,96,096 sq kilometres. From breathtaking lakes, deserts, plains, plateaus, rivers, and amazing mountain ranges, you get to see everything here. Here you will get all the information about the highest mountain ranges of Pakistan.
Pakistan homes a wide number of mountain ranges on the northern side. Due to the scenic beauty, they attract tourists from Pakistan and outside of the country. They are the sole reason why the tourism industry of Pakistan is developing.
Importance Of Highest Mountain Ranges In Pakistan
There are a lot of mountain ranges in Pakistan out of which only some are quite famous. Pakistan has four of the highest peaks in the world including K-2. All of these highest peaks are located in Karakoram Range starting from an altitude of 8000m above sea level. Due to having high altitude and wide range f highest ranges, there are around 7,000 glaciers that are some of the most famous and largest in the world. These glaciers include Siachen, Baltoro, and Batura ranging from 58km to 78km.
This article will definitely help those who love trekking or hiking or those students who are preparing for their geography exam. So, get brief information about the highest mountain ranges of Pakistan.
Karakoram Range
Karakoram Range has to be on top of this list because it homes the second highest mountain range on this earth. The second highest peak in the world and Pakistan’s highest peak, K-2 is located in this range. It has a height of 8,611m. K-2 is also called ‘Savage Mountain’ because of its difficult climbing terrain.
The average height of around 50 mountains present in this range has a height of 7,000m. It also has the third highest and largest glacier in the world, Siachen. Karakoram Range is present in three countries, India’s Ladakh, China’s Xinjiang, and Pakistan’s Gilgit Baltistan. Along with K-2, the other highest peaks include K-1, K-3, K-4 and K-5.
Karakoram range has some of the most amazing lakes and scenic landscapes which attract mountaineers from all around the world. The climbing started in 1856 by a European climber. Since then hikers from Pakistan and around the world are summiting this range for spectacular views.
It is also called the Black Gravel because of the hard rocky mountains. The mountains are snow-capped and have precipitation in the form of snowfall most of the year.
The Himalaya Range
Himalaya is the longest mountain range in the world stretching over 2,400 kilometres. Still, it is the second in the highest mountain ranges in Pakistan. It is stretched into a total of five countries including, Nepal, India, Pakistan, China, and Bhutan. In Pakistan, it is located on the western side of Gilgit Baltistan.
It has the world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest is located between China and Nepal attracts a lot of mountaineers. In Pakistan, the highest mountain is Nanga Parbat with a height of 8,126 meters. It is also called ‘Killer Mountain’ because of being the ninth highest mountain in the world.
Tourists from around the world visit this range for climbing, vamping, hiking, and enjoying its scenic beauty. This range includes a wide range of elegant scenic sights including hilly meadows and sky-scrapping mountains. Deosai National Park is the most famous visiting spot in the Himalayan Range.
The Hindu Kush Range
The Hindu Kush Mountain range is among the third highest mountain range in Pakistan and is included among the highest places in the world. It is located in the west of Pakistan and is shared between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Moreover, Hindu Kush Range is located in the Chitral District. It has the highest peak named, Tirich Mir with a height of 7,690m. In 1950, the climbers of Pakistan and Norway summited this mountain for the first time in history.
Indus River flows on its side which separates it from the Karakoram range. The Hindu Kush range includes Wakhjir Pass which separates Hunza and Wakhan. Sawat and Kohistan regions also fall under this range.
Safed Koh Range
Safed Koh Range is located in the western part of Pakistan. It has a height of 4,761 m from sea level. Safed Koh range is called so because of the snow-capped peaks present in this range. It is located on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. This range stretches from eastern Afghanistan to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan.
It works as a natural border between the two countries. Also, Safed Koh includes Kurram and Khyber passes which provide a land route to Afghanistan that allows tourists and visitors to move between the two countries. Kabul and Kurram Rivers drain this range.
Sulaiman Range
Sulaiman Range is also one of the western mountain ranges of Pakistan. It is located in the region of Balochistan towards the west. This range stretches over Northern Balochistan, Iran and some of Afghanistan.
Takht-e-Sulaiman is the highest peak of the Sulaiman range with a height of 3,487. Khilafat peak is the second highest peak of this range with a height of 3,475m above sea level. It locates in the Ziarat District.
The old folks of this region have a myth that Prophet Suleiman climbed this range. This is the reason we call it Suleiman Range. Another mythology about this range is that Noah’s Ark came to rest here after making landfall.
Kirthar Mountain Range
The Kirthar Range serves as a natural border between Balochistan and Sindh. It has some low to medium-sized mountains that provide scenic beauty to the area. Kirthar has an average height of 2,174m. It stretches to an area of 300 kilometres.
Gorakh Hills are the highest peaks of this region with a height of 5,688m which are also called Murree of Sindh. The people call it so for providing scenic attractions to the province of Sindh. The Gaji Lak Pass in Kirthar Range provides a land route to regions of Zidi and Khuzdar.
The Salt Range
The Salt Range is also among the highest mountain ranges in Pakistan. It is one of the largest salt ranges in the world including the sky-scrapping hard rocksalt mountains. This range is located in northern Punjab near the Potowar Plateau.
The Salt Range provides natural beauty for the Punjab province. It has the world’s largest salt mine (Khewra). The other mines included are Mayo, Warcha, and Kalabagh. The Salt Range is a picnic spot for the people of Punjab because of beautiful lakes like Kalar Kahar, Namal and Uchhali lakes. There are also wildlife reserves as well as some rainforests. People prefer to come to this mountain range to enjoy hiking, climbing, trekking, and boating.
