Sost, in upper Hunza, is the last significant settlement in Pakistan before the Karakoram Highway climbs to Khunjerab Pass and the Chinese border, a functional border town rather than a tourist destination in its own right.
The dry port: Sost is home to Pakistan's dry port and customs facility for overland trade with China, trucks and goods crossing between the two countries via the Karakoram Highway are processed here, making Sost a working logistics hub as much as a mountain village.
Why travelers pass through: Most visitors reach Sost either en route to Khunjerab Pass for a day excursion from Hunza, or as the final Pakistani checkpoint for those actually crossing overland into China (a route requiring separate visas and arrangements well beyond a standard Pakistan tourist visa).
What's actually there: Basic guesthouses, a few restaurants serving travelers and truck drivers, and customs/immigration facilities, more functional than scenic, though the surrounding high mountain scenery remains dramatic.
Practical visiting information: Roughly 1.5 to 2 hours beyond Karimabad along the KKH, and about 1 to 1.5 hours short of Khunjerab Pass itself, most standard Hunza itineraries treat Sost as a brief stop en route to the pass rather than an overnight destination.
See our Khunjerab Pass guide for the full excursion this leads to, or our Hunza destination guide for the wider valley itinerary.
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