For centuries the Bolan Pass has been the main entrance to the Quetta district — the gateway used by migrants from Central Asia in search of new homelands in South Asia.
As the road winds through picturesque mountains, one is reminded of the huge odds the armies of Central Asia must have faced on their way to the plains. In winter, camel trains plodding slowly to the top are a fascinating sight.
The Bolan links Quetta with the plains of Punjab and upper Sindh through Sibi, by road and by a railway that passes through 21 tunnels.
Places to see
Lak Pass
Between Kalat and Quetta, where the highway divides for Taftan and Iran, and for Karachi via Kalat, Khuzdar and Bela. The view from the top is superb.
Khojak Pass
At 7,575 ft, leading to the Afghan border at Chaman; the railway passes through the longest tunnel in the subcontinent.
Harnai Pass
Near Loralai, as spectacular as the Khyber. In the depths of winter, much of the population of Ziarat moves down to Harnai.
The Bolan railway
Built by the British in the late 19th century, the line climbs from the plains to Quetta through gorges, bridges and tunnels — one of the great mountain railways of the subcontinent.
Mehrgarh
At the foot of the pass, one of the oldest farming settlements in South Asia, around 9,000 years old.
Good to know
- Getting there
- The road and railway from Sibi to Quetta both run through the pass.
- When to go
- Spring and autumn. The lower pass is very hot in summer, and the upper reaches cold in winter.
- Combine with
- Quetta, Sibi and the Neolithic site of Mehrgarh.
Header photo: The Bolan river — Najamuddin Shahwani, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons