The Most Spectacular Bridges: Hussaini - Borit Lake Bridge
pakistan
The most dangerous bridge in the world.
Those living in the Gilgit-Baltistan of Northern Pakistan were cut off from the rest of Pakistan until 1978 due to the inpassable terrain and lack of roads. You could take a small airplane, but that was reserved for only the richest citizens.
For everyone else, the only way to travel was by walking across mountain passes to Rawalpindi. In 1978, the Karakoram Highway was completed and the region was connected, but inter-region travel remains as difficult as it was 100 years ago.
Everyday's experience of traveling through this region includes the rickety cable and plank bridges which cross Northern Pakistan's mountain streams and rivers. One of these is the Hussaini Borit rope bridge, crossing Borit Lake in the Upper Hunza. This hanging bridge is both long and poorly maintained. Many planks are missing, and strong winds shake the bridge as you cross it. It does little to ease nerves that a previous, older, broken bridge hangs in tatters next to the "new" one.
Despite its dangerous looks, this, one of the most spectacular bridges is a relatively safe bridge and has become something of a tourist attraction, with hikers testing their nerves as they carefully work their way across.
