Passu Suspension Bridge

If you search for images of suspension bridges in Pakistan, you’ll see an array of impossibly long and impossibly rickety bridges spanning over scary rapids. One of the better-known examples is Hussaini Suspension Bridge, which has been called the most dangerous bridges in the world. Most of these bridges have been upgraded, especially those that are consistently used by the locals and those that have become a tourist destination. The splintered and warped wooden boards that made these bridges famous have been replaced with identical wooden boards that have been treated to withstand the elements.  The bridges are still swaying in the wind, and the water can still be seen rushing underneath, but the upgrades have made them much safer.

Passu Suspension Bridge is not one of these upgraded bridges. Not many locals use this bridge, as there are others a few kilometers away that allow motorized traffic. Furthermore, not many tourists visit it. This is due to several reasons. First of all, the bridge cannot be seen from the main road. Second, it is located at some distance from Passu village, and there is no infrastructure anywhere near it. And finally, the track leading to the bridge is unmarked, unpaved, and unsafe.     

The traditional ropes have been replaced with steel cables, but the wooden boards are warped, cracked, uneven, and shaky. The space between the boards is intimidatingly wide, and the brute force of the water a few meters below makes the time that it takes to walk the 200 meters of this bridge an eternity. However, looking up offers an incredible view of the Karakorum mountain range, its glaciers, and its peaks, forever shrouded in clouds.