Overland Travel Across Borders: A Tale of Two Frontiers
Torkham Khyber Pass Pashtun Durand Line Chaos
The Durand Line, a 2,670-kilometer frontier established in 1893, serves as the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. It cuts through ethnic Pashtun heartlands and rugged, mountainous terrain, and has been a source of contention for its entire existence. For you, crossing this border means engaging with a complex reality where formal state lines and deep-seated tribal connections coexist.
Chaman Spin Boldak Visa Queue in Tribal Altitude
You will find two major, officially recognized border crossings for international travel. The most famous is the Torkham crossing, which connects Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province with Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province via the historic Khyber Pass. The second is the Chaman-Spin Boldak crossing, linking Pakistan’s Balochistan province with Afghanistan’s Kandahar province. Several smaller, local crossings also exist but are generally not open to foreign nationals.