Passu is a few houses and a great deal of mountain. Sharp, serrated peaks known as the Passu Cones rise straight above the village like a row of dark teeth, and the Passu Glacier slides down the valley beside the road to end close to the Hunza River, a tongue of ice scattered with grey rubble. This is Upper Hunza, locally called Gojal, and everything here is bigger, drier and colder than in the lower valley. The altitude is around 2,400 metres.
The highway passes the village on a high bench, with the river down in a wide gravelly bed. Riding this section is a joy: the surface is good in most years, the corners are long and open, and the views change every few minutes. Lake Attabad, created in 2010 when a huge landslide dammed the river upstream, drowned part of the old road, and the highway now passes through new tunnels built by Chinese engineers beside the lake. The colour of the water is a startling turquoise.
You can walk out to the Passu suspension bridges, a series of narrow wooden-planked crossings over the river that have become famous for their sketchy appearance. Watching others cross is plenty for most riders. Guesthouses in Passu are modest and friendly, serving local food such as walnut cake and apricot soup, and the village has good places to sit with tea while the sun slides across the cones. Fuel is not reliable in the village itself, so fill up in Aliabad or Gulmit if you can, and ask in Sost for the pump near the border.
Light is the main reason to stay. In the morning the cones glow orange, and by dusk they turn a deep blue. Spring and autumn are the best seasons, while summer gets warm during the day but stays cool at night. Winters are harsh and the highway can close.
Wind funnels through the valley most afternoons, so expect gusts. Wear layers, because a ride that begins in a warm shirt can end in a jacket and gloves. Glaciers shift, and rockfall happens along this stretch, so stop only in places that feel safe, and watch the slopes above.