Islamabad is a planned city, and it looks it. Laid out in the early 1960s as a new capital for Pakistan to replace Karachi, it was designed by the Greek planner Constantinos Doxiadis on a grid of sectors, each with its own markets, schools and green spaces, and it sits at the foot of the Margalla Hills, the first wrinkles of the Himalayan foothills. Compared with the chaos of most South Asian cities, it is green, tidy and calm, with wide avenues and lots of trees. Next door, Rawalpindi, the old garrison town, is everything Islamabad is not: crowded, noisy, ancient and alive.
The city's great landmark is the Faisal Mosque, built in the 1980s with funding from Saudi Arabia and designed by the Turkish architect Vedat Dalokay. Its four minarets and tent-like prayer hall are inspired by a Bedouin tent rather than a traditional dome, and it is one of the largest mosques in the world, set against the green slopes of the Margalla Hills. The Pakistan Monument, shaped like the petals of a flower, stands on a hill on the other side of the city and has views over the whole capital, and the Daman-e-Koh viewpoint in the hills above is popular at sunset.
For riders heading north on the Karakoram Highway, Islamabad is the usual starting point, the place to sort out permits, insurance, money and supplies. The KKH proper begins at Hasan Abdal, north-west of the capital, and heads north through Abbottabad and Mansehra into the mountains. Traffic in and around Islamabad and Rawalpindi is heavy and chaotic, with buses, trucks, rickshaws and motorbikes all jostling for space, and the road out to the north can be slow until you get beyond Haripur.
Islamabad has everything a rider needs: fuel stations, workshops, hotels, restaurants, banks and good hospitals. It is the last place with this level of service until Gilgit, so sort out any mechanical issues here. The food is excellent: try chapli kebabs, karahi and fresh naan from a tandoor, and drink plenty of sweet milky chai. Check the security situation and any travel advisories before setting out, as conditions in some areas can change quickly. The best season for the KKH is from May to October, when the high passes are open.