---
type: Place
title: Hussaini Bridge
description: Rope-and-plank suspension bridge in upper Hunza, built by locals and now a tourist attraction — wide gaps between the boards, a weak handrail, and a coffee stand on the far bank.
tags: [hussaini-bridge, hunza-valley, pakistan, bridge, hiking, winter, coffee]
coordinates: {lat: 36.4254, lng: 74.8754}
timestamp: 2026-08-06T12:00:00Z
---

# Hussaini Bridge

A rope-and-plank suspension bridge across the river in upper
[Hunza Valley](/places/hunza-valley.md), northern
[Pakistan](/countries/pakistan.md), widely called one of the most dangerous
bridges in the country and, in the framing Harry repeats, in the world.

**It was built by local people and they still use it** — including, he is told,
schoolchildren, who run across it because they have done it their whole lives.
It has since become an attraction in its own right, precisely because of how it
looks.

## What it is actually like to cross

The planks are laid with **big gaps between them**, wide enough that a foot goes
straight through — which is what makes running across it dangerous for anyone
who isn't used to it, and why Harry doesn't try. The structure is rickety, and
the handrail is not strong; the first section from the near bank is the worst of
it.

His own assessment, from the far side: you probably wouldn't die if you went in,
but one careless step and you would slide straight through, and **the water is
between 1 and 5°C**. The realistic risk isn't falling, it's dropping whatever
you are carrying.

He goes over one-handed because he is filming, with frozen hands, and describes
getting into a rhythm about halfway and picking up speed. His verdict at the end
is the useful one: **not that dangerous once you've done it a couple of times**,
which is exactly why the locals treat it as a footpath.

## Practical facts

- **Entry 100 rupees**, about a dollar.
- **Maximum seven people on the bridge at once**, posted at the entrance.
- A short drive from upper Hunza, then a walk down to the river.
- **−5°C on Harry's visit in January**, and gloves he had with him and didn't
  wear. The sun on the mountains changes the temperature completely by midday.
- **In winter there is nobody there.** He counted one other person, possibly a
  local, and names the emptiness as the reason to come out of season — see
  [travel in the off season](/tips/travel-in-the-off-season.md).
- The mountains here are the jagged ones, which he rates his favourite in the
  country; the river is the same green-turquoise as the lake.

## The coffee stand on the far bank

Worth the crossing on its own. A man has run a coffee stand at the bridge
**since 2017**, set up after an Australian visitor helped him start it, and he
keeps a book that customers sign with their name and country — the UK and the US
dominate it.

His speciality is made by hand: the ingredients beaten together rather than
brewed, the cups warmed with hot water first so the drink doesn't go cold, and
the whole thing shaken in front of you as a performance. Harry describes the
result as a cappuccino, a hot chocolate and a latte at once, and it is the thing
that turns the day around after he loses his drone.

**350 rupees; Harry paid 500**, because of the show and because he liked him.

## Harry's tips

- **Zip every pocket before you step on**, and expect to lose anything you hold
  loosely.
- Wear the gloves you brought.
- **Stop and look back at where you came from** — advice he was given once about
  walking generally, and applies here.
- Come in winter if you want it to yourself.

## Source

- [I Had an Accident at the Most Dangerous Bridge in Pakistan 🇵🇰](/videos/-uawEjUw9Vs.md) —
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uawEjUw9Vs