Landi Kotal Khyber Agency, Pakistan

Landi Kotal is a town in Khyber Agency, Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan at a distance of only 5 km from the border of Afghanistan. It is a tourist destination and base camp to the tourist, heading towards the historic Khyber Pass. The town can be accessed from the Peshawar city, capital of KPK either by road or by train. But the train journey is preferred by most of the tourist because of it passage through spectacular landscape.

People enjoying snowfall at Landi Kotal

Landi Kotal  has been a sensitive and important zone during the British colonial era too. Landi Kotal was the westernmost part of the Khyber held by the British during their rule of the subcontinent. In 1897 the Afridis attacked Landi Kotal and other posts in the Khyber Pass. Although the Khyber Rifles put up a stiff defence, Landi Kotal was overrun, as the Rifles lacked water. The British counter-attacked with a force of 34,500 men under Sir William Lockhart, defeating the Afridis, although the Afridis took the town again during the second Anglo-Afghan War.

Rail Journey to Landi Kotal:

Rail Journey from Peshawar to Landi Kotal, along the river Kabul is one of the most famous in the world. The narrow gauge section up to Jamrud was opened in 1901. The broad gauge line of the Jamrud – Landi Kotal was opened on 3rd November 1925. There is no doubt in the fact that the construction of the track on this section is most superior feast of railway engineering. The line starts from Jamrud, 1500 feet high, and rises to 3500 feet at the summet of the pass at Landi Kotal, descending again steeply form Landi Kotal to Landi Khana, 2600 feet hight.