After Zenith Irfan's father died, she decided to fulfill his dream to tour the world on a motorbike. The journey was a huge step for a Pakistani girl in a country where it's sometimes taboo for women to venture out alone.
Pakistan's motorcycle girl —
After Zenith Irfan's father died, she decided to fulfill his dream to tour the world on a motorbike. The journey was a huge step for a Pakistani girl in a country where it's sometimes taboo for women to venture out alone.
courtesy Zenith Irfan
Last summer, the 21-year-old student from Lahore embarked on a six-day journey to Kashmir and a 20-day adventure to the Khunjerab Pass on the border with China.
Solo journeys —
Last summer, the 21-year-old student from Lahore embarked on a six-day journey to Kashmir and a 20-day adventure to the Khunjerab Pass on the border with China.
courtesy Zenith Irfan
At the border she was pleased to be told that while foreign female riders had previously traveled there, she was the first Pakistani motorcyclist the locals had met.
Pakistan/China border —
At the border she was pleased to be told that while foreign female riders had previously traveled there, she was the first Pakistani motorcyclist the locals had met.
courtesy Zenith Irfan
"I'm a little worried about traveling as a female biker because I'm living in a society where women riders are marginalized," says Irfan. But so far she's received only one negative comment from a man who told her "girls don't ride motorcycles."
Breaking boundaries —
"I'm a little worried about traveling as a female biker because I'm living in a society where women riders are marginalized," says Irfan. But so far she's received only one negative comment from a man who told her "girls don't ride motorcycles."
courtesy Zenith Irfan
"When I was on the road, it was like a coming together of my mind, body and soul," she says of being out of Pakistan's congested cities. "I felt free."
'I felt free' —
"When I was on the road, it was like a coming together of my mind, body and soul," she says of being out of Pakistan's congested cities. "I felt free."
courtesy Zenith Irfan
She wears a helmet, boots and bulky jacket that give little away of her feminine form. "They obviously thought I was male," she explains. "Whenever I stopped to ask directions and they realized I was female, they didn't know what to do."
Anonymous in gear —
She wears a helmet, boots and bulky jacket that give little away of her feminine form. "They obviously thought I was male," she explains. "Whenever I stopped to ask directions and they realized I was female, they didn't know what to do."
courtesy Zenith Irfan
The road trip to the edges of her country took her through the scenic Skardu district in Gilgit-Baltistan, the northernmost territory of Pakistan.
North Pakistan —
The road trip to the edges of her country took her through the scenic Skardu district in Gilgit-Baltistan, the northernmost territory of Pakistan.
courtesy Zenith Irfan
The Karakoram Highway in Skardu connects China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region with Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan region.
Karakoram Highway —
The Karakoram Highway in Skardu connects China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region with Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan region.
courtesy Zenith Irfan