HUNZAGILGIT-BALTISTAN· 36.32°N 74.65°E
Hunza
The valley everyone remembers — Rakaposhi on the skyline, ancient forts above the terraces, and turquoise water in the north.
Overview
Hunza rises along the Karakoram Highway north of Gilgit, a valley of terraced villages beneath some of the great peaks of the Karakoram. Above the main town of Karimabad stand centuries-old forts; across the valley the 7,788-metre wall of Rakaposhi fills the sky. In spring the terraces fill with apricot and cherry blossom, and in autumn the whole valley turns to gold.
North of Karimabad, in Upper Hunza (Gojal), the road passes the startling turquoise of Attabad Lake and the jagged Passu Cones on its way toward the Khunjerab Pass. Few valleys anywhere pack so much beauty and history into a single drive.
Suited for
- Couples & honeymoon
- Families
- Photographers
- History
Good to know
- Best time to visit
- April–October (blossom in spring, colour in autumn)
- Suggested duration
- 2–4 days
- Getting there
- On the Karakoram Highway north of Gilgit
- Altitude
- ≈ 2,500 m (approx.)
Popular places to explore
The most beautiful and worthwhile places in and around Hunza.
Attabad Lake
A ribbon of startling turquoise held between steep Karakoram mountains.
Attabad Lake formed in January 2010, when a massive landslide at Attabad village dammed the Hunza River and submerged part of the Karakoram Highway. What began as a disaster is now one of Gilgit-Baltistan's most photographed sights — a long ribbon of startlingly turquoise water between steep brown mountains in the Gojal (Upper Hunza) region. Boats and jet-skis cross the lake, and cafés line the shore near the highway tunnels that reconnected the valley. It sits on the way north toward Passu and the Khunjerab Pass, making it a spectacular, easy stop on any Upper Hunza journey.
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Passu Cones
The impossibly sharp 'Cathedral' spires above the village of Passu.
The Passu Cones — sometimes called the Cathedral Ridge — are a row of impossibly sharp, snow-dusted spires above the village of Passu in Upper Hunza. Framed by the Passu and Batura glaciers and the Hunza River, they are among the most recognisable peaks on the Karakoram Highway and a favourite of photographers at sunrise and sunset. Passu is also the trailhead for short walks toward the Passu Glacier and the swaying Hussaini suspension bridge nearby. The village makes a natural base for exploring the northern reaches of Hunza before the road climbs toward the Khunjerab Pass.
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Karimabad & the Forts
The cultural heart of Hunza, beneath Baltit and Altit forts.
Karimabad, the main town of central Hunza, rises in terraces beneath the great wall of Rakaposhi and Ultar Sar. Above it stand two of the region's treasures: the roughly 700-year-old Baltit Fort and the older Altit Fort, both carefully restored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and open to visitors. Narrow bazaar lanes sell dried apricots, gemstones and Hunza handicrafts, while apricot and cherry blossom cover the valley in spring and turn to gold in autumn. Karimabad is the cultural heart of Hunza and the usual base from which travellers explore the rest of the valley.
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Nearby excursionRakaposhi View Point
Look up at a 7,788-metre peak from a roadside café at Ghulmet.
The Rakaposhi View Point sits beside the Karakoram Highway at Ghulmet in the Nagar valley, directly across from the 7,788-metre Rakaposhi — one of the few places on earth where you can look up at a peak of this height from a roadside café. On a clear morning the mountain's hanging glaciers and fluted snow slopes fill the sky. It is a simple but unforgettable stop between Gilgit and Hunza, and a favourite place to pause for tea while the light moves slowly across the summit.
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