Hunza Valley
Pakistan · Gilgit-Baltistan · 2438 m
Description
Hunza is the valley the Karakoram Highway runs through, terraced with apricot orchards under seven-thousand-metre walls, and it is the destination almost every visitor to northern Pakistan comes for. Karimabad sits above the road with Baltit Fort on a spur behind it, seven centuries old and rebuilt by the Aga Khan Trust, and Altit Fort a millennium old below. Rakaposhi fills the sky to the south. Attabad Lake further up is turquoise because a landslide dammed the river and drowned four villages. Apricot blossom in April and gold poplars in late October are the two short seasons.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 3 to 8 days (optimal 5 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: April – October
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Attabad Lake
- Baltit Fort above Karimabad
- Rakaposhi view point on the highway
- Eagle's Nest viewpoint at sunrise
- Altit Fort and its old village lanes
- Passu Cones along the road
- Apricot blossom in the terraces (approx. April)
- Autumn poplars and orchards (approx. October)
- Hussaini suspension bridge
- Passu and Ghulkin glacier walks
- Hunza apricots, walnuts and mulberries
- Karimabad craft shops and Hunza caps
Getting there
- Nearest airports:
- GIL