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Photos here: Images by Kazim
Me and my wife went to Hunza and neighbouring areas last week. We went in the form of a group with a tour operator company, Climax Adventure Pakistan. These groups consist of random people but we were very lucky that our group members were an easy to get along with family from Karachi. After a few hours, no one could tell that these people have met each other for the first time. The people of Hunza are amazing, their attitude is very friendly and welcoming. Literacy rate is also higher in Hunza compared to other parts of Pakistan. It was a very good experience and we had a lot of fun, I am sure both of us will remember it forever.
Day 1: We left Islamabad at 3AM after picking up the rest of the group members. Our stay was planned in Chillas but since we were there by 4PM, we decided to go to Gilgit.
Day 2: We left for Hunza after having our breakfast in Gilgit. We stopped at Rakaposhi View Point during the drive but Rakaposhi wasn’t visible from the viewpoint because of the clouds. We visited Baltit Fort and explored Karimabad Bazar. Karimabad Bazar has a lot of dry fruit, gems and embroidery shops.
Day 3: The next day we left for Passu from Hunza. Our guide took us to an old age home where local women were hand stitching table cloths and other accessories which were very amazing but expensive as well. An A4 paper sized wall hanging was about Rs. 12,000 because it took them a month to make it. Our guide then took us to a local music school where children were learning to play local instruments so that they do not perish. The students performed local songs for us. We also visited Hussaini Bridge, it is a wooden bridge which swings a lot when the wind blows, it was very windy that day and it kept shaking. The rungs of the bridge were placed with a gap to avoid the bridge from twisting upside down. Everyone enjoyed walking on it. We also visited Borith Lake but it was a disappointment, we only stayed there for 10 minutes. We also had local food, Daodao soup and Chilpindok for dinner at our hotel in Passu, it was good but no one seemed to like it except me so I had to finish it.
Day 4: We left for Khunjerab Pass at around 10AM. The road is good but land sliding is very frequent. The road was blocked because of it at three places but our driver was brilliant, he kept finding a way to take us there. It started to get cold as we moved closer to Khunjerab Pass and then it started snowing. Khunjerab Pass is a very beautiful place and we made sure to cover ourselves before leaving our van. We also saw Yaks grazing the fields in the
snow. The altitude of Khunjerab Pass is 4700m, I also confirmed it from my phone’s GPS. We reached back Karimabad at around 3PM, so we visited Altit Fort quickly and left for sunset at Eagle’s Nest. Eagle’s Nest is an amazing place but we couldn’t see the sunset because of the clouds.
Day 5: We were supposed to leave for Fairy Meadows but the guide told us that it is snowing there and we might get stuck if we go there. We decided to go to Satrangi Lake, Naltar instead. It is a jeep track, we hired 2 jeeps. Soon after we sat in the jeeps, we saw that it had snowed the day before and the track is covered with snow. Our jeep got stuck twice in the snow but the drivers were very fearless, they kept finding ways to move forward. There was a lot of snow everywhere and our jeeps were also getting stuck frequently, we decided to go back to the hotel instead of moving forward.
Day 6: We had 2 days left as per our plan so we decided to Phunder Lake in District Ghizer. The drive was about 3 hours long. This was the only day when it was sunny. We enjoyed our lunch at PTDC Ghizer and came back to Gilgit.
Day 7: We left for Islamabad in the morning and reached our destination late night.
List of things to carry for Hunza:
This is a per person list and applies to the weather in April. It is a little warmer in the July which is the peak season.
1. Thermal Innerwear (top + bottom)
2. Warm fleece/ woolen cap
3. Scarf/ muffler
4. Two warm sweaters
5. Warm parachute jacket to keep you warm and dry if it rains
6. 4 Socks (socks and shoes get wet very easily in snow)
7. Two pair of shoes, in case one gets wet. One of the two must be suitable to trek a little
8. Shopping bags to be worn above socks in snow
9. Gloves
10. Jeans (must allow you to wear something inside also)
11. Sun glasses
12. Medicine first aid
13. Big back pack
14. Hand Sanitizer
15. Wet Tissues/ Wipes
16. Moisturizer
17. Sun block
18. Chap stick
Photos here: Images by Kazim
Me and my wife went to Hunza and neighbouring areas last week. We went in the form of a group with a tour operator company, Climax Adventure Pakistan. These groups consist of random people but we were very lucky that our group members were an easy to get along with family from Karachi. After a few hours, no one could tell that these people have met each other for the first time. The people of Hunza are amazing, their attitude is very friendly and welcoming. Literacy rate is also higher in Hunza compared to other parts of Pakistan. It was a very good experience and we had a lot of fun, I am sure both of us will remember it forever.
Day 1: We left Islamabad at 3AM after picking up the rest of the group members. Our stay was planned in Chillas but since we were there by 4PM, we decided to go to Gilgit.
Day 2: We left for Hunza after having our breakfast in Gilgit. We stopped at Rakaposhi View Point during the drive but Rakaposhi wasn’t visible from the viewpoint because of the clouds. We visited Baltit Fort and explored Karimabad Bazar. Karimabad Bazar has a lot of dry fruit, gems and embroidery shops.
Day 3: The next day we left for Passu from Hunza. Our guide took us to an old age home where local women were hand stitching table cloths and other accessories which were very amazing but expensive as well. An A4 paper sized wall hanging was about Rs. 12,000 because it took them a month to make it. Our guide then took us to a local music school where children were learning to play local instruments so that they do not perish. The students performed local songs for us. We also visited Hussaini Bridge, it is a wooden bridge which swings a lot when the wind blows, it was very windy that day and it kept shaking. The rungs of the bridge were placed with a gap to avoid the bridge from twisting upside down. Everyone enjoyed walking on it. We also visited Borith Lake but it was a disappointment, we only stayed there for 10 minutes. We also had local food, Daodao soup and Chilpindok for dinner at our hotel in Passu, it was good but no one seemed to like it except me so I had to finish it.
Day 4: We left for Khunjerab Pass at around 10AM. The road is good but land sliding is very frequent. The road was blocked because of it at three places but our driver was brilliant, he kept finding a way to take us there. It started to get cold as we moved closer to Khunjerab Pass and then it started snowing. Khunjerab Pass is a very beautiful place and we made sure to cover ourselves before leaving our van. We also saw Yaks grazing the fields in the
snow. The altitude of Khunjerab Pass is 4700m, I also confirmed it from my phone’s GPS. We reached back Karimabad at around 3PM, so we visited Altit Fort quickly and left for sunset at Eagle’s Nest. Eagle’s Nest is an amazing place but we couldn’t see the sunset because of the clouds.
Day 5: We were supposed to leave for Fairy Meadows but the guide told us that it is snowing there and we might get stuck if we go there. We decided to go to Satrangi Lake, Naltar instead. It is a jeep track, we hired 2 jeeps. Soon after we sat in the jeeps, we saw that it had snowed the day before and the track is covered with snow. Our jeep got stuck twice in the snow but the drivers were very fearless, they kept finding ways to move forward. There was a lot of snow everywhere and our jeeps were also getting stuck frequently, we decided to go back to the hotel instead of moving forward.
Day 6: We had 2 days left as per our plan so we decided to Phunder Lake in District Ghizer. The drive was about 3 hours long. This was the only day when it was sunny. We enjoyed our lunch at PTDC Ghizer and came back to Gilgit.
Day 7: We left for Islamabad in the morning and reached our destination late night.
List of things to carry for Hunza:
This is a per person list and applies to the weather in April. It is a little warmer in the July which is the peak season.
1. Thermal Innerwear (top + bottom)
2. Warm fleece/ woolen cap
3. Scarf/ muffler
4. Two warm sweaters
5. Warm parachute jacket to keep you warm and dry if it rains
6. 4 Socks (socks and shoes get wet very easily in snow)
7. Two pair of shoes, in case one gets wet. One of the two must be suitable to trek a little
8. Shopping bags to be worn above socks in snow
9. Gloves
10. Jeans (must allow you to wear something inside also)
11. Sun glasses
12. Medicine first aid
13. Big back pack
14. Hand Sanitizer
15. Wet Tissues/ Wipes
16. Moisturizer
17. Sun block
18. Chap stick
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