Valley · Gilgit-Baltistan

Hunza

Hunza is a mountain valley in Gilgit-Baltistan, northern Pakistan, sitting between about 2,000 and 2,500 metres along the Hunza river and the Karakoram Highway. It is known for Baltit and Altit forts, apricot terraces, and a ring of peaks including Rakaposhi at 7,788 metres and Ultar Sar at 7,388 metres.

Read the story Photos of Hunza

The story of Hunza

Hunza was a princely state until 1974, ruled by the Mir of Hunza from Baltit Fort, a 700-year-old structure above Karimabad that was restored in the 1990s and is now a museum. The valley's population is largely Burushaski, Wakhi and Shina speaking, and literacy rates here are among the highest in Pakistan. The Karakoram Highway runs the length of the valley, crossing Attabad Lake, formed by a landslide that dammed the Hunza river in January 2010.

What to see in Hunza

Baltit Fort
Former seat of the Mir of Hunza, restored 1996, open as a museum.
Altit Fort
Older than Baltit, roughly 1,100 years, with a royal garden below it.
Attabad Lake
A 21 km landslide lake on the Hunza river, crossed by the KKH tunnels.
Passu Cones
The serrated Tupopdan ridge above Passu village, 6,106 m.
Khunjerab Pass
The Pakistan-China border crossing at 4,693 m, about 3 hours further north.

Landscape of Hunza

Rakaposhi

7,788 m, seen head-on from the Karakoram Highway at Ghulmet.

Passu Cones

The serrated Tupopdan ridge, 6,106 m, above Passu village.

Ultar meadow

The high pasture above Karimabad, reached on a three-hour walk.

Rivers and lakes of Hunza

Attabad Lake

A 21 km landslide lake formed in January 2010 on the Hunza river.

Hunza river

Fed by the Batura and Passu glaciers, grey with rock flour in summer.

Borith Lake

A shallow brackish lake below the Passu glacier, a stop for migrating ducks.

Food of Hunza

Apricots

Dried on rooftops through August; the kernels are pressed for oil.

Chapshuro

A baked meat pastry eaten across Hunza and Nagar.

Hunza walnut bread

Whole-wheat bread with walnuts and apricot oil, served with salt tea.

Heritage of Hunza

Baltit Fort

Seat of the Mir of Hunza, restored in 1996 and open as a museum.

Altit Fort

Roughly 1,100 years old, with the royal garden below it.

Ganish village

Wooden mosques and a stepped water tank, a UNESCO award-winning restoration.

Culture and crafts of Hunza

Truck art

Hand-painted trucks and rickshaws, a craft trade worth millions of rupees a year.

Bazaars

Copper, cloth, spice and book markets in every old city.

Festivals

Basant, Urs gatherings, Shandur polo and the Kalash calendar.

Wildlife of Hunza

Ibex

Himalayan ibex on the slopes above Shimshal and Chapursan.

Snow leopard

Present in Khunjerab National Park; rarely seen.

Markhor

Pakistan's national animal, protected under community trophy quotas.

Best time to visit

April for blossom, June to September for clear weather, late October for autumn colour.

Getting there

About 2 hours by road from Gilgit on the Karakoram Highway, or 20 to 24 hours by road from Islamabad.

Nearby places

Questions about Hunza

How high is Hunza?+

Karimabad, the main settlement, sits at about 2,438 metres; the valley floor ranges from roughly 2,000 to 2,500 metres.

Do foreigners need a permit for Hunza?+

No. A standard Pakistani visa covers Hunza. A permit is only required beyond Khunjerab for border crossings.

Photographs of Hunza

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