Hunza
Terraced valleys under 7,000-metre peaks, and the friendliest place in Pakistan
Altitude
2,438 m
Worth going
All year
How long to stay
3–6 nights
Getting a signal
4G on the main operators
Hunza is the reason most people come north. A high, dry valley of apricot terraces and stone villages, walled in by Rakaposhi and Ultar Sar, with a literacy rate that embarrasses the rest of the country and a welcome that catches most visitors off guard. Karimabad is the base; Gulmit and Passu, further up, are quieter and arguably better.
- Baltit and Altit forts, both properly restored and worth the guide
- Sunrise on Rakaposhi from Duikar, above Karimabad
- The Passu Cones and the Hussaini suspension bridge
- Attabad Lake, an accident of a landslide that became the valley’s postcard
- Apricot blossom in April, and the whole valley turning gold in late October
The honest downsides
- The Karakoram Highway takes 14 hours from Islamabad and landslides can add a day without warning.
- Winter nights are genuinely cold and many guesthouses heat one room, not the building.
- Karimabad in July and August is busy with domestic tourism and prices rise accordingly.
Trips that go to Hunza
Culture & heritagePakistan Highlights: North & Lahore
Twelve nights taking in both halves of the country
12 nightsApr, May, Sep, Oct
from $1,840ppSee the trip →
WinterWinter Hunza & Skiing at Malam Jabba
Eight nights in the north with nobody else in it
8 nightsDec–Febmoderate
from $1,240ppSee the trip →
MotorcycleKarakoram Highway Motorcycle Expedition
Twelve nights riding from Islamabad to the Chinese border and back
12 nightsJun–Sepchallenging
from $2,180ppSee the trip →