What to see and do at the Hunza Baltit Inn
Hunza Baltit Inn is located at a prime location of Karimabad. The Inn is situated on a sloping hill of 6 acres, facing the valley. While sitting in its verandas one can see Ultar peak (7510 meters.), lady finger and famous Baltit Fort (713 years old) on its right and on its left the Mount Rakaposhi, Diran peak, Nagar valley and the Hunza River.
- Organic Fruit and Vegetable Gardens: This 6 acres garden is famous for its roses, Cherry and apples. It has 50 different varieties of roses.
- Water Channel Walk: Samarqand cohal a historical old water channel runs through the middle of the valley, followed the water channel right behind the hotel and takes you to Aliabad about 6 Kilometer, it is a very pleasant walk. It is an hour walk from the hotel.
- Baltit Fort; The old palace of the Mirs of Hunza stands guard over the whole valley. This Tibetan style fort was build about 713 years ago, when a princess of Baltistan married with a prince of Hunza and brought with her some Baltistani masons to build Baltit Fort part of her dowry. The fort is made of mud and stones. The Aga Khan Culture Services rehabilitate it in 1996 and converted it to a museum. It is 15 minutes steep walk from Hunza Baltit Inn. You can enjoy your snacks at the Baltit Coffee shop.
- Altit Fort: The Fort is even more impressive than Baltit and is probably 1000 years older, as it has more intricate wood carving and better-preserved rooms. From the roof you down a 300 meters (1,000 feet) drop to the Hunza River, turning the other way, you look out over the rooftops of Altit village and on up to the Ultar /glacier and Baltit. The Aga Khan Culture Service Pakistan has almost rehabilitation and will be opened for the public from April 2010. The walk from hotel to Altit Fort takes you half an hour, another interesting walk through the settlements of Mominabad and Altit village.
- Queen Victoria Monument: There is a monument to Queen Victoria at the top of the rock face behind Karimabad, probably erected by Nazim Khan, and it can be reached in an hour from Baltit. At the top of the village, scramble to a shallow cleft with some very large boulders. Go straight up to the base of the cliff before crossing over to the monument: avoid a diagonal crossing of the face because the top Ultar water channel spills down it
- Duiker; At about 3,000m Duiker is said to be Hunza’s highest village. A path forks right, cross the Ultar River on a small bridge and drive up, it continues up to summer pastures at Duiker, from where the fantastic views back over Hunza and Nagar to Rakaposhi. The highest summer pastures are a couple of hours above Duiker. Visit of Duiker to experiences spectacular sunrise.
- Ganesh Village is a small and ancient village on the KKH in central Hunza. Originally a single compact cluster of houses, greater Ganish now comprises about seven clusters of dwellings. Ganish was recognized for its strategic location on the brench of the Silk Road leading out of the Karakorum into Uighur China (Xing Kiang). The historic village was restored by the Aga Khan Cultural Service focus on three physical components, Pharee, a historic water pond, Sawab Ha, (the house of benediction) two storied, and two roomed with carved wooden elements, Jataq open space used for the common and shared activities of the community and the Mosques The ancient house in Hunza has received the UNESCOs Heritage Award for 2009. The House, a 400-year-old architectural masterpiece, formerly used by envoy of Mir of Hunza.
- Sacred Rocks: From Ganesh village you can walk on across the road bridge to the so-called sacred rocks, about 400 meters beyond the bridge, between the KKH and the Hunza River below Altit Fort. Called “the guest book of the Silk Route” by professor A H Dani. Pakistan’s famous archaeologist, the rocks record 2,000 years of travels along the road to and from China. The inscriptions are in Kharoshthi, Barhmi, Gupta, Sogdian and Tibetan. The rock carving and inscriptions around Ganesh village give proof of the Buddhist influence in the area. The inscriptions are in four different scripts and the carvings are of human and animals figures.
- Gulmit: Halfway 135 km both from Gilgit and Khunjerab Pass. It is 35 kilometers from Hunza. Gulmit is Gojal's largest settlement. It locates on the main KKH at an altitude of about 8871 feet (2,703 meters). It served as the summer capital of the former Hunza state. It’s very picturesque in spring and there are many fine walks along irrigation channels in the area. Kamaris is the higher village offers fine views back to the jagged Passu spires, the road to northwest of the village for another hour to the end of the Gulmit Glacier. Andra Fort placed on a spectacular mount above the old settlement of Gulmit, the ruins of Andra Fort speak of the strategic defensive outfits of the village. This was basically a collective Fort, built during the late 17th century when Hunza - Nagar wars were common, you can see the archaeological ruins from this most spectacular mount. For the tourist it is a breath taking view from Andra, 30-minute detour northeast from Kamaris to visit the ruins of the Andra Fort.
- Gulmit Museum: A unique collection of Hunza history is in the local house. The Gulmit Museum, full of interesting traditional ethnic artifacts, wooden bowls, spoon, and farm implements, woolen coats embroidered hats, shawls and even a tapestry of the Last Supper.
- Old House: Owned by an old aristocratic family. Old Gulmit house is at the north end of the polo ground. Here you find the Mir of Hunza’s summer residence, which is no longer used. Once the old house were used as the winter residence of the Mir’s of Hunza, today the old house is used as a carpet weaving training centre for women. During the British expedition of Hunza the British officers were given a feast in this house.
- Black Glacier, covered in gravel and rocks, comes right down to the road about one kilometer past Gulmit. The road across the snout of the glacier at the very edge of the river then climbs up onto the lateral moraine, a great grey slagheap. From Ghulkin village a footpath a crosses the Black glacier to Borith Lake, two hours away. Its 1.25 kilometers across the Black Glacier, the way marked by a cairn on the south moraine and a big cleft or dip in the north moraine.
- Borith Lake one of the highest lakes housed within Pakistan’s mountainous Gilgit Baltistan, is surrounded by a landscape of the world’s greatest mountains, largest glaciers, meadows and wetlands. It is an oval shaped glacial fed lake without an outlet. The expansion and contraction of the nearby Ghulkin and Passu Glaciers causes considerable fluctuation in its water levels. Silence and solitude provide a subtle beauty to the lake. Borith is a paradise for tourists, trekkers and nature lovers with a view of the awesome Ultar peak at 6,735 meters and Borit Sar. Borith Lake is home to thousands of migratory birds, the come to sojourn here during the spring and autumn migratory season. These birds are not only a beautiful spectacle to observe, but also an educational and recreational resource. The migratory species can be spotted in the area from February to June and September to November. From Upper Borith you can see the spectacle view of Passu glacier and village.
- Passu Glacier The village owns the grazing rights up the north side of the 56 kilometres long Batura Glacier, so is able to support large herds of yaks, cattle, sheep and goats, but is less fortunate with its agricultural land. About five kilometres further on you round a corner to find Passu Glacier straight ahead. It is white and shining and deeply creased, and looks exactly what you expect a glacier to look like, most other glaciers in the area are covered in rocks and gravel. Above the glacier to the left the jagged line of the Passu and Batura peaks, seven of them over 7,500 metres. Some of these peaks are still unclimbed and are referred to by number, not name, on the map.
- Batura Glacier: comes down from the left a couple of Kilometers north of Passu. There are several scenic treks up the side of the glacier to the summer pastures with magnificent views of the mountain. Most of this trek is an easy stroll along a flower filled gully between the lateral moraine of the Batura Glacier and mountain. The only difficult part is crossing the glacier. The mountain views of Batura, Passu and Shispar peaks are superb. It’s five or six days trek from Passu to Mulunghel, Yunzbin, Yashpirt, Kukhel and Shireen Maidon.
- Shimshal Valley is situated in North East of Passu and four hours drive and 80 kilometer form Hunza. . Located not far from the Chinese border on the northern edge of the range, the inhabitants of this mystic valley still retain many of their traditional customs and rituals which are fast disappearing elsewhere in the region. Shimshalis complement their irrigated agriculture with extensive herding of sheep, goats, cattle & yaks. Shimshal is home of tens of famous peaks. The Hispar Muztagh range, which separates the Shimshal region from Nagar and Baltistan, Destughil Sar (7885m), Lupgar Sar (7200m), Momhil Sar (7343m), Tiliver (7728m), Yazghil Dome (7324m), Kunyang Chhish (7852m), Pamiri Chhish (7492m), Yukshin Garden (7641m), Kanjut Sar (7760m) and Adver Sar (6500m). Shimshal was once a penal colony where the Mir of Hunza exiled criminals and troublemakers. The attractions for trekkers are the unspoiled seclusion of the valley, the many glaciers and the various exciting possibilities for the return trips.
- Sost is the last village in Pakistan on the KKH. Sost Dry Port, Pakistani immigration and customs post. It stands at about 2,700 meters, 206 kilometers from Gilgit. Above the village is another example of determined village engineering, an AKRSP water channel that passes through a 400 meter tunnel. The foot of the tunnel is very high at the exit, as the villagers got the level wrong on their first attempt and had to dig down. On the west a footbridge about 1.5 kilometers upriver reaches bank of the Hunza River Khudabad village from Sost.
- Chipursan Valley: The long broad Chipursan valley joins the Hunza River from the west, just above Sost. The road goes up the valley for 35 kilometers to Reshit. The wide flat valley nourishes irrigated wheat fields, thought in the mid eighteenth century a flood covered much of the fertile land with a thick layer of clay and boulders. Legend says that the Baba Ghundi, who came begging in the valley and received only some milk from an old woman, caused the flood. To punish the valley, Baba Ghundi sent the flood and mud slick. Destroying everything except the old woman, her field and he hut thus earning great respect for the rest of his life and deep veneration after his death. The valley is still littered with high with high mounds of flood debris, and pilgrims come from all over northern Pakistan and Wakhan to Baba Ghundi’s shrine to pray and beg favors. There are several shepherds’ summer settlements up the side of these glaciers, and apparently you can cross from the Kukijerab Glacier over a technical 5,200 meter across the Lupghar Pass and come back to the Chipursan valley at Raminji. A holy rock beside the road beyond Yashkuk shows the marks of hands, knees, toes, and forehead. The rock is now a shrine and pilgrim resting place. Another holy rock along the way shows scratch marks as if clawed by a hand, which are filled with an oily substance that never dries up.
- Misghar; Before the building of the Karakoram Highway, the Kilik and Mintaka passes were the main routes from Afghanistan and China to Hunza. They were not chosen for the KKH because they were thought too close to the Soviet Union. The road to Misghar about 3,100 meters, where the army has a post, leaves the KKH about ten kilometers north of Sost. Six kilometers above Misghar, the long valley divides at Kalandarchi, once the highest army post of the British Empire. Kalandarchi was also, in a manner of speaking, the last army post of the British India, as the Union Jack continued to fly here four months after Independence. The path left leads through 30 kilometers of summer pastures to a dead end; the right branch reaches the Mintaka Pass, about 40 kilometers away. It passes first through a narrow gorge, then opens out to pastureland and passes several shepherds summer settlements to Murkushi.
- Khunjerab National Park: is the second larges park in Pakistan an one of the highest altitude parks in the world with 2,269 kilometers upper Hunza Gojal,, provides the habitat for a number of endangered and threatened species like the Snow leopard, Marco Polo sheep, and Himalayan ibex. It is also one of the most important alpine biodiversity regions within Pakistan. Protection of the alpine flora in Khunjerab National Park is focus on community-based conservation with a strong element of environmental
- Khunjerab Pass is located in the extreme north-eastern corner of Pakistan. People have used the Khunjerab Pass area for thousands of years. Travelers to and from modern day China crossed one of the four main passes in the Khunjerab region; Kilik, Mintaka, Khunjerab, or Shimshal passes. The Khunjerab Pass at 4,733 meters is the highest border crossing on a paved road in the world. A red sign announces “China drive right” a rival green sing “Pakistan drive left”. A moment tells you that the pass is 16,000 feet (4,877 meters) above sea level and was opened in 1982. The Khunjerab Pass is the continental watershed. Water on the Pakistani side flowing down to the Indian Ocean and the on the Chinese side being swallowed up by the Taklimakan means literally, “If you go in you don’t come out”. The scenery is remarkably different on either side of the pass.
- Hoper: Spectacular valley of Nagar across the Hunza River. You see beautifully laid terraces for different crops and orchids. At Hoper you get down and watch the Hoper (Bualtar) glacier. If you feel like you may hike down to the glacier and have a great view of Kapal & Golden peaks. From its source on Diran (Minapin) Peak and ends at 2,270 meters above sea-level, apparently making it the world’s lowest glacier between the altitudes of 40 N and 35 S. Its snout is certainly the lowest in the Karakoram, Himalaya region, with the Minapin and Pisan glacier being close seconds, at 2,400 meters.
- Hisper is the last village of Nagar valley. The summer is beautiful with its irrigated potato fields and apricot orchards. His per is famous for its 49 km long glacier in the Karakoram Mountains, which meets the 63 km long Biafo Glacier at the Hispar La (Pass) at an altitude of 5,128 m (16,824 feet) to create the world's longest glacial system outside of the polar regions. This 100 km highway of ice connects two ancient mountains Hunza Nagar in the west with Baltistan in the east.
