Things to do in Hunza Valley
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Hunza Valley
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Deep winter cold, many hotels and cafes closed, Babusar shut, Khunjerab a severe undertaking and Gilgit flights at their most fragile.
Apricot and cherry blossom, peaking late March into early April around Karimabad and later in Gojal. One of the two great seasons.
Trekking season opens, orchards green, Babusar usually opens during June and roads and flights are most cooperative.
Busiest and warmest, all treks open and fruit abundant, but monsoon landslides most likely on the southern highway approaches.
Clearing skies and thinning crowds, harvest season begins and the Baba Ghundi festival falls in the last week of the month.
Golden autumn colour at its peak from mid October, the clearest skies of the year. The connoisseur's favourite month in Hunza.
Late autumn colour into early November, then sharp cold, Babusar closed and many businesses closing after mid month.
Winter sets in, short dark days, frozen water systems and minimal services. For experienced, open ended travellers only.
What's on
- Navroz 21 March
The Persian new year celebrated across Hunza's Ismaili communities, at the start of the blossom season.
- Gulmit Blossom Festival Late March to early April, varies by year and bloom
Gulmit village celebrations of apricot, cherry and almond blossom, with traditional dance, music and local products.
- Ginani Festival Around 21 June
The traditional Hunza wheat harvest festival, marking the first wheat crop with communal food and celebration.
- Baba Ghundi Festival Last week of September, by tradition
Wakhi and Kyrgyz traders meet at the Baba Ghundi shrine in Chipursan, a specialist side trip requiring local arrangement.
Best things to do in Hunza Valley
Baltit Fort
The 700 year old Mir's fort above Karimabad, restored in the 1990s, with the classic balcony view down the valley.
Altit Fort
Older than Baltit at about 1,100 years, on a cliff above the river, with the old village and royal garden below.
Eagle's Nest
The Duikar viewpoint above Altit, where Rakaposhi, Ultar, Diran and Golden Peak fill one sunrise panorama.
Ganish Village
A thousand year old stone settlement below Karimabad, with carved mosques, watchtowers and Silk Road history.
Sacred Rocks of Hunza
Silk Road petroglyphs and inscriptions in several scripts, carved on rocks beside the highway at Haldeikish.
Karimabad Bazaar
The bazaar street for dried apricots, walnuts, embroidery and caps, and the practical heart of a Karimabad stay.
Attabad Lake
The intense turquoise lake formed by the 2010 landslide, best seen on a morning motorboat ride from the main jetty.
Passu Cones
The serrated cathedral peaks behind Passu village, glowing gold in late afternoon light from the roadside viewpoints.
Where to stay in Hunza Valley
Karimabad
first trip, forts, bazaar and touring base
Walk to Baltit Fort, the bazaar and the main cafes, with the widest choice of hotels at every tier in the valley.
Altit and Duikar
heritage, quiet and the viewpoint
Sleep by Altit Fort in the royal garden or up at the Eagle's Nest ridge for sunrise without the dawn jeep ride.
Gulmit and Passu, Gojal
Upper Hunza, Khunjerab days and Wakhi villages
Basing in Gojal puts Ondra Poygah, Borith Lake, the Hussaini Bridge and Passu at dawn and dusk, not midday.
Attabad Lake
a resort night or two over the water
The lakeside luxury stay, best as a pause inside a Hunza trip rather than as the touring base for the forts.
Minapin, Nagar
Rakaposhi trekking and village quiet
At the base camp trailhead below Rakaposhi, in an orchard village across the river from the Karimabad crowds.
Think twice about
- Karakoram Highway, Mansehra to Chilas section
This highway section via Battagram, Besham, Dasu and Sazin carries serious security risk. It is also landslide prone. Do not drive it at night and take current local security advice before any journey.
- Border zones away from official crossings
Foreign nationals are not allowed within 10 miles of the China border except at official crossings such as Khunjerab. Do not wander toward border areas on side treks without permission checks.
Best restaurants in Hunza Valley
Hidden Paradise Hunza
Karimabad's most celebrated local cuisine table, for chapshuro, dowdo, harissa and apricot and walnut dishes.
Glacier Breeze Restaurant
The Gojal food stop below the Passu Cones, famous across Pakistan for apricot cake with tea and a cone view.
Pizza Pamir
Karimabad's beloved casual pizza place, famous for yak pizza when available, in a basic setting where food wins.
Hunza Food Pavilion
Home style Hunza food cooked by local women, chapshuro and traditional plates at the lowest sit down prices in town.
Cafe Culture Hunza
A family cafe by Altit Fort serving central Hunza cuisine made to order from garden produce since 2015.
Yak Grill
A highway grill in Upper Hunza for yak burgers and steaks, the straightforward lunch stop on the Khunjerab run.
Laal Shehzadi
The small bazaar eatery locals name for the best chapshuro in Karimabad, hot, spiced and eaten with your hands.
Best coffee in Hunza Valley
Cafe de Hunza
Northern Pakistan's most famous cafe, planned around one legendary item, dense walnut cake with coffee or Hunza tea.
Outdoor things to do in Hunza Valley
Khunjerab Pass
The highest paved international border at 4,693 metres, reached by a full day drive through the national park.
Hussaini Suspension Bridge
A swinging plank and cable bridge over the Hunza River, thrilling to cross and fine to admire from the bank.
Borith Lake
A quiet reed fringed lake above the highway near Hussaini, with Passu Cones views and real silence.
Passu Glacier
A 2 to 3 hour guided walk from Passu village to viewpoints over a major Karakoram glacier and its moraine.
Hopper Glacier
A jeep day across the river to Nagar, ending at glacier viewpoints above the villages and orchards of Hopper.
Rakaposhi Base Camp
The classic trek from Minapin via Hapakun to the Tagaphari meadow facing the immense north face of Rakaposhi.
Ultar Meadows
The steep guided climb behind Baltit Fort to high pasture and glacier views beneath Ultar Sar, for fit hikers only.
Ondra Poygah
A community built stairway of over a thousand steps above Gulmit, climbing to a panorama over Gojal and the lake.
Best hotels in Hunza Valley
Luxus Hunza Attabad Lake Resort
The valley's headline luxury resort on the Attabad shore, where the turquoise lake is the entire view.
Hunza Serena Hotel
The most full service hotel in Karimabad, gardens facing Rakaposhi and staff who handle every disruption well.
Serena Altit Fort Residence
A tiny garden residence by Altit Fort, the quiet heritage splurge of Hunza, with the fort as your neighbour.
Eagle's Nest Hotel
The family hotel at the Eagle's Nest viewpoint itself, so sunrise over eleven peaks needs no dawn jeep ride.
Roomy Daastaan Hotel, Karimabad Hunza
A modern, predictable mid range hotel in Karimabad, good for families who want standard plumbing and wifi.
Gulmit Continental Hotel
The established full service hotel of Gulmit, the base that turns Gojal from a drive through into a stay.
Hunza Marcopolo Inn
Gulmit's long running traveller inn by the polo ground, with decades of trekking knowledge at the desk.
Old Hunza Inn
The classic budget inn of Karimabad, garden terrace, home food and a desk that knows every jeep and bus timing.
Is Hunza Valley expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | PKR 8,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | PKR 22,000 a person |
| Splurge | PKR 55,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Khunjerab Pass: a few days ahead
- Hopper Glacier: a few days ahead
- Rakaposhi Base Camp: a few days ahead
- Ultar Meadows: a few days ahead
- Rush Lake: weeks ahead
- Hidden Paradise Hunza: a few days ahead
- Luxus Hunza Attabad Lake Resort: weeks ahead
- Hunza Serena Hotel: weeks ahead
- Book blossom, summer and autumn rooms weeks ahead, and Serena Altit Fort Residence weeks to months ahead for its tiny inventory.
- Arrange multi day treks such as Rush Lake weeks ahead through a reputable local operator, and mountaineering permits up to 2 months ahead.
- Keep at least one, ideally two, buffer days before any international departure after a planned Gilgit flight.
Is Hunza Valley safe?
- Pakistan carries serious national risks: armed conflict, terrorism, crime and kidnapping, with the highest risk in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Line of Control vicinity. Take local security advice before travelling.
- The Karakoram Highway between Mansehra and Chilas carries serious security risk and is landslide prone. Travelling a route your insurer excludes can invalidate insurance.
- All foreign nationals must register with local authorities in Gilgit-Baltistan. Keep your passport accessible at highway check posts.
- Alcohol is essentially unavailable and there is no nightlife. Evenings are dinner, tea and early nights.
- At altitude, ascend in stages, hydrate, and descend at once for persistent headache, vomiting, confusion or breathlessness at rest.
Hunza Valley travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Do not build a trip that only works if one Gilgit flight operates, and do not drive the Karakoram Highway at night.
- Do not treat a clear Karimabad morning as a Khunjerab promise. The pass is 4,693 metres and its weather is a different world.
- Buy gemstones in Karimabad as souvenirs you like, not as investments, unless you truly know the trade.
- Do not touch the Sacred Rocks carvings, photograph check posts, or fly drones near check posts, bridges, tunnels or the border without permission.
Getting around Hunza Valley: public transport and more
- Fly Islamabad to Gilgit only with buffer days, because PIA flights are weather cancelled often, then drive 2 to 3 hours to Karimabad.
- By road, allow 15 to 20 hours from Islamabad to Karimabad on the Karakoram Highway, split over two days, or use the seasonal Babusar Pass route in summer.
- Hire jeeps per vehicle in Karimabad bazaar or through hotels for Duikar, Gojal and Hopper, and agree price, stops, waiting time and fees before setting off.
- Never rely on the highway or a Gilgit flight operating on a fixed day. Ask each morning whether the road is open and what the mountain weather is.
Who Hunza Valley suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Hunza Valley your trip
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