Have you ever fallen in love with some place? Or felt a piece of you leaving behind on bidding farewell? Well, I have experienced this… not once but four times actually – with the same place of course and I really want to share what it values for me…it is Hunza with love!
My father was an ardent traveler. Every year during summer vacations, my parents would do the packing, load us in the car and take us to the north. So when I grew up, I had seen almost all of Pakistan with an exception of Gilgit-Baltitstan side.
Btw, this is the bestest thing you can do with your kids – especially the school going ones. The amount of learning, exposure and memory-making you do off-and-on-the-road is nothing you can compare with living a sedentary life.
I loved Naran and Saif-ul-Malook from my childhood memories. Swat and Kalam were really beautiful. I still remember the road side with a lot of motels and the lush blue stream flowing sideways. Murree was always too close and hence, a little less distinctive but the road trip to Nathiagali with clouds floating below the road-level, and you inhaling some is the kind of memory I have grown up with.
My love story with Hunza began in 2005. Every year my college used to take the students to this place and it would become the base camp for the four-to-five day long trekking expedition…and this is when I was exposed to the most beautiful place in the world. It is exactly a day-long drive away from Lahore. Now that I have been to Hunza four times – two times on the bus, once in the car and once by plane…you can ask me to draw a personalized google map for you 🙂
Anyway, there are two routes to reach Hunza, one is through Naran – the scenary is breath-taking, the honey they sell on the road-side is pure and you get to see Lulusar lake and Babusar top before moving towards Gilgit via Chilas. I cannot emphasize enough how beautiful the mountain views are. The drive is thrilling, sometimes dangerous but above all really peaceful.
Here is the view from the Babusar Top, showing the Chilas-Gilgit side.
The other route is through Besham – since both the times, I was on the bus and sleeping mostly – I believe this route was a bit longer and less breath-taking as compared to the one you have via Naran. Hunza is a princely state governed by Prince Kareem Agha Khan. The literacy rate is more than 90% and almost everyone you meet understands English, thanks to the international travelers who come here for their mountaineering expeditions at K2 or Nanga Parbat.
The top three highest elevated mountain ranges in the world are in Pakistan i.e. Himalayas, Hindukush and Karakarom and you get to see the point where all these three ranges meet near Gilgit. We touched that point as well.
There are 14 peaks in the world which are more than 8000 meters tall, Pakistan has the honor to have 5 of them:
- K2
- Nanga Parbat
- Gasherbrum I
- Broad Peak
- Gasherbrum II
If you really want to give a treat to your soul – go to Hunza! And please don’t take the air plane. Khanian is 7 hour drive away from Islamabad and that should be your first stop, if not Naran. We stayed at Arcadian Luxury Resorts and man, the hotel itself is an exquisite piece of art and nature.
After spending a day or two covering Naran, Saif-ul-Malook from here, you can continue your journey to Hunza that comes after a drive of 13 hours. This sounds strenuous but the fun is in the journey, remember??
The road is excellent. From Naran, you will cover Lalusar lake, Babusar top, Chilas and via Gilgit you will finally reach Hunza Karimabad. They have recently re-constructed the Karakorum highway and the quality is of international standards.
There are many things you can do in Hunza and given the traveling time, I believe one must plan at least a week there. Even if you aren’t the trekker, there are many first base camps that you can touch with the help of tourist guide. They are all a day-trips. These are of Naltar and Ultar pass and many others which you can inquire about.
One must dedicate a day for exploring Altit and Baltit Fort and local market. These forts are preserved since a century and carry an age old heritage of the then Nawabs. Food is yummy but the one place that took my heart was Cafe de Hunza. Their menu is minimal but I love the vibes of it.
Another full day at Hunza should be dedicated to visiting Khanjarab Pass – Pak and China border. The road is deadly especially if the rain is falling and the oxygen level drops (keep chewing gums and dry apricots at hand) but guys, if you haven’t seen the Khanjarab Pass – you have not done justice to your existence!
It is sooooooo beautiful and the scenery is so nice that not for once I wanted to blink my eyes to avoid missing any view. Don’t hire a jeep if you already have a car with you. Sust, is a place that comes a little before the pass. There you can eat and shop a little as the market carry Chinese stuff – the perks of being close to the border !
And the tunnels – I counted 22 tunnels on our way to the pass. You would love the ride. Some are longer than the others but man, you wold send endless prayers my way for recommending this drive!
Fresh cherries, apricots and apples are the special fruits of Hunza. The juice is refreshing and you would want to have one with every omelette and paratha breakfast. Not only the place but the people are so beautiful, humble and kind. They keep the place so much clean that they wouldn’t mind drinking the water out of the open drainage flowing outside their homes. This is the level of their trust and cleanliness!
I love Hunza because the mountain range of this area is nowhere to be seen elsewhere in Pakistan. It is calm and serene and clenches my heart ever since I paid my first visit here in 2005. My recent visit was in July, 2017 and the memories are still fresh.
There are many guided tours from Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad which are now being regularly conducted. I once travelled with Adventure Trek and Tour and really liked the arrangement. Although I opted for Malam Jabba Winter Skiing trip but overall the quality of service was very good. Hence, for those with no company/friends/family can become a part of the larger group and still enjoy Hunza to the fullest.
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