Pakistan: Summer Mountain Explorer

We'll travel to Gilgit by car today for the entire day. This route is quite spectacular as it largely follows the Indus River. After stopping for lunch en route, we'll travel until early evening before reaching Gilgit.

This morning, we have the chance to explore this traditional frontier hamlet, which was formerly thought of as the empire's furthest outpost. Before taking the KKH north to Karimabad in the renowned Hunza Valley, we will visit the bazaar and the Christian cemetery. Even more so when you turn a corner and witness Mount Rakaposhi's colossal form lounging in the sun next to the road. We know we use a lot of superlatives, but this trip truly is epic. Before continuing on to Hunza, we will stop for lunch en route at the Rakaposhi View Restaurant. Before moving on to our hotel, which is located in a spectacular location at 2,850 metres above sea level and 500 metres above the valley floor with panoramic views of five 7,000-meter peaks, we will have the chance to explore the relaxed little town of Karimabad and admire the mountains that surround it upon arrival.

Wake up at around 5:30 in the morning to observe the pinking of Rakaposhi's flamingo peak by the rising sun. In order to see the Hoper Glacier, we will first go to the opposite side of the valley after breakfast. We'll next stop for lunch in a charming garden café before continuing on the KKH for another hour and a half to explore the recently constructed lake at Attabad. A significant landslip blocked the Hunza River in January 2010, submerging 28 kilometers of the KKH and creating a stunning lake of turquoise water. We stop by a carpet weaving studio managed by warm and welcoming Wakhi ladies in Gulmit. Later, as we go further north, we stop at the fifth-longest glacier in the world, Batura Glacier, where we can take in the breathtaking views of the Passu Cones, the white Passu Glacier, and other peaks over 7000 metres. The late afternoon finds us travelling back to Karimabad.

After breakfast, we tour the renowned Baltit Fort, which the Aga Khan Trust for Culture has rebuilt. Currently, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After that, we'll get lunch in town. Those who desire can take a stroll along Karimabad's waterways in the afternoon before shopping at the nearby shops, where there will be plenty to choose from. The greatest coffee and walnut cake in town are served at Café De Hunza.

We will travel to the Ghizer Valley from Gilgit after breakfast and return afterward. It is once more a breathtaking journey across some of northern Pakistan's most spectacular terrain. Following the path of the Ghizer River, we go on to the Ghizer Valley, where the water is colored and there is a lovely view of greenery and trees.

As we go through the Phander and Laspur valleys and cross the Shandur Pass, today's drive is likely the most breathtaking of the entire trip. At the top of the pass, at 3,800 meters, we make a tea stop. The top teams from Gilgit and Chitral compete there in frantic, violent bouts on the highest polo pitch in the world. The beautiful reflections of the surrounding lofty Hindu Kush mountains are what make the nearby Shandur Lake so well-known. We'll have a delicious picnic lunch on The Langer, a lovely plain where yaks and dzos graze, and then continue on to Mastuj, where we'll spend the night.