The road to Hunza is a long but adventurous one. It is a beautiful and an epic journey that one should not take lightheartedly.

Growing up, I heard about Hunza from my family and relatives. I didn’t take much notice of it. After being bitten by the travel bug and hearing about it from friends and blogs, I knew I had to visit this gorgeous mountainous valley in Gilgit-Balstistan region. This is the extreme north of Pakistan and is near the borders of China, Afghanistan and Tajikistan.

Leg 1: Islamabad – Chilas

My trip started at 3 am from Islamabad as 13 other curious travelers joined in a 6-day tour with Falcon Adventure Club. There were 5 couples, one of them of British nationality, 2 ladies, another male and myself.

We all saddled up in a coach (mini bus), suitcases crammed in the back and began our long-awaited journey to the famed Hunza Valley in northern Pakistan.

kaleidoscope of scenic landscape

Anxious to not miss the view, I stayed up most of the way in excitement to watch the sunrise and witness the landscape around me. It started out with lush green meadows, plains and rolling valleys on either side. The colors were vibrant – a sign of spring emerging from the harsh winters.

Small villages and towns flashed by intermittently. As we passed through, locals at work and kids getting ready for school would wave at us.

After several hours, the greenery began to fade a little but something even more magnificent appeared. We were surrounded by the Himalayan ranges and the Hindu Kush. In between, the Indus River covered in a cloudy turquoise hue cut through like a monstrous snake.

This went on for a while and after some time became monotonous. The novelty started slipping away. I would go in and out of sleep.

Suddenly as if the heavens had opened, snow-capped mountains formed in the distance. It was such a magnificent view, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Maybe it is because I barely see such a sight living in Thailand and traveling to mostly tropical paradises. Right now, this was a different type of paradise.

As we traveled deeper, switching between the two ranges, colors began to change again. Bright greens and snow-capped mountains gave way to rocky, barren lands as far as the as eye could see. The river however, undeterred from the surrounding kept its color, creating a striking contrast.

Perils of the road

Imagine jagged rocks on one side, a narrow road in between and a sheer drop where the Indus river awaits your fall on the other side. The road itself kept shifting between smooth and calm to rough and chaotic. Much like the river below.

While much of the road  (part of the Karakoram Highway) to Hunza is mostly well-kept and beautiful, there are stretches where it is extremely sketchy.

Now add impatient drivers overtaking at every corner filled with blind spots. Cars come from the opposite side and every time it feels like this would be your last day on Earth. The drive is an adventure in itself.

If you are a skilled driver, it’s not that bad as it sounds.  Luckily, the guy driving our coach was quite good!

If that wasn’t enough, you also need be wary about landslides and falling rocks. We came across 1 or 2 landslides and several occasions where the driver had to slow down or speed up at “Beware: Falling rocks” zones.

Almost there…not really

After over 16 hours on the road, we still hadn’t reached Hunza. It was getting dark and late, so we stopped in Chilas, a sleepy town. We were still hundreds of kilometers away from our destination.

As I write this from our hotel, I think back on how lucky I am to be on this trip. I’ve met new people and have a new-found love for my country. I am even more excited to reach Hunza and tell you more about it.

For now, it’s time for me to catch some sleep for a long day ahead.

Goodnight!

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ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzz

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OK, guys I’m up! Hope I didn’t put you to sleep too.

Leg 2: Chilas – Hunza

The 2^nd leg of our road trip seemed more promising. Maybe it was because we all had a good night sleep. Also, since we arrived late in the evening, we had no idea that our hotel view was so gorgeous. We were right by the river!

Our first stop for the day was at Garam Chashma, which means hot spring. It wasn’t as impressive as I thought it would be. It was a tiny hot stream coming out of a mountain side. Can you see the steam at the top?

Alam, our guide explained that it was because of hot gas inside.

Even better scenic views

The first few hours had similar views as the first day. However, as we got closer to Hunza, the landscape became increasingly picturesque. Honestly, I’m just going to let the pictures tell the story.

Nanga Parbat

Our next stop was at the viewpoint of Nanga Parbat. In Kashmiri, the name translates to naked mountain because there is no vegetation on its slopes. Nanga Parbat has many other names such as Deomir, which means mountain of the Gods in the local language. It is also known as Killer Mountain because very few people who have tried to climb it have survived.

There, do you see the mountain in the far distance with snow on top? That is Nanga Parbat.

Interesting side story about Nanga Parbat. I first heard about it in Batman and Arrow. It is the place where they both trained! However, they NEVER mention it is in Pakistan. So, I was very excited to see it in real life.

Where the mountains and rivers meet

En-route to Hunza, you cannot miss the confluence of Indus-Gilgit rivers. This is one of the biggest valley-mountain-river junction in Pakistan. It’s where Indus and Gilgit River meet. It’s also the intersection of the Himalayan, Hindu Kush and Karakorum ranges.

Naturally, it is a very popular spot for tourists to stop for pictures.

Coincidentally I bumped into 3 bloggers who I had been communicating with on Instagram. Anam from Girl with Green Passport and a very sweet couple, Amtul and Fahad of Patangeer. It was awesome to meet them here! They are super chill, cool people.

Back on the road again. See it’s not bad the whole way. In fact, a pretty impressive highway through the mountains.

Rakaposhi Viewpoint

Another point of interest very close to Hunza is Rakaposhi viewpoint. Rakaposhi, which means “snow covered” in the local language is the 27^th highest peak in the world. It’s truly a phenomenal sight. There’s something peaceful about snow-covered mountains. Ironic because they can be deadly too.

We also had lunch here and tried a local delicacy called the Chapshuro. It’s a bread filled with minced meat, onions and spices. It’s often referred to as the Gilgit-Baltistan version of a pizza.  I don’t see it because there was no cheese in it. I think of it more like a Shepherd’s pie.

When everyone finished eating, we were pleased to hear that Hunza was only 40 minutes away. Finally, after 1.5 days on the road, we were going to reach our destination.

Was it worth it? Find out in our next post.