The Hunza Valley, nestled deep in the Karakorum Mountains of Pakistan, is a hiker’s paradise where you can view five peaks all above 7,000 meters; prompting mountaineer Eric Shipton’s oft quoted epithet as “the ultimate manifestation of mountain grandeur.”
Don’t miss the 2850m viewpoint ‘The Eagle’s Nest’ with stunning views of all seven peaks, the woman-run carpentry shop called Karakorum Area Development Organisation (KADO) and Ganash village, which has been continually inhabited for over 1000 years.
There are four distinct cultures with different languages residing in Hunza, where people’s lifespans are some of the world’s longest due to their exceptionally healthy diet based upon their locally grown fruit, nuts, barley and dairy products.
Continuing to hike through Pakistan, you find yourself immersed in a storied land: In the 2nd Century BC Alexander’s Army conquered this region and the colourful pagan Kalash mountain peoples still maintain ancient Greek traditions in the Chitral Valley of the Hindu Kush Mountains, meaning ‘the end of the Hindu Kingdom’, which was never able to permeate these mountain cultures.
From the 2nd Century AD, Buddhist Pilgrims would walk from Tibet to the Swat Valley, where Tibetan Buddhism originates. Now it is a centre for artisans where you can still see many of the ancient Buddhist monuments which survive to this day.
Time has stood still for centuries in the stunning Yasin Valley, located in the Hindu Raj Mountains. Events that unfolded in the 1870’s during the ‘Great Game’ machinations of espionage between Russian and the British spies are still discussed in the tearooms as if they happened yesterday, and light-footed horsemen still consider Polo the sport of choice during the afternoons here in the village Nialthi – make sure to watch one of these great games!
Trekking the ancient valleys & villages of Pakistan
Small group tours on selected dates or tailor-made private tours also available on request.
https://yellowwoodadventures.com/adventures/pakistan/culture-walking-pakistan
