Upper Hunza Trek
Across the Passu glacier and along the 65 km Batura glacier, meeting Wakhi herders and their yaks in the high summer pastures.
The Batura glacier
The Batura glacier is 65 km long. Most of this trek is an easy walk along it, through flowers and green patches; the only difficult part is crossing the glacier itself.
On the way you meet nomadic Wakhi people grazing their cattle in the meadows and pastures, and may see yaks, which move to the higher grazing in summer.
Day-by-day itinerary
- Day 1
Islamabad to Chilas
Via Abbottabad, Mansehra and Besham, with a stop at the Shatial rock graffiti.
- Day 2
To Gulmit
Past the Nanga Parbat viewpoint and the meeting point of the Karakoram, Himalaya and Hindu Kush, through Hunza and Nagar to Gulmit in upper Hunza.
- Day 3
Khunjerab Pass
An excursion through Passu and Sost to the Pakistan–China border at 4,734 m, and back to Gulmit.
- Days 4 – 6
Passu glacier to Patundas
By jeep to Borith Lake, then trek to Passughar. Cross the Passu glacier with our guide to Luzdhar, and climb the ridge between the Passu and Batura glaciers to Patundas.
- Days 7 – 8
Onto the Batura
A steep descent to Mulunghil on the Batura glacier, then a demanding crossing to Yashprit — “pasture of horses”.
- Days 9 – 11
Kukhil & Guchisham
Shepherds’ trails to Kukhil and Guchisham, the last summer settlement on the glacier, with superb views of the Batura and Passu massifs. A free day, with an optional walk to Lupdor.
- Days 12 – 14
Return to the highway
Back via Putmahal and Yunzbin, then down to the Karakoram Highway and on to Karimabad.
- Day 15
Karimabad
Baltit and Altit forts and the terraced fields of Hunza, beneath Rakaposhi.
- Days 16 – 17
Gilgit & Islamabad
Drive to Gilgit for its bazaar and riverside, then fly to Islamabad.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: The Passu Cones, Upper Hunza — Mehrunisa Reimoo, CC BY-SA 4.0
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