Town or village
Ishkoman
Ghizer district · 2,400 m
A valley where nine languages are spoken in Immit village alone, and the base for treks to Yasin, Naltar and Chapursan.
Ishkoman was once an independent kingdom under the rule of Chitral, which is why the upper class still speaks Khowar, the main language of Chitral. Today the valley is one of the most multilingual in the region. Almost every language of the surrounding areas can be heard, except Balti, and most people speak more than one. The languages mark the paths along which people came into the valley.
Kind Town or villageDistrict GhizerElevation 2,400 mPosition 36.532° N, 73.819° E
About Ishkoman
Immit, the village at the top of the valley, is called the gateway to the Wakhan. Its Burusho people are said to descend from the Ayesho family of Hunza. About nine languages are spoken in Immit, which makes it one of the most multicultural villages in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral. Sit down with a cup of tea and listen.
Chatorkhand, about 100 km from Gilgit, is the capital of Ishkoman. The former ruling family lives there, as does the former Ismaili Pir, Syed Karam Ali Shah. The bazaar offers basic accommodation, and there is a PWD rest house that can be booked through Gilgit.
Ishkoman is the base for treks across passes to Yasin and Naltar, and to Chapursan in Gojal, Hunza. The valley also holds several lakes, among them Utter Lake and Qurumbar Lake, the latter inside the Qurumbar National Park at the head of the valley. A treat for lake lovers.
Elsewhere in Ghizer
Swipe along the district, from the valley floor to the summits.
- 1,800 m
Town or village
Gahkuch
The district headquarters of Ghizer, on the Gilgit river, and the turn for the Ishkoman valley.
- 4,272 m
Lake or water
Qurumbar Lake
At 4,272 m, a perennial lake at the head of Ishkoman, inside Pakistan's first wetlands national park.
- 2,200 m
Town or village
Gupis
Where the Yasin river joins the Gilgit, and where the road divides for Yasin and Shandur.
- 2,250 m
Lake or water
Khalti Lake
Trout water below Gupis, frozen hard enough to walk on by January.
- 2,300 m
Town or village
Yasin
A Burushaski speaking valley, once a powerful independent kingdom and the gateway between the Oxus and the Indus.
- 2,800 m
Town or village
Darkot
The last village on the road north of Yasin, and the base for treks over the Darkot Pass into Chapursan.
Lake or water · 2,900 m
Phunder
The river braids into blue pools below the village: trout, poplars and a polo ground, on the road to Shandur.
- 3,700 m
Pass
Shandur Pass
At 3,700 m, the pass between Ghizer and Chitral, with the highest polo ground in the world on top.