Town or village
Shimshal
Hunza district · 3,100 m
Pakistan's most remote valley, home to great guides, a mountaineering school and yak pastures above 4,700 m.
Shimshal is among the most remote valleys in Pakistan, and perhaps in the world. A jeep road of about 60 km, built by the locals, now links it to Passu.
Kind Town or villageDistrict HunzaElevation 3,100 mPosition 36.440° N, 75.220° E
About Shimshal
Local tradition says the valley was first settled by a son of a Wazir of Hunza, who fell in love with a Wakhi girl and eloped with her. The people are Wakhi Tajiks, and the guidebook calls their hospitality beyond excellent. They graze their yaks on the high plains near the Chinese border.
Shimshal produces some of the best guides and porters in Gilgit-Baltistan. There is a mountaineering school in the village, the Shimshal Mountaineering School, with courses offered especially to women, a good place for beginners to learn a few techniques before starting a long trek. The mountaineer Samina Baig belongs to this valley.
Shimshal is a base for many treks and short day walks, and licensed guides here will show you the best of them. There are simple and clean family guesthouses in the central village, which is the heart of the Shimshal welcome.
Our Shimshal Pamir and Shuwerth trek starts here, and the blue sheep camp is also run out of the village. The valley is also known for Woolio, the yak festival on 25 to 30 July, when the yaks are decorated, their horns smeared with butter, and the day ends in feasting, singing and dancing.
Elsewhere in Hunza
Swipe along the district, from the valley floor to the summits.
Town or village · 2,450 m
Karimabad
The old seat of the Mir of Hunza, and the heartbeat of tourism in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Fort · 2,500 m
Baltit Fort
Seven hundred years old, and beautifully restored between 1990 and 1996 by the Aga Khan Cultural Service.
- 2,350 m
Fort
Altit Fort
The older of Hunza's two great forts, on the edge of a cliff above the river.
- 7,388 m
Summit
Ultar Sar
7,388 m directly above Karimabad, and the glacier that waters most of Central Hunza.
Lake or water · 2,450 m
Attabad Lake
A turquoise lake on the Karakoram Highway, with boat rides, lakeside camping and a new road through the tunnels.
- 2,500 m
Town or village
Gulmit
Gojal headquarters, Wakhi speaking, with the old Mir's summer residence and a village full of charm.
- 2,480 m
Town or village
Hussaini
The famous suspension bridge over the Hunza river, planked at intervals and a treat for adventure lovers.
- 2,500 m
Town or village
Passu
Between the Passu and Batura glaciers, with the Cathedral Peaks in view and some of the best walks in the valley.
Summit · 6,106 m
Passu Cones
Tupopdan, 6,106 m. The serrated wall every photograph of Upper Hunza is taken against.
- 2,600 m
Lake or water
Borith Lake
An emerald green lake above Ghulkin, where migrating birds stop in spring and autumn.
- 2,800 m
Town or village
Sost
The dry port and the last Pakistani customs post before China, and the base for Khunjerab and Chapursan.
- 3,100 m
Town or village
Misgar
Up a side valley off the highway, below the Mintika Pass on the old silk route from China to India.
- 3,300 m
Town or village
Chapursan
A Wakhi valley running west to the Afghan watershed, with the shrine of Baba Ghundi and a famous festival.
- 4,735 m
Pass
Shimshal Pass
The gate onto the Pamir pastures, walked by Shimshali herders twice a year.
- 4,735 m
Base camp
Shuwerth
Summer pasture on the Pamir, and blue sheep ground in winter.
Pass · 4,693 m
Khunjerab Pass
4,693 m. The Chinese border and the highest paved border crossing in the world.