# Gilgit, Gilgit-Baltistan

> Gilgit is a busy mountain town on the Gilgit River, the junction for Hunza, Skardu, Chitral and the Karakoram Highway.

- **Page:** https://hunzaexplorer.com/destinations/gilgit-baltistan/gilgit
- **Type:** City
- **Province or region:** Gilgit-Baltistan
- **Best season:** March to November
- **Altitude:** 1,500 m

Gilgit is where most travellers change cars, buy supplies and have a meal. It also has real history. Buddhist manuscripts from about the 5th or 6th century, among the oldest known, were found near the town in 1931. The Kargah Buddha, carved in a cliff a few kilometres out, dates from roughly the 7th century.

Keep half a day for the bazaar, which has dried apricots, walnuts and woven caps, and for the old suspension bridge across the river.

## Highlights

- The Kargah Buddha, a rock carving of about the 7th century
- The long suspension bridge over the river
- The bazaar
- A view of Rakaposhi on the way to Hunza

## Seasons in Gilgit-Baltistan

- **Spring (March to April):** Apricot and cherry blossom in the lower valleys, mostly in April. The higher villages are still cold and the high passes are closed.
- **Summer (May to September):** The main season. Every valley is open, and this is the time for trekking, Deosai, the Khunjerab Pass and the K2 approach.
- **Autumn (October to November):** Golden leaves in the orchards and the clearest light of the year. Nights are cold and the first snow reaches the high valleys in November.
- **Winter (December to February):** Cold and quiet. Hunza and Gilgit stay reachable by road, but the high valleys and passes are closed.