Attabad Lake formed in 2010 when a landslide dammed the Hunza River, and it is now one of the most photographed places on the Karakoram Highway.
In January 2010 a landslide near Attabad village blocked the river, and the water rose behind it into a lake that drowned part of the highway and several villages. People lost homes and the road to China was cut for years. A series of tunnels, completed in 2015, now carries the highway beside the lake.
Today the lake is a beautiful stop and a working one: boatmen run passengers and vehicles across it. Go in the morning, when the colour is deepest.
Highlights
- A boat ride across the lake
- The tunnels of the Karakoram Highway
- Colour changes from jade to deep blue through the day
