Lower Hunza is the southern end of the valley, between Gilgit and Karimabad, and the place with the best views of Rakaposhi, which rises in one great wall above the Karakoram Highway, with the villages of Nagar facing Hunza across the river.
Lower Hunza is the part of the valley you drive through first. Leaving Gilgit, the Karakoram Highway follows the Hunza River upstream through a dry, rocky gorge, and then Rakaposhi (7,788 metres) comes into view, rising in a single great wall above the road. There is a viewpoint beside the highway where most drivers stop.
Hunza and Nagar
Across the river lies Nagar. For centuries Hunza and Nagar were two small neighbouring kingdoms, facing each other over the Hunza River, and the two valleys still have a friendly rivalry. The villages on the road include Nasirabad, Chalt and Chaprote, with Minapin and Pisan on the Nagar side. Minapin is the usual starting point for the trek to Rakaposhi Base Camp.
Why stop
Rakaposhi is the reason. Lower Hunza is the closest you can get to it by road, and the views are the best anywhere: the whole mountain, from the river to the summit, with nothing in front of it. It rises more than five thousand metres above the valley, which is one of the steepest rises of any mountain in the world, and locally it is called Dumani, the Mother of Mist. Morning and late afternoon give the clearest light, and the snow on the face turns pink at dusk.
Stop at the roadside viewpoint even if you are only passing through. If you have time, stay a night near Minapin, walk the lower trails, or take the short trek up to Rakaposhi Base Camp, a day or two on foot. It is the easiest way in Pakistan to stand at the foot of a 7,000-metre peak.
Highlights
- The best views of Rakaposhi, from the Karakoram Highway
- The Rakaposhi viewpoint beside the road
- Minapin and the trek to Rakaposhi Base Camp
- The old kingdoms of Hunza and Nagar on opposite banks
