Hunza Rakaposhi View Hotel

... overlooks the wonderful old city village of Altit. The fort has survived many earthquakes largely due to the flexibility given to its construction by the unique cross beaming of juniper and poplar woods. The 1,000 year old Altit village is fascinating and we spent a relaxed time exploring the old houses and lanes of this intriguing village. Once again we were invited into a private house, this time the home of Sadruddin's aunt.<br><br>A magnificent fort perched on a high ...

... on a mountainside this lovely hotel overlooks eleven of some of the highest mountain peaks in the world. It also had electricity although we were the only currrent guests. <br><br>The incredibly steep narrow road up to the hotel was undergoing sewerage installation when we arrived and it was obviously not possible for our jeep to proceed over the massive heaps of dug up road. But nothing was impossible for our intrepid driver Rehmat. This was a community ...

... Hunza Valley are well known for their longevity. With the high altitude and a healthy diet, it is perhaps no wonder they live such long lives.<br><br>Gulmit and Jabbar&#8217;s nearby home village of Gulkhin were delightful and pretty villages. Both are essentially small farm communities. We were surprised to see almost a mono culture of irrigated potatoes, interspersed with only some wheat and lucerne. How these mono culture crops do not succumb to major plant disease ...

... in this beautiful country. Contact details for this company: email: ishaq_jan@yahoo.com <br><br>This is Pakistan through our eyes:<br><br>Unsurpassed rugged scenery nurturing some of the highest and youngest mountain peaks in the world, a unique and unspoilt environment for touring and trekking, fabulous food, clean townships and a melting pot of cultures with friendly and hospitable people should make this geologically and ethnically fascinating country rival any top ...

... because of the stark and fascinating scenery but also because of the somewhat interesting passengers. A large Uighur woman had befriended us at the bus stop. She was obviously well known to the bus station staff and unlike us, she was invited to share their heated room inside the bus station. She had at least ten enormous suitcases and was travelling the huge distance from Kashgar to Islamabad. "Did she have family in Islamabad?" we asked. No, this was business she told ...

... time around the small town and visited Baltit Fort on the hill top. We also decided to trek to the Ultar glacier through deep snow and past huge amazing frozen waterfalls. The icicles that they formed were melting and breaking in the daytime sun and huge chunks came crashing down the mountains as we passed. I needed S and R's help on some parts that were particularly hard or close to the edge but we took our time and the snowy mountains were ...

... KKH, laboriously chiselled out of the mountainsides by the Chinese; little more than a scratch on the vast inclines that forever threaten to shed a skin and brush it into the river below. Boulders as big as houses and as numerous as the vehicles that pass under them perch uneasily on the silty slopes, waiting for the forces of nature to loosen their bindings and allow gravity to guide them back to the valley floor. The debris piled up on the side of the road from previous ...

... eyesight, sits Nanga Parbat, one of only 14 mountains in the world that stands at 8000+ meters. A lot of my time in Karimabad was spent just relaxing, walking on the cool sandy paths along the water channels that followed the terraced fields. The second day I was there, some other trekkers and I went on a day trek up to Ultar Meadows, which is a peaceful grassy spot that sits at the base of an enormous glacier in the mountains above Karimabad. Unfortunately, we ...

Ca y est, ce calotte de glace qu'est le Rakaposhi nous a assez nargué, nous partons en trek pour la voir de plus près. Après plus ou moins deux heures de minibus, nous montons sur un chemin assez raid en bord d'une rivière déchainée. Cette première partie du trek est assez ennuyeuse et il fait CHAUD ...

Had a chilled out days in Karimabad.....well I say 'chilled out' but for me, that still involves some kind of activity. After breakfast whilst taking in the amazing view across the valley of the snow capped peaks bright white refecting the morning sun from my balcony I headed up the steep walk to the Baltit Fort. On the way back down I also bumped into Jullien again (the French/Swiss guy) who had been trekking in the Hunza Valley and ...