Things to do in Hunza & Nagyr
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Café de Hunza
The KKH has delivered espresso coffee to sip while munching on Hunza walnut cake and reading the newspaper (albeit two days old). Not surprisingly, this venture, which also does muesli and omelette breakfasts and sells books and souvenirs, has hit the spot with travellers and there's now another branch at Zero Point.
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Hidden Paradise
This quaint restaurant has a big menu of inexpensive and delicious Hunza dishes; eg haneetze doudo and chapshuro. The cuisine is definitely not haute, but this is a great way to sample local food with friends and enjoy views of Altit and Duikar.
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Baltit Fort
The oldest parts of Baltit Fort date from the 13th century. Over the years more houses and towers were added, and it was fortified. To cement an alliance with Baltistan's Maqpon dynasty in the 17th century, Mir Ayesho II (great-grandson of the legendary Girkis) married a daughter of the Balti ruler, who sent artisans to build a fort at nearby Altit. The princess then came to live in Hunza, bringing her own artisans to improve Baltit Fort.
Balti-style renovation continued under the reign of Ayesho II's son. The name Baltit probably dates from this time. The fort took on its present appearance only in the last century or so. Mir Nazim Khan added outer walls and fixed up hi…
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Ganish Village
The restoration of Ganish Village is particularly good and won a Unesco Asia Pacific Heritage Award. While Baltit Fort shows how the cream of society lived, Ganish shows another side of traditional Hunza life. Behind a shaded, tranquil tank are several richly carved wooden mosques, 100 to 200 years old, the restoration of which clinched the award. Legend has it that Ganish warriors practised their river-crossing techniques in the tank before crossing the Hunza River to attack Nagyr villages.
The timber-and-stone watchtower from the days of war with Nagyr is a tight squeeze but worth the climb. Particularly interesting is the use of the cool glacier meltwater to store food…
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Channel Walk
A three- or four-hour walk along the main water channels from Ultar Nala is a good way to see Hunza at its best. Try to avoid the delicate side channels.
Climb past the polo ground, bearing left beside the channel there. The path goes down the valley all the way to Hyderabad Nala. There, scramble down to the link road and turn back towards Karimabad. You can soon drop to a lower channel that goes all the way back. You can go right on around Karimabad, past Mominabad to the headworks behind Baltit Fort, although the channel goes underground for part of the way.
Both these channels and the newer, higher channels distribute water from Ultar. There are seven channels running t…
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Queen Victoria Monument
The Queen Victoria Monument at the top of the rock face behind Karimabad can be reached in an hour from Baltit. Take the channel path above the polo ground. Five minutes out, cross the channel and climb stone steps beside an old watchtower. At the top of the village, scramble over to a shallow cleft with some very large boulders. Go straight up to the base of the cliff before crossing over to the monument; avoid a diagonal crossing of the face because the top Ultar water channel spills down it.
Thought to be erected by Nazim Khan, in Burushaski, the monument is called Malikamu Shikari (ma-li-ka-mu shi-ka-ri).
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Sacred Rocks at Hunza
Sacred Rocks at Hunza is about 1.5km east on the KKH at a place called Haldekush are several stony rises. The rocks, with pictures and inscriptions from as early as the 1st century, are a 'guest book' of the valley. In addition to local traditions, they tell of Buddhist pilgrims, kings of the Kushan empire, a 6th-century Chinese ambassador, 8th-century Tibetan conquerors and even KKH workers.
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Mominabad Village
In the Northern Areas there are traces of an ancient caste system, in which musicians and artisans ranked low. In the past they were often segregated in their own separate villages. Though it's quite ordinary looking, Mominabad (old name Berishal), near a turn on the Ganish-Karimabad road, was such a village. Its people even speak their own dialect, Berishki.
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Kado Gems Cutting & Polishing Centre
The follow-up project to Threadnet Hunza is designed to empower local women, in this case by training them in gem cutting, polishing and selling. At the time of research the finishing touches were being put on the shop which will eventually sparkle with rubies, sapphire, topaz and quartz.
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Hunza Art Museum
Hunza-Nagyr wool is renowned for its durability, though it's being displaced by factory imitations. Hunza Art Museum is another reliable store, and can provide guarantee certificates for semiprecious stones and gems.
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Baltit Café & View Point
The main selling point here is the pleasant garden dining area with excellent views. Find a sunny or shady seat and sip a cold drink or tuck into the soups, burgers, snacks and several Pakistani and Chinese dishes.
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Mountain Equipment
Trekking and mountaineering equipment can be purchased here at the top end of the bazaar. The lads from Adventure Hunza have also opened a CD shop here, Kiran Audio Video Centre.
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Hunza Carpet
The bazaar is lined with art and handicraft shops, such as Hunza Carpet, many selling the woollen wares made by local women trained by the Threadnet Hunza programme.
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Hunzo-e-Hayan
The small shop front for Shafqet Karim, an artisan who turns wooden bowls and carves soup spoons and other traditional implements as well as figurines.
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Travel Walji's
Tours and jeep hire with good drivers. There is another branch at the Tourist Park Hotel on Bazaar Rd.
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Adventure Hunza
The Karim brothers can help organise short and long treks and have equipment for sale and hire.
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Saghin Departmental Store
Has a reasonable selection of canned and packaged food, batteries, film and toiletries.
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Concordia Expeditions
A well-known trekking and touring agency across the road from Hill Top Hotel.
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Baltit Book Centre
A respectable collection of Northern Areas and Central Asia books in English.
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Mohummond Book Store
Plenty of books on the local area plus a range of Lonely Planet guides.
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