Best Things to Do at Attabad Lake
Boating, jet skiing, and luxury resorts: a guide to Hunza's turquoise wonder.
Jul 05, 2026 5 min
Hunza
Attabad Lake
Surreal turquoise water surrounded by towering Karakoram peaks.
Top Highlights
Boating
Jet Ski
Luxury Resorts
History & Background
Before 2010 this stretch of the Hunza valley held farmland and the villages of Ainabad, Shishkat and part of Gulmit, joined to the rest of the country by the Karakoram Highway. In January 2010 a landslide at Attabad blocked the river and the water began to rise, displacing thousands of people and drowning both the fields and several kilometres of the highway. For years afterwards the only way past was by boat, and goods and passengers were ferried across a lake that had not existed the decade before. The Pak-China Friendship Tunnels, opened in 2015, carry the road around the water and restored the overland link to Gojal and the Chinese border. What was a disaster for the valley has become the most photographed place in it.
Places to Visit in Attabad Lake
The lake itself
A long body of startlingly turquoise water held between bare Karakoram walls. The colour comes from glacial silt and shifts with the light through the day.
Boating and jet skiing
Boats run from the shore near Shishkat. Jet skis and speedboats are available in season and are charged on site by the operators, separately from any tour.
Pak-China Friendship Tunnels
The tunnels that carry the Karakoram Highway around the lake, built after the landslide severed the road. Passing through them is part of reaching Gojal.
Passu and Gulmit
Both sit within easy reach further up the highway, which is why Attabad is rarely visited on its own.
How to Get to Attabad Lake
By Air
Fly to Gilgit, then continue up the Karakoram Highway. See the Hunza page for how that journey is put together.
By Road
The lake lies on the Karakoram Highway beyond Karimabad, in Gojal or Upper Hunza. The road reaches the shore directly, so no jeep transfer or walking is involved — the drive is the Hunza drive, described on the Hunza page.
Local Transport: Any of our vehicles reaches Attabad; the highway is metalled the whole way. No 4x4 is needed for the lake itself.
Best Time to Visit & Travel Tips
Seasons
- Spring (Apr–Jun)Blossom along the valley below, and meltwater beginning to feed the lake.
- Summer (Jul–Sep)Warmest water and the full range of boating on offer.
- Autumn (Oct–Nov)The clearest air of the year, and the strongest turquoise against poplars turning gold.
Pro Tips
- Attabad sits directly on the Karakoram Highway, so it needs no separate excursion — any Hunza itinerary continuing to Gojal passes it.
- Boating and jet ski charges are paid on site to the operators and are not part of a tour price.
- The water is glacier-fed and cold all year. Life jackets are provided; wear one.
- Morning light gives the strongest colour, before the wind picks up across the water.
Where to Stay
Several resorts now sit on the shoreline itself, and Karimabad and Gulmit are both close enough to use as a base. Hotels are booked to the category you choose — subject to availability; if a listed property is unavailable we arrange an equivalent property of the same category and tell you before booking.
Local Food & Cuisine
Lakeside cafés and the shoreline resorts serve the food of Gojal — apricot dishes, walnut bread and local trout — drunk with tea looking at the water.
Tours that visit Attabad Lake
Attabad Lake Travel Guide
Attabad Lake Travel Tips & Guides
All guidesAttabad Lake Travel FAQs
A landslide came down at Attabad in January 2010 and dammed the Hunza River. The water rose behind it over the following months, submerging the village of Ainabad, much of Shishkat and part of Gulmit, and cutting the Karakoram Highway. The lake that filled the valley is what visitors see today.
It is glacier-fed and cold year round, and swimming is not encouraged. Boating and jet skiing are the usual way onto the water, and life jackets are provided.
No. The Karakoram Highway runs to the shore and is metalled throughout, so any car reaches it. A 4x4 only becomes necessary if you continue onto rougher side valleys.
It is not usually treated as one. The lake sits on the highway between Karimabad and Passu, so almost every Hunza itinerary going up to Gojal stops there on the way through.
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