8-Day Hunza Autumn Tour

Trip Overview

Autumn in Hunza lasts about a fortnight and this trip is built around it rather than passing through. Four nights in Karimabad: sunrise at Duikar over Rakaposhi, Baltit and Altit forts, the lake road to Attabad and Passu, a full day up to the Chinese border at Khunjerab, Nagar and the Hopper glacier, and the jeep climb into Naltar where the larch turns. A private vehicle throughout, hotels chosen for where they stand.

Day-by-Day Itinerary

8 days, 7 nights · tap any day to read it

1. 1Day 1:Islamabad to Besham

   We leave early and follow the Karakoram Highway north, trading the plains for the Indus gorge by afternoon. The road climbs above the river through Battagram and Dasu, and the walls narrow as the light goes. Overnight in Besham. This is the long day of the trip, and doing it first buys you the mountains rested.

2. 2Day 2:Besham to Karimabad

   North past Chilas, with a stop at the Raikot viewpoint where Nanga Parbat fills the sky, then the junction where three ranges meet. Beyond Gilgit the valley opens and Rakaposhi stands over the road at Ghulmet. Arrive in Karimabad as the poplars turn gold in the last sun.

3. 3Day 3:Karimabad, Baltit and sunrise at Duikar

   Up to Duikar before first light for sunrise on Rakaposhi, Diran and Ultar — cold, and worth every minute of it. Back for a late breakfast, then Baltit Fort above the old town and Altit below it, seven hundred years old with its orchard restored. The afternoon is yours in the bazaar.

4. 4Day 4:Upper Hunza — Attabad, Hussaini and Passu

   Along the lake road to Attabad, turquoise water against amber hillsides, then over the bridges into Gojal. The Hussaini suspension bridge for anyone who wants it. Lunch under the Passu Cones, and Borith Lake behind them for migrating birds. Autumn light on this stretch is the reason people come back.

5. 5Day 5:Khunjerab Pass

   A full day to the Chinese border at 4,693 metres, the highest paved crossing anywhere. The valley closes in beyond Sost, ibex are common on the slopes, and the pass itself is usually under fresh snow by late season. We go early and come down before the afternoon cold sets in.

6. 6Day 6:Nagar and the Hopper glacier

   Across the river into Nagar, where the villages sit terraced above the water and the walnut trees have gone copper. Down to Hopper for the glacier bowl — grey ice against orange slopes, a view that no photograph has ever quite carried. Evening back in Karimabad.

7. 7Day 7:Naltar Valley, then Gilgit

   Jeeps from Nomal for the climb into Naltar, where the larch turns and three small lakes hold their own colour — blue, green and one that reads almost red. It is a rough track and a slow one, which is why so few make it up. Night in Gilgit.

8. 8Day 8:Gilgit to Islamabad

   The long run south down the Karakoram Highway, retracing the Indus through Chilas and Besham with stops as the day allows. We aim to reach Islamabad by evening. For anyone flying onward, book nothing before the following morning — this is a mountain road and it keeps its own time.

Build your package

Every price here is the total for the whole group — hotels and transport included. Change anything and the total updates.