This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations .(October 2020) |
Tourism in Gilgit-Baltistan, an administered territory of Pakistan, focuses on its access to various mountain ranges and alpine terrain. Various tourist destinations attract millions of travelers from within Pakistan. [1] On the other hand, tourists from other countries also routinely visit GB. [2] An estimated 1.72 million tourists visited the region in 2017 according to the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC). [3] Travelers had contributed Rs.300 million to the local economy in 2017. [3] The authorities were expecting 2.5 million tourists in 2018 which would have meant an additional Rs.450 million to the economy. [3]
Gilgit-Baltistan borders Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province to the west, a small portion of the Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan to the north, Xinjiang, China to the northeast, the Indian territory Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to the southeast, and the Pakistani-administered state of Azad Kashmir to the south.
Gilgit-Baltistan is home to five of the "eight-thousanders" and to more than fifty peaks above 7,000 metres (23,000 ft). Gilgit, Astore and Skardu are the three main hubs for expeditions to those mountains. The region is home to some of the world's highest mountain ranges. The main ranges are the Karakoram and the western Himalayas. The Pamir Mountains are to the north, and the Hindu Kush lies to the west. Amongst the highest mountains are K2 (Mount Godwin-Austen) and Nanga Parbat, the latter being one of the most feared mountains in the world.
Three of the world's longest glaciers outside the polar regions are found in Gilgit-Baltistan: the Biafo Glacier, the Baltoro Glacier, and the Batura Glacier. There are, in addition, several high-altitude lakes in Gilgit-Baltistan.
The Karakoram Highway is the major highway of Gilgit-Baltistan, which connects the region with the rest of Pakistan to the south and with China at its north end. It is highest paved road in world is sometimes termed as the "8th Wonder of World." [4]
Gilgit Baltistan is home of world highest and beautiful valleys. These include Ghanche, Shiger, Astore Valley, Gilgit, Ghizer Valley, Hunza Valley, Skardu and Nagar Valley.
Hunza Valley is considered one of the most beautiful valleys of Gilgit-Baltistan. It consists of Upper Hunza, Central Hunza, and Lower Hunza. Karimabad is the major city of the valley and has all facilities for mountaineers and tourists. [5] The popularity of the Hunza Valley and the amount of tourism there is due in part to its relative accessibility and proximity to the Karakoram Highway. [6]
Major tourist attractions in Hunza are:
Skardu Valley is located at confluence of Indus and Shiger rivers surrounded by the peaks of Karakoram.
K2 (Mount Godwin Austin/Chogori)
Nanga Parbat
Gasherbrum l
Broad Peak
Gasherbrum ll
Gasherbrum lll
Gasherbrum lV
Masherbrum (K1)
Rakaposhi
Saltoro Kangri (K10)
Gojal, also called Upper Hunza, is situated in northwestern Pakistan. It borders China at the Khunjerab Pass, and Afghanistan at the Chapursan valley. In 2019, Gojal Valley became the second Karachukar sub-division within the Hunza District. It is geographically the largest subdivision of Gilgit-Baltistan.
Hunza River is the principal river within the Hunza region in Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan. It is formed by the confluence of the Chapursan and Khunjerab nalas (gorges) which are fed by glaciers. It is also joined by the Gilgit River and the Naltar River, before it flows into the Indus River.
The Karakoram Highway is a 1,300 km (810 mi) national highway which extends from Hasan Abdal in the Punjab province of Pakistan to the Khunjerab Pass in Gilgit-Baltistan, where it crosses into China and becomes China National Highway 314. The highway connects the Pakistani provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa plus Gilgit-Baltistan with China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The highway is a popular tourist attraction and is one of the highest paved roads in the world, passing through the Karakoram mountain range, at 36°51′00″N75°25′40″E at maximum elevation of 4,714 m (15,466 ft) near Khunjerab Pass. Due to its high elevation and the difficult conditions under which it was constructed, it is often referred to as the Eighth Wonder of the World. The highway is also a part of the Asian Highway AH4.
Skardu is a city located in Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan in the disputed Kashmir region. Skardu serves as the capital of Skardu District and the Baltistan Division. It is situated at an average elevation of nearly 2,500 metres above sea level in the Skardu Valley, at the confluence of the Indus and Shigar rivers. The city is an important gateway to the eight-thousanders of the nearby Karakoram mountain range. The Indus River running through the region separates the Karakoram from the Ladakh Range.
The Gilgit Agency was an agency within the British Indian Empire. It encompassed the subsidiary states of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir situated along the northern border. The primary objective of establishing the Gilgit Agency was to bolster and fortify these regions, particularly in the context of concerns about Russian encroachment in the area. The subsidiary states encompassed Hunza, Nagar and other states in the present day districts of Gupis-Yasin, Ghizer, Darel, Tangir and Diamer. The agency headquarters was based in the town of Gilgit, within the Gilgit tehsil of Jammu and Kashmir.
Northern Pakistan is a tourism region in northern and north-western parts of Pakistan, comprising the administrative units of Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad Capital Territory and the Rawalpindi Division in Punjab. The first two territories are a part of the wider Kashmir region. It is a mountainous region straddling the Himalayas, Karakoram and the Hindu Kush mountain ranges, containing many of the highest peaks in the world and some of the longest glaciers outside polar regions. Northern Pakistan accounts for a high level of Pakistan's tourism industry.
The Hunza Valley is a mountainous valley in the northern part of the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan.
Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation is an organization of the Government of Pakistan. PTDC is governed by the Board of Directors and provides transportation to various areas and owns and runs several motels across the country. It was incorporated on 30 March 1970.
Nagarkhas, also known as Oyum-Nagar, serves as the administrative center for the Nagar District in Gilgit–Baltistan region of Pakistan and is one of the main towns of the district. Located along the Nagar River, this town also held the distinction of being the capital of the erstwhile princely state of Nagar.
Gilgit-Baltistan is an administrative territory of Pakistan in the northern part of the country. It was given self-governing status on August 29, 2009. Gilgit-Baltistan comprises 14 districts within three divisions. The four districts of Skardu Kharmang Shigar and Ghanche are in the Baltistan Division, four districts of Gilgit Ghizer Hunza and Nagar districts which were carved out of Gilgit District are in the Gilgit Division and the third division is Diamir, comprising Chilas and Astore. The main political centres are the towns of Gilgit and Skardu.
The Rupal Valley is a valley located in the Astore District of Gilgit-Baltistan region in Pakistan. It lies on the southern side of Nanga Parbat, and is accessed via the Astore Valley, which leaves the Karakoram Highway at Juglot, some 60 kilometres south of Gilgit.
Tourism in Pakistan is a growing industry. In 2010, Lonely Planet termed Pakistan "tourism's 'next big thing'". The country is geographically and ethnically diverse, and has a number of historical and cultural heritage sites. Condé Nast Traveller ranked Pakistan The Best Holiday Destination for 2020 and also declared it the third-highest potential adventure destination in the world for 2020. As security in the country improves, tourism increases; in two years, it has increased by more than 300%. The Pakistani government had launched online visa services for 175 countries and 50 countries were offered visa on arrival, making visiting Pakistan easier. The country received an influx of travel vloggers, who promoted the characteristics of the country, such as in the Northern Pakistan, like Hunza and Skardu.
Gilgit-Baltistan, formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative territory and consists of the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has been the subject of a dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 and between India and China since 1959. It borders Azad Kashmir to the south, the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the west, the Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan to the north, the Xinjiang region of China to the east and northeast, and the Indian-administered union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to the southeast.
Aliabad is the administrative and commercial center of the Hunza District in Gilgit–Baltistan region of Pakistan.
Khizerabad is the first village in Hunza District of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan.
Jafarabad is a town located in the Nagar District of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan.
Safar Hai Shart is a travelogue television show on-air on Express News. The show was hosted by Waqar Ahmed Malik and Mukkaram Kaleem. Safar Hai Shart was an exclusive travelogue produced by Waqar Ahmed Malik, completed on nothing but motorbikes. Two guys on bikes explored the wonders of the Karakoram Highway in Pakistan. The Karakoram Highway (KKH) is the highest paved international road in the world and often known as 9th wonder of the world. The travels started from Rawalpindi and end on Khunjerab Pass, the highest paved international border crossing in the world and the highest point on the Karakoram Highway. The show comprises the adventure, thrill and depiction of native culture of Kohistan, Gilgit and Hunza. Safar Hai Shart also showed Nanga Parbat and the related expedition stories specially of Hermann Buhl, Reinhold Messner in 6th and 7th episodes. This program was produced with the cooperation of Frontier Works Organisation and World Wide Fund for Nature.
Mayoon or Maiun is a village and a small region of modern farms in the high mountainous Hunza area of northern Pakistan. It lies along one of the paths of the ancient Silk Road and has long been a trade crossroads for China, Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan. This has led to skirmishes and battles over the centuries.
Machulo La is a mountain view point in Central Karakoram National Park, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. It is considered the most easiest way to view some of the most highest peaks of Himalayas and Karakoram mountains in a single glance such as K2, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum-I, Gasherbrum-II, Gasherbrum III, Gasherbrum IV, K7, K6 and Nanga Parbat.
Hunza District is a district of Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan in the disputed Kashmir region. It is one of the 14 districts of the Gilgit-Baltistan region. It was established in 2015 by the division of the Hunza–Nagar District in accordance with a government decision to establish more administrative units in Gilgit-Baltistan. The district headquarters is the town of Karimabad.