In a bid to come out of the tedious routine of a metropolis, I pack my rucksack and leave for the mountains to calm my wanderlust nature. It happens routinely in different seasons of a year.
I started my journey late night from Islamabad and crossed Babusar Pass, 13691 feet, in the early morning. From April to last week of October, one can use this route to go to Gilgit-Baltistan.
I reached Hunza in the evening and witnessed exquisiteness of fall by standing amid such vivid colors of the valley. First glimpse of ‘mother of mists’, Rakaposhi, the 27th highest mountain in the world and the 12th highest in Pakistan, put me into trance.
The mighty mountains in Hunza Valley put up a ringside show of muscle power, surrounding the valley with peaks with heights of more than 7,000 metres: Rakaposhi, Ultar-1 and 2, Diran, Spantik (also known as Golden-Peak), Hunza Peak, Lady Finger and Dastgil Sir.
I was so hypnotized with the fascinating background, layers of mountains, colors of autumns and snow that was covering the Rakaposhi. I forgot everything; every single thought was out of my mind. From Ganesh village you can have a panoramic view of Lady inger, Hunza Peak, Golden Peak and Rakaposhi all at once.
After watching the first rays of sunrise at Rakaposhi, I left for Karimabad. Sitting atop a hill overlooking the valley, is scenery of a different world. Karimabad was the ancient capital of the valley and is filled with shops and hotels.
This fortified mud fort, built in the 13th century, witnessed tales of politics and wars for centuries. It has been on the Unesco World Heritage Tentative list.
Next is the Altit village that consists of alleyways and ancient houses. Unique ancient look of the village still exists in the architecture. Children running into the alleys, elders sitting at corners of the streets and women doing their chores are common scenes of the village. In the centre of town is Altit fort, which is quite similar to Baltit in many ways, but hundreds of years older.
It has not only survived many aggressions but also endured several earthquakes since it was built, making it one of the most bewildering architectural structures of its time. The royal garden of Altit Fort is one of the fascinating sceneries of autumn colours.
The unique structure is over 1,000 feet above the Hunza River, and its only tower known as the Shikari Tower (hunters' tower) was built strategically to monitor the entire land, especially during war-time.
For a complete view of the valley, Duikar or Eagle Nest is the best place. Village of Duikar is nothing but few small homes and few hotels. Nevertheless, the real surprise is the panoramic view of the Hunza and Nagar with six seven thousands high peaks. Sunrise or sunsets are the best time to go to this place as the transition of time takes you into another world.
I visited Hunza multiple times but found unique sceneries on every trip. Every visit was incomplete in terms of seeing all colors and places of the valley.