Every valley of Gilgit Baltistan is one of the surpassing in beauty. When you see one, you forget the other. Ghizer is one of those valleys that are very rich in natural beauty. Ghizer is blessed with three mountain ranges, lofty peaks, high altitude passes, breathtaking lush green meadows, beautiful lakes, crystal clear flowing rivers, hiking and trekking destinations, and unique diverse culture with peaceful hard-working people.
Ghizer District is truly the land of adventure. It is the biggest district and westernmost part of Gilgit Baltistan. Its capital is Gahkuch. Gahkuch is also a beautiful place having wondrous enchanting sceneries and amazing hotels and guest houses. The word Ghizer came from the local language “Gharz”, which means “Immigrant”.
Ghizer District consists of Punial, Gupis, Yasin, Phander, and Ishkoman Valleys. Koyo Zom (6,871 m) is the highest peak (Hindu Kush Range) in Ghizer District, which lies on the boundary between Ghizer District and Chitral. Ghizer shares its borders with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. On one side are the high mountainous regions of Swat, while on the other side is Chitral. It is also connected to Tajikistan through Yasin Valley and Karumber Pass.
Best Places to visit in Ghizer District
Ghizer is full of natural beauty and sceneries. Out of many places we have carefully chosen the below places to must visit when you go to Ghizer District of Gilgit Baltistan region.
Punial Valley
Punial valley is one of the most fascinating and charming sites situated in Ghizer District. Punial is a mountainous valley located at an elevation of about 5000 to 9000 feet. It is one of the vast and peaceful places to visit around the year due to its pleasant weather. “Punial” is a word of Shina language which means “Fertile Land” and “Bucket of fruits”. The natural beauty of the valley makes it a popular tourist destination.
Sher Qila village in Punial Valley
Sher Qila is a beautiful village that has historical significance, is worth visiting place in Punial Valley. All historical buildings were built by rulers of Punial such as a fort, Buddhist graveyard, and mosques are still present here. Singul is another main village of the picturesque beauty in Punial Valley. It is a lovely and must visit tourist destination in Punial Valley.
Gupis Valley and fort
Gupis Valley is small but the important Valley of Ghizer. Gupis Valley is located about 112 kilometers in west of Gilgit on the bank of River Gilgit, and 40 km from Gahkouch in District Ghizer. This small valley is full of amazing sights and stunning views. Gupis Valley is the integration point of the Yasin river and Gupis (Ghizer) river. It has a unique location because it’s linking with Phandar Valley, Yasin Valley, and Punial Valley. The valley is the meeting point of Hindu-Kush Mountain Range and Karakoram Mountain Range.
Gupis fort is a historical place in Gupis Valley. The fort was built in 1805 by the British colonizers. Gupis fort was used by the military for defence purposes.
Khalti Lake
Khalti lake is a very important tourist spot in Gupis valley. This beautiful lake is a few km from Gupis Valley. Khalti lake is famous for being a habitat of delicious trout fish. The Khalti lake is surrounded by lush green trees and the Hindukush mountain range which makes the view very charming.
The length of Khalti lake is 2354 m and the width is 460 m. The lake usually freezes during winter, people use to walk on it and children play football on the surface of the lake. In summer you can enjoy boating and fishing. A beautiful PTDC Motel and a restaurant are available to facilitate tourists near Khalti lake.
Yasin Valley and fort
Yasin valley is also a high mountain valley in the Hindu Kush Mountains, in the north west of Ghizer District in Gilgit-Baltistan. Yasin Valley is also known as “Babaye-i-Yasen” or “Worshigum” in the Khowar language. Khowar is a local language of the Ghizer district. Yasin Valley is 148 km from Gilgit at an altitude of 2,100 to 2,750 meters. Yasin Valley is a scenic destination for tourists full of natural beauty like mountains, lakes, springs that offers a lot of adventures like trekking, hiking, jeep safari, hunting, water rafting, etc.
Yasin Valley is also home to Havaldar Lalak Jan Shaheed, winner of the highest military honour of Pakistan, the “Nishan-e-Haider”. Yasin Valley has several historically significant passes such as Darkot pass linking Chitral with Ghizer District. Darkot holds historical importance because numerous historical figures and armies used this pass in the past. Buroghul Pass connects Yasin with Brughol, while the Thoi Pass connects Yasin to Yarkhun Chitral, and Assumber pass connects Yasin to Ishkoman.
Yasin fort is also a historical place in Yasin Valley. It is located at the center of the valley and the west side of the river.
Phander Valley
Phander Valley is one of the most beautiful, most attractive places in Ghizer. Its natural beauty amazes you and you get lost in its beauty. Natural beauty is scattered everywhere just like a part of paradise. Phander Valley is full of all colours of nature’s beauty that’s why sometimes referred to as ‘Little Kashmir’. A bendy road passing through lush green fields with a breathtaking view of the flowing river and high peaks will lead you to this mesmerizing valley. This Valley is easily reached from Gilgit that takes 5 to 6 hours from Gilgit.
The best time to visit is in summer when the fruits such as Cherries, apricots, and mulberries will be in season, and also fishing season will be at a high peak. The slow flowing river across it surrounded by flat surface villages between mighty mountains makes this valley very distinctive.
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Phander Lake
Phander Lake is located at the eastern end of Phander. Phander Lake is one of the most beautiful lakes in the region, and famous for its trout fish. Locals are very crazy about it. Thousands of people visit Phander Lake to enjoy trout fishing, camping, and boating. The maximum length of Phander Lake is 900 m, the Width is 460 meters, Depth is 44 meters and the surface area is 40 acres. There is a PTDC motel situated at a small hill in front of the fascinating Phander Lake. It offers an eye-catching view of all around the area.
Ishkoman Valley
Ishkoman is a high mountain valley in the northwest region of Gilgit. It is 65 km from Gahkuch (capital of Ghizer) and separates the Karakorum and Himalayan mountain ranges. It is located at an altitude of 7,000 to 12,000 feet. Ishkoman Valley is home to alpine meadows, a perfect getaway for hikers and trekkers.
The location of Ishkoman Valley is very unique due to bordering Afghanistan and Central Asia via the Wakhan corridor. It’s also connected to Yasin Valley and Chipursan Valley in Gojal, Hunza by a high mountain pass. Ishkoman Valley is also famous for the production of fine quality of apricots. There are four major languages are spoken here Shina, Khowar, Wakhi, and Burushaski.
Ishkoman Bridge
There is a wonderful bridge that lead way to Ishkoman. It is called Ishkoman Bridge, which is one of the longest hanging bridges of Pakistan.
Karambar Lake Ishkoman
The beautiful Karambar Lake (also called Qurumber) is located in the Ishkoman valley. This high altitude lake is situated 4300 m above sea level. Karambar Lake ranked 31st highest lake in the world and 2nd highest in Pakistan. The lake is surrounded by beautiful landscapes and snow-covered mountains.
Karambar Lake is approximately 3.9 kilometers long, 2 km kilometers wide and an average of 52 meters deep. The freshwater flows through Ishkoman Valley and merges into the Ghizer River. Karambar Lake is considered one of the most beautiful lakes in the world.
Passes in Ghizer district
There are many mountain ranges and passes in Ghizer valley that connects different valleys and districts of Gilgit Baltistan from other parts, out of those passes we have a few listed below.
Shandur passes Connecting Chitral (KPK) with Ghizer in Gilgit Baltistan. It is located at an elevation of 12,500 feet above sea level. Shandur passes well known for having the highest polo ground in the world, called Shandur Polo ground at 3700 Meters. It is also called the roof the world because of the majestic Himalayan ranges of the Hindu Kush and Karakoram meets each other somewhere across the horizon.
Chillinji Pass is a high mountain pass that connects the Ishkoman Valley of Ghizer with Chapursan Valley of Hunza northern areas. The pass is 6 miles to the north of Kozsar peak. It is an elevation of 5335 m above sea level.
Chumarkhan Pass links upper Ghizar Valley with Chapali in Chitral’s Yarkhun Valley. It offers a quick route between the upper Ghizer to Yarkhun valley of Chitral. Chumarkhan Pass at an elevation of 4344 m above sea level.
Apart from the above passes, there are several others like Naltar Pass, Bichhar Pass, Thoi Pass, and Darkot Pass. click here to visit Hunza valley of GB.
