Town or village
Chapursan
Hunza district · 3,300 m
A Wakhi valley running west to the Afghan watershed, with the shrine of Baba Ghundi and a famous festival.
Chapursan, which the guidebook translates as "what else do you need", has about 2,500 people, most of them Wakhi who came from Afghanistan and from Gojal. A few Burusho families have moved from Central Hunza. The valley has 11 villages, and all speak Wakhi except Raminji, where the Burusho population speaks Burushaski.
Kind Town or villageDistrict HunzaElevation 3,300 mPosition about 36.733° N, 74.517° E
About Chapursan
The Wakhi here keep much of their culture and take pride in music, poetry and dancing. At festivals, singers accompanied by the duff and rubab sing old Persian songs, and it is a joy to listen.
Chapursan owes much of its fame to Baba Ghundi, a wandering darvesh said to have come from the village of Ghund in Tajikistan. His shrine was built by the Mir of Hunza in 1924 and is visited by Shia and Ismaili devotees from all over the country. A spring of holy water near the shrine is believed to rise from inside it.
The Baba Ghundi festival in late September is perhaps the best time to visit. The Jumarat pilgrimage falls on the last Thursday of September and the first Thursday of October.
Elsewhere in Hunza
Swipe along the district, from the valley floor to the summits.
Town or village · 2,450 m
Karimabad
The old seat of the Mir of Hunza, and the heartbeat of tourism in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Fort · 2,500 m
Baltit Fort
Seven hundred years old, and beautifully restored between 1990 and 1996 by the Aga Khan Cultural Service.
- 2,350 m
Fort
Altit Fort
The older of Hunza's two great forts, on the edge of a cliff above the river.
- 7,388 m
Summit
Ultar Sar
7,388 m directly above Karimabad, and the glacier that waters most of Central Hunza.
Lake or water · 2,450 m
Attabad Lake
A turquoise lake on the Karakoram Highway, with boat rides, lakeside camping and a new road through the tunnels.
- 2,500 m
Town or village
Gulmit
Gojal headquarters, Wakhi speaking, with the old Mir's summer residence and a village full of charm.
- 2,480 m
Town or village
Hussaini
The famous suspension bridge over the Hunza river, planked at intervals and a treat for adventure lovers.
- 2,500 m
Town or village
Passu
Between the Passu and Batura glaciers, with the Cathedral Peaks in view and some of the best walks in the valley.
Summit · 6,106 m
Passu Cones
Tupopdan, 6,106 m. The serrated wall every photograph of Upper Hunza is taken against.
- 2,600 m
Lake or water
Borith Lake
An emerald green lake above Ghulkin, where migrating birds stop in spring and autumn.
- 2,800 m
Town or village
Sost
The dry port and the last Pakistani customs post before China, and the base for Khunjerab and Chapursan.
- 3,100 m
Town or village
Misgar
Up a side valley off the highway, below the Mintika Pass on the old silk route from China to India.
- 3,100 m
Town or village
Shimshal
Pakistan's most remote valley, home to great guides, a mountaineering school and yak pastures above 4,700 m.
- 4,735 m
Pass
Shimshal Pass
The gate onto the Pamir pastures, walked by Shimshali herders twice a year.
- 4,735 m
Base camp
Shuwerth
Summer pasture on the Pamir, and blue sheep ground in winter.
Pass · 4,693 m
Khunjerab Pass
4,693 m. The Chinese border and the highest paved border crossing in the world.