Lake or water
Phunder
Ghizer district · 2,900 m
The river braids into blue pools below the village: trout, poplars and a polo ground, on the road to Shandur.
Phunder (also written Phander) is one of the most scenic valleys in Gilgit-Baltistan, and visitors often call it Little Kashmir. It can be reached from Gilgit or from Chitral. One account says that Ghizer, the name of the whole district, comes from a small village called Ghizer in Phunder.
Kind Lake or waterDistrict GhizerElevation 2,900 mPosition 36.169° N, 72.946° E
About Phunder
The village is home to trout. Phunder Lake is a deep blue, one of the most beautiful lakes in Ghizer, and the river below the village spreads into braided pools. Sit by the water and enjoy the view. The valley also holds a polo ground, which matters: the book says polo is the favourite sport of Gilgit-Baltistan, and that whenever a king conquered a neighbouring kingdom he built a polo ground there as a monument.
Phunder is the gateway to the Shandur Pass, which connects Ghizer to Chitral and is the site of the annual polo festival. Phunder is also one of the four tehsils of Ghizer, along with Ishkoman, Yasin and Gupis.
The book names Phunder Lake among the lakes that have earned Ghizer the title Valley of the Lakes, together with Khalti, Hundrap, Shandur, Qurumbar and Utter. Not to be missed.
Elsewhere in Ghizer
Swipe along the district, from the valley floor to the summits.