TREKKING

Stretching North from the Arabian Sea, the plains of Pakistan culminate in the lush valleys of Dir, Swat, and Kaghan. Beyond lie the great Northern valleys of Chitral, Gilgit, Hunza, and Baltistan. Separating the two river systems, which drain from these valleys is a mountain range, a chain of mountains, which forms one of the sharpest cultural boundaries in the world; the cultural line between Central Asian countries and Pakistan. Still further North, the Karakoram and Hindukush ranges shape the western extensions of the Himalayas Though sparsely populated, Pakistan's Northern valleys exhibit the diversity one would expect of a boundary area. In the east, Baltistan shows an affinity with Tibet. In fact, its language is a dialect of archaic Tibetan and many remnants of Tibetan culture can still be observed here. In the Gilgit region, Shina is the dominant language. Gilgit's most prominent contribution to the area seems to be the Gilgit cap worn throughout most of Northern Pakistan. To the North, legendary Hunza confirms its reputation as one of the world's great mountain communities. It's language - Bulrushes - seems unrelated to any other and its origins remain a mystery. Like Chitral to the West, Hunza manifests it's age-old contact with Central Asia, the consequence of lying abreast of the caravan routes that spread southwards from the mountain passes. Within the borders of Chitral are the Kafirs valleys of Brier, Rambur and Bamburet. In a nation that is almost entirely Muslim, the Kafirs are unique; they are pagans with their own very original beliefs, customs and art forms. The land in these Northern valleys is best described as a mountainous desert. During winter, heavy snow separate the valleys from the rest of the world for six months. In the summer, temperatures over 100 degrees are common. In Skardu, one is immediately struck by the junta - position of sand dunes and snow-capped peaks. All these beautiful valleys mentioned above make Pakistan really a trekker's paradise. One of the most popular trek is the Baltoro trek, which ends up at Concordia. Concordia is the point where all the Glaciers coming from K2, Broad peak, and Gasherbrum IV meet and flowdown towards Paiju peak, like a highway. Nowhere in the world one can witness four 8000 meter peaks in such small radius. They are K2, Broad peak, Gasherbrum I, and Gasherbrum II. On this trek, besides these 8000 meter giants one can enjoy the scenarios of Masherbrum, Muztagh towers, Chogolisa, Baltoro Cathedrals and numerous other peaks. Amongst the other popular treks there are Biafo Hispar trek, Nanga Parbat trek, Rakaposhi trek, Trich mir trek, and countless other trekking routes. Pakistan has five above 8000 meter peaks out of the fourteen including the second highest peak in the world, K2. we have biggest glaciers out of the popular region, like Batura, Baltoro, Biafo, and Hispar glaciers. There are still certain areas in Pakistan yet to be explored and this virgin land is waiting to be explored.