Photo: FaizanAhmad · CC BY-SA 4.0Area guides / Gilgit-Baltistan / Ghizer Valleys
Area guide
Ghizer Valleys
Phandar, Yasin and Ishkoman, west of Gilgit
Region
Gilgit-Baltistan
When to go
May to October for open roads and green valleys
Getting there
Drive west from Gilgit through Punial toward Gupis and Phandar. Gahkuch is about 72 km from Gilgit on the main Ghizer road; side valleys are often unpaved and seasonal, so check conditions locally.
Places
9 field guides
Overview
About Ghizer Valleys
Ghizer District runs west from Gilgit, a string of high valleys and lakes: Gahkuch, Phandar, Khalti, Yasin and Ishkoman. It is quieter and less visited than Hunza; most of its land is bare rock or permanent snow, with alpine pasture in the valleys.
Drive west from Gilgit through Punial toward Gupis and Phandar. Gahkuch is about 72 km from Gilgit on the main Ghizer road; side valleys are often unpaved and seasonal, so check conditions locally.
A slower road west
Ghizer is best travelled unhurried, village by village, with nights in Gupis or Phandar. Distances look short on the map; the valley roads make them long.
Side valleys
Yasin and Ishkoman branch north off the main road, and Phandar lies further west. Side roads are often unpaved and seasonal, so plan them in the open months with a local driver and current advice.
Resorts
All resorts →GreenPak stays in this area are listed on the region guide.
Ghizer Valleys: Questions Travellers Ask
What is there to see in Ghizer Valleys?
9 places in Ghizer Valleys have their own field guide here, the most in parks and gardens (9).
When is the best time to visit Ghizer Valleys?
May to October for open roads and green valleys; June to September for the most reliable high-country access.
How do you get to Ghizer Valleys?
Drive west from Gilgit through Punial toward Gupis and Phandar. Gahkuch is about 72 km from Gilgit on the main Ghizer road; side valleys are often unpaved and seasonal, so check conditions locally.
What day trips can you take from Ghizer Valleys?
2 within about 42 km of Ghizer Valleys, all listed on this page: Darel Valley (about 6 km outside) and Falak Sar (about 17 km outside).
The complete guide
Everything to See in Ghizer Valleys
All 9 places in Ghizer Valleys with their own field guide, grouped by kind.
Parks and gardens · 9
Burst ValleyA high valley of Ghizer at about 3,270 m, 22 km from the Shandur polo ground.
ChatorkhandThe main town of the Ishkoman valley, on the Karambar River about 80 km north-west of Gilgit.
GahkuchThe headquarters town of Ghizer, 72 km from Gilgit where the Gilgit River runs wide.
Ishkoman ValleyA valley of northern Ghizer bordering the Wakhan Corridor, from 2,100 to 3,700 m.
Karambar LakeOne of the highest lakes in the world at 4,275 m in the Ishkoman Valley, a cold, blue alpine lake surrounded by 6,000 m peaks near Pakistan's border with Afghanistan.
Khalti LakeA trout lake at 2,217 m in Ghizer that freezes hard enough for an ice hockey festival each January.
Phandar ValleyA Ghizer valley where the Gilgit River braids into channels, 184 km from Gilgit on the Shandur road.
Shandur PassA 3,800 m pass between Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan, home of the Shandur polo ground.
Yasin ValleyA Hindu Kush valley of Ghizer, start of treks to Chitral over the Broghil pass.
Around Ghizer Valleys: day trips · 2
Outside Ghizer Valleys, straight-line distance from its boundary.
