The northern areas of Pakistan offer a variety of spectacular places that are truly ideal for tourism. Shimshal valley (2880m high) is one of the small but extremely beautiful valleys of Hunza.
This one of northest part of the region can be visited by traveling about 65 km from Karakuram highway. Shimshal valley is the land of Wakhi people in the Hunza consisting of 130 houses and approx. 1300 population.
The valley is also famous for its more than twenty famous mountaineers that are sign of proud for the country when it comes to going to places of interest.
The pleasure of Shimshal valley has plenty to offer us such as a lot of gigantic glaciers, numerous snow-blanketed peaks, beautiful passes, fairy meadows, streams, crystal lush green and wild flower grazing lands.
In addition, an amazing sight of the wild-life can be viewed at the Shimshal national park. When we depart for Shimshal valley from the route of Karakuram highway, we find the nose of the Batura Glacier which is situated at 6km north of passu.
By crossing the Hunza River through a deferral bridge tourists enter the narrow ravine of the lower Shimshal River. This gateway is more portentous entrance than one’s imagination.
After an excited drive of an hour on a jeep track, some of scary bridges are crossed that take us to Dut: a temporary place to rest. There you find beauty of glaciers approaching the road which present an awesome and stark view. Thus, the route has a lot to see until you reach at Shimshal valley.
There are three sub-villages in Shimshal valley, Aminabad, Shimshal and Khizarabad. These small villages have a diversity of views to present for its visitors. Aminabad is full of immense fields of stones confined in dry-stone walls, and castle like dwellings of stone and mud.
Shimshal has Adver Sar at the distance of 6400m from the valley. The trek is also familiar as Shimshal white-horn. When you intend to trek on this lovely place, be wise to get some eating stock with you which can be easily purchased from a general store available in the region.
Shimshal valley blends an immense assortment of beauty and adventure for tourism and makes the place worthy to be seen among plenty of places of Hunza. It is the valley of magnificent mountains like Destaghil Sar, Shimshal white horn, Minglik Sar are some of the famous treks to adventure.
Besides them, Lupshar Sar, Yazghail Sar, Kunjut Sar and many more are not unknown too for Mountaineers. There is a long range of giant glaciers that present an extremely amazing and eye-catching view. Several key passes as Chafchingoal, Khurdopin, Braldu, and the like add an amazing attraction to Shimshal valley.
