Shandur Top (el. 12,200 ft.) is a high mountain pass that connects Chitral to the Gilgit in Pakistan.

The top is flat, a plateau and can be crossed between late April and early November. The grade is very gradual, and the area is crossed by small streams of trout. Grazing in summer is plentiful.

Every year there is a polo match played...

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The Mustagh Pass or Muztagh Pass is a pass across the Baltoro Muztagh range in the Karakorams which includes K2, the world’s second highest mountain. The crest of the Baltoro Muztagh marks the present border between Pakistani and Chinese territory.

There are actually two passes, the eastern or ‘Old’ Mustagh Pass (alt. about...

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The Mintaka Pass (also known as Minteke Pass) (el. 4709 m./15,450 ft.) is a mountain pass in the Karakorum Mountains, between Pakistan and Xinjiang in China. The Mintaka Pass and the nearby Kilik Pass (4,827 m or 15,837 ft (4,827 m) high; 37° 05′ N; 74° 41′ E), 30 km to the west, were, in ancient times, the two main access points into...

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The Burzil Pass situated at a height of 13,500ft above sea level is an ancient pass and caravan route between Srinagar in Kashmir and Gilgit. This route was active up to Pakistan’s independence. The travellers used horses and ponies to cross the pass. The pass lies close to the Indo-Pak line of control that has since closed the Burzil.

The...

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Nagar (Urdu: ریاست نگر) was a princely state in the northernmost part of the Northern Areas of Pakistan, which existed until 1974. The state bordered the Gilgit Agency to the south and west, and the former princely state of Hunza to the north and east. The state capital was the town of Nagar. The area of Nagar now forms three tehsils of Hunza-Nagar...

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Hunza (Urdu: ہنزہ) was a former princely state in the northernmost part of the Northern Areas of Pakistan, which existed until 1974. The state bordered the Gilgit Agency to the south, the former princely state of Nagar to the east, Chinese Turkistan to the north and Afghanistan to the northwest. The state capital was the town of Baltit (also...

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The Trango Towers are a group of dramatic granite spires located on the north side of the Baltoro Glacier, in Baltistan, a district of the Northern Areas of Pakistan. They are part of the Baltoro Muztagh, a subrange of the Karakoram range. The Towers offer some of the largest cliffs and most challenging rock climbing in the world. The highest point...

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Rakaposhi (Räkapoşi) is a mountain in the Karakoram mountain range in Pakistan. It is situated in the Nagar Valley approximately 100 km north of the city of Gilgit. Rakaposhi means “shining wall” in the local language. Rakaposhi is also known as Dumani (”Mother of Mist”). It is ranked 27th highest in the world and 12th highest...

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Spantik or Golden Peak is a mountain in Spantik-Sosbun Mountains subrange of Karakoram. Its northwest face features an exceptionally hard climbing route known as the “Golden Pillar”. It lies east of Diran and northeast of Malubiting.

Mount Spantik (7,072m/23,000 feet) in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. Spantik lies in the Karakoram...

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The Baltoro Glacier, at 62 kilometers long, is one of the longest glaciers outside of the polar regions. It is located in Baltistan, in the Northern Areas of Pakistan, and runs through part of the Karakoram mountain range. The Baltoro Muztagh lies to the north and east of the glacier, while the Masherbrum Mountains lie to the south. At 8,611 m (28,251...

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