Where to Stay in Hunza: Choosing a Base for the Valley
Hunza is long, and where you sleep decides what you see. A frank comparison of Karimabad, Gojal and the villages between them.
By Villa Darya Team, Hosts at Villa Darya, Shishkat, Hunza · Published · 3 min read
Key takeaways
- Hunza is not one place — Karimabad and Gojal are an hour apart and suit different trips.
- Karimabad has the forts, the bazaar and the widest choice of hotels.
- Gojal — Shishkat, Gulmit, Passu — puts you among the lake, the glacier and the cones.
- Most of the scenery people picture when they think of Hunza is in Gojal, north of the Attabad tunnels.
- One base is usually enough: the valley is small enough to day-trip from either end.
People say "Hunza" as though it were a town. It is a valley, and a long one: from the approach at Rakaposhi to the Chinese border is a full day's driving. Where you choose to sleep decides which half of it you actually see, and that decision gets made by most travellers before they understand the geography.
The two Hunzas
For practical purposes there are two.
Central Hunza is Karimabad and the villages around it. This is the postcard Hunza — Baltit Fort above the terraces, Altit below it, the bazaar, the view across to Rakaposhi. It has the most hotels, the most restaurants and the most people, and in July and August that last point is worth weighing.
Upper Hunza, or Gojal, is everything north of the Attabad tunnels: Shishkat, Gulmit, Passu, and on to Sost and the border. This is where Attabad Lake is, where the Passu Cones rise straight out of the road, where the glaciers are close enough to walk to. It is quieter, emptier, and higher.
They are about an hour apart.
What each one costs you
Staying in Karimabad means the historic sites are on your doorstep and the lake and glaciers are a day trip. Staying in Gojal means the reverse.
The honest observation is that most people arrive with photographs in their head of things that are in Gojal — the turquoise lake, the jagged cones, the suspension bridge — and book a hotel in Karimabad because that is where the search results are. Then they spend two of four days driving north and back.
From Shishkat, where this hotel is, the distances look like this:
- Attabad Lake — 5 km
- Hussaini Suspension Bridge — 8 km
- Borith Lake — 10 km
- Passu Glacier — 13 km
- Passu Cones — 21 km
- Baltit Fort, Karimabad — 35 km
Karimabad is still a comfortable outing from here. The lake, from Karimabad, is an hour each way.
The villages between
Gulmit is the old Gojal centre, with a small museum and more history than it advertises. Passu is tiny and spectacular, sitting directly beneath the cones. Shishkat is on the lake's upper shore, just north of the tunnels. Sost, further north, is a border and transport town rather than a place to spend evenings.
A suggestion
Pick one base and stay in it. The valley rewards slowness more than it rewards coverage, and the days you do not spend packing are the days you notice where you are.
If the photographs that made you come here have water and glaciers in them, base yourself in Gojal. If they have forts and terraces, base yourself in Karimabad. Either way, do not try to do both by moving halfway through — the hour you save is not worth the morning you lose.
Frequently asked questions
Is it better to stay in Karimabad or Upper Hunza?
Karimabad if your trip is about the forts, the bazaar and the view of Rakaposhi. Upper Hunza — Gojal — if it is about Attabad Lake, Passu Glacier and the Passu Cones. They are about an hour apart on the Karakoram Highway, so you can see both from either, but you will spend that hour twice on the days you cross.
How many nights do I need in Hunza?
Three nights is the shortest stay that does not feel rushed, and lets you see Karimabad, Attabad Lake and the Passu area without driving every day. Five or more if you want to walk, reach the Khunjerab Pass, or wait out a day of bad weather.
Do I need to change hotels during my stay?
Usually not. The valley is compact enough that most sights are within an hour of anywhere in it, and moving costs you a morning each time.