Karimabad is the main village of the Hunza valley, a green ribbon of terraced fields in the middle of some of the highest mountains in the world. The village sits on a hillside at about 2,500 metres in northern Pakistan, and from its terraces you look across to the great snow peaks of Rakaposhi, Ultar Sar and Lady Finger, rising to more than seven thousand metres. Apricot trees grow everywhere, and in spring their blossom fills the valley with white and pink, while in autumn the whole slope turns gold and red. The valley has long been a quiet world of its own.
Two forts stand above the village, Baltit and Altit, and they are the heart of its history. Baltit Fort, perched on a rock above the houses, is more than seven hundred years old in parts and was the seat of the Mir, the hereditary ruler of Hunza, until 1945. After restoration supported by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, it now houses a museum with carved wooden rooms and a fine view of the valley. Altit, a little lower and older, is the original royal fort. Most people of Hunza are Ismaili Muslims, followers of the Aga Khan, and literacy and education levels are notably high compared with much of the region. Tales of exceptional longevity among Hunza people are popular but not well supported, so treat them as a story.
The Karakoram Highway runs through the valley, a road built by Pakistan and China between 1966 and 1979 at a heavy cost in lives, and it rewards the rider with endless views. The surface is generally paved, but landslides, rockfalls and washed-out sections are common, particularly in summer and after rain, and many bends are tight and blind. In 2010 a huge landslide dammed the river upstream at Attabad, creating a long turquoise lake that submerged part of the road, and traffic has since been rerouted through new tunnels. Check the current state of the road before travelling.
Fuel is available in Karimabad and Aliabad nearby, and hotels and guesthouses are plentiful, with views from the rooftops. Local dishes include walnut cake and apricot soup. Travel conditions are best from late spring to early autumn, and snow can block the road in winter. Rise early to see the first light on Rakaposhi.