Gilgit Phander Valley Lakes and Ghizer River
Travel west from Gilgit into the Ghizer valley — the road less traveled that leads through the Shandur Pass (the world's highest polo ground) to Chitral, passing the turquoise Phander Lake, the crystal Handrap Lake, and the remote mountain villages of the Ghizer district where the Khowar language and the cultural traditions of the Hindu Kush prevail.
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Gilgit to Gahkuch Road
Drive west from Gilgit along the Ghizer river — the valley road following the fast-flowing river through the Hindu Kush foothills, the landscape drier than the Hunza side, the mountains more angular, the villages smaller and more dispersed as the road penetrates the least-visited part of Gilgit-Baltistan.
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Phander Lake Turquoise Water
Phander Lake in the upper Ghizer valley — the high mountain lake of extraordinary turquoise color fed by glacial melt, the still water reflecting the snow-capped peaks on its shores, the small village of Phander on the lake's edge offering basic accommodation for trekkers on the Shandur to Gilgit route.
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Handrap Lake Crystal Waters
Handrap Lake further up the valley — smaller and more remote than Phander, the crystal clear water revealing the pebble bottom through several meters depth, the mountain above reflected perfectly in the still surface, the lake rarely visited by anyone except local shepherds and the most adventurous trekkers.
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Teru Valley Side Trip
The side valley of Teru branching from the main Ghizer valley — a hidden green valley with traditional stone houses, terrace farming at the valley floor, and the close-pressed mountain walls giving the feeling of complete isolation from the outside world, the valley's inhabitants maintaining traditional Ghizer district customs.
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Shandur Pass Top of the World
The Shandur Pass at 3,734 meters — the high plateau where the annual Shandur Polo Festival takes place in July, teams from Gilgit and Chitral competing at the world's highest polo ground in a tradition maintained for centuries, the pass itself a broad meadow between the Hindu Kush ranges offering extraordinary mountain panoramas.
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Ghizer River Trout Fishing
Fishing the Ghizer river for the rainbow and brown trout introduced to the mountain rivers — the crystal river running cold and fast between boulder fields, the trout visible in the clear water, fishing permits available from the local fisheries department, the catch eaten fresh at riverside camps.