Pakistan region is heaven for mountaineers

[Hafizzz]

Pakistan region is heaven for mountaineers 
- Life -
The Charleston Gazette - West Virginia News and Sports -

GILGIT-BALTISTAN, Pakistan -- Gilgit-Baltistan is a favorite destination for tourists inside and outside of Pakistan, thanks to its eye-popping scenery. It features some of the world's great mountain ranges -- the Himalayas, Karakoram and Hindu Kush.

The region, as a whole, is like heaven for mountaineers and hikers. Other than its lofty peaks, it also offers a unique cultural heritage, beautiful valleys, dazzling high-altitude natural lakes, glaciers and an array of rare fauna and flora.

It has been called the Roof of the World, the Wonderland of Asia and the Jewel of Pakistan. More than 50 peaks reach above 7,000 meters in the area, including the mountain known as K2.

The snow-topped mountains lie in spectacular contrast to the green fields of the valleys below. The climate of Gilgit-Baltistan is different from area to area. There are towns, such as Gilgit and Chilas, that in the summer are hot during the day yet cold at night, and valleys -- Hunza, Astore, Khaplu, Yasin, Baltar and Nagar -- where the temperatures are cold even in the summer.

Hunza, possibly the most beautiful valley of Gilgit-Baltistan, is located on the top of a hill and is the home to two ancient forts. One is the Baltit Fort, whose foundations date back 700 years. It has been restored and is being maintained by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, which works to keep amazing architecture that it is still standing in its original glory.

To visit the fort, one must climb a huge number of stairs to get to the top. Inside, utensils, clothes, furniture and more are on display.

In the 16th century, the local prince married a princess from Baltistan who brought master Balti craftsmen in to renovate the building as part of her dowry. The architectural style is a clear indication of Buddhist influences in Baltistan at the time.

The Mirs (rulers) of Hunza abandoned the fort in 1945 and moved to a new palace down the hill. The fort started to decay, which caused concern that it might possibly fall into ruin. Following a survey by the Royal Geographical Society of London, a restoration program was initiated and supported by the Khan Trust's Historic Cities program. It was completed in 1996, and the fort is now a museum run by the Baltit Heritage Trust.

Altit Fort is another ancient fort in the Hunza valley. It was originally home to the hereditary rulers of the Hunza state who carried the title Mir. They moved to the somewhat younger Baltit Fort three centuries later. Altit Fort and in particular the Shikari tower are around 900 years old. The tower is the oldest monument in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Gigantic glaciers like Baltoro, Biafo, Hisper and Bilafound add to the importance of the region. The many lakes, such as Satpara, invite those interested in fishing as they are full of trout.

There is also Deosai, the world's second-highest plateau, with hundreds of beautiful wildflower varieties, and thousand-year-old palaces and forts like Kharphocho (the mighty fort built on a hill in the heart of Skardu city), Phong Khar Sghigar (the palace on the stone) and the palace of Raja Khaplu, and mosques and tombs featuring brilliant Kashmiri, Mughal and Iranian architectural structures.

The surrounding rocks embellished with monuments and carvings of 1,200-year-old Bonism and Buddhism religions lure those tourists who are interested in archaeology and ancient history.

The hotels in Gilgit-Baltistan exemplify the local tradition of hospitality and give wonderful care to guests to the area, where they set up special night-view points of the peaks, valleys and glaciers in the moonlight. The scene gives indescribable peace to the mind and soul.

A range of continental and traditional foods are offered to guests. Popular resorts in the area are the Pakistan Tourism Development Corp. motel, the Serena hotel and the Riviera Hotel and Hunza Inn.

A thriving tourism industry can become an engine of change in Gilgit-Baltistan, helping its people escape years of poverty and backwardness in an area that makes up part of the disputed Kashmir region.

The Pakistan government has also taken the right step by returning the Gilgit-Baltistan name the region, along with provincial status, instead of the "Northern Areas," as it had been called.

But more needs to be done to cash in on the potential the region has for tourism, local tourism operators believe. They want Skardu to have an international airport, but for that a heavy investment has to be made.

Currently, Pakistan International Airlines operates regular flights from Islamabad to Skardu and Gilgit to bring domestic and international tourists to Gilgit-Baltistan.

 

[Ajatashatru]

If I were to go to Pak, will I be allowed to go to Gilgit-Baltistan? I have heard that Indian & Pak govts don't allow each other's citizens to visit sensitive areas like disputed regions or militancy affected regions.

 

[Norphisor]

If I were to go to Pak, will I be allowed to go to Gilgit-Baltistan? I have heard that Indian & Pak govts don't allow each other's citizens to visit sensitive areas like disputed regions or militancy affected regions.

Yeah the people living out there are extrmely anti-India. It is okay if you go but don't mention that you are Indian. My friend told me about this.We were goin to visit but due to security issues we cancelled our program.

 

[faisal6309]

Pakistan is heaven for mountaineers. There was a time when a lot of mountaineers (especially italians and germens) use to visit Pakistan for mountaineering.

This man lost his brother on Nanga Parbat but I heard that he was the first person to cross the Nanga Parbat.

In May and June 1970, Reinhold Messner took part in the Nanga Parbat South Face expedition led by Karl Herrligkoffer, the objective of which was to climb the as yet unclimbed Rupal Face, the highest rock face in the world. His brother, Günther, was also a member of the team. On the morning of 27 June, Reinhold Messner was of the view that the weather would deteriorate rapidly, and set off alone from the last high-altitude camp. Surprisingly his brother climbed after him and caught up to him before the summit. By late afternoon, both had reached the summit of the mountain and had to pitch an emergency bivouac shelter without tent, sleeping bags and stoves because darkness was closing in. The events that followed have been the subject of years of legal actions and disputes between former expedition members, and have still not been finally resolved. What is known now is that Reinhold and Günther Messner descended the Diamir Face, thereby achieving the first crossing of Nanga Parbat (and second crossing of an eight-thousander after Mount Everest in 1963). Reinhold arrived in the valley six days later with severe frostbite, but survived. His brother, Günther, however died on the Diamir Face - according to Reinhold Messner on the same descent, during which they became further and further separated from each other. As a result, the time, place and exact cause of death is unknown. Messner claimed his brother had been swept away by an avalanche.

In the early years immediately after the expedition, there were disputes and lawsuits between Reinhold Messner and the expedition leader, Karl-Maria Herrligkoffer. After a quarter-century of peace, the dispute flared up again in October 2001, when Reinhold Messner raised surprising allegations against the other members of the team for failing to come to their aid. The rest of the team consistently maintained that Reinhold Messner had told them of his idea for crossing the mountain before setting off for the summit. Messner himself asserts, however, that he made a spontaneous decision to descend the Diamir Face together with his brother for reasons of safety. A number of new books (Max von Kienlin, Hans Saler, Ralf-Peter Märtin, Reinhold Messner) stoked the dispute (with assumptions and personal attacks) and led to further court proceedings.

In June 2005, after an unusual heat wave on the mountain, the body of his brother was recovered on the Diamir Face, which is consistent with Messner's account of events.

In 2008/2009, the drama was turned into the film Nanga Parbat by Joseph Vilsmaier, based on the memories of Reinhold Messner and without participation from the other former members of the expedition. The film was due to be shown from mid-January 2010 in cinemas, but cannot be considered as a full account of the events.

Because of frostbite, especially on his feet (six toes were amputated), Reinhold Messner was not able to climb quite as well on rock after the 1970 expedition. He therefore turned his attention to higher mountains, where there was much more ice.

 

[haviZsultan]

Gilgit Baltistan is a beautiful region that deserves to be given special status of a tourism area. It should be developed at par with other regions in Pakistan

 

[Indian-Lion]

I agree ....heard a lot even saw pics of that heart shaped shimshal lake

 

[OrionHunter]

Gilgit Baltistan is a beautiful region that deserves to be given special status of a tourism area. It should be developed at par with other regions in Pakistan

Pakistan can't as the area is disputed and therefore pumping money here is risky. Secondly, even if half the money spent on manufacturing nukes is diverted to G/B it could become a fantastic tourist haven.

 

[Audio]

I work part time at the medical college/institution as a sound and video guy (filming seminars, checking microphones etc etc....) and just now we have a expo from a 2nd year student who had spent the August in Pakistan's mountainous region.
Some of the pics are stunning, i must say....

 

[faisal6309]

Now I am planning to visit Gilgit Balgistan.

 

[blood]

sure has the potential to be a great tourist attraction , but terrorism is going to be a big problem, not to forget this year itself 10 tourists where killed by TTP in the same region which was a major blow to pakistani tourism.

 

[Umair Nawaz]

Pakistan region is heaven for mountaineers
- Life -
The Charleston Gazette - West Virginia News and Sports -

GILGIT-BALTISTAN, Pakistan -- Gilgit-Baltistan is a favorite destination for tourists inside and outside of Pakistan, thanks to its eye-popping scenery. It features some of the world's great mountain ranges -- the Himalayas, Karakoram and Hindu Kush.

The region, as a whole, is like heaven for mountaineers and hikers. Other than its lofty peaks, it also offers a unique cultural heritage, beautiful valleys, dazzling high-altitude natural lakes, glaciers and an array of rare fauna and flora.

It has been called the Roof of the World, the Wonderland of Asia and the Jewel of Pakistan. More than 50 peaks reach above 7,000 meters in the area, including the mountain known as K2.

The snow-topped mountains lie in spectacular contrast to the green fields of the valleys below. The climate of Gilgit-Baltistan is different from area to area. There are towns, such as Gilgit and Chilas, that in the summer are hot during the day yet cold at night, and valleys -- Hunza, Astore, Khaplu, Yasin, Baltar and Nagar -- where the temperatures are cold even in the summer.

Hunza, possibly the most beautiful valley of Gilgit-Baltistan, is located on the top of a hill and is the home to two ancient forts. One is the Baltit Fort, whose foundations date back 700 years. It has been restored and is being maintained by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, which works to keep amazing architecture that it is still standing in its original glory.

To visit the fort, one must climb a huge number of stairs to get to the top. Inside, utensils, clothes, furniture and more are on display.

In the 16th century, the local prince married a princess from Baltistan who brought master Balti craftsmen in to renovate the building as part of her dowry. The architectural style is a clear indication of Buddhist influences in Baltistan at the time.

The Mirs (rulers) of Hunza abandoned the fort in 1945 and moved to a new palace down the hill. The fort started to decay, which caused concern that it might possibly fall into ruin. Following a survey by the Royal Geographical Society of London, a restoration program was initiated and supported by the Khan Trust's Historic Cities program. It was completed in 1996, and the fort is now a museum run by the Baltit Heritage Trust.

Altit Fort is another ancient fort in the Hunza valley. It was originally home to the hereditary rulers of the Hunza state who carried the title Mir. They moved to the somewhat younger Baltit Fort three centuries later. Altit Fort and in particular the Shikari tower are around 900 years old. The tower is the oldest monument in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Gigantic glaciers like Baltoro, Biafo, Hisper and Bilafound add to the importance of the region. The many lakes, such as Satpara, invite those interested in fishing as they are full of trout.

There is also Deosai, the world's second-highest plateau, with hundreds of beautiful wildflower varieties, and thousand-year-old palaces and forts like Kharphocho (the mighty fort built on a hill in the heart of Skardu city), Phong Khar Sghigar (the palace on the stone) and the palace of Raja Khaplu, and mosques and tombs featuring brilliant Kashmiri, Mughal and Iranian architectural structures.

The surrounding rocks embellished with monuments and carvings of 1,200-year-old Bonism and Buddhism religions lure those tourists who are interested in archaeology and ancient history.

The hotels in Gilgit-Baltistan exemplify the local tradition of hospitality and give wonderful care to guests to the area, where they set up special night-view points of the peaks, valleys and glaciers in the moonlight. The scene gives indescribable peace to the mind and soul.

A range of continental and traditional foods are offered to guests. Popular resorts in the area are the Pakistan Tourism Development Corp. motel, the Serena hotel and the Riviera Hotel and Hunza Inn.

A thriving tourism industry can become an engine of change in Gilgit-Baltistan, helping its people escape years of poverty and backwardness in an area that makes up part of the disputed Kashmir region.

The Pakistan government has also taken the right step by returning the Gilgit-Baltistan name the region, along with provincial status, instead of the "Northern Areas," as it had been called.

But more needs to be done to cash in on the potential the region has for tourism, local tourism operators believe. They want Skardu to have an international airport, but for that a heavy investment has to be made.

Currently, Pakistan International Airlines operates regular flights from Islamabad to Skardu and Gilgit to bring domestic and international tourists to Gilgit-Baltistan.

The article writing could have been better. U just cant reffer K-2 the second highest Mountain in entire world as ''including a Mountain known as K-2''.

And the area has diverse landscape from Mountains of Concordia (and its Glaciers Which BTW has the highest concentration outside polar regions) to the Plains of Deosai (the second or third largest and highest altitude plateau in world) and the Cold desert of Skardu where in summers the temp reaches to 45 Celsius and in winters it reaches exactly opposite -45 Celsius.

Plus G-B is not all we have to offer we have even greater landscape and diversity including beautiful beaches to Mud volcanoes to Mangroves, Deserts etc etc

The article only touches the minor part of whole of Pakistan. 

Gilgit Baltistan is a beautiful region that deserves to be given special status of a tourism area. It should be developed at par with other regions in Pakistan

Actually in development it is example for other areas of Pakistan. Do u even know Hunza Valley has 96% literacy rate! the best by far in entire Pakistan. 

I agree ....heard a lot even saw pics of that heart shaped shimshal lake

Its lower Kachora Lake and Shangrila resort is build on its Banks. The Shimshal Lake is close to China Border in Shimshal Valley.

Shimshal lake is located in Shimshal Valley at Hunza Valley, Gilgit-Baltistan.Pakistan
There is a funny story of this lake that after the 2005 earth quake the land naturally twisted such a way that it formed a shape of heart.This lake came in existance in the 2006 when summer came the this lake was flooded by water from surrounding mountain's ice melting then it was first discovered by an army chopper's pilot who took the first phtos of it n it became famous since then.

[/quote]
Funny Story!!!

There is even Ansoo lake in K-P which resembles a Tear.

 

[Chak Bamu]

GB is illegally occupied by Pakistan, need to get it back.

Do you know history of the area? This region acceded to Pakistan after throwing off Dogra raj by its population. Pakistan had no way of projecting its power in such a far-flung area, and the citizens of GB joined Pakistan on their own. The only reason it is lumped with J&K is for the purpose of getting more votes whenever a plebiscite is held according to UN resolutions.

I do not know why moderators on PDF allow poisonous trolls like you to exist on this forum. You should have been banned a long time ago. But my guess is that you have been banned before, and that this user name is your latest incarnation. Get a life troll.

 

[Umair Nawaz]

I am prepared for shahadat. I will go directly to heaven ... lol.. what is objectionable.. cant you bear to hear the truth? cant you listen to a differeing pont of view?

No u cant even if u die. For that u need to have Faith. Plus not more off topic posts. If u cant digest our Beauty and success dont come in our forums.

 

[Chak Bamu]

eh.. till 47 it was a part of Kashmirs Raja. the GB and P0K got overrun by afghan tribesman. Had they been disciplined and marched towards Srinagar then whole Kashmir woulf be under Pak occupation. but they were busy looting and raping that they did not notice raja signing the accession doc with india.
the locals were all hindu tribes in GB and they got replace by Pakistani muslims only after 47.

What an tall claim! You really do not know anything about GB, do you?

OK:

1. How many tribesmen got to GB?

2. I would very much like to know the names and population figures for 'all' hindu tribes in GB, if indeed GB was populated exculsively by them.? How come they were replaced so quickly by Muslims? What was Mir of Hunza doing when all that was happening? How come Ismailis got to spread there, if they indeed replaced Hindus? Everyone knows how peaceful, pacifist, and development-oriented Ismailis are. How did they get there, troll?

3. Accession doc my @&&. Whenever a multi-ethnic kingdom weakens peripheral regions break away. This is pretty much standard practice through out history. GB people do not care about any Indian piece of paper. Have you ever spoken to any GB native, ever?

What a sore loser. What a sick troll.

Mods, is there a threshold that needs to be crossed by someone for you to take any action. Why would you not ban an obvious troll? 

your beauty ? I think its a part of india - GB was part of JnK. See govt of india maps. GB is part of it.

I have Faith in god, so I will get heaven surely.

Government of India maps are worth less than toilet paper. Just like the accession doc you keep bringing up.

 

[Umair Nawaz]

your beauty ? I think its a part of india - GB was part of JnK. See govt of india maps. GB is part of it.

I have Faith in god, so I will get heaven surely.

U think wrong......


The thing is only Faith in God is not Good enough U have to have faith on last and final Prophecy/revelations From All Mighty. God had sent different religions and Prophets for a certain time period or specific Nations they r not strong enough to be implied as of today.

People who study Different Religions in our Country call Hinduism as a Sister Religion of Islam as basically it says same but to say its teachings r Good enough for these times till the eternity is false. AS with the passage of time it has God some distortions which r not practical to imply today. Thats why u dont see ur educated class to follow it as it is. Either they follow certain concepts in it or dont follow it even little, Atheism is on rise as well.

So as of now to go to heaven u need to update yourselves.

Anyways no more off topc.