15/07/2026
Hunza, tucked away in northern Pakistani Kashmir, feels like a place time forgot.
This place used to be the ancient Kingdom of Chitral. Being surrounded by three huge mountains has created such a unique landscape and culture here. The locals still live that traditional life, working from sunrise to sunset, and they've carved out their own little oases in the Karakoram Valley.
Hunza's got everything - mountains, glaciers, and oases all in one place. The glaciers and tectonic movements have created these amazing views that you can enjoy without any climbing or trekking. I spent two days in a town at the mountain base and another two days in one halfway up, and honestly, the views just blew me away every single time.
The people of Hunza Valley are the Burusho. Their language, Burushaski, doesn't have any relatives in linguistics - it's as mysterious as the Basque people in Europe, and nobody really knows where they came from. They're incredibly beautiful with fair skin and yellow or blue eyes, and some even have sandy blonde hair. This community is so open-minded, wise, and kind. Even though many girls in Pakistan can't get an education, here in this remote village, both men and women have equal access to schooling, and lots of them speak fluent English. During my five days there, I never saw a single kid asking for money. Their warmth and hospitality aren't about money at all. Whenever I walked through town, everyone would greet me with the sweetest smiles.
June is cherry season in Hunza. The local cherries might be small, but they're absolutely delicious - like mini cherries. I ate cherries for three days straight without spending a penny. The locals were so generous, inviting us to pick cherries from their backyards. When I felt shy about taking too many, they'd just grab a big handful for me.
I feel so lucky to have visited before most people discovered this place. It's been developed just enough to make traveling convenient without messing up the locals' way of life, and the few tourists who come are basically part of the scenery. In a world that's becoming so similar everywhere, it's amazing to find such a unique and pure place. The world has basically protected Hunza by keeping it isolated - it takes about two days to get there by plane or land. I really hope everyone who visits will help protect this beautiful place.
