The Ultimate Manifestation of Mountain Grandeur
Eric Shipton named Hunza as “the Ultimate Manifestation of Mountain Grandeur”, at 2400m above sea level, it is indeed a fairytale land. Hunza stands in dramatic contrast to the grim desolation of the gorges leading to it. The tiny terraced fields ripple down the rustic brown ridges, neatly arranged like fish scales. Everywhere the slender poplar trees cut string vertical line in the horizontal terraces and stand out against the glacier-scarred rocks. This ethereal beauty keeps changing colours, emerald green in summers, orange and red in the autumn. In spring countless cherry, almond and apricot trees bloom with fuchsia, white and pink hues against the gleaming snows of Rakaposhi (7788m) with an uninterrupted thrust of five kilometres skywards. The backdrop to Hunza is the dark grey Ultar Peak (7388m), which is known for its dramatic rise and its glacier serves as the primal water source for Hunza valley.
