Shimshal Valley

Shimshal sits at around 3,100 metres at the end of a road that was only completed in 2003, after eighteen years of largely voluntary labour by the villagers themselves; before that, reaching the valley meant days on foot. The road is the famous part: a single-lane track blasted into gorge walls above the Shimshal river, crossing slide zones and clinging to cliffs, one of the more sobering drives in a region full of them. The village at the end is Wakhi-speaking, farming wheat, potatoes and apricots and herding yaks to pastures that reach towards the Chinese border. Shimshal has produced a disproportionate share of Pakistan's most accomplished mountaineers, including the first Pakistani woman to climb Everest, and mountaineering work remains central to its economy. Treks continue to the Shimshal Pass pastures and beyond for those equipped for them.

History

Local tradition says the village was founded in 1450 by Mamu Singh, a hunter who saw from the summit of Karun Kuh the flat land of the valley, found traces of an old water channel and repaired it to bring the abandoned fields back into cultivation. Shimshal lies at 3,113 metres, the highest settlement in Hunza District (Wikipedia, Shimshal).

What you'll find

• The gorge road - a cliff-cut jeep track above the Shimshal river.
• The village - stone houses, fields and orchards at 3,100 metres.
• Yak herding culture - pastures and stock movements towards the high passes.
• Mountaineers' houses - a community shaped by high-altitude climbing.

When to go

May to October; the road closes with snow and slides outside that and can close temporarily at any time after rain. Harvest in late summer is a good period. Winters are severe and the valley largely turns inward.

What to expect

The drive is genuinely exposed and not for anyone uneasy with drops; vehicles and drivers must be hired locally rather than self-driven. Accommodation is homestays and basic guesthouses. There are no restaurants or shops beyond essentials. Treks beyond the village are expedition-grade, not casual walks.

Nearby

Passu and its glacier viewpoints are at the road junction; Khunjerab is north.

Key facts