Gilgit Things to Do – Attractions and Must See Sights

Things to Do in Gilgit

Gilgit is a very special place to visit with a wide variety of outdoor opportunities for visitors. Here’s a rundown of some of the favorites, which are highly unique to this area of the world.

Gilgit makes a good base station for traveling around Pakistan. One of the amazing trips is going to the Naltar Valley. Although the road going to Naltar is beautiful, it’s also extremely dusty. Once passing the village called Normal, the passage through the mountains becomes quite steep. After arriving at the upper Naltar there is a restaurant, gorgeous meadows and comfortable temperatures to enjoy.

Day Trip to Hunza

The distance to Hunza is 100 kilometers, but it can be accomplished in one day. The tour leaves Gilgit early in the morning and travels slowly, with several stops for walks and photo opportunities. One of the stops is a memorial sight in honor of the Pakistani army’s mortals who lost their lives for the Karakoram Highway. There’s another stop at the place where the two continents collided, or the collision between the Indian and Asian titanic plates, resulting in huge mountains. The tour ends with a return to Gilgit in the afternoon.

Polo in Gilgit

Every year during the second week of July there is the Shadur Polo Festival. It’s a traditional event that highlights a tug of war pitting the teams of Chitral and Gilgit against one another. It’s enjoyable to watch the highly competitive races to see who is the final winner. There are also polo games and many other activities to behold. Folk music is abundant and there is a dance of the warriors. Situated at more than 3,700 meters above sea level, this is a spectacular event. On the final day of the festival, there are usually thousands of participants and onlookers from all around Pakistan as well as those from the world over. It is located at the top point of Shandur on the side of the Shandur Lake.

Visiting the Buddha

The road that goes to the Buddha is very bumpy and narrow, but it’s worth the trip to see the Buddha that is carved high into the mountainside. The best months to go are from July to September to avoid the intense heat.

Editor’s note: The information contained on this page was compiled using real traveler reviews about things to do in Gilgit.