Trekking Guide to the Karakoram and Hindu Kush of Northern Pakistan

Description

Northern Pakistan – the ancient crossroads in the heart of Asia – is a land of secluded valleys and flower-strewn alpine pastures, surrounded by soaring peaks and shimmering glaciers. This mountain World is so remote that many of its numerous principalities, which inspired Marco Polo to call it ‘noisy with kingdoms’, remained independent until recently. Today, Hunza, Nagar, Gilgit, Chitral and Baltistan invite the visitor, whether on a jeep safari or trekking, to discover the grandeur of this mountain world and experience the hospitality of their peoples. Follow in the footsteps of Alexander the Great, of Chinese pilgrims seeking scriptures in the golden age of Buddhism, or of the British and Russian explorers, adventurers and spies of the legendary ‘Great Game’.

• Detailed how-to for individual trekkers, hiring guides and porters, buying food and equipment
•  Descriptions of over 100 treks and Walks
• New full colour maps
• Interesting history and anecdotes
• Urdu, Shina, Balti, Khowar and Burushaski Glossaries

Authors Biography

The mother and son team of Isobel and Ben Shaw know the villages, valleys and passes of northern Pakistan as few other foreigners do. A resident in Pakistan in the 1970s and 1980s, Isobel Shaw has written three other guides to the country. She and her youngest son spent five year exploring trekking possibilities over the length and breadth of the northern region, and return yearly to keep up-to-date. They consulted the notes of scores of fellow trekkers, and won the friendship of hundreds of Pakistanis eager to share with visitors the beauty of their homeland. The result is the Trekking Guide to the Karakoram and Hindu Kush, a complete handbook to this misunderstood region of alpine adventure.