For the adventure-loving tourist, there are few places in the world that could be a better match to the valleys of Gilgit and Hunza. Gilgit is an ancient trading post, whose bustling bazaar has been a caravanserai for many of the traders of the silk road.

With the opening of the Karakoram Highway leading to China, the population of Gilgit has increased manifold; however, its dusty, old-world ambience remains largely unaffected by the large numbers of fortune seekers, traders, ambassadors, and tourists that seasonally swell the town. Dominated by the 6134m Domani Peak, the city is encircled by featureless, brown and black coloured `hills' ranging up to 4500m high. The local population has made an effort to turn this dusty bowl of a city into an oasis, and one will see patches of green, terraced fields, interspersed with orchards of apricot, cherry and apple.