wel come to Passu VILLAGE
Seal village projects supported by the AkRSP (see facts about the Region- Rural Development) are visible along the highway, including a tree plantation at Morkhun and irigaton channels and new orchards just south of khalbar.
As the valley widens near Passu the higway crosses a makeshift girder bridge over the Batura Glacier stream. The glacier itself comes nearly to the road, although its dirty grey ice looks more like rocky soil. Its lower end is accessible on a day-hike from Passu. This is one of the larger glaciers of the Karakoram, extending 60 km back into the cluster of 6000 to 7000 metre peaks called the Batura Muztagh.
The Batura advances and retreats from year to year. 1976 its 30- metre high front ground up the original Chinese bridge (the ruins are still visible nearby), which was then replaced by the permanently temporary girder bride. There are also two jeep bridges across the Hunza River, one for access to the other side and one to complete a KKH bypass next time the Glacier eats up the higway.
East of the bridge is the yawning Shimshal valley, once one of the remotest places in the old state of Hunza. It was from upper Shimshal, even in the last century, the Hunza raiders plundered caravans heading to Kashmir. In 1985 an Aga Khan funded road was begum and will eventually reach 45 km t Shimshal village at the valley’s head; so far it’s advancing at about five km a year.
Ten minutes from the bridge, at the north end of passu, is a windy plain full of broken down buildings. From 1979 this was a camp for Chinese KKH workers. Now it’s a Pakistan Army installation, for KKh maintenance and for mountain training. In the comer of the camp the Passu Peak Inn occupies a few whitewashed buildings.
Sitting between the black Batura Glacier and the white Passu Glacier, this is the place to stop if you like to walk. Passu at 2400 metres is the base for many dramatic day- hikes, overmights and long treks.
Although it’s one of the oldest settlements in Hunza and Gojal. A kind of geographical curse has prevented Passu from growing into a town. As glaciers in the Shimshal Valley periodically dammed the Shimshal River and then broke, floods have gradually tom away Passu’s riverfront land. The 1974 mudslide at Shishkat Nala in southern Gojal Created a lake that submerged parts of the village and choked he valley with sand and grave. Passu at one time had extensive orchards a polo field and nearly five times it’s present population, all on land that is no longer there.
Though many fine treks start from Passu, only day- hikes and a few
ovemight trips are described here all can be done on your own, with minimal
equipment.
Several local people are good sources of information about trip;
The Passu Peak Inn hotel owner is Mr. Akbar Shah who can also come up with
occasional tents, sleeping bags and other items. Mr. Imtiaz Ali on natural
history and wakhi culture; and Mr. Saleem Akbar on treks.
If you want assistance you can get through Passu Peak Inn. For
trips of more than a day into the Shimshal Valley, or extended treks any where,
an experienced guide is recommended; some of the best live right in Passu as a
rule guides expect 500 to Rs. 800 per day. For other trips, acknowledgeable
local person can be hired as porter to show you the best trails and help with
cooking and carrying
An easy trail
goes to the lake below the Passu Glacies, from the stone bums on the KKH about
500 meters south of the Passu Peak Inn Better views of this beautiful glacier
are from the trails to Younz valley and Passu Gar.
The toe of the
Batura Glacier is four km north the Passu Peak Inn either along the KKH or over
the adjacent low plateau. The views improve a you climb the moraine (glacial
nubble) along its south side.
The massive
caramel coloured rock behind Passu is called Skazart (High Yellow) a vigorous
siz to seven-hour loop climbs to the Yunz Vaalley behind Skazart, offering
excellent view of both glaciers. There is no water along this trail.
North of Passu
Peak Inn high on the rock wass is an old water channel. Where the channel.
Where the channel comes to ground level the trail beging immediately climbing
up the wallto the right (if you end up at the Passu Glacier lake you began too
far to the left, from the younz valley a 2 hour detour goes to a view point
over the Hunza River. At the end of the valley, bear left by some shepherds’
huts and descend to the moraine biased the Batura Glacier. At the loe of the
glacier cross the low plateau to the right back to Passu.
An overnight
option is to climb the far side of Yunz valley onto 4300 meter Patundas (Arid
Plain) the first rise on the ridge that separates the Passu and Batura
Glaciers.
This hike
climbs to shepherds’ huts alongteh south side of the Passu Glacier. The trip is
3 ˝ to 4 ˝ hours out and two or three hours back. The trail leaves the KKH at a
highway sign ˝ km beyond the shisper view Hotel, and the huts are about two
hours beyond the bottom of the glacier.
An option
from here is a steep traverse toward borit Peak with almost 360 views or the
Passu Glacier, Ghulkin Glacier to the south borit Lake below and the Karakoram
cret behind. This adds at least 1-˝ hours to the trip.
East across the river is a 4900 meter ridge offering the
best views of all: a panorama from sust to Shiskat, the entire length over 20
km of the passu Glacier and the highest Peaks of the Batura Mauzatagh. This is
an over night trip, and only for the very fit. It’s probably best done in early
autumn when the risk of sudden storms is low, but it would be a good idea to
talk to local people be for you go.
Cross the footbridge toward Zarabad and on the far side
take the left fork, which climbs, via tiny Kharamabad village, steeply up a
side canyon. At the top, a full day’s strenuous hiking away and almost as high
as the Khunjerab Pass itself. Is a shallow pass called Abdegar, a sublime
(through very cold) place to see the sun come up?
The Spartan but
cheerful Passu Peak Inn occupies a way of the Batura, yunz and Shimshal Valley
camp, it’s new in there and started out in 1996.
Passu Peak inn’s food is
abundant and delicious, and cheek out the rumor book’ here, very good on the
Passu area and very entertaining. It has cheaper annex in the village, and
there is also tracing facilities are available. If you want to tracing you tell
the manger he can help you in every thing like Guide, brads and other things.
He is very friendly man and honest too.
The
general lack of environmental awareness is also a constraint on ecotourism
development. Development of Codes of Conduct is one way to increase
environmental awareness among stakeholders. For wider dissemination of
environmental education, outreach programs through regional language broadcasts
should be instituted. The Prince Karim Aga Khan started education in the Hunza
and Northern Area. Environmental education for those in the tourism industry
and also in schools should be started. Passu is one of the worlds where can you
find hundred percent educated. In this village every one want to be educated
because the environment can change the peoples. Now a day’s people are doing
their IT education in some cities in Pakistan. In this time this days there are
no any adults in the village except the school children. Every one is out of
station.
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