Glacier Breeze Restaurant Passu Hunza

  For the past few weeks I’ve been writing about the Gojal region of northern Pakistan, home to my favourite place in the world Passu, the stunning Attabad Lake, and the Hussaini Bridge. I’ve also written about some of the cuisine of Gilgit-Baltistan in the past, which is significantly different to that of the rest of Pakistan, emphasising fresh and dry fruits, nuts, cheese, and local wine. Today, I’m taking you to the Glacier Breeze Restaurant, home of a famous apricot cake with a view of the Cathedral Range. (Image: Facebook, Glacier Breeze Restaurant, Safar Hai Zindagi) The apricot cake, made from local ingredients, is simply divine, and the restaurant’s popularity means that you’ll likely be served a slice of cake which is still warm from the oven. Combine that with warm chai to ward off the mountain chills and the jaw-dropping views across the valley to both the glacier and the Passu Cones, and you’ll see why this place has become an obligatory stop for travellers on...

Beyond Zood Khun (the last of the nine villages of Chapursan valley) is the mystical and holy Baba Ghundi Ziarat, a shrine to a Sufi saint said to have miraculous powers, and a popular pilgrimage site. The shrine is surrounded by meadows which hosts herds of sheep in summer and sporadically from June to September, Kyrgyz traders from Afghanistan who traditionally cross the Irshad Pass with horses, yaks and sheeps to trade with the Chapursan villagers. Baba Ghundi is the most important shrine in Hunza-Gojal. The end-point of Chapursan valley right after Pakistan border police's check post. Beyond this point you crossover to Afghanistan and Wakhan corridor. Trekking from Zood Khun to Baba Ghundi takes somewhere about 4 hours.

Backpacking in Pakistan is a one of a kind adventure; this is a country which will raise many an eyebrow and steal many a heart. The only danger with backpacking in Pakistan is not wanting to leave. Before I went backpacking in Pakistan, I was unsure what to expect. Pakistan travel advice from my government is basically one gigantic red X. The media has painted the country in an unfortunate light, a fact most Pakistanis are painfully aware of. Wherever I went, I was greeted by friendly faces and incredibly helpful people. Combine that with relatively cheap travel costs, plentiful treks and truly stunning mountains and you have one hell of a great backpacking destination. The security situation in Pakistan is currently under control and, with the exception of the Afghanistan border regions; most of the country is perfectly safe to visit. On some occasions, you will be assigned a free police escort – read about my experience trekking with mine – to keep an eye on you but the...