From Wikitravel

The Federally Administered Northern Areas (FANA) is the northernmost political entity within the Pakistani-controlled part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. According to Pakistan's constitution, FANA is not part of Pakistan, and its inhabitants have never had any representation in Pakistan's parliament. However, FANA is home to some of the world's highest mountains, including five of the eight-thousanders. The main focus of attention for many travelers is the world's three highest mountain ranges--the Karakoram, the Himalaya, and the Hindu Kush, with five peaks over 8,000 meters and many peaks over 7,000 meters, and having the largest glaciers in the world (other than those in the polar region). Wild rivers and unique landscapes make this area a "mountain paradise" for mountaineers, trekkers, and tourists.

[edit] Background

Gilgit, FANA's administrative center, was an important city on the Silk Road, through which Buddhism was spread from India to the rest of Asia. A large number of Buddhist Sanskrit texts, including the long version of the Heart Sutra have been unearthed in Gilgit. The Dards and Cizinas also appear in many of the old Pauranic lists of peoples, with the former finding mention in Ptolemy's accounts of the region. Two famous travellers, Faxian and Hsuan Tsang, are known to have traversed Gilgit as per their accounts. Gilgit was ruled for centuries by the local Trakane Dynasty, which came to an end in about 1810. The area descended into internecine turmoil before being occupied by the Sikhs in 1842. It was ceded to Jammu in 1846. Gilgit's inhabitants drove their new rulers out in an uprising in 1852. The Khushwakhte Dynasty of Yasin and Gulapure led the people of Gilgit to drive out the Dogra rulers. After Yasin was conquered by the Katur Dynasty of Chitral, the power of the Khushwakhte was crushed. The rule of Jammu was restored in 1860. Gilgit came under British rule in 1889, when it was unified with neighboring Hunza and Nagar in the Gilgit Agency. When British rule came to an end in 1947, the region was briefly handed back to the maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir. Subsequently, it came under Pakistani control. To this day, the Federally Administered Northern Areas (FANA) remains part of the Kashmir dispute and is claimed by India to be a Pakistani-occupied part of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.

[edit] Regions

The Federally Administered Northern Areas is divided into two divisions--the Baltistan Division and the Gilgit Division--which together comprise seven districts.

[edit] Baltistan Region

The Baltistan Region consists of two districts:

• Skardu District – Skardu town is the administrative center of the Skardu District. Askole is the last settlement in the district for all treks to Concordia (the confluence of the Baltoro Glacier and the Godwin-Austen Glacier). Skardu is the district where the Indus River enters the Northern Areas from the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.

• Ghanche District – The Ghanche District is the easternmost district of Baltistan. To its east is the Leh District of Ladakh, northeast is Aksai Chin, (China), to the north and northwest is the Skardu District, to the west is the Astore District, and to the south is the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. The administrative center of the Ghanche District is Khaplu. The Hushe valleys form the gateway to the great Baltoro Muztagh, the sub-range of the Karakoram.

[edit] Gilgit Division

The Gilgit Division now consists of five districts:

• Astore District – The Astore District was recently carved out of the Diamir District. Previously, the Northern Areas was divided into five districts. The administrative center of the Astore District is Astore town and it includes many villages in the Astore valley. The Astore District is bounded by the Diamir District to the west and the Skardu District to the east.

• Diamir District – The Diamir District is the district where the Karakoram Highway enters the Northern Areas from Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province. Chilas is the administrative center of the Diamir District. The Diamir District is bounded by the Astore District to the east, Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province to the south and southwest, the Ghizar District to the north and northwest, and the Gilgit District to the north and northeast.

• Ghizar District – The Ghizar District is the westernmost district of the Northern Areas. It is bound by Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province on three sides (north, west, and south), by the Diamir District to the south and southeast, and by the Gilgit District to the east. A small strip of Ghizar District (roughly 35 x 12 km) is sandwiched between the North-West Frontier Province and the Wakhan Corridor of (Afghanistan). Gakuch is the administrative center of the Ghizar District.

Sherqilla is most famous town being capital of Rajas of Punial and Ishkomin. It is still a tourist spot with many attractions like trout fishing, treking natural swimming pools. Wazirs of sherqilla and Raja palace are still inscribe their period of splendour.

• Gilgit District – The Gilgit District is bounded by the Wakhan Corridor of (Afghanistan) to the north, the Xinjiang autonomous region of (China) to the north and northeast, and the Skardu District to the south and southeast. Gilgit town is the administrative center of the Gilgit District. Gilgit is one of the two major hubs in the Northern Areas for all mountaineering expeditions to the peaks of the Karakoram and the Himalayas.

• Hunza-Nagar District – The Hunza-Nagar District is a newly formed district which was previously part of the Gilgit District. The district encompasses the Hunza and Nagar valleys. The major town is Karimabad (actually a grouping of five to six smaller villages), surrounded on all sides by glorious mountain peaks, foremost amongst which is Rakaposhi. The Nagar Valley and the Hoper Glacier are situated a dizzying 40-minute drive from Karimabad, nestled below Golden Peak. Hunza is approximately 100 km from Gilgit, and is the last major town along the Karakoram Highway before entering China.

[edit] Cities

[edit] Other destinations

• K2 (Mount Godwin-Austen) - world's second-highest mountain peak
• Shangrila Resort, Shigar Fort in Skardu Valley
• Baltistan, Gilgit and Ziarat (world's second-largest juniper forest)
• Himalayas, Karakoram and Hindukush
• The Hunza Valley - supposedly the setting for James Hilton's Shangri-La, and the valley lives up to that reputation. The local residents are for the most part members of the Ismaili sect, a moderate branch of Islam, and are welcoming to the relatively few tourists who make their way there. Once you reach it, the area is extremely safe for travelers. The major town is Karimabad (actually a grouping of 5-6 smaller villages), surrounded on all sides by glorious mountain peaks, foremost amongst which is Rakaposhi - watching the early morning sun catch the tip of the peak from the roof of your hotel, then gently scrolling down the mountainside as it slowly rises in the East, is a breathtaking experience. The Nagar Valley and the Hoper Glacier are situated a dizzying 40-minute drive from Karimabad, nestled below Golden Peak. Baltit Fort sits above Baltit Town, in the heart of Karimabad, with panoramic views of the surrounding mountains. The Eagle's Nest in Duikar, above Karimabad, overlooks the range of surrounding peaks--Rakaposhi, Ultar, and Golden. Hunza is approximately 100 km from Gilgit, and is the last major town along the Karakoram Highway before entering China.

See also: Sacred sites of the Indian sub-continent

[edit] National Parks

• Kirthar National Park
• Deosai National Park
• Khunjerab National Park

[edit] Glaciers

The Northern Areas has a surprisingly large number of glaciers. Those glaciers may have been important during prehistoric times as man migrated to many different parts of the world. The Siachin Glacier is 75 km. The Hispar (53 km) joins the Biafo at the Hispar La (5154.16 meters (16,910 ft) to form an ice corridor 116.87 km (72 mi) long. The Batura, too, is 58 km in length. The most outstanding of these rivers of ice is the 62 km Baltoro. This large glacier, fed by some 30 tributaries, has a surface area of 1291.39 sq km.

[edit] Understand

[edit] Talk

[edit] Get in

Islamabad International Airport is the main gateway to the Northern Areas by air.

[edit] Get around

[edit] By road

The Karakoram Highway, once a minor Silk Road route, connects Islamabad to Gilgit and Skardu, which are the two major hubs for mountaineering expeditions in the Northern Areas. The journey from Islamabad to Gilgit takes approximately 20-24 hours. Landslides on the Karakoram Highway are not uncommon, but bulldozers usually clear the road in a short time. The KKH connects Gilgit to Taxkorgan and Kaxgar in Xinjiang, China, via Sust (the customs and health inspection post on the Pakistan side of the border) and the Khunjerab Pass, the highest paved international border crossing in the world at 4,693 metres (15,397 feet).

NATCO (the Northern Areas Transport Corporation) offers bus and jeep transport service to the two hubs and to several other popular destinations, lakes, and glaciers in the area.

[edit] By plane

Pakistan International Airlines offers daily flights between Gilgit Airport and Islamabad International Airport. The flying time is approximately 50 minutes, and the flight is one of the most scenic flights in the world, as its route passes over Nanga Parbat, and the peak of the mountain is higher than the aircraft's cruising altitude. PIA also offers regular flights on Being 737s between Skardu and Islamabad. All flights, however, are subject to weather clearance, and, in winters, flights are often delayed by several days.

[edit][add listing] See

[edit] Glaciers

Three of the world's seven longest glaciers outside the polar regions are also in the Northern Areas, the Biafo Glacier, the Baltoro Glacier, and the Batura Glacier.

[edit] Mountains

Eighteen of the fifty highest peaks in the world are located in the Northern Areas.

• 1 K2, 2nd-highest in the world at 8,611 m.
• 2 Nanga Parbat, 9th-highest in the world at 8,125 m
• 3 Gasherbrum I, 11th-highest in the world at 8,080 m.
• 4 Broad Peak, 12th-highest in the world at 8,047 m.
• 5 Gasherbrum II, 13th-highest in the world at 8,035 m
• 6 Gasherbrum III, 15th-highest in the world at 7,946 m.
• 7 Gasherbrum VI, 17th-highest in the world at 7,932 m.
• 8 Distaghil Sar, 19th-highest in the world at 7,884 m.
• 9 Khunyang Chhish,21st-highest in the world at 7823 m.
• 10 Masherbrum ,22nd-highest in the world at 7,821 m.
• 11 Batura Sar, 25nd-highest in the world at 7,795 m.
• 12 Kanjut Sar ,26nd-highest in the world at 7,788 m.
• 13 Rakaposhi, 27th-highest in the world at 7,760m.
• 14 Saltoro Kangri 31st-highest in the world at 7,742 m.
• 15 Chogolisa 36nd-highest in the world at 7,498 m.
• 16 Shispare 38nd-highest in the world at 7,611 m.
• 17 Trivora 39nd-highest in the world at 7,577 m.
• 18 Skyang Kangri 44nd-highest in the world at 7,545 m.

[edit] Lakes

There are several high-altitude lakes in the Northern Areas.

• Sheosar Lake in Deosai Plains
• Satpara Lake in Skardu
• Katchura Lake in Skardu
• Borith Lake in upper Hunza
• Rama Lake near Astore
• Rush Lake near Nagar
• Kromber Lake in Kromber Pass
• Lake Saiful Malook in Kaghan
• Aansoo Lake in Kaghan
• Lolosar in Kaghan
• Dodipatsar in Kaghan

[edit] Deosai Plains

[edit] Rock art and petroglyphs

[edit][add listing] Do

• Hiking and Trekking
• Mountaineering
• Mountain Biking
• Horseriding
• Eco tours
• Skiing
• Safari tours
• Fishing
• Golf
• Polo
• Shopping

[edit][add listing] Eat

[edit][add listing] Drink

Avoid drinking tap water. Locals usually drinks water coming from a stream, but that can be unsafe for some people. So only drink bottled water, which is easily available all over.

[edit] Stay safe

Securitywise, the Northern Areas is considered to be one of the safest regions under Pakistani control, but some parts of it are off-limits to tourists, especially the buffer zone along the "Line of Control" that divides the Indian- and Pakistani-controlled parts of Kashmir.

[edit] Get out

[edit] By road

To China:

Thrice-weekly bus service was scheduled to begin crossing the border from Gilgit, Northern Areas, to Kashgar, China, and road widening work was scheduled for 600 kilometres of the Karakoram Highway. There were also plans for one daily bus in each direction between Sust and Taxkorgan in the border areas of the two countries.

To Islamabad:

Via the Karakoram Highway, popularly known as the Silk Road.

[edit] By plane

Pakistan International Airlines offers daily flights between Gilgit Airport and Islamabad International Airport. The flying time is approximately 50 minutes, and the flight is one of the most scenic flights in the world, as its route passes over Nanga Parbat, with the peak of the mountain being higher than the aircraft's cruising altitude. PIA also offers regular flights on Boeing 737s between Skardu and Islamabad. All flights, however, are subject to weather clearance, and in winters, flights are often delayed by several days.

This article is an outline and needs more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!