Tourist Attractions

Baltistan


Baltistan

Baltistan, called Balti-yul by its inhabitants, is the centre of the Karakoram's glaciers, peaks and towers where villages are oases in a vertical wilderness of rock and ice. The mighty Indus River sweeps through the land, augmented by the glacial Shigar and Shyok rivers. Baltistan's western border with Gilgit is at Shengus village, downstream from the Indus River's Rondu gorge. To the east and the south is the line of control with India, and to the north, along the Karakoram's crest, is the border with China. Baltistan, with its Tibetan cultural mots, contrasts sharply with areas to its west. The folklore of the Balti-pa is not that of shamans and fairies, but rather of the Tibetan hero-king Kesar. Nagar and Hunza are much influenced by Baltistan, with apricots and polo both probably coming from Baltistan.