Battura Valley

Upper Hunza mountain valley dominated by Batura Glacier, with Wakhi and Brushuski pasture names

Battura Valley — also written Batura — cuts north from the Karakoram Highway near Passu in upper Hunza, and is dominated by the Batura Glacier, one of the longest glaciers outside the polar regions. The glacier stretches for nearly 60 kilometres through the mountains and draws serious trekkers and mountaineers willing to make the journey.

The valley's name derives from Brushuski — the indigenous language of central Hunza — where "bat" means skin and "tur" means horns, a reference to the ibex hunted here and whose skins and horns were found around the glacier. The pastures along the valley carry names in both Brushuski and Wakhi, the other main language of the upper Hunza region, reflecting the layered history of this remote corridor.

Travel up the Battura Valley is for those who have already done Hunza and want to go further. The landscape is extreme — glaciers pouring off walls of rock, moraine ridges, and the constant sound of ice and water. The nearest base is Passu, which has basic guesthouses and sits where the Batura and Ghulkin glaciers converge. From Passu you can walk to the Batura Glacier's snout in a few hours, and experienced trekkers do multi-day trips through the valley's high pastures.

Guide

Getting There

The Battura Valley is accessed from Passu, a small settlement on the Karakoram Highway in Gojal (upper Hunza). Passu is about 90 kilometres north of Karimabad (Hunza's main town) and reachable in two to three hours by jeep. Local buses running between Karimabad and Sost stop at Passu. From the KKH at Passu, the valley opens up to the northwest — you walk from the roadside.

There is no motorable road into the valley beyond the first few kilometres. All travel is on foot or by jeep on rough tracks to the glacier snout. Guides can be arranged in Passu; most guesthouses in Passu can organise a trekking package including a guide, porter, and camping equipment.

Guide

Things to Do

The valley is for trekkers and glacier enthusiasts. There is no infrastructure to speak of — you walk, you camp, and you look at one of the most dramatic glaciated landscapes on the planet.