Passu is a small village on the Karakoram Highway in the upper Gojal Valley, about 150 km north of Gilgit. It sits at around 2,500 metres on the west bank of the Hunza River, surrounded by some of the most dramatic mountain scenery on earth — jagged cathedral-like spires, massive glaciers, and the brown-grey immensity of the Karakoram range.
The village is best known for Passu Cathedral, a cluster of serrated peaks (6,106 m) that look like the pipes of a giant organ. The Passu Glacier descends almost to the highway, and the much larger Batura Glacier — one of the longest outside the polar regions at 56 km — is accessible on a day trek from the village. The Hussaini Suspension Bridge, a swaying cable-and-plank affair over the Hunza River, has become one of the most photographed spots on the Karakoram Highway. Borith Lake, a glacial lake in the valley, is a stopping point for migrating waterfowl in spring.
Passu has a long and turbulent history — ancient rock carvings suggest habitation dating back thousands of years, and the village has been destroyed and rebuilt multiple times by floods and landslides. Today it is home to around a thousand people, known throughout the region for their hospitality and remarkably high literacy rate. A handful of simple guesthouses cater to trekkers and overland travellers on the KKH.