13 unknown travel gems from Gupis Gilgit

Gupis is a town in-between Gilgit and Chitral, and more to the Gilgit side.

Gupis is one of the three beautiful valleys of Gupis-Yasin District. The other two are Ishkomen and Yasin.

Ghizer district lies between Gupis-Yasin and Gilgit Districts.

Weather at Gupis

Gupis weather is somewhat like Gahkuch, but a little cooler.

Peak summer temperatures do not go beyond 35 ⁰ Celsius and during the winters, it becomes bitterly cold.

It does not rain too much in Gupis, but when it does, even in summers, the temperature becomes chilly.

Distance to Gupis Islamabad

Gupis town is 600 km and a 16 hours drive from Islamabad and

190 km and 5.5-h’ drive from Gilgit city

The best time to visit Gupis

The best time to visit Gupis is from March to August every year.

Best hotel in Gupis Valley

Ghizer Blossom Inn is one of the better hotels Ph: (058144) 55131
PTDC hotel Gupis +92 58144 80777

Things to see at Gupis Gilgit Baltistan

100 years old wooden bridge

The first thing that appears as you proceed toward Gupis is the Colonial wooden bridge that crosses over the river from Gupis to Yasin Valley.

This century-old bridge was the only link between the world and the Yasin valley for ages. Now, thank God the Chinese woke up and helped build a new suspension bridge for the lovely people.

Chartoi Darwaza

Chartoi Darwaza, or parion ka darwaza “the fairy gate” is a few kilometers climb toward the foothills of the mountain range that travels with you on the left side and it is shaped like a door.

The legend says that a maiden fairy was captured inside a rock door of the Chartoi Darwaza and your sacrifice saves you from evil that befell them.

Nowadays, people sacrifice chickens because of the inflation. I assume bad omen would understand economics.

Walnut tree of Sumal

Sumal Village on this road has 500 years old Walnut tree and a gorgeous lake in the mountains.

Gupis fort

Gupis Fort was built by the colonial British to keep the USSR under check from the Tajikistan side.

The last officer was a British major with the name of Gordon and had two Junior Commissioned officers in his Gurkha Battalion

one Muslim Subedar Gulab and
one Hindu Subedar Baal Singh

Both Muslim and non-muslim formations had separate barracks.

The search towers on the thick walls had central heating.

The prisoner dungeons were two stories below and still house the remains of ordinary folks of Gupis and surrounding areas that the military suspected of being allied to the Russians.

The local legend says that this colonial army was so brutal that they would incarcerate, without any recourse to justice, anyone who would raise their eyes toward the fort -, which was in fact on their land.

Now the Gupis people want it back and I agree.

3-day Track to Dasu through Gupis

This strategically placed fort is perfectly sited to oversee tracks that lead to Dasu through the Darel pass, Tajikistan through Chitral, and Yasin Valley

The third valley Ishkomen has its own fort

Sher-qilla Lake

Sher-qilla Lake comes next, in a name sake town. This pristine lake is a private property that charges Rs 100 per person to visit.

It has its own row boat and rock jumping cliff.

Beware, the lake is pretty deep.

Hopper Gardens

At Hopper town, is a beautiful day resort built by a local celebrity polo player by the name of Farhatullah. Hopper tourist garden is a quiet place to rest and recuperate in the summers.

The resort has its own horses for a ride too.

The most attractive thing about the place is the tree house that the owner has built for his guests and he entertains people there.

Buddhist archeological site of Hopper

There are ancient rock carvings on the rock face above the resort, which I couldn’t make out to be Buddhist or not.

The local guides suggested it is, but I couldn’t find any real evidence of the same.

They even mentioned finding precious stones at the site.

Water falls of Hopper

There are two beautiful waterfalls at the site too.

One is 15 feet and the other is more than 100 feet, but for that you must climb for two hours.

The inland lake of hopper

Very close to this resort, the Gilgit River slows down to a crawl and some people actually come here to fish.

Khalti Lake

Moving further ahead, you arrive at the Khalti Lake which is another wide part of Gilgit River. Here, the water slows down so much that it freezes over during winters.

People enjoy ice skating and winter fishing on the top of thick ice.

Visit the Phandar Valley

Phandar was once a no go area for travelers, several centuries ago, because it was so densely forested and had wild animals on the loose.

Now it is a quiet town far away from any settled city, with a river running through full of fish.

Phandar is 5 hours’ drive from Gilgit and about 190 kms one way.

Dream of Shandur Pass

When you reach Phandar, people will mention Shandur Pass and you know you must rough it out a few hours more to get to the top.

Where to eat at Gupis?

You can find food and supplies in Gupis Bazar, but not going forward.

Some honorable mentions of Gupis town of Gupis-Yasin District are-

Khukush Lake Shandur
Handrap Lake Phandar
Gulaghmuli View point Phandar
Kurumber Lake Ishkomen
Langar Valley National Park Shandur

Conclusion

If you want to see untouched beauty and want to go home happy that you have genuinely explored, then Gupis is your town.

If you want me to arrange your trip, please inbox me at 923005111523