Yasin Valley (Gilgit Baltistan)

 

Yasin Valley, Babaye-e-Yasen, is a valley in Hindu Kush Range at an average altitude of 26,00 meters, in Gupis-Yasin district, Baltistan, at the distance of 128 km from Gilgit main city and accessible through Chitral Road from Gilgit along the Gilgit River. From Gupis town, turn right on Yasin Valley Road along the Yasin River to access it.

The lower part of Yasin valley is wider and flat, so it gives vast beauty of lush green meadows in the high mountains. Due to the availability of water in the form of several streams, it provides a full layered irrigation system along the Yasin River. You can see layers of fields along the Yasin River as well as along the streams coming toward the Yasin River.

Yasin Valley is important for number of high mountain passes, those are normally covered with snow all over the year. These passes are short-cut routes to access the adjoining areas such as Chitral, Ishkoman, as well as Turkmenistan crossing the narrow strip of Wakan Corridor in Afganistan. The most important of those passes are Darkut, Buroghil, Assumbur, Thoi, Naz Bar, etc.

Yasin Valley provides the pure traditional culture of Gilgit region. People of the Yasin Valley are polite and cooperative. They welcome tourists with open-handed and guide them to explore the valley. The locals love to live on simple food by cultivate their own small vegetable garden. There are numerous orchids of fruits including cherry, almonds, apple, apricot, etc. These fruit tree are also available along the roads and treks, so you can enjoy these natural fruits free of cost.

As various superstitions are common in most of the hilly areas, such type of superstitions are common in the Yasin Valley too. Most of the people in this area, believes to scarify a hen before marriage near Damalgan in beginning of the Yasin Valley, to avoid bad fairies in bridle or expected death of one of the bridle or groom. They also avoid to cultivate onion or garlic in specific areas in the Yasin Valley, otherwise there will be bleeding hand instead of bulb of onion or garlic on pulling it out. They have the belief of some spiritual creatures in the valley do not like the smell of onion and garlic

About Gupis Yasin

Gupis Yasin is located in the west of Gilgit-Baltistan in the high mountains of the Hindu Kush Range at a distance of 187 KM from the Gilgit main city. It is given the status of district in 2019 and separated from Ghizer district including Gupis, Yasin, and Phander Tehsil.

It has boundaries with Upper Upper Chitral, Ghizer, Swat, and Upper Kohistan districts. It has strategic importance due to the high mountain pass connected with Yarkhun Valley in the Chitral district and Broghil Pass that connects with Wakhan Corridor in Afghanistan and Tajikstan through the Chitral district.

There are number of high mountain passes in the Gupis Yasin district. The Thoi pass connects Yasin to Yarkhun in Chitral, the Assumber Pass connects Yasin to Ishkoman, the Darkut Pass connects Yasin with Wakhan and Chitral, Shandur Pass connects Gupis with Chitral, and Buroghul Pass connects Yasin with Brughol.

Gupis Yasin can be accessed via Karakoram Highway from Islamabad, then turn left toward Gilgit. After crossing Gilgit City and Ghizar, you will be in the beautiful valley of Gupis Yasin in the high mountains of the Hindu Kush Range.

In the Gupis Valley, there are several lush green and attractive tourist places. These valleys always has pleasant and spell-bound weather. Phander village is the most beautiful location in Gupis along the Gilgit River and is also much famous among tourists due to its splendid beauty. It is also famous for trout fish in Phander lake. The Phander Lake is the most attractive point to visit in Phander village. It is located at a distance of 170 km from Gilgit City. There are several guest houses and hotels in the Phander Valley, in which PTDC Phander is most famous. The most famous location is Shandur Pass at an elevation of 12,500 feet. It is always covered with snow during winter, whereas in the summer season it becomes a vast meadow. In the month of July, a festival called Shandur Festival is held here, in which the people of Chitral and Gilgit participate.

Ghamubar Zom is a mountain at the elevation of 6,518 meters above sea level near Darkot in Yasin Valley. It can be clearly seen from Darkot as well as Rawat villages. From Darkot Pass, one can observe its peak more closely.

Shandur National Park, which covered an area of 8,000 acres, was established in 2012 for the purpose of preserving various botanical plants as well as a number of different animal species.

Shandur Lake is just located near the Shandur Pass on the left side of Chitral-Gilgit Road. It is a high mountain glacier lake in the Hindu Kush Range. The Gilgit River that travels across also Gupis-Yasin district also originates from the same lake and merges into the Indus River at Jaglot in Gilgit.

Yasin Valley is a high mountain valley in the Gupis-Yasin district connected with the Wakhan Corridor. It is situated along the Ghizar River at a distance of 148 km from Gilgit city. Assumbur Pass is a favorite tourist in the Yasin Valley, which connects the Ishkoman Valley with the Yasin Valley. There are several valleys that attract tourists in Yasin Valley. It is famous for wildlife lovers due to the number of migratory birds from the Wakhan Corridor Afghanistan and Tajikstan.

The Koyo Zom is the highest peak in the Hindu Raj mountain, at an elevation of 22,546 feet, in Gupis Yasin in the Hindukush Range on the boundary of Gupis Yasin and Chitral. Hindu Raj Range is the mountain range between the Hindu Kush and Karakoram Range.