Travel advice to Pakistan clears way for tourists to Gilgit-Baltistan

In May 2015 the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office lifted its advice against visiting the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan – now advising the region as “safe for travel.” This enables the potential for more tourists to the region this summer. The British FCO had declared the region unsafe since June 2013 when a group of climbers were killed at base campe at the foot of the Nanga Parbat Mountain.

However, the FCO still contains advice not to visit areas such as Pakistan’s Kalesh Valley, Bamoboret Valley, and parts of Chitral, Quetta, and Nawabshah.

The Gilgit-Baltistan region of northern Pakistan is the mountainous area of the Himalaya, Karakoram, Hindu Kush, and Parmir – where the ranges all meet. With the revised FCO status it opens the potential for more tourists to go mountaineering or trekking in the glacial regions. The area has seven of the world’s highest peaks, and is known as “Throne Room of the Mountain Gods.”

I am currently in Pakistan, although I won’t have time to visit the region. However, I have been there in the past and the scenery is spectacular.

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