Not long into our continued journey down the Karakoram Highway, view of the stunning Attabad Lake and its uniquely bright turquoise water caught us all by surprise. How is such pristine color even possible?? The lake was formed in 2010 due to a massive landslide creating a dam, blocking the Hunza River flow. Sadly, many villages were flooded and more than 25,000 people were displaced. These days, the lake is heavily visited by tourists for fishing, boating, jet skiing, and general recreation. We took a short and scenic boat ride on the lake in colorful wooden boats, with abrasively loud motors attached. The surrounding views were absolutely breathtaking, like nothing I’ve ever seen before.
Part of the Karakoram Highway was submerged due to the massive landslide as well. Our drive continued through new tunnels freshly finished being built in the fall of 2015. Rather exciting for locals in the region, as detours on the KKH can add many (sometimes many, many) hours to a journey.
Our next epic stop – Hussaini Suspension Bridge. Hanging high above the Hunza River, the bridge and it’s far-reaching wood planks are almost as sensational as the surrounding landscape. As the story goes, in 1960, the President of Pakistan, Ayub Khan, visited Zarabad to hunt, and directed local authorities to construct a suspension bridge which was finally completed in 1967-68. A few of us opted to cross the bridge, and my Indiana Jones alter-ego was beyond thrilled. It was in our best interest to hold tight to the siding as our legs stretched from plank to plank, watching the river flow far below (some sections looking much deeper than others). I was in complete awe looking in each direction. The following pictures hopefully give a glimpse as to why, but they don’t do justice expressing the thrilling beauty.
After those who wanted an adrenaline rush made it off the bridge, we carried on south to Karimabad, where we settled in for the next few nights.
Wandering Ways 