Dec – Feb · Attabad Lake & Karimabad
Winter sports in Hunza
December – February, when the lake freezes
Plan a trip around it →01 /The festival
Every winter, when the temperature on Attabad Lake drops far enough, Hunza turns the frozen water into a stadium. Teams from villages up and down the valley play ice hockey on natural ice with the mountains standing around them like spectators, while families skate, slide and cheer from the shore.
Around the matches there's music, traditional games, local food stalls and a warmth you don't expect at minus ten. It's small, joyful and completely local, and it shows a side of Hunza that summer visitors never see.
What you'll see
- 01Ice hockey on the frozen Attabad Lake
- 02Skating, sledging and old mountain games
- 03Local music, food stalls and bonfires on the shore
- 04Snow on the forts of Baltit and Altit
02 /How we do it
We keep an eye on the ice for you. Warmer winters have made the festival less certain, so we plan it with a built-in plan B: skiing at Naltar or Malam Jabba, and cosy homestay evenings in Karimabad either way.
03 /Good to know
Weather
Days around 0°C, nights down to −10°C or lower. Clear skies and sharp winter light.
What to pack
Proper thermals, a down jacket, waterproof boots and sunglasses for the glare off the ice.
Getting there
Fly to Gilgit, then about two and a half hours up the Karakoram Highway to Hunza.
Pair it with
7 days · 6 nightsHunza & Nagar
Hunza Valley
Forts, blue lakes, swinging bridges and the road to China.
From
$990
PKR 279,000 · per person
Dec – Feb
Plan a trip around it
Tell us how you want to feel and we'll design the journey from scratch. No templates, no planning fees, no pressure.
