Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan named among best places to visit in 2025 by CNN
- 03 Jan 2025
The US-based broadcaster Cables News Network (CNN) has curated a list of 25 destinations including Pakistan’s scenic Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region that are particularly worth visiting in 2025.
The Gilgit-Baltistan, a sparsely populated northern region, is home to some of the world’s highest and most challenging peaks, including K2, the second-highest mountain on Earth. The region’s remote location, however, can pose logistical challenges.
Thousands of tourists and foreign climbers visit the region each year for expeditions on various peaks, paragliding and other sports activities.
“The Gilgit-Baltistan region in the Karokoram Mountains isn’t the easiest place to get to — flight schedules can be unreliable, roads can be blocked off seasonally — but it has more tantalising peaks than a lemon meringue pie,” CNN Travel said.
“It’s home to five of the 14 ‘eight-thousander’ peaks recognised as the world’s highest. That includes K2, the world’s second-tallest mountain but No.1 in terms of difficulty and danger.”
In terms of tourism and infrastructure, hiking in this region makes the Himalayas look like a traipse in Central Park, but GB is a place where going alone is not an option, according to CNN Travel.
While 2024 saw a surge in mountaineering expeditions in GB, nine mountaineers died last year in their attempts to summit various peaks in the South Asian country, according to the Alpine Club of Pakistan, which arranges various expeditions.
Of these climbers, five were from Japan, one from Russia, one from Brazil and two from Pakistan.
GB, however, is accessible through trips organised by reputable global tour operators, including G Adventures and Wild Frontiers, according to CNN Travel.
“Intrepid offers a 10-day, fully supported hike through the region known as ‘Little Tibet’ starting at around $3,000,” it said.
Other top destinations on the CNN travel list include Almaty in Kazakhstan, India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bolivia, Chemnitz in Germany, Morocco’s Rabat, Vancouver Island in Canada, and Turkey’s Kaçkar Mountains.
NNI News Service
