---
type: Video
title: "First Impressions of HUNZA VALLEY, Pakistan 🇵🇰"
description: Harry and Mac's first full day in Hunza Valley — a dried-fruit breakfast, a historic fort tour, local Hunza food, and a night of traditional music and dancing.
tags: [pakistan, hunza-valley, food, culture, mountains]
timestamp: 2026-07-12T12:00:00Z
resource: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLjDnYzkOyE
video_id: pLjDnYzkOyE
upload_date: 2022-01-05
duration: 1803
---

# First Impressions of HUNZA VALLEY, Pakistan 🇵🇰

Part of Harry's 40+ video Pakistan series. Harry and [Mac](/people/mac.md)
wake up to panoramic snow-capped mountain views in the
[Hunza Valley](/places/hunza-valley.md) in freezing winter weather (about
−2°C by day, −7 to −8°C overnight). They browse a local dried-fruit and nut
shop, tour the historic [Baltit Fort](/places/baltit-fort.md) with a guide,
try non-alcoholic beer, eat a traditional Hunza dinner at the Hunza Food
Pavilion — which Harry calls probably one of the best meals he's had in
[Pakistan](/countries/pakistan.md) — and end the night dancing for two hours
with a local band. The custom tour was arranged by their guide
[Akram](/people/akram.md).

*Obs: this page is based on auto-generated subtitles, which are garbled in
places; some amounts are marked unverified.*

## Itinerary

Hotel with valley views → dried-fruit shop → fort tour (royal gardens,
watchtower, dungeons, balcony views) → sunset walk along the high street →
dinner at Hunza Food Pavilion → traditional Hunza music and dance evening.

## Key moments

- [00:00] Waking up to panoramic views of snow-capped mountains; −2°C and a
  night spent sleeping in full jackets.
- [01:01] Breakfast and a local shop full of dried apricots, mulberries,
  blackcurrants, nuts, and apricot/walnut oils — a mixed bag for 200 (from
  video – unverified). Harry is blown away by how much flavour dried fruit
  keeps.
- [04:43] Arriving at the fort; their guide says Hunza has an essentially
  zero-percent crime rate — lost wallets get returned.
- [05:45] Trying non-alcoholic beer, which can be drunk openly on the street;
  regular alcohol is brewed in Murree.
- [07:27] The fort is described as the first royal house, over a thousand
  years old — the oldest surviving standing structure in Gilgit-Baltistan.
  Entry was 1,200 (from video – unverified), about six or seven dollars.
- [09:34] The mud-built fort reportedly withstands earthquakes up to
  magnitude 8 (from video – unverified) and has survived several.
- [10:04] Darker history: a standing tomb where the king's rebellious brother
  was entombed, an old wine cellar from pre-Islamic times, and dungeons.
- [11:07] Balcony views over the turquoise river (a ~1,000-foot drop),
  villages, and the valley.
- [13:09] The story that the British were accepted here because they wrote
  their letter in Persian — Harry's cue that
  [learning the local language](/tips/learn-the-local-language.md) opens
  doors; he's learning bits of Urdu.
- [16:14] Dinner at Hunza Food Pavilion: noodle soup with coriander and mint,
  a thin "pizza of Hunza" flatbread with chicken and walnut oil, liquid local
  cheese, and digestive green tea.
- [22:42] Two hours of traditional Hunza music with a local band and a famous
  composer — everyone takes turns dancing; Harry ranks it among his best
  experiences in Hunza.

## Extracted pages

- Place: [Hunza Valley](/places/hunza-valley.md)
- Place: [Baltit Fort](/places/baltit-fort.md)
- Country: [Pakistan](/countries/pakistan.md)
- Tip: [Learn the local language](/tips/learn-the-local-language.md)
- Person: [Mac](/people/mac.md)
- Person: [Akram](/people/akram.md)