ISLAMABAD, 14 August 2004 — The government has taken a number of steps to promote tourism. The measures include large-scale development of sites in the Northern Areas, preservation of archaeological sites in Taxila, Moenjodaro, Harappa and Swat. Pakistan remains a land of high adventure. Trekking, mountaineering, white water rafting, wild boar hunting, mountain and desert jeep, camel and yak safaris, trout fishing and bird watching, are among the few activities that attract the adventure and nature lovers to Pakistan.
Northern Areas of Pakistan, spread over 72,496 square kilometers are the most fascinating region of natural beauty. Amidst towering snow-clad peaks with heights varying from 1,000 to 8,000 meters, the regions of Gilgit, Hunza and Baltistan recall Shangri-La.
The cultural patterns of these regions are as interesting as their geography. The people with typical costumes, folk dances, music and sports like polo and buzkashi, provide the tourist an unforgettable experience. Nowhere else in the world is such a great concentration of high mountains, peaks, glaciers and passes except in Pakistan. Of the 14 over 8,000 meters high peaks on earth, 4 occupy an amphitheater at the head of Baltoro glacier in the Karakoram range. These are; K-2 (8,611 m, world’s second highest), Broad Peak (8,047 m) and Gasherbrum-I (8,068 m) Gasherbrum-II (8,035) m).
There is yet another which is equally great, Nanga Parbat (8,125 m), located at the western end of the Himalayas. In addition to that, there are 68 peaks over 7,000 meters and hundreds other over 6,000 meters. Northern Pakistan has some of the longest glaciers such as Siachen (74 km), Hispar (59 km), Biafo (59 km), Baltoro (58 km) and Batura (52 km) outside the Polar region.