ISLAMABAD: US-based broadcaster CNN has curated a list of 25 destinations that are particularly worth visiting in 2025, naming Pakistan’s scenic Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region among them.
GB, a sparsely populated northern region administered by Pakistan as an autonomous territory, is home to some of the tallest peaks in the world and a major tourist destination.
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 tantalizing peaks than a lemon meringue pie,” CNN Travel said this week.
This picture taken on July 15, 2023 shows a view of K2, world’s second tallest mountain from its Base camp in the Karakoram range of Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan. (AFP/File)
“It’s home to five of the 14 ‘eight-thousander’ peaks recognized 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.
The file photograph posted on October 21, 2019, shows a paraglider is airborne in Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan region. (GB Paragliding & Hang Gliding Association/File)
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 organized 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.
Foreign tourists attend Blossom Festival in Khaplu Valley in Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan region on April 14, 2024. (AN/File)
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 Turkiye’s Kaçkar Mountains.
