Baltistan is situated in the middle of great Himalayas and Karakoram ranges on either side of mighty Indus and its tributaries. It is also known as “Little Tibet” because of its proximity as well as ethnic, cultural and linguistic bo***ge with Ladakh and Tibet in the East. Spread over 26000 square Kilometers, Baltistan is surrounded by Gilgit and Hunza valleys in the West. The Chinese province of
Sinkiang lies in the North. Baltistan itself consist of six valleys namely Skardu, Shigar, Khaplu, Kharmang, Gultari and Rondo. The Skardu town (2347m) is linked with Islamabad through a 724 kilometer long metal led road. A daily Boeing flight also operates between Islamabad and Skardu. Every year Baltistan passes through pleasant summers (2C to 40C) from March – September and freezing winters (upto -26C) October – February. It contains the most spectacular and fascinating mountainous region of the world. The most prominent among these are K-2 (8611m) , Gashabrum (8068m), Mashabrum (7821m), Chogolingsa (7865m), Broad Peak (8047m) etc. Besides Baltistan also has an extensive glacial chain which includes 75 km long Siachan Glacier, Concordia, Baltoro, Biafo etc. Medicinal plants and delicious temperate fruits specially apricots with rich in taste and flavor are abundantly available, Polo matches in Skardu are a great attraction especially on festive occasions. In fact, it is a traditional Balti game, which is called “The game of Kings” or “The King of Games”. It has now become popular throughout Northern Areas including Chitral. A polo tournament is held every year during the 2nd week of August to mark the liberation of Baltistan from Dogra rule in 1948.
