02/08/2021
Cathedral Range, Passu
For such a spectacular scene, it’s remarkably unknown. Pakistanis talk about “The Northern Areas” while foreigners seem rather hung up on the Hunza Valley, however for me, neither of those compare to the fairytale magic of Passu.
The Cathedral Range, also known as the “Passu Cones” are one of the most striking landmarks on the Karakoram Highway. The jagged rocky peaks thrust skywards from the rest of the Karakoram Range are an arresting sight.They first come into view from across the upper reaches of the Attabad Lake near Gulmit.The locals call it Tupopdan, the “sun swallowing mountains”, and as the day’s last rays shimmer off the golden-bronze rock, it’s easy to see why. “Tupopdan” is also sometimes translated as “hot rocks”, so called because of the way the snow and ice seems to slip off (or melt away from) the sheer cliff walls.The Karakoram Highway snakes its way through Passu, past the handful of shops and hotels, before finally descending on to the valley floor. It turns a corner and ahead, amid the tall green trees, is the view to remember for a lifetime; the Cathedral Range, the most photographed part of the Karakoram Range, and yet the one that hardly anyone knows about.
