Rondu Valley

Rondu Valley

Rondu Valley is one of the most beautiful passages around the flow of Indus River is 150 km long canyon Ronda pushing its way through the massive walls of Karakoram. The river loses during its wild flow through the canyon nearly a kilometer of altitude. On the way you can see interesting bridges and cable railways across the river into green oases around its side tributaries, waterfalls and caves in which miners are looking for precious stones. Above all this protrude rock towers and glaciated giants.

Roundu or Rondu Valley ( also known as Rong Yul in Balti) is the fourth bigges valley of Baltistan after Skardu, Khaplu, and Shigar in Gilgit-Baltistan, northern Pakistan. It is just great piece of wild nature. On the other hand, the path often suffers from rock slides after fierce downpours.

The valley is Baltistan’s westernmost, and is the main trade and travel route between Baltistan and Gilgit. Already after a few hundred meters away there are completely different outlooks than before. At the beginning peeks on the horizon glaciated ridge of mountain Haramosh I. (7 406 m) then the canyon gets incredibly narrowed in a while and Indus flows in only a few meters wide riverbed.

Dramatic sceneries almost all the time – that’s the first thing that comes to your mind after long hours of driving through the canyon. Directly from the river tower several hundred meters up to kilometer high rock walls, in addition courageous built bridges with paths leading to remote villages.

There is a sophisticated irrigation system in places with some water bringing green life to this mountain desert.

Rondu Valley Map