The World’s Greatest Places of 2026
Courtesy Hunza Serena Hotel
Media Source: Time Magazine (USA)
Date: 13 March 2026
Home to five of the world’s 14 peaks above 8,000 meters (26,247ft.), Gilgit-Baltistan has long kept a low profile despite its towering geography. That’s changing fast. This mountainous corner of northern Pakistan has emerged as one of Asia’s most exciting new adventure frontiers, with international visits surging…
Home to five of the world’s 14 peaks above 8,000 meters (26,247ft.), Gilgit-Baltistan has long kept a low profile despite its towering geography. That’s changing fast. This mountainous corner of northern Pakistan has emerged as one of Asia’s most exciting new adventure frontiers, with international visits surging 121% in 2024. That year, the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED) opened the Hunza Serena Hotel, an 82-room property designed to welcome a new type of tourist. Balconies open onto the wide-shouldered Rakaposhi Mountain, whose glaciers glimmer white above the jade-green Hunza Valley. Below sit the mud-brick forts of Altit and Baltit and terraced orchards of apple and apricot trees. Hunza Serena is drawing a new wave of discerning travellers to northern Pakistan—many journeying with upscale operators like Wilderness Travel.