Hindu Kush

North of the Hunza valley, the eastern Hindu Kush approaches the great ranges of the Karakoram and Pamir. High ridges and glaciers divide the upper Indus country from the valleys leading towards Central Asia. Mountain passes offer difficult routes between these regions, crossing a landscape where snow and ice endure far above the cultivated settlements. The Gilgit and Indus rivers mark much of the southern boundary of the Karakoram.