Inzimam Ul Haq
In the north-eastern part of Chitral, above the Yarkhun Valley in the Hindu Raj mountain range, lies a dramatic and little-known landscape. Here, nine glaciers flow almost parallel to one another, creating a rare and striking scene of ice and rock. In their upper basins stands a natural amphitheater of towering 6000-metre peaks. Sandwiched between Upper Yarkhun in Chitral and the Yasin Valley of Gilgit, this remote area offers an exceptional setting for mountaineering and adventure trekking.
The line of glaciers begins in the south with the Madod Glacier near Shost and stretches northward to the Darkot Glacier at Chikar. In between lie the Risht, Shetor, Ponarilio, Kotalkash, Koyo, Pechus, and Chatiboi glaciers, descending side by side toward the Yarkhun Valley.
Above these glaciers rise the beautiful peaks of the Hindu Raj, including Koyo Zom (6,812 m), Thui I (6,524 m), Thui II (6,662 m), and Chikar Zom (6,110 m). Surrounding them are many unnamed peaks ranging from 5,400 to 6,200 meters.
The early exploration of this region dates back to the Indian British Survey of 1896, when the area was first properly documented and later published in the Military Gazetteer of 1904.
In 1935, Colonel R.C.F. Schomberg visited the region, travelling as far as Kurumbar Lake (known as White Lake or Akkul Lake on the Chitral side at that time) and crossing the Darkot Pass into Gilgit.
From a mountaineering perspective, the history of exploration in the Hindu Raj has been comprehensively summarized by Dr. Adolf Diemberger in his article “The Exploration of the Hindu Raj.” From his work, I quote here only the section relevant to the area between Shost and Darkot that is discussed in this article.
Tom Longstaff (1916–17) was likely the first mountaineer to survey the Hindu Raj, identifying major peaks such as Thui, Darkot, and Garmush . In 1956, Kazuo Fujita led the Punjab University–Kyoto University Joint Expedition, which achieved the first documented climb in the sector at Tausutik. A year later, in 1957, Dr. Susumu Matsushita and Abdul Hamid Beg led an expedition that crossed several high passes and made a serious high-altitude attempt on Shah Dok.
Dr. Gerald Gruber’s extensive reconnaissance in 1967 laid an important foundation for future expeditions through his detailed articles and mapping of the region.
The year 1968 proved particularly significant. Ing. Albert Stamm led the Vienna Section expedition that achieved the first ascent of Koyo Zom, the highest peak in the region. Helmut Linzbichler led the Kapfenberger expedition, successfully climbing Gainthir Chish I from the Yasin side.
That same year, Sadao Karibe led a Japanese expedition to the Pechus Glacier, exploring the area and identifying new secondary summits of Koyo Zom. In 1969, Richard Isherwood led a British expedition that made the first bold attempt on the challenging Thui II (6,523 m) via the Shetor Glacier.
Although very little attention is given to mountaineering at the domestic level, this region holds great importance and offers an outstanding landscape for trekking. It presents some of the most beautiful scenery in the world, where peaks, lakes, and glaciers exist side by side in a dramatic high-mountain setting.
Unfortunately, due to its proximity to the Wakhan Corridor, the area has long remained sensitive for tourists and explorers. After 9/11 in particular, restrictions became stricter. Foreign visitors are generally not allowed to travel beyond Mastuj, and even in rare cases where permission is granted, access to the deeper parts of Upper Yarkhun remains limited.
