A house in the valley.
Swans Hotel was built as a quiet address for travellers arriving at the meeting place of three of the world's great mountain ranges — the Karakoram, the Hindu Kush, and the Himalaya. Sitting above Karimabad, our stone and cedar house looks out at Rakaposhi to the south and at the great Ultar wall to the north.
The hotel was designed with masons and carpenters from Hunza and Nagar. Every carved lintel, dry-stone wall, and hand-woven rug is the work of families whose craft has shaped the valley for generations. We think of the building not as a hotel imported to Hunza, but as a Hunza house that happens to receive guests.
Our staff are almost entirely from the surrounding villages. We work with local farmers for the kitchen, with local guides for our experiences, and with the Aga Khan Cultural Service for the ongoing conservation of Baltit and Altit forts. Hospitality in the north is not a service — it is a covenant. We hope you feel it.
Where we are
Karimabad, in central Hunza, at 2,438 metres. A two-hour flight from Islamabad to Gilgit followed by a two-hour drive along the Karakoram Highway — or a full-day scenic drive through the Kaghan and Naran valleys.
When to visit
Apricot blossom in April. Long, clear days May through September. Golden orchards and quiet villages in October. Snow, silence, and firesides from November to March.
"A guest is a blessing on the house."
— a Wakhi saying