Phander (Urdu: پھنڈر) is the name of a settlement and valley in Ghizer District of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. It is situated on the road from Gilgit to Shandur Pass, from where it leads on to Chitral.
Phander Valley in Ghizer District is one of the most scenic valleys with easy access both from Gilgit and Chitral. It takes 5 to 6 hours from Gilgit to reach Phander valley which is commonly called “Little Kashmir”. Phander Lake is one of the most famous tourist spots in the entire region. Phander valley was the breadbasket for the whole Northern Areas. The name of Ghizer comes from the name of a village ‘Ghizer’ that is situated in the vicinity of Phander. The deep blue lake in Phander offers a magnificent view and is basically the home of trout fish. There is the PTDC Motel and Phander rest house which provide the best service for the tourists. The people of this valley are simple,hard working and known for hospitality. Phander valley is one of the most beautiful valleys of Gilgit-Baltistan. It is very famous among nature lovers and tourists with the name of "Little Kashmir". There are a many lakes (at least one lake after a drive of 30mints). Phander lake, 'kinisoteko lake', 'shahimal lake' are some of the worth mentioning and beautiful lakes. There are also a number of Glaciers in this valley but they are not as famous as it requires mountaineering to reach to them. Two very large and beautiful glaciers are ‘Ghonogh Glacier' and 'Gha cherkick'. These two glaciers are the main sources of irrigation water for the valley. They are not yet known to tourists and other people and I hope through this forum we will be able to bring them to the notice of nature lovers. *****Useful Information for Tourists and Adventure Lovers***** Phandar Valley Elevation: 1454 ft. Languages: Khowar Phandar valley is one of the most attractive and prominent place of Ghizer District. Phandar valley is famous for its most picturesque valley, deep blue lake and River Ghizer that flows through the village. Phandar valley is also normally called “Little Kashmir” because of the lush green wide fields, river that flows across the village and breathtaking scenery. Phandar valley is almost 61 km away from the valley of Gupis and about 163 km from Gilgit city. The most attractive tourist spot in Phandar valley is the magnificent Phandar Lake. The deep blue lake at the eastern end of the valley with crystal clear water, greenery, trees and rocky as well as snow-capped mountains offers a marvelous view that makes one adore the nature in its most original form. In short Phandar Lake is full of all the colors. The total area of lake is about 3 Km. The local people of Phandar valley are by nature very generous, simple and welcoming. The language spoken by the villagers is Khowar. In Phandar Phandar Khass, Gulagmauli and Hundarap valleys are also present and are known to be the widest valley of North. Also Phandar valley is very much famous for trout fishing along the Gilgit River. Accommodation: A number of PTDC Motel and rest houses are located in the valley to facilitate tourists. However, among these motels Shundoor guest house and Wali hotel are most popular hotels in that region. When to go: The best time to visit Phandar valley is the month of June to October . Accessibility: Phandar valley is easy accessible from Chitral as well as Gilgit. From Gilgit it takes about 5 to 6 hours to reach Phandar valley. Distance: The total distance from Islamabad to Phandar valley is 671 km. Hundarap valley: In the west of Phandar valley lies a small yet beautiful valley called Hundarap valley. Hundarap valley lies between Hundarap River and Shandur River. Hundarap valley is also famous for its lake and is also known as Paradise for trout fishing. Hundarap valley is about 190 km away from Gilgit and about 118 km from Gakuch. It elevation is 10800 ft. Hundarap lake can be reached by trekking to south from the Dadarilli pass
