It is formed by the confluence of the Chapursan and Khunjerab nalas (gorges) which are fed by glaciers.

The river cuts through the Karakoram range, flowing from north to south.

The Karakoram Highway (N-35) runs along the Hunza River valley, switching to the Khunjerab River valley at the point of confluence, eventually reaching the Khunjerab Pass at the border with China at Xinjiang.

[1] The Attabad landslide disaster in January 2010 completely blocked the Hunza Valley.

[citation needed] Media related to Hunza River at Wikimedia Commons