16 Days Experience the Culture at the Roof of the world Pakistan

DETAIL ITINERARY

Day 01: Arrive in Lahore.

Arrival Lahore – Meet Guide Transfer Gust House/Hotel Famous Badshahi Mosque (Royal Mosque) A simple elegant looking architecture built in 17th century by Aurangzeb Alamgir the mosque is simple red sandstone architecture with its 4 high minarets also completely made of red sandstone. The interior of the mosque is decorated with white marble inlay in red sandstone. Check –in free visit Lahore Museum, Forts, Old Bazaar Dinner at Food Street and Overnight stay at Hotel.

Day 02 Lahore Lahore HAy.

To see Lahore is to be born again, that’s what the village folk tell each other in Punjab. We visit the Moghul monuments: The 17th-century Badshahi Mosque, with marble domes and red sandstone arches. The fort of Lahore is rightly called a mosaic of Moghul architecture as it displays the taste of all the Moghul Emperors. Walk through the old walled city and visit the masterpiece of art: a mosaic of glazed tiles - the Wazir Khan Mosque. In the evening we visit the Shalimar Garden, then drive to Wagah Border enjoy Flag Ceremony, Drive to the hotel for Overnight stay.

Day 03: Lahore to Peshawar.

Then drive to Peshawar along the Grand Trunk Road which was created by the Pathan emperor of the United Indian Empire: Sher Shah Suri. Crossing Indus River at Attock, we may stop for a photo at the meeting point of Indus & Kabul Rivers just beyond Attock Bridge. Dinner & overnight at hotel in Peshawar. ( 6-7 Hours)

DAY-04: Full Day Peshawar.

Peshawar Morning excursion to Khyber Pass, the most important and strategic land route leading to the Indian sub-continent. Historic invaders, including the armies of Alexander the Great of Macedonia, have used this route to explore the wonders of fertile land that lies south of this pass. We may be allowed to visit Michni Post from where we have a panoramic view of the Pak-Afghan border. (45 km one way) Afternoon city tour. Peshawar has always been important in the history of the sub-continent because of its location near the Khyber Pass & Gandhara civilization. The city is now known more for its special feeling of being a frontier town than for its monuments. Visit the street of story-tellers, Kissa Khawani bazaar, the street of gold (Kasera bazaar), Karavan Serai and Mahabat Khan Mosque. The museum of Peshawar, known for its collection of Gandhara artifacts, should also be visited. Overnight at hotel

DAY-05: Chitral via Dir Lowari pass.

Enter Chitral Drive to Chitral, passing through the fertile green plains of the valley of Peshawar, crossing the branches of the Swat River. Climb the Malakand Pass and enter the valley of Swat. At Chakdara you turn left to by-pass Churchill’s Picket and cross the bridge that leads to Dir. Lunch at Al-Manzar hotel, Dir. Proceed towards Lowari Pass (3200 meters). The descent takes travelers through about 96 hairpins down to the valley floor. Arrive at Chitral town, transfer to the motel for meals and overnight. (330 km, 10-11 Hours)

DAY- 06: Chitral - Kalash Valley.

Visit Kalash Morning city tour of Chitral town, the capital of the valley. While your guide arranges for the permit to enter the Kalash valleys, we have time to visit the colorful bazaar where we will find people from all over Afghanistan and North Pakistan. Enjoy fascinating views of Tirich Mir (7708m), the highest mountain of Hindu Kush range, and visit the town’s central mosque. Lunch at the hotel then drives to Kalash Valley the home of the Kafir Kalash. This tribe is known as the infidels as they still believe in the old gods, and they are also legendary for their known to the outside world for their celebrations and general enjoyment of life. Legend says that they are descendants of four Greek soldiers of Alexander’s army. The women wear black robes and skull-caps decorated with seashells and coins. We camp by their village overnight. (40 km, 1-2 hours)

DAY- 07: Kalash - Mastuj Valley. Bomburet - Mastuj.

Morning drive from Bomburet to Mastuj village, beside the Chitral River. The Hindu Kush landscape is arid, as this area is outside the reach of the monsoon so receives very little rain. We stop at a small village for lunch and then continue north, enjoying spectacular views of snow-clad peaks reaching up to 4500 m. Meals & overnight at camp. (163 km, 7-8 hours)

DAY-08: Mastuj – Pjander Valley.

Through Shandur Drive up the Phander jeep track over the Shandur Pass to Phander Lake. After Laspur village the zigzag jeep track climbs up the Shandur Pass (3500 m). At the summit, we leave the jeeps and walk over the pass to the highest polo ground in the world. Every year a grand festival of polo takes place where teams from throughout North Pakistan meet to decide the champion team. The festival is attended by many enthusiasts from every village, who came here for days to see their team work their way towards the glory. We continue by jeep to Phander lake to camp overnight. (80 km, 6-7 hours)

DAY-09: Phander - Huna Minapin - Rakapushi BC.

Karakoram Short drives from Punial on a jeep track to Gilgit town. We rest at Gilgit, the administrative capital of the Northern areas of Pakistan. Gilgit, 630 km from Islamabad along the Karakoram Highway, has a small airport and is connected to the outside world with modern communication systems. After lunch we continue to drive on Karakoram Highway, crossing the Gilgit River on a historic suspension bridge. Driving along the Hunza River, the soaring ridges of the Karakoram on both side of the gorge, we arrive at the small village of Minapin in the shadow of Rakaposhi (7788 m) and Diran (7265 m) mountains. Camp. (120 km, 5-6 hours)

DAY-10: Trek Day to Diran BC.

Trek to Tagafuri this is a moderate trek, full of interest, as it passes through hills covered with juniper and roses, with occasional fields of barley and potatoes. Lunch at a summer settlement. Later follow a path through steep pastures to arrive at our overnight campsite in a meadow between the lateral moraine of the Diran glacier and the foot of Rakaposhi. The views are spectacular. (Trek 5-6 hours)

DAY -11: Diran BC - Hunza Karimabad.

Diran base camp Full day excursion to Kacheli (Diran Peak base camp) crossing Minapin Glacier from the top end of the meadow at Tagafuri. Walk over soft snow and medial moraine to Kacheli, a meadow studded with wildflowers, which offers superb views of Diran & Rakaposhi. Return to camp for overnight. (Camp, 7-8 hours round trek.)

DAY-12: Full day Hunza Karimabad.

Karimabad Day at leisure, In the morning visit the 800-year-old Altit Fort that overlooks the ancient old silk route and the new Karakoram Highway. Later visit the newly restored palace of the Mir of the Hunza Kingdom that also served as a fort during many wars. Afternoon walk to Ultar Glacier. Meals and overnight at Hunza View hotel. Optional excursion to Nagar Valley. (Trek & sightseeing)

DAY-13: Karimabad - Passu - Khunjerab pass - Gulmit/ Passu /Chilas.

The Charms of Passu Morning drive from Karimabad to Passu village. Trek from village to Passu glacier. Lunch at Passu, afternoon walking trip to the 250-meter-long suspension bridge over Hunza River. Evening walk around the village. Meals and overnight Lodge.

DAY-14: Passu - SkarduFrom Passu /Chilas.

We follow Karakoram Highway reputed as the eighth wonder of the world. We follow Indus River towards the north and arrive at the place where the three highest mountain ranges of the world meet - Karakoram, Himalayas & Hindukush. Indus and Gilgit River also meet here at this unique place. We turn east from here for Skardu. This exciting mountain road that cuts through the deep & narrow gorge of Indus River, offers many challenging views. The landscape is mostly very dry and wild, villages and settlements along the way are fewer and perched high on the steep mountain slopes. Just before Skardu, the valley suddenly opens up and becomes wide. The roaring & charging river becomes peaceful and calm. Arrive and explore the capital of Baltistan, Skardu town. Formerly Buddhist, Skardu, was called’ Tibet Khurd (little Tibet) and was an important stop on the old route to Tibet and the district of Ladakh. Here the Indus River joins the Shigar River to become an enormous oval basin at 2,300 meters enclosed in purple, red, gray, and ochre mountains. Stroll down the narrow bazaar, climb up the cliff to visit the historic "Kharpocho" fort. Overnight camp at Satpara Lake, a deep blue shimmer just fifteen minutes’ drive from Skardu Valley.

Day 15: Skardu - Shigar & Khaplu Valleys.

The gentle, irrigated slopes with terraces of wheat, maize and barley, and the orchards of apricot, mulberry, peach, plum, pear, apples and nuts - all add to the charm of Shigar valley surrounded by snow-topped mountains. The town displays impressive carved wooden houses and mosques. After lunch at the town, we drive to adjoining Khaplu valley. Khaplu, the largest kingdom in old Baltistan, stretches in a wide fan from the base of a semicircular wall of mountain, dropping some 300 meters to the river level. Paths and irrigation channels connect the scattered houses set amid terraced fields and the friendly villager's welcome visitors. We shall visit the historic wood-carved mosque, dominating the valley from the top end of the alluvial fan. Camp overnight at 2,600 meters.

Day 16: Fly Islamabad.

Morning Drop Skardu Airport Departure Islamabad. Take self-taxi to GH/Free day Visit Islamabad. Overnight stay at GH.

(Incase flight canceled we drive to Narran. Drive Besham / Narran - Islamabad Full day drive on Karakoram Highway to Islamabad. We start early in the morning, to cover the 12 hours long drive. Short stay in Besham for lunch, by evening we shall reach Islamabad. Transfer to hotel. (500 km, 12/13 hours’ drive)