Karakoram Expedition

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£1599

💥 14 Days

Included

🚘 Airport transfers in Islamabad

🏨 13 nights of accommodation in hotels mentioned in FAQ

📄 Letter of Invitation (needed for the visa)

🚐 Private coaster and Jeeps (when needed) with experienced driver across Pakistan.

🍴 All meals, including dinner in a fancy restaurant on arrival day + breakfast on departure day.

✔️ Clearance for all checkpoints

🤵 Pakistani local guide

👱‍♂️ International tour leader

🏰 Entrance fees, cultural activities and guided tours to all places listed in the itinerary.

Not Included

 ✈️International flights to Islamabad

 📜 Visa fees (from $35 to $60, depending on nationality).

 🍷 Alcoholic drinks or any extra drink

🏨  Single supplement. Having your own private room costs $200

Itinerary

Day 1 – Arrival in Islamabad

Day 1 is the arrival day in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. We will spend the day picking you up from the airport and checking in at the hotel. We will visit Faisal Mosque and then, in the evening, we will invite you for a welcome dinner at Monal Restaurant, one of the most popular restaurants in town, serving high-quality Pakistani food.
Distance: 16 km / Driving Hours: 30 min / Altitude: 2400m / Activities: Sightseeing.

Day 2 – Driving to Chilas through the Karakoram Highway

The drive between Islamabad and Gilgit Baltistan is a 600-kilometer ride over an entangled road, not feasible to do it in one day, so we will stop and spend the night in Chilas, a small town along the Karakoram, where we will get our first glimpse of the local life in this part of Pakistan. The drive is very scenic, and adventurous, with plenty of worldwide famous Pakistani trucks. The whole journey from Islamabad to Chilas takes around 12 hours, with breaks, unexpected events and checkpoints included.
Why not fly into Gilgit instead? Because flights get cancelled too often and we can’t risk that. We understand that it’s a long drive but if we took a domestic flight instead to cut one day short, and the flight got cancelled, we’d run into a big problem.

Day 3 chilas – Karimabad Hunza:

In the morning after breakfast, we will drive to Karimabad Hunza sightseeing en route we will stop at the junction point of the three greatest mountain ranges where they meet at the same then we will have a lunch break at Rakaposhi viewpoint then further drive to Karimabad Hunza arrival in Karimabad Hunza check in at hotel after a short rest then we will go for the sunset Safari at Eagles nest. Overnight stay in Karimabad Hunza.
Distance: 221 km / Driving Hours: 05 hrs / Altitude: 2400m / Activities: Sightseeing.

Day 4 Karimabad – Hopper Valley – Gulmit Upper Hunza Valley:

In the morning after breakfast then we will drive to Hopper Valley hike up to Hopper glacier then drive toward Attabad Lake boating at Attabad Lake then further drive to Gulmit arrival in Gulmit check in at hotel. Overnight stay in Gulmit Upper Hunza Valley.
Distance: 90 km / Driving Hours: 4 hrs / Altitude:2500m / Activities: sightseeing.

Day 5 – Full day in Gulmit

We will spend the day exploring Gulmit and its surroundings, focusing on the local culture, including visiting a women-run carpet workshop and having lunch in a local house. Then, we will hike to Borith Lake and after lunch, we will trek to Ondra Polygah for the best views of the valley.
Overnight in Gulmit.

Day 6 – Hussaini & Passu bridges, and Shimshal

Day 5 is among traveler’s favourites. Early in the morning, we will head for Shimshal, not without first stopping at Hussaini Bridge, a vertiginous, suspension bridge, from where we will trek to the village of Passu, over an even more jaw-dropping bridge. After lunch, we will head for Shimshal.
Overnight in Shimshal.
Distance: 47 km / Driving Hours: 3 hrs / Activities: sightseeing.

Day 7 – Trekking to Yazghil Glacier

Shimshal is the highest settlement in Hunza, and one of the less visited areas in the country. Needless to say, the valley is obviously gorgeous and early in the morning, we will hike to Yazghil glacier, a 20-kilometer trek. We will have lunch overlooking the magnificent glacier before heading back to the village and enjoying our time with the local people there.
Overnight in Shimshal.

Day 8 Shimshal – Ghizer Valley:

In the morning after breakfast, we drive towards royal guest house, Ghizer valley.
Distance: 300 km / Driving Hours:8 hrs / Activities: sightseeing.

Day 9 Royal guest house – ishkomen Valley:

In the morning after breakfast, we will explore nearby valley and hike to lakes. check-in at the hotel. Overnight stay in royal guest house.

Day 10 ishkomen valley – Phundar Valley:

In the morning after breakfast, we will drive to Phundar Valley en route we will stop for photography then further drive to Phundar Valley arrive and check-in at the hotel after a short rest then we will go for a walk in Phundar Valley. Overnight stay in Phundar Valley.
Distance: 110 km / Driving Hours: 3 hrs / Activities: sightseeing.

Day 11 – Driving to Chilas

This will our last day in the mountains so, we will take out time, enjoying breakfast and the beautiful Himalayan range, before heading down to Chilas, slowly, enjoying one last time of the scenery.
Distance: 300 km / Driving Hours: 8 hrs / Activities: Enjoy scenic beauty.

Day 12 – Chilas to Islamabad

In the morning, we will drive back slowly to Islamabad.
Distance: 395 km / Driving Hours: 8 hrs / Activities: Enjoy scenic beauty.

Day 13 – Lahore city tour

Lahore is the cultural capital of Pakistan, and where you find the best local food, the most stunning mosques, and the liveliest bazaar in all the country, and unmissable city. In the evening, we will also head for the Pakistan/Indian border to attend at the daily border ceremony.
Overnight in Lahore.
Distance: 376 km / Driving Hours: 5 hrs / Activities: Enjoy scenic beauty.

Day 14 – Departure

After breakfast, we will take care of your transfer to Lahore airport.

Gallery

FAQ

Which hotels do we stay?
These are the hotels we always stay in – subject to availability.
All are relatively comfortable hotels and lodges with private rooms and attached toilets, usually the best available option in the region we visit.

• Islamabad: MARGALLA Hills Residency, Gofas Lodge.

• Chilas: Shangrila Hotel Chilas

• Passu: Sarai Silk Route, Silk route lodge

• Shigar: Space Hotel

• Skardu: Himalaya Hotel, Maple resort

• Karimabad: Mountain Story Aliabad, Offto resort.

• Attabad Lake: Luxus hunza Attabad lake resort

• Minapin: Roomy yurts resort

• Rama meadows: PTDC motel Rama

• Ghizer valley: Royal guest house, Riverdale resort

• Phandar valley: Top lodge hill

• Ayun Valley: Villa Ayun

• Mastuj/Booni: PTDC Mastuj

• Swat: Swat palace hotel by northin

• Kalam: Zen Luxus

• Kumrat Valley: Latitude resort

• Fairy meadows: Ibex lodge

• Shimshal Valley: Shimshal heights hotel

How does the room distribution work?
Price of the tour includes accommodation in a twin room.
If you are a solo traveler, you will be sharing the room with another like-minded traveler from the group. We always try to group people of the same gender and age together but note that this won’t always be the case.
If you want to have your own single room, price of the single supplement is an additional $200.

How to get a visa?
Today, you can easily apply for a Pakistan tourist visa online, it’s very simple.
As an average, it takes no more than 1 week to get the visa approval.
Tips and instructions will be shared upon booking a spot.

Which nationalities can join this tour?
Pretty much all nationalities.

Do I need to be fit for this tour?
We will do some hikes but nothing particularly challenging, and all will be day hikes, no camping, and stuff like that.
This means that all hikes are optional and that you can always hang out in the respective villages, where you will be surrounded by mountains anyway.

How good is the infrastructure in Pakistan?
As mentioned, in the mountain areas, we always stay in the best available accommodation.
However, note those areas of Pakistan are so remote that even the best possible accommodation can be an issue for some, since electricity and running water might not always be reliable.
Moreover, we always try to eat in the cleanest places but note that hygiene standards in Pakistan are poor and that some travelers might get sick due to the food they eat outside of the hotels.
Nevertheless, if you are keen to have the most epic adventure and are flexible when it comes to tourist facilities, you are welcome to join this tour!

What’s the best way to reach Islamabad?
Islamabad has an international airport, with some common connections being Dubai, Doha, Istanbul or Jeddah.

Is it safe?
Nowadays, Pakistan is safe, especially in the Northern Areas.

How many people will attend this tour?
We limit our tours to a maximum of 12-14 people.

Are there ATMs in Pakistan?
You can find ATMs in Islamabad, but better to bring cash for the Northern Areas.
Exchanging money: which currencies do they accept?
Both € and $ can be easily exchanged for Pakistani rupees.

How does payment work?
In order to secure your spot on the tour, we require a security deposit, and the remaining amount can be sent no later than 45 days before the departure date.
Further details will be shared upon booking your spot.