Itinerary
- Day 1
Islamabad
You'll arrive at Islamabad airport and get picked up for the drive to your hotel. This afternoon, head to the Institute of Folk Heritage to see Pakistani costumes and artifacts, then move on to the Faisal Mosque. Later, drive up to Marghalla Hills for views across the city before heading to dinner at a restaurant near Saidpur Village in old Islamabad.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Airport transfer from Islamabad airport to hotel
- Visit to Institute of Folk Heritage (Lok Versa)
Optional Activities
- Visit Faisal Mosque
- Views from Marghalla Hills
- Dinner at a restaurant in old Islamabad
Landmarks/POIs Institute of Folk Heritage (Lok Versa) Faisal Mosque Marghalla Hills Saidpur Village - Day 2
Islamabad to Saidu Sharif
Drive northwest along the GT Road toward Swat Valley, stopping at Saidu Sharif, Butkhela, Chakdara, and Malakand Pass. Check out the local museum with Gandharan artifacts, then visit Butkara, an early Buddhist stupa from the Gandharan period. This region just reopened to foreign visitors after being closed for years.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit to neighborhood museum with Gandharan artifacts
- Visit to Butkara Buddhist stupa
Landmarks/POIs Butkara Buddhist Stupa Chakdara Malakand Pass - Day 3
Saidu Sharif to Chitral
After breakfast, pass by Chakdara where Winston Churchill saw military action in the 1890s, then cross Lowari Pass and enter Chitral. This quiet town sits at the edge of the Kalash Valleys and has nice views of the surrounding mountains.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Landmarks/POIs Lowari Pass Kalash Valleys - Day 4
Chitral to Balanguru (Rumbor Valley)
After breakfast, drive to Balanguru village in Rumbor Valley where you'll stay with a Kalash family representative. You might have the option to walk the final stretch through the valley. The Kalash make up Pakistan's smallest religious group, about 3,000 people living in three valleys (Birir, Bumburet, and Rumbur) in the Hindu Kush.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Optional Activities
- Walk final miles through Rumbor Valley
Landmarks/POIs Rumbor Valley - Day 5
Bumburet Valley
Head to Bumburet Valley, the most visually interesting of the three Kalash valleys with villages and green fields scattered throughout. Spend the day with Kalash families learning about their culture and lifestyle and how they're adapting to modern changes.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Cultural visit and interaction with Kalash families
Landmarks/POIs Bumburet Valley - Day 6
Bumburet Valley to Chitral
Leave the Kalash Valley region and hike through the mountains back to Chitral, a conservative town with traditional culture. If a mountain polo match is happening, you might catch it before settling in at your hotel for the night.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Hiking through mountains
Optional Activities
- Watch mountain polo game (if match is played)
- Day 7
Chitral to Mastuj
After breakfast, take a 4x4 jeep 110 km northeast of Chitral to Mastuj. This drive winds through Mastuj Valley past Tirich Mir and Bonizon, entering the Yarkund Valley near Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor. Explore the village when you arrive, then head back to your hotel.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Village walk around Mastuj
Landmarks/POIs Mastuj Valley Tirich Mir Yarkund Valley - Day 8
Mastuj to Khalti
Drive to Sandur Pass and stop for tea at 3,800 meters/12,500 feet. If interested, walk to Langer Plain where yaks and dzos graze, have a picnic lunch with Himalayan views, then continue by jeep to Khalti.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Stop at Sandur Pass for tea
Optional Activities
- Walk to Langer Plain
- Picnic lunch at Langer Plain
Landmarks/POIs Sandur Pass Langer Plain - Day 9
Khalti to Gilgit
After breakfast, continue driving to Gilgit through some of Northern Pakistan's most dramatic mountain scenery.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Day 10
Gilgit to Karimabad
After breakfast, visit the local Christian cemetery, then drive up the Karakoram Highway with Mount Rakaposhi (7,788 meters/25,551 feet) rising beside the road into Hunza Valley. Stop for lunch at Rakaposhi View Restaurant to see the longest continuous vertical mountain view on Earth, then continue to Karimabad, the main town in the region.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Lunch at Rakaposhi View Restaurant)
Included Activities
- Visit local Christian cemetery
- Drive along Karakoram Highway beside Mount Rakaposhi
- Lunch at Rakaposhi View Restaurant
Landmarks/POIs Mount Rakaposhi Hunza Valley Karakoram Highway - Day 11
Karimabad
Walk along a water channel at the top of Karimabad for valley views. After lunch, spend time shopping and walking around town before visiting the 15th-century Baltit Fort, the former seat of power in Hunza that was restored by UNESCO. Get back to your hotel in the late afternoon.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch
Included Activities
- Walk on water channel at top of Karimabad
- Visit to 15th-century Baltit fort
Optional Activities
- Shopping and wandering in Karimabad
Landmarks/POIs Baltit Fort - Day 12
Karimabad
Explore Altit Fort and the Royal Garden. Have lunch at a local restaurant trying regional dishes. Watch the sunset at Duikar.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Local food dishes at a local restaurant)
Included Activities
- Visit to Altit Fort
- Visit to Royal Garden
- Lunch at local restaurant
- Sunset at Duikar
Landmarks/POIs Altit Fort Royal Garden Duikar - Day 13
Upper Hunza Valley
Drive to Upper Hunza Valley and see Attabad Lake. You'll have free time for boating and jet skiing. Also visit Borith Lake while looking at Passu Glacier across the water.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit to Attabad Lake
- Visit to Borith Lake with view of Passu Glacier
Optional Activities
- Boating at Attabad Lake
- Jet ski at Attabad Lake
Landmarks/POIs Attabad Lake Borith Lake Passu Glacier - Day 14
Upper Hunza Valley to Gilgit
Check out Passu Cones with extra time for the Ondra Poyga trail. Visit Hussaini Suspension Bridge, then drive to Khunjrab Pass and return to Gilgit by night.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit to Passu Cones
- Visit to Hussaini Suspension Bridge
- Drive to Khunjrab Pass
Optional Activities
- Ondra Poyga trail
Landmarks/POIs Passu Cones Hussaini Suspension Bridge Khunjrab Pass - Day 15
Gilgit to Shigar
Take an early tour of Gilgit with your guide, stopping at the polo grounds and the mountain bazaar. Then leave town driving through the narrow gorge called the 'Grand Canyon' of Northern Pakistan, following the Indus River to Shigar.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Guided tour of Gilgit polo grounds
- Visit to Gilgit mountain bazaar
- Drive through Grand Canyon gorge
Landmarks/POIs Gilgit Polo Grounds Gilgit Mountain Bazaar Grand Canyon (Northern Pakistan) Indus River - Day 16
Shigar to Khaplu
After breakfast, walk through the 14th century Amburiq Mosque that won a UNESCO restoration award and see the restored Khanqah. Drive to Khaplu and check in to your hotel. In the afternoon, explore Khaplu Palace, the village, and the Khanqah, a spiritual retreat that also housed travelers.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Walking tour of 14th century Amburiq Mosque
- Visit to restored Khanqah
- Visit to Khaplu Palace
- Explore Khaplu village
Landmarks/POIs Amburiq Mosque Khaplu Palace Khaplu Khanqah - Day 17
Khaplu
You have a free day to relax or try various activities. Options include watching a polo game, seeing rock carvings at Saling, visiting the 18th century Khaplu Khanqah mosque, riding horses through Baltistan, walking around Khaplu, or checking out the hotel's projects like the Bara wool spinning center and women's vocational training center.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Optional Activities
- Watch polo game
- Visit rock carvings at Saling
- Explore 18th century Khaplu Khanqah mosque
- Horseback riding through Baltistan
- Stroll through Khaplu
- Visit Bara wool spinning centre
- Visit Khaplu Women's Vocational Training Centre
Landmarks/POIs Saling Rock Carvings Khaplu Khanqah Mosque - Day 18
Khaplu to Skardu
Get driven 105 km west from Khaplu to Skardu in about 2 hours. Explore the main bazaar and walk an old trail at the foot of Kharpocho Fort to the 'organic village'. If there's a polo match, catch a game at the main field. Visit the K2 museum at K2 Motel to learn about local life and mountaineering culture.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Walk through town's main bazaar
- Visit K2 museum at K2 Motel
Optional Activities
- Visit organic village via old trail at foot of Kharpocho Fort
- Watch polo game at town's main field
Landmarks/POIs Kharpocho Fort K2 Museum - Day 19
Skardu to Rama
After an early breakfast, head to Deosai Plateau National Park, a 4,000-meter/13,123-foot high wilderness with wildflowers depending on the season. Have a hearty picnic lunch with Himalayan views. Drive on to Rama and if time allows, take a short drive to Rama Lake in the afternoon.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Hearty picnic lunch with views of the Himalayas)
Included Activities
- Visit to Deosai Plateau National Park
- Picnic lunch with Himalayan views
Optional Activities
- Drive to Rama Lake
Landmarks/POIs Deosai Plateau National Park Rama Lake - Day 20
Rama to Fairy Meadows
Continue toward Chilas today. Leave the alpine meadows of Rama and Astore and enter Astore Gorge, one of the most dramatic landscapes around. Reach Raikot Bridge where you'll switch to local 4x4 jeeps for the narrow, steep mountain road up to Fairy Meadows. The drive is quite an experience.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Drive through Astore Gorge
- 4x4 jeep transfer from Raikot Bridge to Fairy Meadows
Landmarks/POIs Astore Gorge Raikot Bridge - Day 21
Fairy Meadows
Fairy Meadows, locally called Jut, is a grassy pasture near one of Nanga Parbat Mountain's base camp sites (8,126 meters/26,660 feet). Today you'll hike toward the base camp through green meadows and pine forests with beautiful scenery all around.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Hike toward Nanga Parbat base camp
Landmarks/POIs Fairy Meadows Nanga Parbat - Day 22
Fairy Meadows to Naran
Leave this peaceful place and start heading back down and on to Naran. Stop briefly at the top of Babusar Pass (4,100 meters/13,451 feet) for views of the Himalayas, Karakorum and Hindu Kush ranges before continuing to Naran.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Stop at Babusar Pass for views
Landmarks/POIs Babusar Pass - Day 23
Naran to Islamabad
Stop en route in Taxila, a fascinating Buddhist university town from the Gandharan period during Alexander the Great's era. After exploring Taxila, continue a short distance to Islamabad for your final night.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit to Taxila Buddhist university town
Landmarks/POIs Taxila - Day 24
Islamabad Departure
This morning you'll get transferred to the airport in time for your onward flight.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Airport transfer to Islamabad airport
