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Itineraries
Day 1
Drive to Islamabad
Arrive in Islamabad. A representative of Karakorum Explorers will meet you outside the customs and immigration area at the airport. This representative will answer questions, brief you on the immediate arrangements, and escort you to the hotel in Islamabad. Discover the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Rawalpindi is an old British -era settlement and Islamabad is the capital city and administrative centre built some time after the partition of India in elevation in 1947. The cities are Located at about 1,500 feet in elevation in the hot and steamy plains of Pakistan’s upper Punjab. You may wish to explore Rawalpindi by wandering among its many and varied bazaars, or visit the imposing Shah Faisal Mosque superbly situated at the foot of the Margalla Hills. This mosque is one of the largest in the world, with room for 15,000 worshippers inside and 85,000 in the courtyard. This day we will attend a trek briefing at the Alpine club of Pakistan.
Overnight Hotel. Breakfast included.
Day 2
Drive to Chilas
A thin ribbon of asphalt strikes north from near Islamabad and leaves the modern capital and the dusty Punjab plains far behind. As it weaves through sparse green hills, the first wrinkles of mountain-building in this geological 'collision zone', this unassuming road gives little hint as to what lies ahead. This is the high road to China, the Karakoram Highway (KKH), which was blasted and bulldozed through an intractable landscape of raging rivers, deep ravines and precipitous peaks in the 1960s and '70s. It is a 1200km marvel of engineering and a symbolic collaboration between Pakistan and China. It is also a magnet for adventure-seekers.
Along the KKH you will encounter ancient towns of Taxila, Hassanabdal, Abbottabad, Besham, Dassu. It’s a long drive(13 hours) so the journey will start early from Islamabad.
Overnight at hotel in Chilas. Full Board, all meals included.
Day 3
Drive to Skardu
Thirty-eight kilometres south of Gilgit, the road to Skardu (170km) leaves the KKH and crosses a bridge and a spit of rock into the upper Indus Valley. Ten minutes from the bridge is a perfect panorama of the entire Nanga Parbat massif, and shortly afterwards there’s a brief view ahead to Rakaposhi south face. Fifteen minutes later the Indus is at its northern-most point. Another 15 minutes on (27km from the KKH) is the fuel stop of Sassi, a green island in a sea of crumbling rocks.
With its size, desolation and the non stop foaming fury of the Indus, the gorge from here south is simply awesome. Where there are no bridges, people still cross by pulling themselves hand over hand in a sphincter-puckering contraption consisting of a platform hung from a pulley on a single cable, often hundreds of metres above the river. At the truck stop of Thangus, 53 km from the KKH, look across the river for miners scraping out a living by burrowing into the mountain’s quartz veins for crystals.
Another 7km further on is a popular travellers’ stop at the basic Midway Hotel and, across the road, PTDC Astak, about 89 km from Skardu. About 31/2 hours from the KKH (21/2 hours from Skardu) is the regional centre Thowar. Across the river is Mendi, capital of the ancient Rondu kingdom. Below Basho the canyon opens into the vast Skardu Valley, and an hour later you’re in Skardu bazaar.
In good weather the 170km trip takes six to seven hours, with at least two police checkpoints. In rainy weather (eg summer storms and winter drizzle) multiple slides may block it completely.
Overnight in Hotel. Full Board, all meals included.
Hotel accommodation in Kathmandu and Pokhara category in 3 star in double occupancy
– Welcome and farewell dinner
– Bus transport as per mention in the itinerary
– Trekking conservation permit
– Trekking Register Certificate
– Equipped and insured trekking porter (one porter in between 2 person)
– Experienced and first aid trained license holder trekking guide
– Food and drinks
– Gratuities (optional)
– Entrance fees
– Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
Medical and vaccination requirements differ between nations and as we are not medical practitioners, we unfortunately cannot advise on this issue. Please see your local GP or travel doctor for details and advice about current vaccination requirements.
Our leaders are trained to deal with these situations and we will endeavour to get you help as quickly as possible. If you must leave the trip early due to illness, our local offices will help you find appropriate medical care and ensure someone at home is aware of the situation. We will do whatever we can to get you home or on your onward journey. Your travel insurance, which is compulsory on all our trips, should cover any costs incurred if illness occurs.
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