14-Day Chilinji Pass Trek in Pakistan with Chapursan and Hunza

• Arrive in Islamabad and finalize the trekking permits with the Ministry of Tourism.

• Spend the evening at leisure.

Dinner and overnight stay at a hotel in Islamabad.

• Have breakfast, then drive to Chilas along the Karakoram Highway (KKH), the 500-kilometre legendary route that winds its way through the Himalayan, Hindu Kush, and Karakoram mountains. Construction of the highway, often referred to as the eighth wonder of the world, was a joint venture between Pakistan and China that took 20 years to complete.

Dinner and overnight stay at a hotel in Naran.

Trip duration: 12-hour drive; 500 km.

• Continue along the KKH to Gilgit, passing through the precipitous gorge of the Indus River.

• As you near Gilgit, catch your first glimpse of Nanga Parbat (8125 m).

• After lunch, transfer to a soft-top 4x4 jeep and continue towards the Ghizar Valley and the village of Chatorkhand for an overnight stay.

Trip duration: 8-9 hours; 230 km.

• If road conditions permit, drive to Bilhinz. Otherwise, take an easy trek from Chatorkhand into the Ishkoman Valley.

• Set up camp and stay the night in the small village of Bilhinz.

Trip duration: 2-hour drive, 5-6 hour walk.

• Today, if road conditions permit, complete half the journey by jeep. Otherwise, it will be an easy day's walk to the overnight camping site at Matramdas.

• Reach a friendly village of about 10 houses on the side of the Chilinji River, the last permanent settlement before the Chilinji Pass.

Trip duration: 6-7 hour walk.

• Start early today because, after a 15-minute walk, trekkers must cross a water channel before the water level gets too high.

• After an easy day's trekking, arrive at Yasin, the most beautiful camping site on the trail, with its green meadows and trees.

Trip duration: 5-6 hour walk.

• Begin the day with a steep climb of about 200 meters, crossing the Yasin Glacier. After this, the walk becomes easier as you continue to the Chilinji River, which trekkers cross one by one on a swinging pulley.

• Camp overnight at the Chilinji summer settlement.

Trip duration: 5-6 hour walk.

• Make an early start today, as the whole trek is uphill. From Chilinji, turn east towards Chilinji Pass.

• After resting at the Chilinji Pass base camp, continue with the steep climb to high camp, just below the pass.

• From high camp, it takes about three hours to climb 250 meters to the top of the pass.

• From the summit, make your way downhill to Baultar via a series of snowfields along the Chilinji Glacier.

• The day's walk ends at Baultar, an oasis of greenery that lies parallel to the Wakhan corridor and the Chilinji River, where shepherds live in stone cottages.

Overnight camping at Baultar.

• Walk along the Chapursan Valley, which provides a gentle contrast to the Ishkoman Valley trekked through earlier.

• Cross the red mountains that form the boundary between the Hindukush and Karakoram ranges and arrive at the holy place of Ziarat Baba Ghundi, where there is a shrine to the famous Muslim saint Baba Ghundi Shah.

• After lunch here, board jeeps and drive towards Sost, the last Pakistani town before the Chinese border, and then continue down the Karakoram Highway towards Passu in the upper Hunza Valley. The small, picturesque village of Passu is set against a backdrop of soaring Passu Cones and is within short walking distance of the Passu and Batura glaciers.

• There will be an opportunity to walk through the village and experience local life. About 70 years ago, Passu was the second largest settlement in Hunza after Karimabad. However, the glacier upstream of the Hunza River created a huge dam that later broke, washing away the houses and fertile fields. The river has claimed the major share of the valley, confining Passu village to its right bank.

Overnight stay at the lodge.

• Take a morning walk to the Passu Glacier and Passu Lake (45 minutes one way). From the glacier's snout, there are spectacular views of Shispar (7611 m) and Passu Peak (7478 m).

• Visit the famous suspension bridges of Passu. These 250 m-long bridges over the Hunza River are still used by local people, who are known for their friendliness towards visitors.

• Then drive to Karimabad, the capital of upper Hunza, and enjoy panoramic views of some of the most beautiful peaks of the Karakoram - Rakaposhi, Diran, Ultar, and Golden Peak.

• In the afternoon, there is time to walk to Ultar Glacier by following an irrigation channel through the village, or stroll through the single-lane bazaar for more views of the peaks soaring overhead and visit the 800-year-old Altit and Baltit forts.

Overnight stay in a hotel.

• Travel to Chilas, making a short stop at the Rakaposhi (7788 m) viewpoint, and later have lunch in Gilgit.

• Stroll through the colourful bazaar. Learn about Kargah, an ancient reminder of the area's history as a route used by silk traders and Buddhist monks on their journey to Taxila - a 7th century AD Buddha carved into the rock.

Overnight at a hotel in Besham or Naran, beside the Indus River.

Trip duration: 6-7 hour drive; 260 km.

• Take a 12-hour drive along the Karakoram Highway to Islamabad, with a short stop at Besham for lunch.

Overnight in an Islamabad hotel.

Trip duration: 11-12 hour drive; 500 km.

• Depart for the airport for your flight back home.