15-Day Northern Pakistan Tour with Fairy Meadows and Hunza

• Welcome reception on arrival at the federal capital of Pakistan and transfer to hotel.

• Go for a tour in the afternoon to see the twin cities of Islamabad & Rawalpindi.

• Visit Faisal Mosque, the landmark of Islamabad.

• Visit Daman-e-Koh on top of the hill for a panoramic view of Islamabad.

• Drive on Constitution Avenue to see the President's House, Parliament, Supreme Court & other state buildings.

• Also, visit Rawalpindi's colourful raja bazaar for shopping.

• Overnight at the hotel.

• Drive to Besham.

• En route, visit Taxila, the capital of the Buddhist Gandhara civilization. It is reputed as one of the most important archaeological sites of the sub-continent.

• Visit the ruins of a former city (Kirkup), a former monastery (Julian) built on top of a hill, and the splendid museum containing the artifacts recovered from excavation sites.

• Here, one could also see the gold and silver coins of Alexander the Great (326 BC) and local kings.

• Morning drive on Karakorum Highway to Gilgit - the capital city of northern Pakistan.

• At Thakot, cross a Chinese-made bridge to enter the gorge of the Indus River. Traders and Buddhist missionaries used this branch of the Silk Route for centuries. There are many rock carving sites here from that time. Shatial rock carving is one of them.

• Lunch in Chilas.

• We stop at Thalichi for the best view of Nanga Parbat (8125 m), the 9th highest peak in the world and the second highest, after K2, in Pakistan. Rakaposhi (7788 m) and the Haramosh range can also be seen from here.

• As we drive north, we arrive at the meeting point of the three highest mountain ranges in the world - Karakoram, Himalayas, and Hindukush, where the Gilgit River joins the Indus River.

• Continue along the Gilgit River.

• Overnight stay at the hotel.

• Drive back onto the Karakoram Highway. 

• Reach Raikot Bridge over the Indus River. Here, we leave our transport and board soft-top 4x4 jeeps for a short but exciting jeep safari on the narrow track to Tatto Village.

• At the village, we leave our jeeps to start the trek to Fairy Meadows at the foot of Nanga Parbat (8125 m.), also known as "The Killer Mountain", as many climbers have died while attempting to reach the top. It is a beautiful trek. After an hour's walk on a relatively easy path, we will have the first glimpse of Nanga Parbat.

• After a three-hour walk, we shall reach the lush green Fairy Meadows.

• Overnight stay at the camp.

• Spend the day at Fairy Meadows with an option to trek to the base camp of Nanga Parbat.

• Cross the glacier and have a packed lunch at the base camp, then return to camp in Fairy Meadows. The view of the mountain, the glacier flowing from it, and the pine forests at the foothills are superb.

• Walk for about 2-3 hours from the camp to Tatto and get on board the jeeps.

• Drive to Raikot Bridge on Karakoram Highway from Tatto and continue to Gilgit. 

• Drive out from Gilgit to re-enter the town from the historic route, crossing a suspension bridge over the river.

• At Kargah, visit the rock-carved Buddha from the 7th century AD. In ancient times, the Kargah Valley was the Buddhist monks' travelling route to Taxila.

• Stroll down the colourful bazaars of Gilgit.

• Continue driving to the breathtaking Hunza Valley via a scenic route.

• On the way, see the old Silk Route used by the Buddhist monks and traders.

• En route, take a short stop at Rakaposhi (7788 m). Enter the Hunza Valley and arrive at the capital city of Karimabad.

• Overnight stay at the hotel.

• Free day in Karimabad for a short walk to Altit and Baltit Forts and other explorations in Hunza Valley. The people of Hunza are famous for their long lives.

• You can also see some of the beautiful peaks of Karakoram range from Karimabad, such as Rakaposhi (7788 m.), Diran (7266 m.), Ultar (7400 m), Golden (7027 m) peak and the Nagar valley on the left bank of Hunza river.

• In Hunza, each family grows enough wheat, maize, apricots, and walnuts for their use. The people are mostly self-sufficient, making their own clothes, shoes, and wooden/stone bowls.

• In the afternoon, walk to the Ultar Glacier.

• Follow the irrigation channel through the village or stroll through the single-lane bazaar for better views of soaring peaks around you.

• Overnight stay at the hotel.

• A short drive through the heart of Karakoram.

• Stop at the village of Gulmit, in the shadow of the virgin Gulmit Tower.

• Walk through the village fields.

• Visit the polo ground and old houses.

• Take a short trek to Gulkin Glaciers and Borit Lake.

• As you end your trek near Borit Lake, our transport will pick you up for a 15 km drive to Passu. Passu is a small and charming village with a backdrop of soaring Passu Cones. The Passu and Batura glaciers are only a short walking distance away.

• Walk through the village to see the life of the people here.

• Walk to the Passu Glacier and Passu Lake (45 minutes one way). From the glacier's snout, you can enjoy fascinating views of Shispar (7611 m) and Passu Peak (7478 m).

• Visit the famous suspension bridges of Passu. Local people still use these 800-foot-long bridges over the Hunza River.

• Overnight at lodge.

• Drive to Phander with occasional drop-offs from the jeep for interesting walks along the trek.

• As we drive, we bid farewell to the Karakoram range and enter the Hindukush range. We can see wild landscapes on the drive as fewer people visit this route, and it is snow-covered during the winters, so only nomads move with their flock of goats, searching the higher slopes for green pastures.

• Overnight stay at the camp.

(6-7 hours trek)

• From Phander, the Jeep-track passes over the Shandur Pass (3500 m) to Mastuj.

• At Shandur top, leave the jeep and walk over the pass to the highest polo ground in the world. This is where a grand polo festival takes place every year, where teams from all over North Pakistan meet together to decide the champion of the year. Many enthusiasts attend the festival from every village.

• Drive to Laspur village. After Laspur village, a zigzag jeep track descends towards Mastuj.

• Continue to drive to Mastuj for overnight camping.

(6-7 hours trek)

• Morning drive from Mastuj village, along the Chitral River, flowing in the main valley bed. The landscape of the Hindukush range appears much arid and dry, as this area is outside the reach of monsoon and receives very little rain.

• Stop at a small village for lunch and then continue. Enjoy fascinating views of snow-clad peaks reaching 4,500 meters.

• Arrive at Chitral and rest. 

(7-8 hours) 

• Drive to Kalash Valley.

• Visit Bumburet and Birir villages in Kalash Valley.

• Experience the unique landscape of Kalash Valley and meet the local people.

• Overnight camping in Birir village.

(6-7 hours)

• Drive to Peshawar in the morning. Proceed towards Lowari Pass (3,200 meters). The ascend is very interesting, consisting of around 96 hairpin turns to bring you to the top of Lowari Pass. Descend to Dir, Chakdara and Malakand Pass.

• Arrive at Peshawar. Peshawar has always been important in the history of the sub-continent because of its location by Khyber Pass & Gandhara civilization. The city is now known more for its special feeling of being a frontier town than its monuments. 

• Transfer to the hotel for an overnight stay.

• In the morning, visit the street of storytellers. Kissa Khawani bazaar, the Street of Gold (Kasera bazaar), Karavan Serai, Mahabat Khan Mosque & Museum of Peshawar, known for its collection of Gandhara artifacts.

• Drive to Islamabad while travelling on the Grand Trunk Road laid by the Pathan Emperor of the United Indian Empire, Sher Shah Suri. Stop for a photo at the Indus & Kabul Rivers meeting point just beyond Attock Bridge.

• Overnight stay at the hotel.

• Visit some of the great Moghul monuments of the sub-continent, the 17th-century Badshahi Mosque, with its marble domes and red sandstone arches and the fort of Lahore, which is aptly called a mosaic of Moghul architecture as it displays varying tastes of all the Moghul Emperors.

• Walk through the old walled city and visit an artistic masterpiece of art, the mosaic of glazed tiles that is the Wazir Khan Mosque.

• In the evening, visit another Moghul treasure and the Shalimar Gardens.

• Departure.