12-Day Skardu and Hunza Adventure with Khunjerab Pass

• Welcome reception on arrival in the federal capital of Pakistan, followed by transfer to your hotel.

• Go on an afternoon sightseeing tour of the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

• Enter Faisal Mosque, the landmark of Islamabad.

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

• Drive along Constitution Avenue, looking at the President House, Parliament, Supreme Court, and other state buildings.

• Visit Rawalpindi's colourful Raja Bazaar for bargain shopping.

Overnight at the hotel.

• Follow the Kunhar River and head north, like the Gujjars, seeing their temporary summer settlements as you proceed to Basel (3,266 m), a highland pasture with a cluster of stone houses that blend into the rocky hillside. At Lake Lulusar, just beyond Basel, jeep tracks lead to Babusar Pass (4,150 m), the source of the Kunhar River and also the boundary of Kaghan Valley with the northern areas. The ride across the pass offers extensive views of flowers such as pink bistort, blue delphiniums, edelweiss, and other blooms reaching toward the white summits.

• Descend to the town of Chilas or Rama Lake on the bank of the mighty Indus River with your Pakistani tour guide.

Meals and overnight at the hotel. (6/7 hours)

• Follow the Karakoram Highway, reputed as the eighth wonder of the world, from Chilas.

• Follow the Indus River north and arrive at the place where the three highest mountain ranges of the world meet - the Karakoram, Himalayas, and Hindukush. The Indus and Gilgit rivers also meet here at this unique place.

• Turn east from here for Skardu. This exciting mountain road, which cuts through the deep and narrow gorge of the Indus River, offers many challenging views. The landscape is mostly very dry and wild, and the villages and settlements along the way are few and perched high on the steep mountain slopes. Just before Skardu, the valley suddenly opens up and becomes wide. The roaring and charging river becomes peaceful and calm.

• Arrive and explore Skardu town, the capital of Baltistan. Formerly Buddhist, Skardu was called Tibet Khurd (Little Tibet) and was an important stop on the old route to Tibet and the district of Ladakh. Here, the Indus River joins the Shigar River to become an enormous oval basin at 2,300 meters, enclosed by purple, red, grey, and ochre mountains.

• Stroll down the narrow bazaar and climb up the cliff to visit the historic Kharpocho Fort.

• Camp overnight at Satpara Lake, a deep blue shimmer just fifteen minutes' drive from Skardu.

• Admire the gentle, irrigated slopes with terraces of wheat, maize, and barley, while orchards of apricot, mulberry, peach, plum, pear, apples, and nuts add to the charm of Shigar Valley, surrounded by snow-topped mountains. The town displays impressive carved wooden houses and mosques.

• Eat lunch in the town.

• Drive to the adjoining Khaplu Valley. Khaplu, the largest kingdom in old Baltistan, stretches in a wide fan from the base of a semicircular wall of mountains, dropping some 300 meters to the river level. Paths and irrigation channels connect the scattered houses set amid terraced fields, and the friendly villagers welcome visitors.

• Visit the historic wood-carved mosque, dominating the valley from the top end of the alluvial fan.

• Camp overnight at 2,600 meters.

• Board soft-top 4x4 jeeps for an exciting ride to the trek head for K2 Base Camp.

• Make a short en-route stop in Machu village for views of Mashabrum Peak (7,821 meters).

• Arrive in Hushe, a small green village with many beautiful camping sites. It is the starting and ending point of many trekking and mountaineering parties coming from or going to Concordia.

• Camp overnight at 3,200 m.

• Make a short stop in Skardu town and continue the drive for another 30 km to the heart-shaped Lower Kachura Lake.

• Visit Shangri-La Resort around Lower Kachura Lake, one of the most beautiful resorts in northern Pakistan.

• Proceed a further four kilometres to Upper Kachura Lake.

• Camp overnight at Upper Kachura Lake.

• Enjoy your last breakfast at the safari camp and say Khuda Hafiz (goodbye) to your camping staff, who had been pitching tents and preparing meals for you during the safari.

• Drive on the Skardu road through the deep gorge of the Indus River to Gilgit.

• Visit the rock-carved Kargah Buddha from the 7th century CE. In ancient times, Kargah Valley used to be the travelling route of Buddhist monks going to Taxila.

• Stroll through the colourful bazaars of Gilgit. (180 km, 5/6 hours drive)

• Continue to the beautiful, breathtaking Hunza Valley through a scenic route.

• Along the way, see the old Silk Route perched precariously above the riverbank, once used by Buddhist monks, traders, and local people. As you drive north along the Hunza River, the view is suddenly overtaken by the towering summit of Rakaposhi (7,788 m).

• Stop for a while at the viewpoint to enjoy a grand view of the mountain.

• Enter Hunza Valley and arrive at the capital, Karimabad.

• Stay overnight at the hotel. (100 km, 2/3 hours drive)

• Enjoy a free day in Karimabad for short walks to Altit and Baltit Forts and for other explorations in Hunza Valley. The people of Hunza are famous for their long lives. You can also see some beautiful peaks of the Karakoram range from Karimabad, including Rakaposhi, Diran, Ultar, Golden Peak, and the Nagar Valley on the left bank of the Hunza River. Each family grows enough wheat, maize, apricots, and walnuts for its own use in Hunza. The people are mostly self-sufficient, making their own clothes, shoes, wooden and stone bowls, and growing all their own food. They are very friendly and cheerful.

• Walk up to Ultar Glacier in the afternoon, follow the irrigation channel through the village, or stroll through the single-lane bazaar for better views of the soaring peaks around you.

• Stay overnight at the hotel.

• Drive along the bank of the Hunza River on the Karakoram Highway and enjoy fascinating views of Karakoram peaks from a different perspective. You might stop in Gilgit town for lunch.

• Arrive in Besham or Naran on the bank of the Indus River.

• Stay overnight at the hotel. (260 km, 6/7 hours drive)

• Embark on a full-day drive on the Karakoram Highway to Islamabad. Start early in the morning to cover the 12-hour journey.

• Make a short stop at Besham for lunch.

• Reach Islamabad by evening.

• Transfer to the hotel. (500 km, 12/13 hours drive)

• Depart in the morning and head to the airport for your departure flight.