Epic 14-Day North Pakistan Expedition: Immerse in Local Culture, Marvel at Nature, and Hike the Karakorum Mountains!

Are you up for an unforgettable experience in the northern areas of Pakistan? Northern Pakistan is known for its stunning landscapes, rich cultural heritage, and adventurous opportunities. The region is a heaven for nature and mountain lovers, adventure seekers and those interested in exploring a unique culture. It is one of those experiences of a lifetime! and now you have the opportunity to board on a mindblowing trip with likeminded people. We will start our adventurous journey in the capital city, Islamabad. Our host will pick us up from the airport and will take us to our accommodation in a quiet area of the capital. We´ll visit the huge and impressive Faisal mosque, ranked within the 3 largest mosque worldwide. You can start already preparing your eyeballs for what they are about to witness! We´ll finish the day having dinner at a local restaurant. The day after, we will head to the bus station. Will take a 3 hours bus ride direction to Mingora. Mingora is not the usual travel destination when in Pakistan. It is located in the beautiful Swat valley. We will meet a local family, with whom we´ll have the chance to interact and immerse ourselves in the local culture, as we will be invited for a typical and delicious dinner in the traditional Pashtun way. We will experience the famous hospitality Pakistani people is known for. Then we will keep our journey by car farther north, direction Chitral, close to the border with Afghanistan. We will stop midway for lunch and the following day In Chitral we´ll have a free day, so you can choose whether you want to discover the town or just stay and chill at the hotel. For the adventurous, curious minds and lovers of Anthropology, I have prepared a surprising visit 🧐, which will be only revealed after booking your spot in the trip😎 . This will be optional for the ones interested during the free day. We will spend a couple of nights in the lovely Roomy Indukush Sarai Hotel. Then, the journey will turn more epic. From Chitral, we will be boarding Jeep cars, which will drive us to the other side of the country. As this will be a long drive, we´ll make an easy stop for overnight at a comfortable guest house at the town of Mastuj. Mastuj have some great views over the mountains and probably we will be the only tourist in the village! The day after, we´ll drive through the amazing and iconic Shandur pass, on our way to Gilgit Baltistan. This is a spectacular road trip through the Hindu Kush. We´ll stop for some chai tea, food and witness the local life. Then arrival to Gilgit, the capital city of the area of Gilgit Baltistan, where will spend the night. We will be picked by our host and will be taken to Hunza, through the Karakorum highway, the morning after. Hunza Valley is stunning. Its beauty does not disappoint anyone. Karimabad, the main town of the valley, has a lot to offer. We will spend in Hunza 4 nights , and we will be hosted at Hunza lounge. This accommodation feature rooms with astonishing views over the valley. During this time we will go for a scenic hike to the basecamp of Rakaposhi, in the Karakorum mountains. Rakaposhi is a 7.788 meters peak, and walking to the base camp is a relatively easy hike that can be done in one day but we will split in 2 stages, as we will do one overnight stay in a mountain campsite. The morning after, we will reach the base camp. Professional tour guide and gear, will be provided by a local tour operator. We´ll leave our belongings at the hotel in Hunza. It will be an amazing experience, without any doubt! Back in Karimabad, we will relax and visit shops, markets, caffes and try some delicious local food! One day we will visit the main attractions in the valley, like the spectacular Hussaini bridge, the town of Pasu and the Abotabad lake with its turquoise waters. In the evening, our host will invite us for a musical evening with BBQ at the accomodation roof, where spectaculary scenary over the valley is guaranteed. After Hunza , we will be taken about one hour drive away to Raikot bridge, where we will start a Jeep drive to Fairy Meadows. This is another scenic and thrilling 1.5 hours drive through the mountains. This drive is only allowed to be made by experienced local Jeep drivers. From the drop off point, it is required to walk (over 1,5 hours) to reach the picturesque Fairy Meadows. For the lazy ones😜, there are always local people offering to walk you or your belongings with help of donkeys. We will stay at the nicest accommodation available in the valley, Raikot sarai (mountain huts), with spectacular views over the Nanga Parbat mountain, right in front of you. The food served in the restaurant is one of the highlights! The day after we will make a hike to the base camp of Nanga Parbat. This hike is also doable for average hikers and it is not challenging (located at 3.500m altitude, +- 8 hours round walk). The views over the Himalayas, are absolutely worth! We´ll have the chance to stand at the bottom of one of the world eight-thousander! Nanga Parbat is the 9th tallest mountain in the world. Then we will spend a second night in Fairy Meadows and the adventure will come into an end the day after, when we´ll be transferred back to the capital city, say good bye to each other, enjoy the last coffe together and take for our flights back home.