After breakfast in hotel, we will drive to Skardu. The Skardu Highway is one
of the
most spectacular roads in the world, following the narrow, gloomy, miserable,
andBALTISTAN-DEOSAI-HUNZA –KALASH JEEP SAFARI:
DAY-01-ISLAMABAD: Arrival in Islamabad and transfer to hotel. In the Evening sight seeing tour of Islamabad city. (B/L/D).
DAY-02-CHILAS:
Jeep drive to Chilas on Karakoram Highway. As we journey northward from Islamabad on Karakoram highway to the North Pakistan you slowly begin to perceive, if not completely understand, the scale and dimension of the world most tumultuous landscapes. After six-hour journey we will reach the Besham, gateway to remote and still mysterious Kohistan. We will stop in a restaurant for Lunch. Besham is situated on the banks of River Indus, boasts its share of alpine beauty, especially in summer when the river is in spate. It’s here that the old Silk Route veered westward, over the Shangla Pass with its magnificent panoramas and vistas, to cross into Swat. After lunch we will continue our drive to Chilas, now for some distance, the highway travel through sheer cliffs that rise impossibly high above the shadowed road. You feel you can almost reach out and touch the other side of the gorge, but it will be only an illusion. Then just before Sazin, the mountain fall away from the Highway as the gorge widens out into a sandy valley and the river meanders briefly through the broad plain. Ahead lies the Pamir Knot, and westward the lost and lovely horizons that were formed when two continents first clashed. On reaching Chilas, transfer to hotel for overnight (B/L/D).
DAY-03-SKARDU:
After breakfast in hotel, we will drive to Skardu. The Skardu Highway is one
of the
most spectacular roads in the world, following the narrow, gloomy, miserable,
and
spectacularly high ravine of the River Indus for mile after mile. Never a blade of grass relieves the monotony of the hostile rock. Only the jade, green river, tumbling and foaming in stretches of white water, relieves the gray, brown, sere, and unrelenting walls of boulder strewn rock, and cliffs. Like its larger sister, the Karakoram Highway, it represents one of the world’s major feats of the civil engineering and already Skardu, long a Mecca for the high altitude mountaineers, has become a major tourist resort as the buses, trucks, cars, jeeps and the coaches’ flood down the road across the bridges to the town. On reaching Skardu, transfer to hotel for overnight (B/L/D).
DAY-04-ASKOLE:
After breakfast, we will drive to Askole village. Askole village is famous for its gateway to the major mountaineering and trekking expeditions that lead over longest glaciers on earth outside the polar region and to the base of numerous high peaks, Like K2, Gasherbrum, Broad Peak, Trango Towers, Ogre Peaks and many others, o/n in tents (B/L/D).
DAY-05-SKARDU:
Drive to Skardu. While drive to Skardu, we will visit the famous Shigar valley, which is picturesquely set in a lush green valley and enjoy a pleasant climate.After sigh seeing in Shigar town we will continue our drive to reach Skardu, o/n in hotel (B/L/D).
DAY-06-KHAPLU:
After breakfast, we will drive to Khaplu town, which is situated south east
of Skardu.
The construction of new road from Skardu to Khaplu has reduced the reaching time. The
ever-changing
landscapes follow the sandy valley floor, black mountains reflecting in the waters of Shyok River.
On the slopes, little communities have carved their traced fields and homes
out of the mountainside, diverting the waters along a network of ancient irrigation
system. The town is
the historic base of numerous journeys of exploration and expeditions to the mountains in the
region of Karakoram and still the gateway to many adventurous treks and expeditions.
On reaching Khaplu transfer to hotel for overnight. After Lunch in hotel, we
will walk through
the town for sight seeing. (B/L/D).
DAY-07-SKARDU:
Drive to Skardu, and transfer to hotel. Today we will visit the Buddhist carving which is located in the Skardu city. After visiting the Buddhist carving we will be back in hotel for lunch. After lunch we will visit the beautiful Kachura Lake famous for fishing and boating. After visiting the Kachura Lake we will visit the ancient sixteenth century fortress, which is known as Kharpocho Fort. It was constructed by Ali Sher Khan Anchan, who ruled from Ladakh to Chitral till the end of the 16th century. The fort is a network of dark corridors and inky recesses linked by wooden staircases. (B/L/D).
DAY-08-DEOSAI PLAINS-RAMA LAKE:
Drive to Deosai plains, which are above the tree line and at the average height of 4200 meters above the sea level are the highest plateaus in the world, covered with deep snow for more than half the year. The Deosai Plains are also home to the Himalayans Brown Bear, Ibex, red fox, golden marmot, wolf, Ladakh urial, the snow leopard, and a number of resident and migratory birds. Drive further to the Astore we will reach Rama, and we will set our camp at beautiful Rama Lake. (B/L/D).
DAY-09-FREE DAY:
Free day to explore surrounding area, o/n in tents (B/L/D).
DAY-10-KARIMABAD HUNZA:
Drive to Karimabad Hunza, transfer to hotel. Karimabad, the
capital of Hunza, offers an awe-inspiring view of Rakaposhi (7788
M). The snows of Rakaposhi glitter in the moonlight, producing an
atmosphere at once ethereal and sublime. The fairy tale like
castle of Baltit, above Karimabad, is a Hunza landmark built about
600 years ago. Stilted on massive legs, its wooden bay windows
look out over the valley. (B/L/D).
DAY-11-KHUNJRAB PASS-SUST:
Drive to Khunjrab pass and drive back
to Sust, o/n in hotel (B/L/D).
DAY-12-GILGIT:
Drive to Gilgit, o/n in hotel (B/L/D). The Gilgit is the capital city of Northern Areas of Pakistan. The city has spectacular scenic beauty. (B/L/D)
DAY-13-GILGIT: Sight seeing tour of Gilgit and surrounding areas. 10 Kms, from Gilgit city is a beautiful rock engraving of Buddha of 8th century AD, at the mouth of the Kargah Nallah (Stream). A victory monument of Taj Mahal, built 700 years ago, is 30 kms, jeep drive from Gilgit (B/L/D).
DAY-14-PHUNDAR:
Drive to Phundar lake, and o/n in tent. Phundar lake is one of the beautifu lake of North Pakistan and famous for its trout fishing. (B/L/D).
DAY-15-SHANDUR PASS:
Drive to Shandur Pass (3734 M), a plateau at the boundary of Gilgit and Chitral, Shandur is famous for is annual Polo tournament, o/n in tents (B/L/D).
DAY-16-CHITRAL:
Drive to Chitral. Chitral valley at an elevation of 1128 meters is favourite with
mountaineers,
trekkers, anglers, naturalists and anthropologists. The 7705 meter high Trichmir,
the highest
peak of the Hindukush Mountains dominates this 322 kms long exotic valley,
o/n
in hotel (B/L/D).
DAY-17-18-KALASH VALLEY:
Drive to Kalash. Living echoes of its centuries isolation still survive
in the
Kalash valleys of Bumburet, Rambur, and Birir in Chitral’s far north where,
their history covered
by mystery and uncertain legend, Pakistan’s only pagan community of Kalash known
as
the Black
Infidels, lives. Hardly any communities in the world can claim such an inspiring
legacy as
their
mountain valley landscape, a panorama of lush green fields studied with fruit
orchards, and groves
of walnut and plane trees run through by sparkling ribbons of crystal clear
streams The Kalash
has no recorded history and their genealogy is lost in the mist of time. Lost
in the limbo
of antiquity though they may be, the Kalash are far from primitive. The Kalash
women wear black
gowns of coarse cloth in summer and hard-spun wool dyed in black in winter.
Their picturesque
headgear is made of woolen black material decked out with cowries shells, buttons
and crowned
with a large coloured feather. The Kalash are a happy people, fond of dance
and music with three
different dances, and mark the changing season of the year with a spring festival,
harvest festival in the
mid of summer, a walnut and grape festival in October and a New year festival.
The dates vary each
year, but the dancing, singing, and feasting is a vigorous celebration of the
joy of life climaxed with
sacrificial goat slaughtered on their smoke blackened fire altars. We will have
time of two days to visit
the Kalash valleys, and sight seeing there, o/n in tents (B/L/D).
DAY-19-CHITRAL: Drive to Chitral, o/n in hotel (B/L/D)
DAY-20-DIR: Drive to Dir, o/n in hotel (B/L/D).
DAY-21-ISLAMABAD: Drive to Islamabad, o/n in hotel (B/L/D).
DAY-22-ISLAMABAD: Free day in Islamabad for sight seeing, o/n in hotel (B/L/D).
DAY-23-DEPARTURE: Transfer to Islamabad airport for fly back to your destination and END OF OUR SERVICES.
For More details please contact us at
Askole Treks & Tours
Islamabad Pakistan
URL: www.askole.com
Email: askole@isb.paknet.com.pk