Spring in Gilgit-Baltistan is a season to enjoy, celebrate and experience the height of delight and a delight of the height, an expression of elation for your body and soul. Birds sing in spring, plants ornate with new leaves, brightly colored flowers sprout up everywhere. This is a scene that can’t be described in words; it’s a scene that must be seen.
The North Pakistan, especially Gilgit-Baltistan is blessed naturally with luxuriantly green orchards (mostly of cherry, apricot, apple, pears, peaches), streams full of dancing waters, roaring rivers, and meadows stretching in the quietude like that of heavens at a height which, is a unique feature of Pakistan’s northern areas. The juniper, pine, and Deodar are the trees that, in their trunk rings, have recorded the cycles of rainy and snowy seasons of centuries.
The blue of the sky, the emerald of flora, and the turquoise of water add to the palette, nature has used to paint this landscape full of mountains, trees, and flowers with a divine composition of colors and the brightness of the rising sun, worshiped by the whiteness of the snow which, on some peaks, have never melted for millions of years. Spring in Hunza has a myriad of colors, shapes, and hues
Itinerary
- Day 01: ✈ Islamabad: Arrival by flight at Islamabad International Airport. You will be received by the team at the airport and transfer to Hotel in Islamabad. If your flight is arriving in the morning then there will be ample time to see Islamabad and we will have a half-day city tour of Islamabad, includes Pakistan Monument, Faisal Masjid, Shakar Parian hills, Margala hills, Islamabad Market, Rawal Lake, and Rawalpindi City Tour.
- Day 02: Islamabad – Taxila – Besham: This morning, we will start our journey (5-6 hrs drive) toward the mountain kingdom of North Pakistan on the famous Karakorum Highway/ancient silk route. En-route visit Taxila Museum (1-hour drive). The modern town of Taxila is 35 km from Islamabad. Most of the Archeological Sites at Taxila (600 B.C-500 A.D) are located around Taxila Museum. For over 1000years, Taxila remained famous as a center of learning in respect of Gandhara Art of Sculpture, education, and Buddhism in the days of Buddhist glory. There are over 50 archeological sites scattered in a radius of 30 km around Taxila. Some of the most important sites include Dharmarajika, Stupa, and Monastery (300 B.C – 200 A.D), Bhir Mound (600-200 B.C) Sirkap (200 B.C – 600 A.D, Jundial Temple (250 B.C), and Julian Monastery (200-600 A.D). After our visit, we continue our drive, en route we will stop for a cup of Pakistani tea and toilet break. O/N stay at hotel.
- Day 03: Besham – Chilas – Gilgit: It is a long day 12 hrs drive but the scenery en route more than makes up for it. Before reached to Gilgit en route we will face some interesting photogenic stops at the pre-historic rock carving inscription at Shatial, rocks with ancient graffiti’s at Chilas, viewpoint of Nanga Parbat (9th highest peak of the world) offers a breathtaking panorama on behind, the unique point where three mountain ranges, Karakorum, Himalayas, and Hindukush meet and our next stop will be at the confluence of River Indus & Gilgit.
- Day 04: Gilgit City Tour – Gopis Ishkoman/Phandar Valley: Following breakfast, we will drive to Gilgit city and will have quick tour of Gilgit Town, include suspension bridges, local bazaar and Karga Buddha. Later, we will continue our drive 6-7 hours to Phandar via Gacouch Village with some photography stops alogn the road. Check-in at hotel and dinner will be served.
- Day 05: Phandar Valley – Shandur Pass excursion – Phandar: Morning till afternoon we will have half-day excursion to Shandur Pass and we will see world highest polo ground. Around noon till evening, we will walk in the orchards of cherry, apricot, peach, almond and enjoy the blossom. Evening your dinner will be trout fish of Phandar Lake. Night stay at hotel.
- Day 06: Phandar – Gilgit – Karimabad: Morning for a couple of hours we will walk around Phandar Lake and then we will drive 5-6 hours back to Gilgit and then 2-3 hours to Karimabad. From Gilgit to Karimabad, we will have photography stops will include, collision point of River Erosian & Indian Plates, Silk Route, and Rakaposhi View Points. We will reach Karimabad in the evening, check-in at hotel Serena Karimabad and dinner will be served.
- Day 07: Full day Hunza Valley & Nagar Valley Tour: Full day visits of central Hunza Valley include, the morning we will drive 4×4 jeep to Hopar through Nagar Valley, en route we will stop for photography. Around noon we will back to Karimabad, visit Baltit Fort, bazaar walk and drive to Duikar for Sunset Photography. In the evening we will back in Karimabad and dinner will be served.
- Day 08: Karimabad – Khunjerab border – Sust – Passu Village: Full day excursion to Khunjerab Pass. We will make less stops along the road because our priority will be reaching on top before 12 noon. Because from noon to onward weather change. We will spend half an hour on top and on the way back we will make several photo stops of high mountains and you will also get chance to see Ibex (mountain sheep) along the road. We will back to Passu around late noon and we will have village & bazaar walk. Dinner will be served at hotel.
- Day 09: Passu – Atabad Lake – Rakaposhi – Gilgit: Following breakfast, we will drive back to Gilgit. Today we will have several interesting photo stops include Batura Glacier, Pass Cathedrals, Passu peak, walk-on Hussani suspension bridge, 30 minutes boating at Atabad Lake, and visit Rock Carving. After all these, we will continue 3 hours drive back to Gilgit. The remaining time we will visit Karga Buddha, Gilgit Bazaar Walk. Check-in at the hotel and dinner will be served.
- Day 10: Gilgit – Shangri-la, Skardu: Following breakfast, we will drive 7-8 hours to Skardu Shangrila. En route, we will make several photos stops. The photo stops will include the canyon of River Indus, hanging bridges and village. We will reach Shangri-la around late noon and after check in at hotel Shangri-la Resort, we will go for walk along the resort for photography. Dinner will be served and overnight stay hotel.
- Day 11: Shangri-la – Skardu – Khaplo: Following breakfast, we will drive for an hour to Skardu Town, 30 minutes walk in Skardu bazaar, visit Khapochu Fort, Satpara Lake and around noon we will drive 3 hours to Khaplo for night stay at hotel Khaplo. Dinner will be served at hotel.
- Day 12: Khaplo – Skardu – Shigar Valley: Half day we will explore Khaplo Town, the visit will include local bazaar and scenic drive to a bridge. In the afternoon we will drive to Shigar and en route we will visit Shigar Sand Dunes (Coldest desert of Karakorum Mountains). Check-in at hotel will be around evening, dinner & overnight stay at hotel in Shigar.
- Day 13: Skardu – Karakorum Highway – Chilas: We will drive 8-10 hours back to Chilas. En route we will stops for photography, tea and toilet break. We will reach around late noon and check-in at hotel in Chilas and dinner will be served.
- Day 14: Chilas – Islamabad: We will leave chilas around 05:30am and drive 10-12 hours to Islamabad. En route we will have some stops for cup of Pakistani Chai, toilet and for photography. We will reach Islamabad around evening and after check-in at hotel, dinner will be served.
- Day 15: Islamabad – Fly back ✈ From peace and serenity of Hunza to the hustle and bustles of “modern” trends, you say Khuda Hafiz, the typical farewell, as you depart after a tour into Shangri-La. End of the tour.
