Overview
A nine day guided, small group cultural tour in Pakistan’s world-renowned Hunza Valley, one of the world’s very special places. Located in the Karakoram mountain range, it’s also famous for the Karakoram Highway, a feat of mountain engineering, with views up to the majestic peaks, the highest being Rakaposhi (7,788m). On this Hunza Valley trek, natural highlights include views of the high peaks, Attabad and Borith Lakes and views of Hoper, Passu and Batura glaciers. Staying in a mix of hotels and guesthouses, you’ll receive the best of Pakistani hospitality and cultural exchanges with local people.
- Spectacular mountain scenery including Mounts Rakaposhi, Diran, Golden, Passu, Ultar Sar, and Ladyfinger
- Attabad and Borith Lakes
- Glacier viewpoints, including Hoper, Passu and Batura
- Karakoram Highway and The Silk Road
- Altit and Baltit forts
- The traditional food of Hunza Valley
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Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Islamabad
Arrive at Islamabad International Airport and transfer to the hotel. Enjoy leisure time to relax and recover from the journey. In the afternoon you can enjoy a city tour with highlights including Faisal Mosque, Pakistan Monument and Lok Virsa Museum.
- Accommodation: Ramada Islamabad
Day 2: Islamabad – Gilgit – Hunza
Fly from Islamabad airport to Gilgit (1h scenic flight) where you can enjoy the beauty of valleys and high mountain peaks from above. On our way to Hunza, we have a short stop to visit Berano suspension bridge (one of the oldest suspension bridges in the region) and Danyor tunnel. We also take photo stops at the collision point of two tectonic plates, the ancient Silk Road viewpoint and Mount Rakaposhi viewpoint. While passing through small villages in the Nagar and Hunza Valleys, you get to see real village life. We check into the hotel in Karimabad and have some free time. We take an evening walk by Samarqand kohl (water channel) through apricot orchids in the village and explore local culture. We drive to Dongo Das (20mins) for some star-gazing, then drive back to our hotel for the night’s stay. Please note: In the event of a flight cancellation due to inclement weather, we will drive from Islamabad via the iconic Karakoram Highway with short stops at various viewpoints and culturally interesting spots.
- Accommodation: Hard Rock Hunza
Day 3: Karimabad – Altit – Duikar
Enjoying a full day in Hunza, we visit 800 year old Baltit Fort, Karimabad Bazaar, Altit Fort, and take a traditional lunch at Kha Basi Café. After lunch, we visit a music school in Altit, where local children learn traditional music (guests can also practise playing regional musical instruments). Later in the afternoon, we visit Ganish village (the oldest settlement in Hunza) and visit a family home. We then drive to Duikar (2,800m) and, after a beautiful 15mins hike, we reach arguably one of the best sunset viewpoints in the world with a birds-eye view of the whole of the Hunza and Nagar Valleys, with views of seven mountain peaks above 7,000m. After this, we drive back to our hotel in Karimabad.
- Accommodation: Hard Rock Hunza
Day 4: Karimabad – Pasu – Karimabad
Today we drive to Passu through numerous small villages in Upper Hunza. After stopping at Atabad Lake, we head to Gulmit village, where we walk through the orchids and then visit an old house and music school. Enjoy a short walk, via Pakistan’s highest and longest steps, to Ondra Fort (1h), a community-based tourism initiative in Gulmit village and Gojal Valley. After this, we have free time to enjoy the beautiful view of Passu Cones (6,106m) also known as Passu Cathedral, said to be the most photographed peak in the region. Later we drive to Borith Lake, famous for its migrating birds, and then we continue to Passu to enjoy some leisure time. In the evening there will be an optional trek to Passu Glacier (2h each way), where we can enjoy the sunset from Glacier Breeze restaurant with a cup of tea or coffee and their famous apricot cake. We may participate in a cultural event in Upper Hunza, if there is time, then drive back to our hotel in Karimabad.
- Accommodation: Hard Rock Hunza
Day 5: Karimabad – Hoper – Minapin – Karimabad
After breakfast, we will drive to Hoper valley (2,800m). En route, we will visit Nagar Khas (a village in Nagar valley), meet local people and explore Nagar fort. We then continue to travel to Hoper village where we can do a beautiful short hike to Hoper glacier (2h) and experience walking on the glacier. We then drive to Minapin village to enjoy leisure time and a famous traditional lunch (Gurkun karahi) while a local historian briefly explains the region’s history. After lunch, we drive to KHO (a beautiful viewpoint) in local jeeps. Drive back to Karimabad in the evening.
- Accommodation: Hard Rock Hunza
Day 6: Karimabad – Khanabad – Gilgit
We drive to Khanabad village in Lower Hunza and spend most of the day here. We get a chance to learn more about village life with a host family, visiting fruit orchids, meet local artisans and historians, and enjoy traditional lunch with a host family. We can also take part in a meditation and yoga session in the village. In the afternoon we drive back to Gilgit and visit Kargah Budha (7th-century Budha).
- Accommodation: Serena hotel
Day 7: Gilgit – Islamabad
Fly from Gilgit to Islamabad (1h scenic flight). Transfer to hotel and do some sightseeing after lunch. In the event of a flight cancellation due to inclement weather, we will drive from Gilgit via the iconic Karakoram Highway, taking short stops along the way.
- Accommodation: Ramada Islamabad
Day 8: Contingency day in case of delays
If we are not able to fly due to inclement weather, we will travel down to Islamabad by road. If we fly from Gilgit to Islamabad, we can enjoy some sightseeing in the capital, or your guide will advise you on other options for the day, such as a visit to Taxila Museum and archaeological sites.
- Accommodation: Ramada Islamabad
Day 9: Departure
After breakfast, transfer from the hotel to the airport for international fights.
What to expect
Accommodation
All accommodations have been carefully selected for their location, atmosphere and/or unique services. All rooms have en-suite or private bathrooms. In case of fight cancellation, you will be accommodated in a tourist-class hotel (the best available option) on the way. Rooms will be shared twins, with single rooms being available at a supplementary cost.
Click to view default hotels
*Hotels are subject to availability. In the event of a particular hotel being fully booked for your chosen dates, we will replace it with a hotel of equal value and quality level. We will provide exact accommodation details to you upon booking confirmation.
Meals
All meals are included. Food is a mixture of local/traditional and Pakistani dishes available in the area. We customise our menus depending on the group’s preferences. We never use pre-packaged meals – you can expect hearty, delicious meals and we provide drinking water. We do not encourage the purchasing of single-use plastic bottles.
Whilst we can cater to vegetarians, albeit sometimes with a more limited choice, we cannot always provide special diets. We regularly accommodate vegetarian, vegan, non-gluten, and other specialty diets. If you have specific dietary requirements, please discuss this with our team prior to booking.
Difficulty and terrain
One of our most accessible yet active holidays, as this trip is more focused on cultural exchange and authentic experiences (read more about difficulty grades).
Acute mountain sickness
Altitude is not a concern on this trek as you overnight below 3,000m and the highest point you reach, Hoper/Duiker, is at 2,800m.
When to go
The small-group tour (2-12 people ) can leave on any of the pre-scheduled dates between March and November:
- 23-31 March
- 12-20 April
- 23-31 May
- 19-27 June
- 09-17 July
- 07-15 August
- 04-12 September
- 07-15 October
- 05-13 November
The flexibility of privately guided holidays means we can arrange this tour on any date within the season as well, but on request only – please indicate desired start date when booking. Summer is the most popular season, offering sunny days and pleasant temperatures. Green fields, beautiful trees with flowers, snow-capped high mountains, rivers and blue skies attract nature lovers to this beautiful valley. Autumn in the Hunza Valley brings a vibrant colour palate, with clear skies and splendid panoramic views of high mountain peaks.
Getting there
Tipping
It is customary in Asia to tip service providers at approximately 10%, depending on the quality of service. All our staff (guides, assistant guides and porters) are fully insured and paid a fair wage; however tips are not a substitute for wages. The amount is purely a personal matter but it is usual to tip the supporting staff (guide/drivers) if you are happy with the services provided. We estimate that $40-60 (in local currency equivalent) will cover this aspect of your trip expenditure. This is usually done at the end of the trip.
Inclusions
Included
- Airport transfers (on the first and last day in Islamabad)
- All land transport involved in the itinerary
- Internal fights and associated airport transfers
- All hotel accommodations (twin sharing)
- All meals throughout the trip
- Licensed professional local guide
- Sightseeing mentioned in the itinerary
- Implementation of all sustainable tourism protocols
- All entry tickets (forts, parks)
- Host family’s visit
- Cultural lunches
- Cultural evening with traditional music and dance
Excluded
- Pakistan Visa
- International airfare
- Personal equipment (clothes, boots etc.)
- Tips for guiding and supporting staff
- Miscellaneous expenses – drinks and souvenirs etc.
- Extra expenses due to unforeseen events such as natural disaster, roadblocks or health conditions of a fellow traveller
- Travel insurance (required – get a quote online)
- Personal expenses and tips
- Any items not specifically mentioned as included in the programme
Options, extras & supplements
- If you’re travelling in a group, a supplement applies to group members who want a room of their own. Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate solo travellers on this trip.
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