Beyond the Mountains

The road trip begins. In summer, when Babusar Pass is open, we take the Hazara Motorway and drive up the green Kaghan Valley beside the Kunhar River to Naran (about 7 hours). Early or late in the season we follow the Karakoram Highway along the Indus to Besham instead (about 6 hours). Your tour leader confirms the route a few days before departure, based on road conditions.

From Naran the coach climbs past Lulusar Lake to Babusar Top (4,173m) and drops down to Chilas on the Indus; from Besham we stay on the Karakoram Highway through Dassu. Both routes meet the Indus valley, where we stop at the Nanga Parbat viewpoint and the Junction of Three Mountain Ranges, the only place on earth where the Himalaya, Karakoram and Hindu Kush meet, before reaching Gilgit in the evening.

A short drive up the Karakoram Highway brings us into the Hunza Valley, with a stop at the Rakaposhi viewpoint for the 7,788m peak rising straight from the river. After check-in we visit the 700-year-old Baltit Fort and Altit Fort, walk through Karimabad Bazaar for apricots, gems and local crafts, and finish at Eagle’s Nest for sunset over Rakaposhi, Diran and Ladyfinger peaks.

In the morning we cross into Nagar to Hopar Village, where the Hopar (Bualtar) Glacier spills down beside the fields. We then drive north through the Pak-China Friendship Tunnels along the turquoise Attabad Lake, with time for photos or an optional boat ride, and continue to Passu to walk out onto the famous Hussaini Suspension Bridge beneath the jagged Passu Cones.

Today we drive to the top of the Karakoram Highway. Past Sost, the road climbs through Khunjerab National Park, home to ibex, marmots and grazing yaks, to Khunjerab Pass at 4,693m, the highest paved international border crossing in the world, with the world’s highest ATM. After photos at the border gate we return to Passu for a bonfire and BBQ evening with the group.

We head back down the Karakoram Highway and, near Nomal, switch to local 4×4 jeeps for the rough track into Naltar Valley. Pine forests open onto the colourful Naltar lakes, Satrangi and Bashkiri, whose waters change colour through the day, with the snow peaks of the Naltar range behind them. In the afternoon the jeeps bring us back to the highway and on to Gilgit for the night.

The return journey south begins. We follow the Indus back through Chilas and, depending on the season, cross Babusar Pass again to overnight in Naran, or stay on the Karakoram Highway through Dassu to Besham. It is a long driving day with regular tea and photo stops along the way.

The final road day takes us down from the mountains to the capital, through the Kaghan Valley and Mansehra or along the Karakoram Highway via Abbottabad. We arrive in Islamabad in the afternoon, with the evening free to relax, followed by a farewell dinner with the group.

A relaxed last day. After breakfast and check-out we visit Faisal Mosque, the Pakistan Monument and the Daman-e-Koh viewpoint over the city, with time for souvenir shopping at Centaurus Mall and Jinnah Super Market. In the evening we drop you at Islamabad International Airport for your flight home.