Travel, be, discover the Mountains of Pakistan

Arrive in Skardu, the staging point for this route, and settle in with an easy transfer to your hotel. After lunch, collect your bike for a short shakedown ride through town before the itinerary picks up pace tomorrow.

Ride east to Khaplu along the Shyok River, once the seat of a semi-independent Balti kingdom. Break at Menthokha Waterfall en route, then explore the restored Royal Khaplu Fort and the centuries-old lanes of Barah Village before settling in for the night.

Push further into the mountains to Hushe, the final inhabited settlement before the Karakoram's great peaks take over entirely. The rock spires of Haldi Cones line the approach, and from the roadhead you get a clear line of sight to K1 (Masherbrum, 7,821m). Return to Khaplu for the night.

Head back toward Skardu with a stop through landscape that feels borrowed from another continent, the golden dunes of Sarfaranga Cold Desert beside the still water of Blind Lake. Riders with energy to spare can take on a short zigzag off-road track before rolling into town.

Climb onto the Deosai Plateau, the second-highest alpine plain on earth and a summer refuge for the Himalayan brown bear. Break at Sadpara Lake before the gravel road opens onto 3,000 km² of near-treeless grassland, taking in Kala Pani, Bara Pani and the glacial Sheosar Lake before dropping into Astore.

Ride to Raikot Bridge, park the bikes, and switch to a 4x4 jeep for the steep, exposed climb to Tattu Village, too narrow for anything else. From there, hike or ride a horse up to Fairy Meadows, opening onto one of the most photographed views of Nanga Parbat's Rupal Face anywhere in Pakistan.

A full day on foot beneath the ninth-highest mountain on earth. The roughly six-hour trail to Nanga Parbat Base Camp climbs through pine forest and open pasture past Bayal Camp, ending at a viewpoint that puts you eye to eye with the 8,126m summit locally known as "Diamir", the King of the Mountains.

Hike back down to Tattu Village, take the jeep to Raikot Bridge and collect the bikes for the ride north to Hunza. En route you'll pass the Three Mountain Range Junction, the only point on earth where the Himalaya, Karakoram and Hindu Kush all meet, with Nanga Parbat and Rakaposhi both visible from the road.

Ride out to Shimshal Valley on a cliffside track with sheer drops to the Hunza River, regularly ranked among the world's most dangerous roads. Pass the granite towers of Passu Cones en route, then experience the warm hospitality of one of the Karakoram's most isolated villages before returning to Passu.

This day offers a choice, confirmed with your tour leader the night before. Option A, Chapursan Valley: ride via Sost to Chapursan, ending at Zoodkhun, the last village on this stretch of the range, with a stop at the shrine of Baba Ghundi Ziarat. Option B, Khunjerab Pass: ride to the Pakistan–China border at 4,693m, past Passu Cones and through Khunjerab National Park to the world's highest paved international crossing, complete with the world's highest ATM. Both options return to Passu for the night.

Head back down the Karakoram Highway through Nagar Valley, crossing the Hussaini Suspension Bridge and pausing at the Pak-China Friendship Tunnel and Attabad Lake's turquoise water. Detour to Hopar Village to walk beside its glacier before continuing on to Gilgit for the night.

The final riding day, following the Indus back to Skardu with the Haramosh massif and Himalayan valleys as a backdrop. Stop at the Indus River viewpoint, Upper Kachura Lake and Shangrila Lake before your last night in the mountains.

A short transfer to Skardu Airport for your departure flight, no long final riding day, just time to pack and reflect on thirteen days at the edge of three of the world's great mountain ranges.