Hunza Valley Express Tour

We recommend arriving into Islamabad one day early so that you can settle in and be ready to go on the morning of day one. Whilst this will require you to pay for an extra nights accommodation on your own – arriving early gives you a comfortable window to join the trip in case of delays, problems with baggage, etc. 

After our group has assembled on the morning of day 1, we will have our first group meeting/introductions over tea/coffee and then we will head to the airport. The goal is to catch a flight from Islamabad to the mountain city of Gilgit. 

We then have a few hours drive to our special accommodation in Aliabad where we will spend the next few nights.  

Sometimes in Pakistan though, flights are cancelled due to weather and we must go by road. 

Itinerary if driving (flight not possible): 

Note on spring tours: we must take a different route due to heavy snow fall/road closures. Instead of driving to Naran, we will be stopping in Besham on the evening of day 1.

Traveling by comfortable minibus, the Kahn Express, with our fearless driver Mr. Khan – our good friend and driver for the whole adventure, we leave Islamabad behind and embark on our journey! The plan is to drive roughly 10 hours to the mountain bazar town of Naran located in the lush Kaghan Valley. The drive to Besham from Islamabad takes only 4-5 hours, depending on traffic. 

Here we will rest up for the night at a comfortable hotel before hitting the road again in the morning.

Besham marks the start of the Karakoram Highway.

Drive time from Islamabad: 10-14 hours with breaks. 

Day 2 Itinerary: (if we are driving)

The real attractions of Pakistan are in the north and to get there we need to travel along one of the world’s highest paved roads, The Karakoram Highway. Traveling along The Karakoram Highway is an unforgettable experience; you will see peaks and valleys, rivers and glaciers. Twenty-one of the world’s one hundred highest peaks are visible from the KKH and the journey is a great introduction to the mountains as civilization slips away behind us…

The goal is to reach Aliabad and our guesthouse by late afternoon/early evening.

This place is awesome and unique to Northern Pakistan and one of our best stopovers of the whole trip!

Dinner and rest are on the evening agenda. 

We have the whole next day to relax and explore the stunning mountain village of Karimabad. 

Drive from Naran or Besham to Aliabad/Karimabad – approx. 9 -12 hours – including breaks along the way.

Karimabad is the gateway to the mountains and a great place to wander about for a day. Today there is a mix of free time and planned activities.

After breakfast, we get to grips with the dark history of Baltit Fort and/or Altit Fort (time permitting).

In the afternoon, take time to explore the cobblestone streets, bargain for rubies and handicrafts, feast on Hunza cuisine, sip espresso in Café Hunza on your own time in the afternoon.

After a day of exploring Karimabad, we’ll return for our 2nd night at our hotel in Aliabad called Mountain Story.

Very early morning start today (in the dark) and drive to catch the sunrise above Eagles Nest. Well worth it! Our group will then return to Mountain Story for breakfast before starting our drive to Ghulkin Village in Upper Hunza.

The small village of Ghulkin is a truly special place where time stands still and mountains march away into the distance on all sides. En route we will take in the scenes at Attabad Lake.

Upper Hunza is one of the best places in Pakistan to trek, explore glaciers, snack on apricots, camp out under the stars and chat with the locals.

We will be staying with our good friend Sitara at her home. It is time to expereince life with a family in a remote mountain village in Hunza. 

Accommodation in Ghulkin will be in one large traditional guest room and we will all be sharing a space. Conditions in the village are very clean (yes, there’s a western toilet!) but are also basic; electricity is sporadic and wifi is slow when it does work. 

Aliabad to Ghulkin drive time: 2 hours max. 

In the morning, we go for an easy/moderate hike to visit the legendary Passu Suspension bridge. The bridge itself is far less visited than the more famous Hussaini bridge found directly off of the Karakoram Highway.

We return to Ghulkin for chill time in the afternoon dinner.

After a few hectic days of driving and sight seeing, today is overall meant to be a relaxing day and also our first group hike. Part of the experience of staying in a small mountain community is to take the time to fully appreciate the slower pace of life here without constantly rushing to the next thing.

The hike is a good warm-up for tomorrow’s adventure.

Total trekking time 2-3 hours

Today we explore a different part of Upper Hunza. We will be staying at a special hotel near Borith Lake and the beautiful Passu Glacier. 

In the afternoon, we will hike to an epic viewpoint to take in the impressive glacier and surrounding mountains. If the weather is good, a swim in the lake is also possible!

Leaving Ghulkin early (5 am start), we will travel to Raikot Bridge where we will transfer into 4×4 jeeps and traverse the legendary Fairy Meadows jeep track – think sheer drops and impossible hair-pin bends… In the distance, if the weather is clear, you will catch your first glimpse of Nanga Parbat; the most beautiful mountain in Pakistan, and the ninth highest mountain in the world. This is the stuff adventure is made of. You may have to hike part of the jeep track as the road is sometimes washed away.

Arriving at the end of the jeep track we will then hike for two to three hours (porters available for an additional fee). Arriving into The Fairy Meadows, we will spend the next couple of nights in comfortable but basic cabins with wood burners to keep us warm.

Drive from Passu to Raikot Bridge – 5 – 6 hours – then 1.5 hour jeep journey and 2 – 3 hour trek

The Fairy Meadows is the perfect place to chill out and unwind; watch the clouds dance past Nanga Parbat, the glacier snaking through the valley below, and explore the cool woods surrounding our log cabins. There are several optional treks available here but the real highlight is the hike to Nanga Parbat Basecamp (6-8 hours return).

The Fairy Meadows is one of the best places in the world to relax and watch the mountains. At night at the Fairy Meadows we will have an epic bonfire beneath the stars!

Note: the optional hike to Nanga Parbat basecamp requires a moderate level of fitness and takes around 6 – 8 hours round trip (with time to chill out at base camp, eat lunch, etc). For the spring tours it likely will not be possible to hike beyond the upper view point due to snow pack/rock fall hazard.

Leaving The Fairy Meadows behind, we will travel back to Raikot Bridge where we will join our minibus and Mr. Khan. 

We start the long journey back to Besham or Abbottabad (spring/fall) via the KKH.

Note: 3 / 4 hours to reach Raikot Bridge (combination of hiking and the jeep ride down), 12-14 hours to reach Abbottabad/Islamabad with meal / bathroom stops on the way.

We sleep in Abbottabad/Besham or push all the way to Islamabad if driving conditions are good. Abbottabad is just a sleep / shower stop at a hotel before moving on back to Islambad in the morning.

During the spring tours, it is not possible for the group to make it to Islamabad from Raikot Bridge due to the alternate route we must take, thus we will likely sleep in Besham. 

Arriving into Islamabad in the early afternoon, we head to the hotel to freshen up / chill for a few hours.

Depending on our arrival time, in the late afternoon will go to check out the Faisal Mosque for sunset.  

We will then spend our final evening taking in the vibe of the city before our final team dinner at one of our favorite local restaurants.   

We arrange for transfers to the airport for those who are flying out this morning. Check out of the hotel is around 11 am on Day 10.

You can choose to stay on at the same hotel if you are not flying home right away, though any additional nights at the hotel are not covered by Epic.