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If I had to name my favorite country in the world, that would be Pakistan.
Home to staggering and unspoiled landscapes, Pakistan is the only country where you find the three highest mountain ranges in the world, the Himalayas, the Karakoram and the Hindu Kush.
From trekking to glaciers, reaching the Nanga Parbat base camp or just relaxing in alpine lakes, in this tour, we will explore the most gorgeous northern valleys, including the off-the-beaten-track and barely visited regions of Shimshal and Astore.
Nevertheless, Pakistan is also known for its beautiful, welcoming, and charming people, some of the most hospitable people I have ever met during my travels, so this tour will also have a strong focus on learning about the local community.
By the way, we decided to keep the original itinerary for Northern Pakistan, that was our travelers’ feedback.
May 18th to 31st, 2025
€2790
14 days
Led by Oriol López
Day 1 – Arrival in Islamabad
Day 2 – Driving the Karakoram Highway to Chilas
Day 3 – Driving to Tarishing
Day 4 – Trekking to Nanga Parbat base camp
Day 5 – Dirlay lake & Gorikot
Day 6 – Passu
Day 7 – Gulmit village, Ondra Polygah and Borith Lake
Day 8 – Passu bridge hike and Shimshal
Day 9 – Trekking to Yazghil glacier in Shimshal
Day 10 – Attabad Lake and Karimabad
Day 11 – Explore Karimabad
Day 12 – Driving to Chillas
Day 13 – Driving to Islamabad
Day 14 – Departure
Day 1 is the arrival day in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.
We will spend the day picking you up from the airport and checking in at the hotel.
We will visit Faisal Mosque and then, in the evening, we will invite you for a welcome dinner at Monal Restaurant, one of the most popular restaurants in town, serving high-quality Pakistani food.
The drive between Islamabad and Gilgit Baltistan is a 600-kilometer ride over an entangled road, not feasible to do it in one day, so we will stop and spend the night in Chilas, a small town along the Karakoram, where we will get our first glimpse of the local life in this part of Pakistan.
The drive is very scenic, and adventurous, with plenty of worldwide famous Pakistani trucks.
The whole journey from Islamabad to Chilas takes around 12 hours, with breaks, unexpected events and checkpoints included.
Why not fly into Gilgit instead?
Because flights get canceled too often and we can’t risk that. We understand that it’s a long drive but if we took a domestic flight instead to cut one day short, and the flight got canceled, we’d run into a big problem.
This is the most beautiful and epic drive of the whole trip, where we will try to reach Tarishing, a small settlement located at the base of Nanga Parbat, an 8,100-meter peak that belongs to the Himalayan range.
Overnight in Tarishing.
Have you ever watched the Brad Pitt-starred movie 7 Years in Tibet? Well, the mountain they try to climb at the beginning of the movie is Nanga Parbat itself and on day 10, we will reach the base camp.
Translating into Killer Mountain, Nanga Parbat is one of the most difficult mountains to climb in the world, but the base camp is quite accessible and can be reached in a few hours.
Picnic lunch in Nanga Parbat base camp before heading back to Tarishing.
For me, this is the best place in all of Pakistan, a mesmerizing, off-the-beaten-track area of Pakistan, filled with remote mountain settlements and jaw-dropping nature.
We will spend the day visiting lovely villages, as well as Dirlay Lake.
Overnight in Astore.
Scenic drive to one of the most beautiful villages in Pakistan: Passu.
More than a half.day drive, stopping in the most relevant places, taking it slowly.
Overnight in Passu.
We will spend the day exploring Gulmit and its surroundings, focusing on the local culture, including visiting a women-run carpet workshop and having lunch in a local house.
Then, we will hike to Borith Lake and after lunch, we will trek to Ondra Polygah for the best views of the valley.
Overnight in Passu.
Day 8 is among traveler’s favorites.
Early in the morning, we will head for Shimshal, not without first stopping at Hussaini Bridge, a vertiginous, suspension bridge, from where we will trek to the village of Passu, over an even more jaw-dropping bridge.
After lunch, we will head for Shimshal.
Overnight in Shimshal.
Shimshal is the highest settlement in Hunza, and one of the less visited areas in the country.
Needless to say, the valley is obviously gorgeous and early in the morning, we will hike to Yazghil glacier, a 20-kilometer trek.
We will have lunch overlooking the magnificent glacier before heading back to the village and enjoying our time with the local people there.
Overnight in Shimshal.
We will say goodbye to Shimshal and head for Karimabad.
On the way, however, there are many places to stop by, we can keep it flexible, but the best is to stop at Attabad Lake for a picnic lunch and relaxing afternoon.
Karimabad is the largest settlement in Hunza, a proper town with comfortable accommodations and facilities.
Time to relax!
After several days in the mountains, Karimabad feels like a big city but it’s more like a small town home to some pretty cool forts and amazing scenery, besides a pretty lively local market.
Overnight in Karimabad.
This will our last day in the mountains so, we will take our time, enjoying breakfast and the beautiful Himalayan range, before heading down to Chilas, slowly, enjoying one last time of the scenery.
In the morning, we will slowly drive back to Islamabad.
After breakfast, we will take care of your transfer to Islamabad airport.
Airport transfers in Islamabad
13 nights of accommodation (twin shared)
Private coaster and Jeeps (when needed) with experienced driver across Pakistan
All meals, including dinner in a fancy restaurant on arrival day + breakfast on departure day
Clearance for all checkpoints
Pakistani local guide
International tour leader
Entrance fees, cultural activities and guided tours to all places listed in the itinerary
International flights to Islamabad
Alcoholic drinks or any extra drink
Single supplement. Having your own private room costs €350
Travel insurance (from €58)
May 18th to 31st, 2025
€2790
14 days
Led by Oriol López
For security reasons, the name of the hotels we stay will only be shared upon booking your spot.
The price of the tour includes accommodation in a twin room.
If you are a solo traveler, you will share the room with another like-minded traveler from the group. Please note: we always try to group people of same gender and age but this can’t be always the case.
If you want a single room, you will have to pay an additional €350.
You can apply for an online visa here.
As of September 2024, the visa process has been simplified. There are no visa fees, no need for a Letter of Invitation, and your visa is issued within hours after applying.
The visa is valid for 90 days, and it’s multiple entry.
Pretty much all nationalities.
We will do some hikes but nothing particularly challenging, and all will be day hikes, no camping, and stuff like that.
This means that all hikes are optional and that you can always hang out in the respective villages, where you will be surrounded by mountains anyway.
As mentioned, in the mountain areas, we always stay in the best available accommodation.
However, note those areas of Pakistan are so remote that even the best possible accommodation can be an issue for some, since electricity and running water might not always be reliable.
Moreover, we always try to eat in the cleanest places but note that hygiene standards in Pakistan are poor and that some travelers might get sick due to the food they eat outside of the hotels.
Nevertheless, if you are keen to have the most epic adventure and are flexible when it comes to tourist facilities, you are welcome to join this tour!
Islamabad has an international airport, with some common connections being Dubai, Doha, Istanbul or Jeddah.
If you want to visit the cultural capital of Lahore, I recommend flying there, yes, and then you can take a bus to Islamabad (around 5 hours).
You can find ATMs in Islamabad, but better to bring cash for the Northern Areas.
Both € and $ can be easily exchanged for Pakistani rupees.
We limit our tours to a maximum of 12-14 people.
To secure your spot on the tour, we require a deposit.
We accept payments in both Euros and US dollars. All details will be shared upon booking your spot.
Information about the risks and dangers of the trip:
The traveler is expressly informed that the activities included in the travel itinerary are adventurous and/or take place in conflict zones, which entail dangers and imply the risk of physical, and psychological injuries, and/or death for the traveler.
Due to the characteristics of the destination and/or activities, the specific risks and dangers of the trip are, by way of example but not limited to, those listed below:
War; terrorism; political instability; arbitrary detentions, gunfire in the activity area; and/or violent crime.
Regarding the potential dangers of the destination, travelers are advised to consult the travel recommendations for the destination country provided by their country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For example, in the case of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), these recommendations can be accessed on the following link: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/pakistan
FCDO advises against all travel to certain parts of Pakistan, including: Pakistan-Afghanistan border, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Balochistan Province, Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Sindh Province.
In Against the Compass, we don’t visit any of these areas but remember that on our way to Gilgit Baltistan, we’ll drive through Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.
Yes, if you want to join any of our expeditions, you must purchase travel insurance, this is non-negotiable, and it must be with IATI.
Why do we have to book it with IATI?
Against the Compass has been a partner with IATI for a very long time. We know their CEO, the marketing team and we do a lot of collaborations together so in the unlikely case something happened, we’d know what to do.
Moreover, IATI Insurance covers all the countries where the FCDO advises against all travel.
You may also benefit from a 5% discount if purchasing it from the below link.
Get a quote here to claim your discount
Please check our General Conditions.
However, specific conditions might apply depending on the destination. Example: when the trip includes airfare.
Full details will be shared upon booking your spot.