Silk Route Explorers

0
12 Days
Availability : August - November
kyrgyz
Lahore
Tour Details

Introduction

To the many merchants, wandering armies, and adventurers of our ancient civilizations, the Silk Road served as an important communication link between cultures and economies.  During the time of the Han Dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE), this 5000-mile stretch of trade routes was possibly the world’s first “Internet,” linking Asia to Europe and Africa. Today one can travel the Silk Road and still find evidence of the people, ideas, and goods that travelled and transformed its links.

Departure & Return Location

Islamabad International Airport (Google Map)

Departure Time

3 Hours Before Flight Time

Price Includes

  • Hotel accommodation at tourist class hotels with B/B.Air fares
  • All meals during the tour
  • Services of English speaking experience guide
  • All transportation in destination location

Price Excludes

  • International / Domestic airfare and airport tax. Excess weight.
  • Main meals and extras at hotels like drinks, laundry, phone calls. Insurance liability and other under force majeure conditions, medical aid, and helicopter rescue coverage etc.
  • Any other services not mentioned above.
  • Any other services not mentioned above.

Complementaries

  • Umbrella
  • Sunscreen
  • T-Shirt
  • Entrance Fees
What to Expect
  • Travel over Khunjerab pass, highest paved road in the world.
  • Live and experience old cities like Kashgar, Taxila and Lahore.
  • Experience Hidden Heaven of Hunza.
  • View peaks like Muztag Ata, Rakaposhi, Nanga Parbat on the way.
Itinerary

Day 1Arrive Kashgar

One of our staff members will pick you up at Kyrgyz – Chinese border and help you with customs clearance of luggage. Once official complexities are over you will be shifted to Kashgar for the night.
Overnight at the Hotel.

Day 2Kashgar Bazar and city tour

We will begin our tour of Kashgar City by visiting the Apak Hoja tomb also called fragrant concubine tomb (Xingfei in Chinese). This is a very tranquil place and a beautiful example of Uyghur Islamic architecture. Next, we will head to the Infamous lively Sunday market renowned as the biggest market in Central Asia. It is said you can buy anything you want from the Sunday market except chicken milk and Cow eggs. We will then enjoy lunch in a typical Uyghur restaurant. After lunch, we will wander through the narrow winding streets of the historic Old town brushing shoulders with the friendly Uyghur residents. Located at the spiritual heart of the old town is Id Kah Mosque, the largest mosque in China. We will go inside and have the chance to understand a bit more about the Islamic life of the Uyghur people. We will pass down Handicraft Street where we can view pots being hammered, wood craftsmen at work and traditional musical instrument workshops.
Overnight at the Hotel.

Day 3Cross over to Gulmit Pakistan

In the morning you will board a minibus and proceed towards Pakistani border it will take is 5 hours to get to Tashkurgan and further 3 hours till pak – china border also known as Khunjerab Pass after a short stay at Khunjerab we will continue the journey through Khunjerab national park where sighting of wildlife such as Marco Polo, snow leopard is quite common and many international hunters come to this park for hunting games after crossing Khunjerab you will enter the first town on Pakistan side know as Sost here you will be greeted by your Pakistani guide to accompany you on rest of the journey . After clearing customs and passport formalities you will be taken to PTDC motel Sost for lunch. After lunch we will continue driving alongside Hunza river to Gulmit, a must stop on Karakorum highway with its new form lake it looks more beautiful than ever. On the way to Gulmit, you will able to see Batura glacier, 57 Kms long and third largest glacier outside Polar Regions.
Overnight at the Hotel.

Day 4 Ferry to Hunza

Morning tour commences with a ferry transferring the visitors to Central Hunza where the visitor will be picked up by jeeps to Karimabad. Karimabad the central Hunza the highlight of your trip breath taking views of Rakaposhi Ultar and Golden peak will let you wonder in this nature’s wonder of the world. Here the heights and magnitude of things are redefined and every thing elsewhere in the world seems so small. You will visit 774 years old Baltit Fort. Tibetan style Fort was originally built by the Balti Artisans, when a princess of Baltistan married to a Prince of Hunza, the father of princess sent artisans from Baltistan to build this fort in her dowery. After the Mir (king) moved to another residence, the Fort has been restored by ‘Agha Khan Trust for Culture’ as a historical asset a decade ago. This castle was rebuilt a number of times during the 800 years regime of the Mirs of Hunza. The present structure was constructed some 774 years around; the architecture reflects a marked Tibetan influence. We can also have a breathtaking view of Hunza and Nagar valleys from the Fort.
We will go to bed early today because we have a sunrise to catch tomorrow morning.
Overnight at the Hotel.

Day 5Sightseeing in Hunza

We will rise early today around 3:30 to 4 am, hop on to the jeeps to see the sunrise over the Karakorum. We will go to duiker a small hamlet in the foothills of Ultar peaks from where we can get bird’s eye view of all of the Hunza and its surroundings. As the sun will rise you will see sun touching the summits of the Rakaposhi, Diran, Ultar, and Hunza peak. After sunrise we will have breakfast in duiker and watch as the rest of the Hunza is illuminated by the young ray of the sun. Now from top of the valley we will descend to the bottom and drive along Hunza and Nagar rivers to get to our next destination for the day, Hopper in the Nagar Valley. Before leaving Karakorum Highway we will visit Rock carvings in Ganesh. We cross over the bridge on Nagar River and enter Nagar valley. Panoramic views of snow-capped mountains and landscapes of this remote valley are breathtaking and spectacular. Hoper is the last stop before you enter the world of snow Cap Mountains and world longest and fastest moving glaciers. After reaching Hopper we will have two, three hours hike on the glacier and surrounding areas and will return to the restaurant for our afternoon meal. The rest of the day is free so you can either relax in the shades of the apple orchard or go back to the hotel for some relaxation.
Overnight at the Hotel.

Day 06 Drive to Gilgit

Morning free in Karimabad drives to Gilgit along the Hunza River. We will have a stop at Rakaposhi viewpoint with a view of Rakaposhi and Ghulmet glaciers. Enroute visit Kargah Buddha which is located near Kargah Nallah (ravine) and 10 km from Gilgit Town, Gilgit, Pakistan. It’s a rock statue next to the Kargah Nala, It’s one of the most admired short outing places. The Buddha statue was stamped in the seventh century, a monastery and three stupas about 400 meters upriver from the Buddha, it was discovered in 1938-39, following the innovation of supposed Gilgit manuscripts in 1931. The legend about the Buddha is the way of a man demolishing ogress called Yakhshini who lived at Kargha. Gilgit Town is the administrative headquarters for the NA and a major hub of the KKH. This bustling town offers information, transport, friendly hotels and good restaurants. The town is an interesting melting pot of northern peoples, and there are historical spots and good walks within day-trip distance. Stroll down the colourful Bazaars of Gilgit.
Overnight at the Hotel.

Day 07 Drive to Naran

Leaving Gilgit we will head towards chiles, another ancient settlement along silk route on the way you will visit rock carving from silk route times. From chilas, we will start ascending towards Babusar pass, which is 4200 m high pass between Kaghan valley and chilas. Babusar pass along with the Burzul Pass (4100 m) where the only passes connecting the Gilgit Baltistan region to the outside world before Karakorum highway was build in 1978. It will take us approx. three hours to get to the pass from where you get the panorama of whole lesser Himalaya along with Nanga Parbat range. After 15-20 minutes break, we will continue towards Kaghan valley, 92-mile long Kaghan valley is one of the loveliest Green-Himalayan areas in Pakistan. As we travel through Kaghan, we pass hamlets with stone and wood homes surrounded by rice fields. We follow the Kunhar River and accompany the handsome Gujjar nomads with their buffaloes until we reach the town of Naran.
Overnight at the PTDC Hotel.

Day 08 Drive to Islamabad

Morning drive to Islamabad with a visit to Taxila. A fallen world of glories now, Taxila was once the seat of oriental culture. Situated only 32 km / 14 miles from Rawalpindi, Taxila is famous for the rare specimens of stucco from the Gandhara period excavated from Sirkap, as well as various Buddhist Stupas and Monasteries. Taxila is first mentioned as a territory of the Great Achaemenian Empire of Persia in the 6th century BC in inscriptions of Darius the Great at Beghistun. It was invaded by Alexander the Great to assert his claim over the lost provinces of the Achaemenian Empire, and then ruled by Mauryas such as Ashoka The Great, Bactrian Greeks, Scythians, Parthians and the Kushan kings. It came to an undignified end around 450 AD when it was ransacked by hordes of White Huns. The museum here houses various objects and sculptures dating from the 4th century BC to the 5th century AD. The excavations are spread out over an area of 8 km / 5 miles. Once the sightseeing is over then we drive to Islamabad.
Overnight at Hotel.

Day 09 Islamabad city tour

We will start our day today with the tour of Grand Faisal Mosque set in the foothills of the Margallas. The Mosque was completed in 1986 and can accommodate 16 thousand people in the hall and 75 thousand people in the courtyard. Completing the tour will take us to Pakistan monument in Shakar pariyan, a newly constructed museum with a complete history of Pakistan and a panoramic view of the capital. In the evening we will go to Rawalpindi for the walk-in Raja Bazaar, the ¬oldest shopping centre in the twin city. We will have a nice meal in the evening since it’s our last night of the tour in Pakistan.
Overnight in the Hotel.

Day 10 Drive to Lahore

Leaving Islamabad for Lahore via GT road visiting Fort Rohtas on the way.Colossal Rohtas Fort is an extraordinary example of military architecture. It was started in 1543 by the Pashtun ruler Sher Shah Suri, to protect the strategic Peshawar to Calcutta (now Kolkata) road from the Mughals and their allies. He never lived to see its completion and work was carried on by succeeding rulers. However, it was soon made redundant when Akbar moved his frontier to Attock and built a new fort there. The rest of the evening is free in Lahore.
Overnight at Hotel.

Day 11 Lahore City Tour

Full day city tour of Lahore. Although Lahore may not be Pakistan’s capital city, it wins hands down as its cultural, intellectual and artistic hub. If history and architecture are your passion there’s an evocative mix, from formidable Mughal monuments to faded legacies of the British Raj. Indeed, even a ramble around the Old City can unfold into a mini-adventure. For those in search of spiritual sustenance, Lahore has qawwali (Islamic devotional singing) and Sufism (Islamic mysticism) that will blow your mind. The city tour will start with the magnificent Lahore fort which was constructed by Emperor Akbar in 1566 AD on its current standing. Badshahi Mosque will be visit next which is next to it. Then the tour will take us to Shalimar gardens, which was constructed by Emperor Shah jahan in 1641 AD and in the evening we will take part in flag lowering ceremony at wagah border.
Overnight at the Hotel.

Day 12 Departure

You will be transferred to Lahore International airport for onward destination.

Map
Photos

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