PAKISTAN – KYBER PAKTUNKHWA SOUTH (Peshawar, Bannu, Swat, Swabi)
Visa. Very easy on the government website https://visa.nadra.gov.pk. They initially required a LOI from my hotel but my initial reservation receipt was not well done – I redid it and the visa was okayed in about 5 minutes. Receive a printed-out letter to present at immigration.
Money. Pakistani rupee 1US$ = 228 PKR
Credit cards in cities. Cash better. MoneyGram app – send money to yourself and pick it up. Best exchange rate and no ATM fees / limits.
Allied Bank, Bank Al Falah, UBL and HBL are all present in Gilgit, Hunza or Chitral and work with foreign cards, though maybe not Mastercard
Tourism outside of Hunza – hotels don’t take cards, ATMs don’t work so take plenty of USD cash. Change money in Islamabad upon arrival as exchange rates in remote mountain regions are awful and ATMs or card payments will not work.
Get Around.
Buses (Faisal Movers is the best company) between cities
Shared vans and cars in the mountains
The best taxi app is InDriver
Flights to all mountain destinations (Gilgit, Skardu and Chitral) are frequently cancelled as only one plane flies back and forth. Flights from Gilgit to Islamabad are cancelled 90% of the time due to weather (Pakistan International Always). Flights to/from Skardu are more reliable and don’t use ATR planes.
Karakoram Highway. Scenic, gruesome once night, time sleeps part way to see in the daytime. Taxis: Gilgit – Islamabad 25,000 rupees 14-hour. Book at the hotel,
Driving/car rental: 14-hour drive from Islamabad to Gilgit and dangerous due to road conditions. Not recommended to drive in the Chitral Valley – roads are undeveloped, risk of flat tyres, chance of a rescue service is zero. Hunza Valley is no problem at all as the KKH is perfectly paved. Drivers 20,000 rupees for a whole day, they know the main sites, English broken, do your own research. See the Hunza Valley at your own pace and not bother with a driver. Book cars daily as needed 4,000 rupees a day
Hitchhike – talk to fellow passengers in cars/planes, they will sort you out.
Police checks are frequent (22 checkpoints in 9 days) – take three printed copies of your passport and visa, and the driver fills out the forms. Dedicated tourist police are helpful. Police convoys are common.
Accommodation. Generally need no booking, just show up. In Karimabad in the Hunza Valley gets fully booked during June and July. Schools are off and many Pakistani families escape the heat.
Gilgit
Madina Hotel 2 Goal Road, Near Airport Terminal, Gilgit City, 15100 Gilgit. Free BF. Good info on a trek to Fairy Meadows/Nanga Parbat Basecamp, transport to Hunza for onward travel. US$36
Astro Hotel. 6 km from the airport. Great food and rooms. US$51
Avari Express Hotel (great place to stay too). Duroyou Inn (booking.com). Highly recommend
Luxus Hunza is an exploitative hotel that is destroying the environment and is owned by billionaire outsiders from Lahore who are screwing over locals.
Stay at locally owned hotels, all with electricity and Wi-Fi
Chitral Al Farooq Hotel, $15 a night
Karimabad, Hunza Baithak. +923360925969. The owners can take you to Passu peak
Minapin (a place to start Rakaposhi base camp trek), Osho’s +923469560283 food great Backpackers Hostel Minapin
Coming from Gilgit, the driver drops you off at Minapin, then hike 5km to the village but cars/bikes will stop to give you a ride. You do not need a guide to go to Rakaposhi base camp.
Food
Shinwari lamb chops in Peshawar is the best meat ever.
Parathas with malai and channay is an essential breakfast
Food in Hunza is amazing and totally unique. Try hoilo garma, molida, chapshoro and gyaling.
Wifi. WhatsApp is the best mode of communication with guesthouses, hotels, guides etc., rather than email. Wifi and SIM cards (outside of Hunza) are unreliable as networks collapse and electricity is wobbly.
Food. Luxus Hunza Hotel, Attabad. Walnut Cake at Café de Hunza in Karimabad,
Fairy Meadows, a jeep from Raikot bridge to the last stop is 16,100 rupees return, non-negotiable. Raees lodge. +923555098733. Hot water, white sheets, wonderful food and views. 7,000 per night. Highly recommend. Walk up to Fairy meadow, don’t need a guide unless you want some company. It is very safe and clear. View of Nanga Parbat. The owner can take them to Base Camp 2 for 2,500.
Day 1 Wed May 29
Flight. Pakistan International Airlines 8UDYMG 2146082815607
PIA AUH-Peshawar (PEW) @02:45-06:50 3’5″
ON Shelton Accommodator May 29–30 Booking.com US$23
+92 333 5393979. Confirmation number 4428568421
75 Rehman Baba Road Univesity town, Peshawar, 25000, Pakistan
PESHAWAR
Explore the old city. iconic city, unique and truly unlike anywhere else. For those interested in guns, a visit to the biggest gun market and factories in Darra Adam Khel is recommended.
Sethi House Museum
PIA Planetarium
ON Sheldon Accommodator Inn 75 Rehman Baba Road Univesity town, Peshawar, 25000, US$23 +92 3335393979
Day 3 June 14. Arrive back from Afghanistan.
ON Shelton Accommodator
ITINERARY
Day 1: Spend the day in Peshawar Anna arrives June 15.
Day 2: Travel from Peshawar to Chitral
Day 3, 4, and 5: Explore Chitral (GH Al Farooq Hotel) and the Kalasha Valley – unique culture (Chitral to Mastuj GH Tourist Garden Inn to Shandur?), yoga break at Hindukush Heights hotel in Chitral.
Day 6: Head from Booni (GH White Rock GH) to Phandar (GH Lake Inn)
Day 7: Journey from Phandar to Gahkuch
Day 8: Travel from Gahkuch to Hunza
Day 9 and 10: Discover Hunza – incredible mountain scenery. Ismaili majority
Day 11, 12 &13: Experience Fairy Meadows via Raikot Bridge
Day 14 & 15 Visit Skardu
Day 16, Karimabad, Passu and Pakistan-China
Guide. Luqman Khattak. Locate via FB. Should never have a non-local guide as the Gilgit Baltistan region
K2 base camp – arrange an expedition tour and not a private guide. Commercialized with many people. Require company guide for the permit — Hatamk2guide Hatamk2786@gmail.com Cell 03129776212
DARE
Kurram District (Parachinar)
North and South Waziristan
Tentative WHS
Archaeological Site of Rehman Dheri (30/01/2004)
Mansehra Rock Edicts (30/01/2004)
DERA ISMAIL KHAN
KOHAT
MARDAN
MINGORA
History, Culture, National and City Museums: Mingora: Swat Museum
Villages and Small Towns: Manyar
Airports: Peshawar (PEW)
Railway, Metro, Funiculars, Cable Cars
Khyber Train Safari
Roads, Road Bridges and Tunnels
Shandur Pass
The Khyber Pass
Castles, Palaces, Forts: Attock Khurd: Attock Fort
Vestiges of the Past: Sheri Khan Tarakai
World of Nature: Sheikh Badin NP
Waterfalls: Sajikot Waterfall
Caves, Sinkholes and Saltmines: Sanghao Cave
Rivers: Kabul River, Kunar River
Ski Resorts: Malam Jabba
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PAKISTAN – KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA NORTH (Chitral, Kohistan)
In remote regions (Chitral, Phander Valley, Shandhur Pass) women are invisible from public life.
DARE Upper Chitral District (Lasht – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa extreme northeast)
Villages and Small Towns
BIRIR
Kalash are an Indo-Aryan indigenous people residing in the Chitral District. They are considered unique – Pakistan’s smallest ethnoreligious group, and traditionally practice a form of animism. During the mid-20th century, an attempt was made to force a few Kalasha villages in Pakistan to convert to Islam, but the people fought the conversion and, once official pressure was removed, the vast majority resumed the practice of their own religion.
The term is used to refer to many distinct people including the Väi, the Čima-nišei, the Vântä, plus the Ashkun- and Tregami-speakers. They claim to descend from the armies of Alexander. The neighbouring Nuristani people of the adjacent Nuristan province of Afghanistan once had the same culture and practised a faith very similar. Nuristan converted to Islam in 1895–96,
Nature plays a highly significant and spiritual role, sacrifices are offered and festivals held to give thanks for the abundant resources of their three valleys. Kalasha Desh (the three Kalash valleys) is made up of two distinct cultural areas, the valleys of Rumbur and Bumburet forming one, and Birir Valley the other; Birir Valley being the more traditional of the two. Kalasha language,
About three thousand have converted to Islam or are descendants of converts, yet still live nearby in the Kalash villages and maintain their language and ancient culture. Sheikhs, or converts to Islam, make up more than half of the total Kalasha-speaking population.
Kalasha women usually wear long black robes, often embroidered with cowrie shells. For this reason, they are known in Chitral as “the Black Kafirs”. Men have adopted the Pakistani shalwar kameez.
The Kalasha do not in general separate males and females or frown on contact between the sexes. Girls are initiated into womanhood at an early age of four or five and married at fourteen or fifteen. If a woman wants to change husbands, she will write a letter to her prospective husband informing him of how much her current husband paid for her. This is because the new husband must pay double if he wants her. Marriage by elopement is rather frequent, also involving women who are already married to another man.
Kalash lineages (kam) separate as marriageable descendants that have been separated by over seven generations. ate meat, drank alcohol, and had shamans”
KALAM & SWAT VALLEY VILLAGES
CHITRAL
Chitral Museum
Chitral Shahi Mosque
N-45 National Highway (Mardan-Chitral)
Lowari Tunnel
World of Nature
Chitral Gol NP
Lulusar-Dudipatsar NP
Saiful Muluk NP
Yarkhun Valley
Jarogo Waterfall. Two trek options – one leading straight to the meadows and the other to both the waterfall and meadow. Recommend the waterfall route; enjoy the cascade first, then head to the meadows. 1.5 to 2 hours. No hotels, locals have created cozy huts.
Lakes
Lake Saiful Muluk
Lulusar Lake
Indigenous Peoples: Kalashs
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PAKISTAN – GILGIT-BALTISTAN (Skardu, Diamer)
DARE Ganche District (easternmost)
Tentative WHS
Baltit Fort (30/01/2004)
Central Karakorum National Park (12/04/2016)
Deosai National Park (12/04/2016)
Villages and Small Towns
ALTIT
Castles, Palaces, Forts: Hunza Valley: Altit Fort
CHAPROT
GANISH
GHIZER
GULMIT
KAR IMABAD (HUNZA VALLEY)
PASSU
PHANDER
Roads, Road Bridges and Tunnels: Scenic Road – Karakoram Highway
Castles, Palaces, Forts
Hunza Valley: Baltit Fort
Shigar: Shigar Fort
World of Nature
Broghil Valley NP
Central Karakoram NP
Chapursan Valley
Deosai NP
Hunza Valley
K2 NP
Khunjerab NP
Manglot NP
Shandur NP
Waterfalls: Manthokha Waterfall
Lakes
Attabad Lake
Borit Lake
Khalti Lake
Lower Kachura Lake
Naltar Lake
Phander Lake
Rama Lake
Satpara Lake
Rivers: Indus River, Shyok River
Trails 1 – Treks
Baltoro Glacier Trek
Concordia and K2 Trek
Nanga Parbat Trek
Festivals: Shandur Polo Festival
Pedestrian and Historical Bridges: Hussaini Suspension Bridge
Indigenous Peoples: Hunzakuts