Spring and Autumn in High Peaks

Travel Through History

The High Peaks region is particularly beautiful during the spring and fall. In the spring, cherry and apricot blossoms fill the valleys and brightly colored foliage lines the hills in the fall.

The crisp, cool weather makes this a great time to travel. The itinerary is subject to change as we adjust the tour to valleys with the best foliage colors.

12 DAYS FROM

Physical Rating 2

Best time to visit:

SPRING: Late March - Mid April

FALL: Mid October - November

The morning is free to recover from your journey. In the afternoon and we offer an optional walk to the Margalla hills surrounding the capital. We conclude our evening with a group dinner.

We take an early morning flight to Gilgit The flight is about an hour and on the way you will see the foot hills of the Himalayas,leading to Nanga Parbat. Have lunch in Gilgit and continue to Hunza Valley. On our way to Hunza we will stop for views of the great mass of Rakaposhi, the 27th highest mountain in the world.

Visit the 1100 years old Altit fort, the original seat of the Hunza state and the oldest monument in Gilgit-Baltistan. Next stop is the 700 year old Baltit Fort where the Mir (title of the Hunza ruler) resided until the 1950s. There is also an opportunity to hike behind the fort along an irrigation channel with views of Hunza Valley, the surrounding peaks and terraced fields with views of daily life.

Today we head towards Khunjerab Pass, the land route to Chinese border and at 4,934m(16,187ft) the highest border crossing in the world. The scenery is beautiful with high peaks all around. Our last stop for the night is Attabad Lake, formed in 2010 after a landslide that blocked the flow of the river.

After a relaxed morning we start our journey to Fairy Meadows. We stop for lunch in Gilgit at Raikot bridge we take jeeps over a 17km steep and narrow dirt road to Tattu village, where the hiking trail
to Fairy Meadows begins. This is a well established trail and we walk through the
forest on a gentle climb for about 2-3 hours, night is in a mountain lodge with views of Nanga Parbat.

settlement of Beyal(4hrs round-trip) or continue the challenge to Nanga Parbat base-camp (8 hours round-trip). This is the easiest access to the base-camp of an 8,000m peak.

After a leisurely morning retrace our steps, back to Jhel where we continue the drive to Raikot bridge. We switch transports at the bridge and drive to Shigar valley. The road to our resort has beautiful views of high peaks.
Kachura Lakes are two beautiful alpine lakes. We will have an optional hike to upper Kachura lake, for those interested it is possible to go boating and fish for Trout in these lakes.

In the morning we will visit the historic Kharpocho fort and continue on a beautiful drive to Khaplu. We stop at the 18th century Khaplu Khanqah and the Chaqchan Mosque and stop for lunch at beautiful restored palace where we will spend the night. Next morning hike to the 500 year old Thoksikar Fort, located at a high point with 360 views of Khaplu and Shyok river. The day is to relax and enjoy the serene setting of the Palace.

We drive to Skardu and take a late morning flight to Islamabad. Our private
transport will transfer us to the hotel and once we have settled in it will be time to take lunch. After lunch the rest of the day is free for independent sightseeing, shopping or to relax at the hotel.

After a relaxed morning, you will have a chance to visit some of sights in Islamabad, including Faisal Mosque and the national institute of folk heritage, buy local handicrafts and we will arrange a tour of carpet shopping. After relaxing at the hotel, we will head to the Margalla hills for a celebration dinner to end an amazing experience.

This morning transfer to Islamabad airport

Is this Trip for you?

All our tours feature a physical rating to help select the right vacation. Every one of tours require the ability to walk around sights unaided, while more active tours include longer walks or multi-day treks.

Level 1: A reasonable level of fitness is required but its more about spending time on your feet than covering large distances. You will be getting on and off vehicles, walking around sites and climbing steps.

Level 2: The typical day is busier and involves more steps or multiple sites visits every day. The trip might involve day hikes of 2-3 hours.

Level 3: You should enjoy hiking and feel comfortable hiking 3–6 miles with elevation with elevation gains/losses of up to 300m(1000 ft) per day. We suggest beginning a regular exercise regimen at least 2–3 months prior to departure.

Level 4: You should be comfortable with hiking 5-8 hours each day, up to 18km (11 miles) with as much as 3,000’elevation gain and loss or high altitude.

Level 5: Challenging for fit hikers with experience in multi-day treks in high altitude. These tours are not appropriate for novice hikers or even for experienced but unfit hikers.

If you have any questions, please reach us at info@thewander.travel