Pakistan Trekking and Hiking Trips

I never thought of visiting Pakistan until one day I came across a YouTube vlog series about the Hunza and Gilgit Baltistan region and I was instantly mesmerized by its beauty, landscapes and nature. After travel plans were delayed in 2020, I made it a top priority to come to Pakistan in 2021. Through social media, I found the company Cross Roads Adventure and met Sultan, the owner and he became my tour guide combo driver for my solo trip in Hunza Pakistan. Sultan was very friendly, kind, understanding, honest and made sure that all his guests have the best experience possible in Pakistan. After almost 6 months of logistics planning for the trip, organizing visa, flight, hotel, other documents, I finally met Sultan in Hunza to start my tour. The visa process for Pakistan is quite complicated and you will need many documents which are all provided by Sultan - to submit to the Pakistani embassy in your country. This process may take a few weeks so dont delay.I had a 7 day tour which included highlights of treks to various viewpoints with beautiful scenery, trying local Hunza cuisine, meeting Sultans family (his baby is very cute!) and meeting and enjoying a delicious biryani meal with his family,, visiting the Attabad Lake area, driving on Karakoram Highway, visiting historical forts in Hunza, day trip to the Khunjerab pass/Pak-China border with Sultans brother, multiple suspension bridges, glaciers, walnut cake and many laughs, insightful conversations, and friendships made along the journey. During my tour, I stayed at Hunza Darbar Hotel, Gilgit Serena, and Luxus Hunza. Luxus was my favorite and I give a strong recommendation! For food, we tried many local restaurants throughout Hunza - some area specialties include chap surf - a meat sandwich for the Gilgit Baltistan region and Hunza samosas by the glacier. Sultan was a great guide , driver, planner ,and organizer who helped organize daily activities, book flight and drivers , reserve my hotels, change the plans for me if necessary. Sultan also drove me most of the week and helped me learn how to trek for the first time in Pakistan. The Hunza area has tremendous potential for tourism market growth in the near future. I strongly believe that in the years to come, there is a very bright future for this local travel specialist as the world continues to open post-pandemic. I wish Sultan, his family, his company, and the whole people of GB/Hunza/Pakistan a successful outlook as the whole country continue to welcome more and more foreign tourists with each and every passing-year. I will definitely be back to Hunza in the future and I cant wait to see all of the new changes, growth and development. I enthusiastically recommend this agency. Overall Rating: 10/10 From:Andy NNew York, NY, USA

A little closer to the clouds - that's GhulkinIn the middle of the Karakoram, above the highway: a place in the sun, even if a bit cold in winterThree weeks of living in the village with a family are three weeks of fascination with the landscape, the people, their friendliness and respect for othersand three weeks of fun and joy, especially with the children.There is Rafia and Aliza, the two girls in the family. At 12 years, Rafia is the older, more serious, responsible one. She takes care of me and protects me wherever she can. I often feel like a little sister and nod at her instructions.Aliza is different. She is the opposite, always fun, laughing, aware of being a pretty girl, with her chic dresses and skirts. And she is brave, ambitious, persistent and always mischievous. She will become a teacher one day. I believe her every word, convinced that she will go far.A day in January begins quite unspectacularly. Everyone in the family has their job: Rafia helps prepare breakfast, Aliza tidies up the blankets, Ali the eldest has to get up early and walk 5km to school, while Nadir is only seven and a boy, so he can still be a child.I am here to capture life and the landscape in film and photos. That means I don't have a big goal. I let everything come my way and we'll see. At the end of the three weeks I gained many new friends, new experiences and a lot of respect for the people in the Hunza Valley, the people in the mountains of the Karakoram, who despite the harsh conditions are open to everything new, who receive foreigners like me with respect and a lot of warmth ,shaking my hands to say thank you for sharing life with them, even if only for a short time.I have a lot of pictures, more films, and some stories.

This truly was a trip of a lifetime. Having travelled to Everest Base Camp and Kilimanjaro (with the tour operator) we thought we had a pretty good idea of what to expect on this trip. We were so wrong! This was so much tougher and in many different ways. Firstly, whilst there's an itinerary, it quickly became apparent that there's a lot that's outside the control of the operator and the on-the-ground operator. We were held up in Islamabad for longer than expected (due to leave on Saturday, left on Wednesday). Our flight to Skardu was cancelled as a result of bad weather and with just one flight a day, it wasn't possible to get re-booked until Wednesday. Once in Skardu, although visa and permits have been granted, there's still a step to complete on the ground and it can't be started until you arrive in Skardu. Here you're at the very of the Authorities and 'it takes as long as it takes'. We weren't granted permission to enter the national park until around 9pm on the day we arrived in Skardu. Sara, our tour guide, kept us informed at every step and went over and beyond, using the local operator and 'connections' to try to get us back on track. She discussed the options with us and as a group, we decided on a plan to try to keep the overall tour intact. This meant combining 2 days of itinerary into 1, twice! The terrain is hard and unpredictable, this is where Sara and the local team were invaluable in their knowledge and expertise. We really were in their hands, finding safe passage and negotiating an ever-changing landscape. This made it feel really natural and exciting. It was one of the most breathtaking places on earth, with a real sense of pure and raw beauty. We worked hard to get to Concordia and even harder to get K2 base camp. The team were unbelievably amazing, we simply could not have completed this trek without their encouragement, support, humour and importantly expertise. This isn't a well trodden path and you need to know the environment. It was obvious from day 1, Sara had an incredible relationship with the local team, she knew the country and local environment well. She had a wonderful nature and approach to the people, the country and the environment, all of which she shared so generously, with true enthusiasm and passion. She's such a modest person, someone that would shy away from the attention or thanks, instead passing it on to others. However, she was at the centre of everyday, every step and for that we are very grateful. An incredible trip and one we'd highly recommend.

The trip brings people into amazing environment by its remotenes and natural beauty and is a huge discovery experience. The difficulties of the trip in terms of the experienced heat and extremely difficult walking terrain catch people slightly unprepared (and the trip notes do not help here).

It takes a large team to support 14 trekkers in their ambition to walk to K2 base camp over the 58km Baltoro glacier. With no habitation and unforgiving terrain everything must be carried in by mule or on the backs of porters. This trek makes it possible for ordinary people to walk in the footsteps of the great mountaineers and experience the magnificence of K2 close up.

It's absolutely amazing that you can walk for 2 weeks in such an unique place without seeing any other groups (there one just another one). Beautiful scenery, tough terrain, good food and amazing local staff.