Pakistan 14 day tour
Description of Pakistan 14 day tour
From Islamabad to Lahore via the majesty of the Swat Valley, Chitral and the Hindu Kush, this Pakistan 14 day tour offers an engaging and memorable introduction to a country that remains unfamiliar to many travellers. Stunning mountainous terrain, vibrant cities, fascinating cultural heritage and delectable food experiences come together in a journey that reveals the diversity of modern Pakistan. Alongside landmark sights, there is time set aside to explore traditions that continue to shape daily life, particularly in the remote Kalash Valley.
Beginning in Islamabad beneath the Margalla Hills, the route heads north through Swat, where Buddhist heritage and mountain scenery provide an intriguing contrast to the busy streets of the capital. Head into the Kalash Valley to share in the harvest celebrations around the Uchal Festival, before travelling onwards to Chitral, with its lively bazaar, historic mosque and opportunities to spot markhor in Chitral Gol National Park. The changing landscapes alone make the overland journey worthwhile, from pine-clad valleys to rugged peaks.
The second half of the holiday shifts its focus towards history and culture. Explore Peshawar and its Qissa Khwani Bazaar, then continue to the archaeological remains of Taxila and the formidable 16th-century Rohtas Fort. Lahore provides a magnificent finale, with time in the Walled City, visits to Lahore Fort and Badshahi Mosque, and opportunities to browse markets and enjoy the city's celebrated food culture.
Travelling largely by road allows you to appreciate the scale and beauty of the country while reducing the need for domestic flights. Local guides, family-run businesses and community enterprises feature throughout, while the holiday also makes charitable contributions that support environmental projects in Sindh farming villages. Rich in scenery, heritage and human connection, this is a thoroughly rewarding way to experience Pakistan.
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Reviews
1 Reviews of Pakistan 14 day tour
Reviewed on 09 Nov 2022 by jeffrey moore
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The gravel road into the Khalash ValleyWa
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Cold weather gear
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
All locally owned hotels especially Khalash home stay
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Very good but too much driving some days.
Responsible Travel
Planet
WASTE:We ensure that we provide bags to all of our guests, so that in the event that a bin is not available they are able to take their rubbish home with them and dispose of it there.
WILDLIFE
We ensure that all the activities we carry out do not endanger the local species and ensure we only work with suppliers who are also mindful of this.
The funds paid by our guests for the places they stay at in Chitral help contribute towards the preservation and restorations of these Forts and Castles.
Your accommodation in Chitral also respects the environment and has been made with locally sourced material to ensure transportation emissions are minimised. The Hindukush Heights is mainly made of stone and local wood. Guests are also requested to keep water use to a minimum, especially important during the dry summer months. They are also requested to turn off fans and air conditioning when not in the room and wherever possible open the windows to let a natural breeze in.
We've also accounted for local free days, so people can enjoy the cities on foot and using local public transport. Most countries are enjoyed on foot so where transportation isn't needed we ensure the excursions or tours are carried out on foot or by using more fuel effective transportation like rickshaws or horse and carts.
To ensure carbon emissions remain low, we use local road travel rather than domestic air travel, whilst this takes longer we also feel this is the best way to enjoy the local scenery.
People
CHARITYI am currently working with Yasmin Lari, a social architect, who since the floods in August 2022 is working with villages in Sindh to provide them with Solar Panels & Wells, so that they can farm again and get back on their feet. £25 from every booking goes towards this. Often our guests and clients would like to give us a gift as a token of their appreciation, we always redirect them to the charity and suggest they make a donation rather than gift us.
We also do local events fund raising events for the charity to enable people to understand the projects they are working on whilst educating people of the culture of Pakistan and its people, working on dispelling myths around the country.
We also have a schools program in which we are working with local schools educating them about Pakistan and the challenges of gender inequality.
Since the purpose of our experiences is about benefiting the local community wherever viable we use local produce and food outlets to make sure the community benefits.
EMPLOYMENT
We've developed strong links with the local community particularly Chitral University, working with the tourism students to create and develop some of our itineraries, thus providing them with employment opportunities and ensuring our guests get to see their town from a locals perspective.
We also work with local women who create handicraft and only take our clients to the shops which stock local produce so that they benefit. We ate also developing local workshop experiences to educate people of their work and contributing towards the learning and development to ensure they meet international standards.
All the resorts our guests stay at are manned by local staff to ensure employment opportunities are created and there is no excessive use of carbon emissions.
Most of the staff we use are local to the cities and towns to ensure a lower carbon footprint but also to give our guests the most authentic experience.
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