Pakistan architecture and history tour
Description of Pakistan architecture and history tour
Join this absorbing Pakistan architecture and history tour as it traces the many civilisations that have shaped this country's past, linking Buddhist archaeological sites, Mughal monuments, mountain forts and living cultural traditions. From Islamabad and Peshawar to Hunza, Skardu and Taxila, the journey reveals a remarkable story that stretches across centuries and many diverse landscapes.
The tour begins among the museums, mosques and heritage districts of Islamabad and Peshawar before continuing to the renowned archaeological site of Takht-e-Bahi, Swat and the Buddhist remains at Butkara and Jehanabad. Travel onwards to the Kalash Valley and Chitral, where distinctive animist traditions survive in the shadow of the Hindu Kush, before crossing Shandur Pass and the beautiful valleys of Ghizer.
In Gilgit-Baltistan, historic forts and settlements take centre stage. Explore Attabad Lake, Gulmit, Nagar and Karimabad before visiting Baltit Fort, Altit Fort and Ganish. Further south, Deosai National Park, Khaplu and Skardu add dramatic landscapes to the story. Your holiday comes to an end at Taxila, where monasteries, stupas and museums provide extraordinary insight into the Gandhara civilisation.
Throughout this trip, you will be accompanied by knowledgeable local guides bringing Pakistan's rich history to life. Additionally, entrance fees at sites help support their preservation.
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Reviews
1 Reviews of Pakistan architecture and history tour
Reviewed on 04 Mar 2025 by John Googe
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
I am a huge fan of Islamic design + architecture so that was the best for me, but the forts far exceeded my expectations on size and character. Hugely warm welcome throughout the trip, including in Peshawar.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Don't be put off by concerns about security. We only met very welcoming people.
Take sterling or Euro not dollars, but there is reasonable access to ATM. You won't need much - meals are very cheap. E visa needed. I ate mostly Pakistani food, but other options were generally available
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
I feel the groups spending helped create local tourism jobs, and there is massive scope for growth in this sector for the country.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
The itinerary, guide and driver were all excellent. The sites matched, and often far exceeded expectations. The hotels were nearly all of a very high standard.
We had some fantastic places virtually [and sometimes literally] to ourselves.
Responsible Travel
Planet
We carry a portable water filter with us to reduce plastic waste. All the trip participants are advised to bring their water bottles that can be refilled from filtered water. This is not only important for their safety but also ensures that litter creation is prevented & that excessive consumption of plastic is avoided.We carry our own lunch boxes and cloth bags to get things packed from restaurants and to use whilst shopping. The bags are also a means to carry back our litter in places where perhaps one isn't available.
Sometimes we also organize spontaneous cleanup drives and engage the participants of the trip to help collect trash from a certain area.
We are promoting the ancient heritage and natural landscape of Pakistan by visiting Taxila, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Sites are chosen by the UNESCO committee and must "bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to civilisation", "an important interchange of human values" or be outstanding examples of major stages of Earth's history or ecological and biological processes in evolution. The entry ticket to this site enables the tourist board to preserve it.
We deliberately keep the group size to a maximum of 12 on this Pakistan tour, to ensure we minimise the human impact on the fragile sites and ecosystems that we visit.
We keep our group sizes small because we want to keep the carbon emissions minimal by being able to use smaller transportation rather than coaches. This also ensures that we cause minimal harm or disruption to the environment and places we visit. Where possible we also try and use public transport such as rickshaws or walking on foot as we think this is the best way to enjoy a country and to get an authentic experience.
People
All of our tours are carried out with local tour operators to ensure the locals benefit from the tours we operate. This tour in particular is carried out with a local female tour operator, which is part of our company's commitment to promote female empowerment.Most of the places the attendees will eat at will be local cafes and restaurants rather than chains.
Charity: We also make a donation of £25, from every transaction to the Shahid Afridi Foundation, which is a charity that supports several local projects from sanitation, to the opening of schools in remote villages to enable the local children to have access to education with a particular focus on girls.
The entry tickets for the local monuments helps the government to maintain the upkeep and preservation of these places.
Most importantly all attendees of the tour are helping us achieve our objective to remove peoples misconception of Pakistan and becoming brand ambassadors for the country.
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