13 Days OVERLAND JOURNEY
Hunza Gojal & Swat Peshawar Gandhara Civilization Pakistan
An exciting overland journey from Islamabad along the Karakoram Highway to the Hunza Valley and the Khunjerab Pass, then over the scenic Shangla Pass to the fertile Swat valley.
The trip ends at Peshawar, the historic gateway to the Indian sub-continent.
As you travel along the Karakoram Highway, which has been called the eighth wonder of the world, there are superb views of many spectacular peaks rising above 7000m, including Nanga Parbat, at 8125m, the highest of the peaks we will see during our journey. We will also stop at a unique site which is the meeting place of the world’s three highest mountain ranges - the Karakoram, Himalayas and Hindu Kush – on our way to the Khunjerab Pass. At 4733m this is not only the border point between China and Pakistan but also the place where the Pamir and Karakoram join. The tour ends with visits to Swat and Peshawar and an introduction to the region’s unique Gandhara Buddhist heritage and Pathan culture.
Morning flight to Islamabad where you will be met by a Rock Valley Tours. From Islamabad, we will drive 28km to Taxila, the capital of the Buddhist Gandhara civilization. It is regarded as one of the most important archaeological sites on the sub-continent. We will visit the ruins of a former city (Sirkup), a former monastery (Julian) that is built on top of a hill and the splendid site museum that contains artifacts from the sites. Among the museum’s collection are gold and silver coins from the time of Alexander the Great (326 BC). After lunch, we drive through the beautiful, lush green valleys of the Mansehra District towards the Karakoram Highway (KKH). The highway took 20 years to construct and was a joint effort between Pakistan and China. During this time 300 Chinese and 600 Pakistanis lost their lives working on the project. After a 4-5 hour drive