Pakistan's Karakoram Highway

Our trip starts today in Islamabad, the cultural and financial centre of Pakistan and the nation's capital. A relatively new city - Islamabad was constructed in the 1960's to replace the former coastal capital of Karachi. Islamabad's wide, leafy boulevards and backdrop of the rolling Margalla Hills give it the feel of a colonial city, but more recently, the city has seen a considerable injection of wealth, resulting in a curious blend of old and new. Glass-fronted buildings and modern shopping malls now stand side by side with its traditional mosques and markets. For those arriving on time today our Leader plans to meet you in the hotel reception at 1pm for the welcome meeting and to take us on the afternoon tour. We will start with a visit to the contemporary Faisal Mosque. Its striking architecture is inspired by a Bedouin style tent, and its triangular worship hall houses 10,000 worshippers, making it the largest mosque in South Asia. Continuing on the theme of striking architecture, we next take in the Pakistan monument - with its petal shaped structure taking its cues from Mughal architecture. The monument is dedicated to the people of Pakistan, with each petal representing the different individual cultures that make up the melting-pot that is modern-day Pakistan. We finish our tour at the Heritage Museum, offering a fascinating insight into the ethnology and heritage of the country. Should you miss the welcome meeting, your Leader will inform you of any essential information by note left at the front desk. Many international flights arrive into Islamabad early this morning. Because of this, we have pre-booked rooms for all customers (including land-only) to be available to check straight into regardless of your arrival time. Those booking flights that arrive late in the evening should arrange to arrive the night before to make use of this pre-booked room.

We set off for the mountains today as we drive to the town of Naran, nestled in the Khagan Valley. As we leave the city and join the main highway, we will likely see a wide variety of colourful trucks transporting goods along the Friendship Highway between Pakistan and China. We quickly gain altitude as we ascend through the valley, surrounded on all sides by the forested peaks of the lesser Himalaya Range. There will be plenty of time to stop for photos and to take in the scenery, before we reach Naran in the afternoon, after a six hour drive. The remainder of the day has been left free to relax and enjoy the surroundings or explore this small, river-side town.

Leaving Naran behind this morning, we continue north through the high altitude lakes of the Lulusar National Park, before turning onto the Karakoram Highway at Talichi. Officially known as the N35 but often called the 'Friendship Highway', or more simply 'KKH', this ambitious road took 20 years to construct as a joint project funded by the governments of Pakistan and China. The highway stretches some 1,300 kilometres from Abbottabad in Pakistan, snaking its way through the mountainous Karakoram range and crossing into China at the Khunjerab Pass, where it continues on to the ancient Silk Road city of Kashgar. The Karakoram Highway is regarded as the 'highest highway in the world'. We cross the Babussar Pass (4,173m) before dropping down into Tarashing our base for the next two nights. The accommodation is a simple guesthouse with twin bedrooms and outside bathrooms, complete with bucket showers. All bedding and blankets are provided. The total drive is around five to six hours, with plenty of time built in for scenic stops.