Best of Pakistan: Lahore, Islamabad & Passu Glacier — Self-Launched
11 days · Pakistan
G Adventures charges £2,360
No-markup version: ~£735 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
An 11-day self-launched version of G Adventures' "Best of Pakistan" trip — Mughal Lahore, the Walled City, Islamabad and Taxila, then the Karakoram Highway up to Hunza and a walk on the Passu Glacier. You'll book your own guesthouses and budget hotels, use domestic flights, local buses and shared jeeps instead of a private vehicle, and pick up guides locally or through GetYourGuide/Klook where it matters. Costs are rough backpacker/budget-traveller estimates in GBP per person excluding international flights; Pakistan is cash-heavy outside the big cities, so carry enough rupees for Hunza.
Day-by-day
Arrive Lahore
Lahore
Land at Allama Iqbal International and take a Careem/InDrive ride or metered taxi to a guesthouse in Gulberg or near the Walled City (roughly £3-5). Check in and ease in with a walk and dinner — try nihari or haleem at a local spot. Sort out a local SIM (Jazz or Zong, ~£3-5 for data) and draw cash from an ATM here, as ATMs are scarce further north. Optional: join a free walking tour or city tour via GetYourGuide to get your bearings.
🚌Airport taxi or Careem app (~£4)
🛏Guesthouse/budget hotel in Gulberg or Walled City area (~£18/night)
- →Neighbourhood orientation walk
- →Local SIM card setup
- →Street food dinner
Lahore: Walled City, Badshahi Mosque & Wagah Border
Lahore
Self-guided (or locally guided) day through the Walled City: Badshahi Mosque, Lahore Fort, the Tomb of Allama Iqbal, and the bazaars around Delhi Gate — rickshaws between stops cost about £1 each. Book a GetYourGuide/Klook Lahore city tour if you'd rather have a guide (~£25-40), or hire a local guide at the mosque gate (~£10-15). In the late afternoon, take an InDrive/Careem to the Wagah Border for the flag-lowering ceremony (free entry, arrive 1.5-2 hours early for a decent spot; ~£5-7 round trip). Finish with dinner on Fort Road Food Street with the Badshahi Mosque lit up behind you.
🚌Rickshaws and Careem rides (~£10 total)
🛏Guesthouse/budget hotel in Lahore (~£18/night)
- →Badshahi Mosque entry
- →Lahore Fort
- →Walled City bazaar walk
- →Wagah Border ceremony
- →Food Street dinner
Lahore to Islamabad via Chakwal-style farm stop
Islamabad
Take a Daewoo or Faisal Movers coach from Lahore to Islamabad (~4.5 hours, £6-9) — comfortable, air-conditioned and bookable at the terminal or online. If you want a countryside stop, hire a driver for the day or break the journey with a private car (~£35-45) and arrange a village farm visit near Chakwal through your guesthouse; otherwise the coach plus an evening walk in Islamabad's F-6/F-7 area works well. Check into a budget hotel or hostel in the Blue Area/F-6 district.
🚌Daewoo/Faisal Movers coach (~£8)
🛏Budget hotel/hostel in Islamabad (~£18/night)
- →Scenic Punjab countryside drive
- →Evening walk in F-6/F-7
Islamabad: Saidpur Village, Faisal Mosque & Melody Food Street
Islamabad
Free morning — walk the Margalla Hills trail or visit the Lok Virsa Museum (~£2). Lunch at Melody Food Street (kebabs, biryani, ~£3-5). Afterwards take a Careem to Saidpur Village (~£3) for the art and craft shops and village lanes. Head to Shah Faisal Mosque for sunset and prayer time (free, modest dress required). Dinner at an Afghani restaurant in the city (~£5-7).
🚌Careem rides around the city (~£8)
🛏Budget hotel/hostel in Islamabad (~£18/night)
- →Lok Virsa Museum
- →Melody Food Street lunch
- →Saidpur Village
- →Faisal Mosque at sunset
- →Afghani dinner
Fly Islamabad to Gilgit, drive the Karakoram Highway to Karimabad
Karimabad, Hunza
Book a morning PIA flight Islamabad–Gilgit in advance (~£60-85 one way; flights are weather-dependent, so build in slack or plan the 14-18 hour NATCO/Faisal Movers bus via the Karakoram Highway as backup, ~£15-20). From Gilgit airport, take a shared jeep or local Hiace van to Karimabad (~£4-6, 2 hours) along the KKH. Check into a family-run guesthouse in Karimabad and explore the lower Hunza villages on foot; arrange a home-cooked Hunza lunch with your host (~£4). Walk up to Duikar for sunset over Rakaposhi and the Hunza Valley.
🚌Domestic flight (~£72) + shared van to Karimabad (~£5)
🛏Family-run guesthouse in Karimabad (~£12/night)
- →Karakoram Highway drive
- →Hunza village walk
- →Sunset at Duikar viewpoint
Passu Glacier hike, Attabad Lake & Borith Lake
Karimabad / Passu
Hire a shared jeep or local car for the day to Passu (~£30-40 for the vehicle, split between travellers; or take the local van to Gulmit ~£2 and pick up a jeep there). Stop at Attabad Lake for photos, call in at the Korgah Carpet Centre to see women-run weaving, and visit the Gulmit Old House for its carved woodwork and lunch at the women-run café (~£4-5). Continue past Borith Lake (birdlife in migration season) and hike up to Passu Glacier with a local guide arranged in Gulmit or Passu (~£15-20) to walk on the ice. Grab dinner at a small Passu restaurant before returning to Karimabad. Sturdy shoes and a warm layer needed.
🚌Shared jeep day hire (~£20 per person if shared)
🛏Family-run guesthouse in Karimabad (~£12/night)
- →Attabad Lake photo stop
- →Korgah Carpet Centre
- →Gulmit Old House
- →Borith Lake
- →Passu Glacier hike with local guide
Karimabad: forts, bazaar and optional jeep safari
Karimabad, Hunza
Slow day. Walk from Karimabad Bazaar up to Baltit Fort (~£3 entry) through handicraft shops and old settlements; optionally continue to Altit Fort (~£3). In the afternoon, either relax at a café with apricot cake or take a shared jeep safari up to Kho Meadows/Eagle's Nest (~£25-30 per vehicle split between travellers). Dinner at a bazaar restaurant (~£4-5).
🚌Walking; optional shared jeep (~£10 per person)
🛏Family-run guesthouse in Karimabad (~£12/night)
- →Baltit Fort
- →Altit Fort
- →Karimabad Bazaar walk
- →Optional jeep safari to Kho Meadows
Ganish Settlement and Hopper Valley glacier hike
Karimabad, Hunza
Take a local van or shared car to Ganish (~£2), the oldest settlement on this stretch of the Silk Road, for its 400-year-old mosques and watchtowers — a local guide can be arranged in the village for ~£8-10. Then continue by shared jeep to Hopper Valley (~£8-10) and choose the easy 20-minute walk to the glacier viewpoint or the longer 2-hour route onto the ice. Carry water and snacks; there are few facilities up the valley.
🚌Local van/shared jeep (~£12)
🛏Family-run guesthouse in Karimabad (~£12/night)
- →Ganish Settlement walking tour
- →Hopper Valley hike
- →Glacier viewpoint
Khanabad village homestay visit, drive to Gilgit
Gilgit
Arrange a village visit and cooking session with a Hunza family through your guesthouse or a local tour guide (~£15-20 including a traditional meal) — many families in Khanabad and around Aliabad welcome visitors. Afterwards, take a shared van or bus back down the KKH to Gilgit (~£3-4, 2 hours). Stay in a budget hotel in Gilgit and, if it's market day, wander the bazaar.
🚌Shared van to Gilgit (~£4)
🛏Budget hotel in Gilgit (~£15/night)
- →Village homestay visit
- →Traditional cooking session
- →Gilgit bazaar walk
Fly Gilgit to Islamabad, Taxila truck art and ruins
Islamabad / Taxila
Morning PIA flight Gilgit–Islamabad (~£65-85; book ahead and keep a bus backup). From the airport, take a Careem or local bus to Taxila (~£3-5) to see the truck-art workshops, the Dharmarajika Stupa and the Taxila Museum (~£2-3 entry each, or a GetYourGuide Taxila day tour ~£35-45). Return to Islamabad for a final dinner of Pakistani favourites (~£6-8).
🚌Domestic flight (~£75) + Careem to Taxila and back (~£8)
🛏Budget hotel in Islamabad (~£18/night)
- →Taxila truck art
- →Dharmarajika Stupa
- →Taxila Museum
- →Farewell dinner
Depart Islamabad
Islamabad
Depending on your flight time, squeeze in a last breakfast and a walk around F-6 or the Margalla foothills, then take a Careem or booked airport transfer to Islamabad International (~£5-7).
🚌Careem to airport (~£6)
🛏—
- →Free morning in Islamabad
- →Airport transfer
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£735 | £2,360 |
| Duration | 11 days | 11 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £1,625 per person (69%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£735
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Best of Pakistan: Lahore, Islamabad & Passu Glacier — Self-Launched cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £735 per person for 11 days in Pakistan. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £2,360 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £735 — a saving of roughly £1,625 (69%) per person.
How long is the Pakistan trip?+
This itinerary runs 11 days, covering 11 day-by-day stops through Pakistan.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a adventure, culture, hiking trip through Pakistan, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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