Pakistan: Lahore & Hiking the Karakoram Mountains (Self-Launched)

Land in Islamabad and check into a budget guesthouse in the F-7 or Blue Area district (arrive by mid-afternoon). Meet no group — you're solo-launching this — but do a quick recce of the city. In the late afternoon head to the iconic Shah Faisal Mosque for sunset and stay for the maghrib prayer echoing across the white marble. Grab dinner of chapli kebab and naan at a local dhaba in Melody Market.

🚌Airport taxi/shared van to city centre, ~£5

🛏Budget guesthouse in Blue Area/F-7 (approx. £18/night)

• →Shah Faisal Mosque at sunset
• →Melody Market street food

Fly with PIA from Islamabad to Skardu (book early — flights are weather-dependent and often cancelled; keep a backup overnight bus or the Karakoram Highway route in mind). Land in Skardu, then take a shared jeep or local bus (~2 to 2.5 hrs) east to Khaplu town. Make photo stops in Baltistan villages along the way and walk across a suspension bridge with mountain backdrop. In Khaplu hike the short, easy trail up to the 700-year-old Thoqsi Khar Fort mosque perched on the ridge.

🚌PIA flight Islamabad-Skardu ~£60 (book ahead); shared jeep Skardu-Khaplu ~£5

🛏Khaplu guesthouse (approx. £12/night)

• →Scenic flight to Skardu
• →Village pitstops along the Shyok valley
• →Thoqsi Khar Fort hike

Morning self-guided visit to Khaplu Palace (Yabgo Khar), the restored royal residence of the Raja of Khaplu, then walk to the 500-year-old Khanqah-e-Mualla mosque. In the afternoon hire a local guide and porter team (arranged via your guesthouse or the Khaplu Tour Operators) and drive to the Thallay La trailhead. Trek one easy hour up to Dunsa campsite at 3,530 m and settle into your first wild camp among grazing herds.

🚌Local jeep to trailhead ~£6 shared; trekking on foot

🛏Camping at Dunsa (own tent; porters carry gear)

• →Khaplu Palace (Yabgo Khar)
• →Khanqah-e-Mualla mosque
• →Trailhead transfer to Dunsa
• →Camp set-up at 3,530 m

Wake as the sun crests the ridgeline and eat breakfast with your guide and porters. Trek from Dunsa to May Sikhpa through lush green meadows, alpine flowers and crystal streams, walking alongside local shepherds — only a few hundred trekkers do this valley each year. Set up camp and, with almost zero light pollution, spend the evening stargazing over the Karakoram.

🚌Trekking on foot, 4-5 hrs

🛏Camping at May Sikhpa

• →Thallay Valley trek (Dunsa to May Sikhpa)
• →Shepherd trail walking
• →Stargazing from camp

A demanding day over the historic Thallay La pass, the old trade link between the kingdoms of Khaplu and Shigar. Climb steadily past glacial moraine and crystalline streams, with yak and goat herds grazing around camp. Descend to the Shigar-side campsite. Keep the pace steady — this is the technical high point of the trek.

🚌Trekking on foot, 6-7 hrs

🛏Camping on Shigar side

• →Thallay La pass crossing
• →Glacier and moraine walking
• →Camp life with local herders

Continue the descent through the Thallay Valley's lower meadows, following shepherds and streams down toward the Shigar valley floor. Meeting local villagers with generational ties to these mountains is the quiet magic of this route. Arrive at a village guesthouse or camp and enjoy tea as the sun dips behind the peaks.

🚌Trekking on foot, 4-5 hrs

🛏Village guesthouse or camp in Shigar valley (~£12)

• →Valley descent trek
• →Village visits
• →Sunset camp tea

Final trekking morning, then a shared jeep out to Skardu. Check into a guesthouse and rest, then explore Skardu town: the 17th-century Kharpocho Fort above the Indus and the Cold Desert's sand dunes with views of the Karakoram giants. Eat a proper mountain meal after days of camp food.

🚌Shared jeep from trailhead to Skardu ~£6

🛏Skardu guesthouse (~£14/night)

• →Trek out and jeep transfer to Skardu
• →Kharpocho Fort walk
• →Cold Desert dunes sunset

Buffer day (also useful if your Khaplu flight was delayed). Take a half-day shared jeep trip to Shangrila (Lower Kachura) Lake and the cold, clear Upper Kachura Lake. Otherwise just rest your legs, sort laundry and plan the trip south. Overnight Skardu.

🚌Shared jeep to lakes ~£8

🛏Skardu guesthouse (~£14/night)

• →Shangrila & Upper Kachura Lakes
• →Rest and recovery day

Fly Skardu back to Islamabad and connect with a domestic flight to Lahore (or take the overnight Daewoo bus if flights are full/grounded). In Lahore check into a budget hotel in Gulberg or near Anarkali. Evening walk around the Food Street at Fort Road for a first taste of Lahori cuisine.

🚌Skardu-Islamabad flight ~£60; Islamabad-Lahore flight ~£45 (or Daewoo bus ~£12)

🛏Budget hotel, Lahore (~£20/night)

• →Domestic flights south
• →Fort Road Food Street

Full day in Pakistan's cultural capital. Start at the Lahore Fort and the Badshahi Mosque, then wander the Walled City and the Anarkali Bazaar. In the evening, join a self-booked Lahore Food Tour (GetYourGuide/Viator, ~£25) to eat your way through paya, nihari and phajja, or just eat independently on Gawalmandi Food Street.

🚌Local rickshaws/Careem ~£6

🛏Budget hotel, Lahore (~£20/night)

• →Lahore Fort & Badshahi Mosque
• →Walled City & Anarkali Bazaar
• →Optional Lahori food tour

Final morning — visit the Shalimar Gardens or the Wagah border ceremony if timing allows, then head to Allama Iqbal International Airport for your onward flight. Trip ends here.

🚌Taxi to airport ~£6

🛏—

• →Shalimar Gardens or Wagah border ceremony
• →Airport departure