12 Days | Get to know a beautiful country and its trailblazing women
Learn what life looks like for women living in Pakistan’s vibrant capital city and ancient mountain villages. Join a local female leader as she takes you on a unique journey to the Hunza Valley. See the communities and landscapes associated with the hallowed Karakoram and Hindu Kush mountains and meet pioneering women working on female empowerment projects throughout the region. Trek to alpine lakes, ancient glaciers and the remnants of ruined empires, then witness the evolution of modern Pakistan in the country’s capital of Islamabad. From cooking classes to village visits, this women’s only expedition will have you sharing more than just photographs.
Trip overview
- Start
- Islamabad, Pakistan
- Finish
- Islamabad, Pakistan
- Theme
- Women's Expeditions
- Destinations
- Pakistan
- Physical rating
- Indicates how physically exerting a trip is, and how fit you will need to be to enjoy it. More info on physical ratings
- Style
- Original
- Ages
- Min 15
- Group size
- Min 1 - Max 12
- Trip code
- HQSW
- This is a rare opportunity to travel through Pakistan with a local female leader. Her knowledge and insights will make this an eye-opening and unforgettable expedition.
- Experience a unique female-only salon, owned by a local woman and run out her home in Gulmit, a town that has existed for hundreds of years and is surrounded by mountains and glaciers.
- Spend time with the inspiring women working to empower their communities through local projects including carpet-weaving, cooking classes and cafes.
- Immerse yourself in remote mountain villages while sharing food and stories with a local family.
- This trip visits places as high as 2,900m above sea level, which can cause altitude sickness, regardless of age or physical health. Please see the ‘Health’ section of the Essential Trip Information for more details on travelling at altitude and ensure you are familiar with signs of AMS.
- The weather can be unpredictable in the mountains and a significant number of flights to/from Islamabad and Gilgit are delayed or cancelled due to weather conditions. If your flight is cancelled we will endeavour to get your group on the next available flight. Failing that, we will follow a contingency plan by private vehicle.
- This trip involves some long travel days, which can be tiresome but offer a quintessential experience of the beautiful landscape and hospitable people of Pakistan.
- While we would love to open up these unique experiences to all our travellers regardless of gender, it’s simply not yet possible to do so while operating in a socially responsible and culturally sensitive manner. If you're interested in travelling to Pakistan on a similar itinerary, check out our Pakistan Expedition (code HQSP) or consider booking a private group tour.
Itinerary
Inclusions
11 breakfasts, 10 lunches, 11 dinners
Private Vehicle, Plane
Hotel (7 nights), Traditional Guesthouse (4 nights)
- Islamabad - Faisal Mosque (women's only section)
- Islamabad - Taxila Museum & archeological sites
- Islamabad - Local clothes shopping
- Ghulmet - Rakaposhi View Point
- Gulmit - Village walk & family visit
- Gulmit - Women-run carpet weaving center visit
- Hunza Valley - Ondra Polygah hike
- Gulmit - Local beauty salon visit
- Hunza Valley - Passu Glacier hike
- Hunza Valley - Borith Lake hike
- Hunza Valley - Passu Village visit
- Hunza Valley - Pakistani Home Cooking Class
- Hunza Valley - Traditional music performance
- Hunza Valley - Attabad Lake
- Karimabad - Baltit & Altit Forts
- Hunza Valley - Ciqam Women's Social Enterprise visit
- Hunza Valley - Women-run cafe lunch
- Hopar - Family cooking class
- Hopar - Hopar Glacier walk
- Gilgit - Local market
- Islamabad - Golra Railway Station
- Islamabad - Pakistan Monument
- Islamabad - Rawalpindi Markets
- Islamabad - Jamia Mosque Rawalpindi
- Islamabad - Local salon visit
- Islamabad - Saidpur village
Dates and availability
Important notes
1. An optional single supplement is available on this trip and includes all hotel stay nights. The nights in the traditional guesthouse in Gulmit are excluded. Please speak to your booking agent for further information.
2. Passport scans are required at the time of booking to secure domestic flights and arrange a Letter of Invitation which is required for visa applications. Please see the Essential Trip Information for more information.
3. We use Pakistan Airlines for the included internal flights.
Want an in-depth insight into this trip? Essential Trip Information provides a detailed itinerary, visa info, how to get to your hotel, what's included - pretty much everything you need to know about this adventure and more.
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