To start your registration process, please fill out the registration form (click the green “register now and pay later” button) on this page. We will get in touch with you once you submit your form.
The maximum size of our groups is 14 persons. The average size of our groups is 10 members.
We can organize solo treks if your dates do not match our dates of departures or if you enjoy hiking solo (with the guide – government requirement).
Solo treks cost more than trekking in a group.
We also organize treks for private groups. If you are interested to trek in a separate group with your own friends or family, please get in touch and inform us about your dates that are suitable to your group.
The cost per person for private groups decreases as the number of people increase in a group.
It would be reasonable to spend at least a week walking or running to prepare yourself before your departure. You should follow the fundamental rules (hike, short walks and other cardio exercises that will help you build stamina) knowing the fact that your body should be healthy enough to walk for long hours on two separate days.
During the trekking holiday, you will experience a variation in temperature. Up to 45 °C in Islamabad, 32 °C in Chilas and 26 °C in Fairy Meadows. A normal day will be warms unless the clouds cover the sky, until we reach base camp where the temperature can be as less as 10 °C or more.
The participants however must be prepared to face any unfavorable weather conditions.
It is very common that the participants at least tip the hardworking porters for their jobs that include carrying loads of supplies and luggage. If the participants are satisfied with the services of the guide kitchen crew, assistant(s)a contribution can be made. The tour guide/leader will be key in helping with the tip amount for all crew and staff members of our trek. Those porters who leave early can be tipped earlier.
During this trek, all three meals including breakfast, lunch and dinner) will be served to the participants. A combination of Foreign and Pakistani meals will be included in our food plan. The ingredients for the food will be procured in Pakistan. Breakfasts will have coffee, cereal, tea, eggs, muesli/porridge, bread/chapatti included. Lunches during two days of trekking to/from base camp will be consumed during lunch breaks on the trek. Options include chapatti, noodles, cheese etc. Weather has a very important role in deciding our lunch menu for the day; the participants will begin the lunch with consuming or end it with tea or coffee, juice, soup etc. Dinner will mostly include Pakistani cuisine made of chicken, vegetable or pulses.
All the participants who are vegetarian, they must communicate with our office and inform us on advance basis if they need a vegetarian food plan during the trek.
The participants on the day 1 must arrive at Islamabad International Airport, Islamabad. Our staff/guide will receive our guest at the gates of International arrivals in the airport premises. The guide/staff will escort the guest to their hotel. In case any of our guest does not require pick up from the airport he/she must inform us in advance
They must also give us the details of their flights both inbound and outbound two days prior to their arrival in Pakistan. Upon confirmation of your registration and payments, our office will send you the names and contact numbers of our office personnel.
While few nights will be spent in the capital city of Islamabad and the town of Chilas, the rest of the nights will consist of camping in tents between the magnificent mountains. The accommodation arrangement is Islamabad is of standard hotels while our hotels selected in Chilas/Besham/Naran are among the best. Rooms at our provided hotels will be on twin sharing basis with en-suite amenities.
At the time of camping, the participants will be sharing a tent fit for two persons. If any participant is coming alone on this trek he/she will be accommodated with one of the other member for tent and room sharing. For strangers and solo trekkers, first preference will be given to same gender stays. Nevertheless, a participant can opt for separate tent of hotel rooms as he/she likes, however additional cost will be incurred for making separate arrangement. Any participants seeking separate accommodation must inform our office in advance.
We recommend the participants to read the necessary foreign travel information advices on their respective foreign office’s website. The travellers on EU residents can find the required information on the ‘Travel Advice’ section on the website of European Commission. Participants other than EU Nations can look up to their respective foreign office websites. Some of these websites does not allow their citizens to drive on Karakoram Highway, but most of these websites are not updated. In case of flight cancellation, kindly take note that the participants will be travelling on the Karakoram Highway then from Jaglot (Gilgit) they will be travelling on Gilgit-Skardu Road.
Travelling on Karakoram Highway is one of best experiences in Pakistan for both domestic and foreign tourist. These great highway offers one the best views and the participants will travel on this road they will find indigenous communities throughout the trip. Many of the foreign tourists have found this thrilling road trip a plus and never regretted travelling on this road. We recommend the participants must seek more information on traveling coverage from your insurance company. If your insurance company does not provide full coverage for your trekking holiday, You might want to look for other companies. For example, you can consult British Mountaineering Council, World Nomads and First Allied Travel Insurance for good solutions.
Our professional guide will manage all the participants for the complete trekking holiday. These guides have government granted licenses which is recognized from Pakistan’s Tourism Department. During this trek our guide will be the focal person for any kind of assistance, communication, help or any kind of complaints and feedback. These guides have a background of working with foreign tourist in the past and have facilitated many of them from around the world. English is widely spoken our guides.
They are trained to have a very professional interaction with the participants, we recommend the participants to keep a very friendly relation yet professional with their respective guide. In case you are a private group with several members and a speaker of a different language like Spanish, we will try to reschedule our Spanish speaking guide (If available). Other than guide kitchen crew, assistance depending on the size of the group and porters will accompany the participants on this trekking holiday.
The porters are the locals and belong to villages around these areas
Other than your trekking holiday cost you may carry amount of 250 USD/ 240 EUR/ 1700 CNY/ 200 GBP (or equivalent amount in your local currency). This amount can be used for other expenses and tipping the supporting staff and porters. Upon arrival at the airport you can exchange your currency to Pakistani Rupee, for a good conversion you may seek help from our office.
Any tip to porters will be in Pakistani Rupees or any other shopping you want to do in Pakistan. US Dollars can be easily exchanged in most of the areas but we advise one-time exchange. For shopping in Islamabad credit cards come handy for any shopping of gifts/souvenirs or items like rugs. In Islamabad Automated Teller Machines will be available to withdraw cash from credit/debit cards but you will be only able to with draw Pakistani Rupees.
All the luggage/baggage will be carried by the porters which includes equipment, supplies etc.
12.5kg (20 pounds) kilograms is the maximum limited for packed trekking bag. The maximum limit of load will include sleeping bag and sleep mattress. It is very important to bring only required items on the trek.
The maximum altitude on this trek is 4,280m i.e. the elevation of Nanga Parbat. One night is spent at this elevation. This is a light trek at a high altitude. But do not worry yourself humans are gifted to become familiar to high elevations.
We provide one list for all our participants.
List 1 - Must Bring Items:
- First Aid Pack (Diamox (Altitude), Dioralite (re-hydration salts), antiseptic cream, blister treatment, throat lozenges, plasters, Imodium (diarrhea treatment), painkillers)
- Hiking Backpack (Day Pack) 32-42 Litres
- Fleece jacket with hood or a warm jumper
- Hiking boots (over the ankle boots. low cut boots not recommended)
- Sleeping bag (5°C comfort rated)
- Sun protection cream (including total block for nose, lips etc.)
- Sunglasses
- Sunhat
- Thermarest or any similar mat/pad for sleeping
- Warm hat
- Warm jacket (down)
- Water bottles 1litre (x2)
- Waterproof jacket (or raincoat)
- Waterproof over-trousers
- Antibacterial hand wash
- Shirts/T-shirts
- Small towel
- Socks
- Spare laces
- Underwear (normal and thermal)
- Wash-bag and toiletries
- Walking socks (1/2 pairs)
- Trekking Trousers
List 2 - Optional:
- Buff or scarf
- Small padlock (for locking your bag)
- Camera
- Insect repellant
- Pen-knife (important: pack sharp tools in hold luggage)
- Repair kit (e.g. thread, needle, duct tape)
- Liner (for sleeping bag)
- Travel clothes
Below are a few options where you can shop online for this trek.
Yes, a few equipments (e.g. sleeping bag, mattress etc) can be rented and purchased in Islamabad but it is not guaranteed that you will find the right size. These equipments are used/second-hand equipments and not always reliable. The rents for these equipments are not fixed. If we are informed in advance, we can make arrangements.
To conduct the “Fixed departures” a registration number of six (6) participants is required. We receive several guest numbers for each of our fixed departures. We believe it is important to communicate it with our potential guest.
However you can make sure of the holiday status on our website and page. Status “available” means that we are accepting further registration from our guests while “guaranteed” means we have achieved the required number of guests and the trip will start as per the given dates. We will be in touch with our registered guests constantly. The guidance will be given step by step regarding flights reservations to Pakistan and visa applications etc.
To apply for visa to Pakistan, a passport is required with at least later than 6 months. For more updated and reliable information we advise you to contact the nearest Pakistan’s Consulate in your city or country. We believe you will responsibly carry the task of ensuring right documents required for travel. If an individual is visit non-EU nations, the individual must ensure 2 vacant pages in his/her passport (travel documents) for each country you are planning to travel.
Tourist (Visit) Visa is normally required for individuals who are visiting Pakistan for trekking, foreigners already living in Pakistan on work visas require a No-Objection-Certificate (NOC) which normally takes up to 6 week time. It taken around 200 USD for visa fee but our recommendation still stays with consulting Pakistan’s High Commission or Consulate nearby. An invitation letter from us (Apricot Tours) is required to apply for Pakistani Visa. We will assist you in obtaining the visa by providing you the necessary documents once you register with us.
A relevant doctor of health consultant should be consulted before travelling to Pakistan. You should consult the doctors for any necessary vaccination, communicate your plan and list down every prevention measures. Our guest must be secured with the approved vaccines and boosters in your country and also consider discretionary vaccine shots for example Malaria prophylaxis. Although Malaria does not exist in parts of Islamabad. Your accommodation will be in safe and clean areas. However there are reports of Malaria and Dengue cases during rainy season in hospitals in Islamabad.
As a best practice it is better to get the relevant vaccine to avoid any of it during the trekking holiday. Consulting a dentist is also recommended before commencing the holiday in the remote mountainous region.
After the trek, all the guests who wish to extend their stay up to 4 (four) weeks or further must know that on exit from the country, a proof of vaccinations will be required if you are coming from countries (more than 12 hours transit country also included) with serious threats of transmission of yellow fever.
For more information kindly visit this website, this will be very helpful in getting the relevant information.
Portable chargers, storage cards and extra batteries may be required during the trekking holiday. We advise you to make a relevant list of adapters, sockets and any other kind of electrical items you might require to keep your devices function as long as possible.
To find out the best portable battery chargers please visit this link.
We recommend and support all travel and safety of health campaigns by different countries around the world and there for strongly advice our guest to take out some time to read official travel advisory on their countries Foreign office’s website. The safety of our guest is our top most priority. We will only start the trips once we are satisfied with safety and security. We will be always in touch with the guest booked for Pakistan and have a bilateral communication.
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