Frequently Asked Questions

Send us an enquiry and we take it from there. You can message us on WhatsApp at +92 346 3079646, use the enquiry form on our Contact page, or email us directly at [email protected]. We'll respond within 24 hours with a tailored itinerary and quote. It helps to tell us your travel dates, the size of your group, the tour or trek you have in mind and roughly how fit everyone is, because every itinerary we send is built around those details rather than taken off a shelf. If you would rather talk it through, the Contact page also lets you request a video call with our expedition planners, and our office hours are 9 AM to 9 PM Pakistan time (GMT+5). Once you accept the quote and pay the deposit, the booking is confirmed. For travellers coming from abroad we then issue the invitation letter your visa application needs and start arranging permits, transport and hotels for your dates.

Yes, almost every foreign visitor needs one, and most nationalities can obtain an e-visa through Pakistan's online portal at visa.nadra.gov.pk. You fill in the form, upload your passport details, a photo and the supporting documents, and pay the fee by card. Nationals of Bahrain, Kuwait, Maldives, Nepal, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE can enter without a visa. The free Visa Prior to Arrival scheme was suspended on 1 January 2026, so the standard tourist e-visa is now paid, single entry and valid for three months. Official processing guidance is 7 to 10 working days, so apply three to four weeks before you fly and hold off on non-refundable flights until it arrives. We provide invitation letters and full documentation support to streamline your application. As a licensed operator, the booking confirmation and invitation letter we issue cover the accommodation and itinerary documents the form asks for.

Yes, for the mountain north where our trips run. The northern regions of Pakistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Hunza and Skardu, are very safe and welcoming to international visitors. Chitral needs more care: Chitral town itself is not on the UK Foreign Office's list, but the FCDO advises against all travel on the N45 road that leads to it and to the Kalash valleys, so check your own government's advice and your travel insurance before planning a Chitral trip. Gilgit-Baltistan, which holds Hunza, Skardu, Fairy Meadows and Deosai, is not named as a danger zone by either the US State Department or the UK Foreign Office. Violent crime against tourists there is close to unheard of, and the hazards you actually plan for are altitude, weather, rockfall and roads that wash out in summer. The areas that do warrant caution, such as Balochistan and the Line of Control, are nowhere near the tourist routes. Several governments advise against one stretch of the Karakoram Highway between Mansehra and Chilas, so we fly to Gilgit or Skardu when the weather allows, or use the Babusar Pass road in summer. We monitor conditions continuously and adjust itineraries as needed.

It varies by trek, so the trick is matching the route to the fitness you have. Easy treks require basic fitness: a short day hike such as Baskochi above Attabad Lake suits anyone who can walk uphill for an hour. Moderate routes like Patundas Meadows ask more, and a fair test is whether you can walk uphill for four hours with a daypack on consecutive days. K2 Base Camp and similar routes demand several months of preparation, because you spend many days on glacier ground at altitude and help is a long way off. Train with long hill walks under a loaded pack, add stairs or a stepper, and practise back-to-back days rather than single big efforts. Be honest with us about your fitness and any medical conditions when you enquire, since that is how we choose the right itinerary for you. We provide a detailed fitness guide for each expedition.

Yes. We handle all permits for mountaineering, trekking, and hunting expeditions, including government fees and documentation. For much of the north there is nothing to arrange: Hunza, Skardu, Gilgit and Fairy Meadows need no special permit on a tourist visa. Paperwork starts in the restricted zones. Treks on the Baltoro toward K2 Base Camp and Concordia need an NOC arranged in advance plus a permit from the Alpine Club of Pakistan, and the restricted-area trekking fee runs to US$150 per person per month. Climbing any peak above 6,500 m needs a separate mountaineering permit and a peak royalty, and where a route requires a liaison officer we arrange that too, along with national-park fees. None of this can be sorted out from a hotel in Skardu the week you arrive. We file it weeks ahead, which is a large part of what you pay an operator for on a Baltoro trek or an expedition.

We accept bank transfers, Western Union, and cash payments. A 30% deposit secures your booking, with the remainder due 30 days before departure.

Full refund if cancelled 60 days before departure. 50% refund for cancellations 30 to 59 days prior. No refund within 30 days of departure. We strongly recommend travel insurance.

Yes, take it seriously on any high trek, though it is very manageable. On high treks like K2 or Nanga Parbat base camp our itineraries build in acclimatisation days, and our guides watch every trekker for symptoms and carry a first-aid kit. Our lead guides also hold wilderness first-aid training. Headache, nausea, breathlessness at rest and trouble sleeping are the signs to report. Ascend slowly, drink plenty of water, and tell your guide early if you feel unwell, because the fix is almost always to stop climbing or go down. A common mistake is flying from Islamabad to Gilgit and starting a trek the next morning, so we build in a couple of nights in a valley such as Hunza first. Your travel insurance must cover high-altitude trekking and helicopter evacuation, which standard policies exclude. Most trekkers who respect the acclimatisation days have no serious problems.

Pack in layers, because a day in the Karakoram can run from frost at dawn to hard sun by noon. The core list is layered clothing for cold mornings and warm afternoons, a warm down jacket, a waterproof shell, broken-in hiking boots, sun protection, a headlamp, a refillable water bottle and any personal medication. Add high-SPF cream, a brimmed hat and good sunglasses, since the glare off snow and ice is fierce, plus trekking poles and a small personal first-aid kit with blister care. A daypack of around 30 litres is enough when porters carry the main bag. Bring rupees in cash, because ATMs in the mountains are unreliable and cards are rarely taken. We send a full packing list once you book, and provide tents, sleeping mats and cooking gear on camping treks. The right sleeping bag rating depends on the route, so check the list for your trek.

Both, and private is the norm. Most departures run in small groups, and the great majority of our trips are private or tailor-made for your own party, from solo travellers to families and larger groups. Tell us your dates and interests and we build the itinerary around you. That means the pace, the hotels and the number of rest days are set for the people actually on the trip, not for a fixed calendar. Our trip pages note that custom itineraries are available for groups of two or more. Group size does change the price per head, because a pair pays for the same jeep, driver and guide that a group of six would share, so mention how many of you are travelling when you enquire and we will quote on that basis. Every trip is run by our own team on the ground in Gilgit-Baltistan, with local guides who know the valleys.

Yes, the north is a comfortable place for both. Gilgit-Baltistan is one of the safest and most hospitable parts of Pakistan and is comfortable for solo travellers and women. Hunza in particular has high female literacy and women working openly in shops and guesthouses, which surprises many visitors. Our guides and drivers are local, we can arrange female-friendly accommodation, and we advise on dress and etiquette. In practice that means loose clothing covering shoulders and knees, and a scarf for mosques and conservative villages. Staring is the most common annoyance, tiring rather than threatening, and big cities such as Lahore and Karachi involve far more hassle than Hunza or Skardu. Many solo women hire a guide for the opening days before travelling on alone. The main practical risks are altitude, weather and mountain roads, not personal safety, which is why we advise against driving mountain roads after dark.