Concordia Expeditions Pakistan

The Karakoram Highway (KKH) follows one of the principal Silk Road routes and is the backbone of this stunning mountain bike holiday. The KKH is a remarkable engineering achievement. Pakistanis proudly refer to the road as Hunza Valley the Eighth Wonder of the World. Built in conjunction with the Chinese, the KKH was carved into the Indus Valley above the furious torrent of the Indus River, right up through the Hunza Valley and over the mighty Karakoram Mountains via Khunjerab Pass into China.

The Hunza Valley offers a wide variety of mountain scenery,View From Hunza Diran & Rakaposhi peak peaks above seven thousand meters including such giants as Ultar, Spantik, Diran and 7,788 meter Rakaposhi. The Valley embraces enormous glaciers that tumble down to the roadsides, and tiny villages with their carefully terraced and irrigated fields clinging precariously to the valley slopes. The barren upland plateau of the Pamirs that is straddled by the Khunjerab Pass eventually gives way to the fertile fields and apricot orchards that made the Valley world famous. This incredible diversity of landscape is this mountain bike tour's great appeal, and the reason why the upper KKH offers perhaps the most rewarding biking anywhere in the Great Himalayan Range.

Altitude 4800m max.

The Deosai Plains (4000m) are 32km south of Skardu. This plateau is the habitat of the greatly threatened Himalayan brown bear and many other wild animals. At an average elevation of 4 meters, Deosai is known a national park and protected Nanga Parbat Rupal Face Above Sheosar Lake On The Deosai Plainsarea for wildlife. The rolling grassland here supports not trees or shrubs and the area is snow covered for seven months of the year. Spring comes to Deosai in August when million of wild flowers being to bloom all over the lush green grassland. This is a time when Deosai looks like paradise with a landscape full of wild flowers on green rolling hills and crystal clear water streams with snow covered peaks in the background.

The adventure bike tour will take you right across the beautiful mountains ranges of Himalaya and Karakoram. Traveling on KKH, you will enjoy most spectacular scenery on earth. Before reaching Deosai, you will also witness the magical views of Nanga Parbat (8125m), the ninth highest peak of the world, from different angles at Deosai, our first stop will be at Sheosar Lake. This place offer beautiful views of south face of Nanga Parbat and panoramic views of Deosai Plains. At Bara Pani, you can spend one day and visit the core zone of National Park for Bear Watching or you may enjoy fishing in the cold water of Barwai stream. From Deosai, we will drive back via Skardu and Gilgit and have a chance to enjoy the most thrilling drive along the River Indus.

To discover the region of Chitral and Hunza by bike has its own charm. We start our trip from Islamabad to Peshawar through the beautiful Swat Valley up to Dir by jeep. From here one can use the own horsepower. TheHunza Valley 3118 m high Lowari Pass and the 3720 m high Shandur Pass are highlights for bikers. The Chitral Valley at an elevation of 1127 m, which is between the two passes, is a beautiful setting full of exotic charm. The major attractions are the Kalash Valleys.

The population of 3000- strong Kafir Kalash people live in the valleys of Birir, Bumburet and Rumber. The Kalash are cheerful people, who love music and dancing particularly on the occasion of their religious festivals. After the strenuous climb to Shandur pass one can relax on the magnificent plateau. We continue our bike ride to the dark blue Phander Lake. There we should try to catch our own trout fish for dinner.

Altitude: 4833 m. Max.

We begin our journey in Islamabad and proceed to the beautiful alpine lush green Kaghan valley. This valley rivals any in the American Rockies and the European Alps. From here we drive over the Babusar Pass and enter another realm of the Indusphandar valley gorge.This is where the monsoons are unable to unleash their torrents as they have exhausted all of their moisture in valleys like the Kaghan. The monsoon clouds have a difficult time going over the Himalayas on their northward journey. From the hot and dusty Indus valley we drive towards the base of the ninth highest mountain in the world; Nanga Parbat. Here we visit the beautiful Rama Lake.

The next part of our journey takes us over the high Deosai plains and into the Skardu valley; the gateway to the Karakoram giants.

The Deosai Plains lie between the Indus River and the southern extension of theHunza Valley Himalayan Range, whose most famous peak is Nanga Parbat (8125m). At an average height of 3800m, the undulating, green, flower-filled meadows are surrounded by snow capped peaks and the drive through these plains is a soul stirring experience.

During this overland Bike tour we traverse the western Himalaya, Karakoram and the Hindukush mountain ranges. We also have fantastic views of Nanga Parbat (8125 m.), Rakaposhi (7788 m.), Diran (7273 m.),Golden Peak(7027 m.) and Ultar (7388 m.).

Karakoram is a Turkish language it means 'crumbling rock' is an incredible feat of engineering. The original track started from Xian inChina, Karakoram highway, connecting the Northern Areas of Pakistan to the ancientSilk Road, runs approximately 1,300 km from Kashgar, to Havelian, located in the Abbottabad District of Pakistan.

As it became popular, the route was used by the invaders, raiders, explorers,Cycling on Karakorum Highway hunters, missionaries and philosophers. Buddhism, Islam and Christianity came to this region through theSilk Route. The road has also given mountaineers and trekkers easier access to the many high mountains in the area. High mountain ranges and glaciers are visible from the road, which also passes through green valleys of great natural beauty. Rock art and petroglyphs are found all along the road.

The Silk Road construction started from 1966 and completed in 1978(20Hunza Valley In Autum season years)During construction 810 Pakistani and 82 Chinese workers lost their lives, mostly in landslides and falls, while building the Karakoram Highway.

The Karakoram Highway (KKH) follows one of the principal Silk Road routes and is the backbone of this stunning mountain bike holiday. The KKH is a remarkable engineering achievement. Pakistanis proudly refer to the road as the Eighth Wonder of the World. Built in conjunction with the Chinese, the KKH was carved into the Indus Valley above the furious torrent of the Indus River, right up through the Hunza Valley and over the mighty Karakoram Mountains via Khunjerab Pass into China.

The Hunza Valley offers a wide variety of mountain scenery, peaks above sevenPassu valley Gojal thousand meters including such giant as Ultar, Spantik, Diran and 7,788 meter Rakaposhi. The Valley embraces enormous glaciers that tumble down to the roadsides, and tiny villages with their carefully terraced and irrigated fields clinging precariously to the valley slopes. The barren upland plateau of the Pamirs that is straddled by the Khunjerab Pass eventually gives way to the fertile fields and apricot orchards that made the Valley world famous. This incredible diversity of landscape is this mountain bike tour's great appeal, and the reason why the upper KKH offers perhaps the most rewarding biking anywhere in the world. Himalayan Range.

Altitude: 4800 m. Max.

We traverse almost all of the western Himalayas and Hindukush Range, driving and walking, along some splendid areas of the Karakoram. We also have magnificent views of the 'Naked Mountain', NangaNanga Parbat (the killer Mountain) Parbat (8125 m), Rakaposhi (7788 m), Diran (7327 m), Golden Peak(7027 m), Ultar (7388 m), and Trichmir (7706 m), the highest of the Hindukush. This is a combination of different adventures, though the legendary valleys of Hunza, and the black Kalash. The trip is unforgettable for its beauty, and the people with a rich culture background.

From Gilgit we drive upstream along the Ghizer River and over the Shandurkalash Festival gathering Pass(3720 m) into Chitral Valley. From Chitral we drive south to Kalash Valleys of Birir, Bumburet and Rumbur. This is the home of the Kafir-Kalash, a primitive pagan tribe, whose ancestry is enveloped in mystery, and is the subject of much controversy, though often mentioned as descendants of Alexander the great.

Altitude: 4833 m. Max.