Pakistan: Women's Expedition

This trip visits places as high as 2900 m 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 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.

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.

Most travellers prefer to take a small to medium wheeled suitcase, which is a great size for the packing capacity in our private vehicles. Whatever you take, be mindful that you will need to be able to carry your own luggage, handle it at airports, take it in/out of accommodation and perhaps even walk short distances. We recommend you pack as lightly as possible.

If your trip includes travelling on overnight trains or primarily using public transport, the smaller your luggage, the easier it will be to store under or above bunks. Large suitcases may not be able to be taken on board. A lockable bag or small padlock for your bag will be useful, especially when travelling on public transportation as well.

When you're exploring during the day, you'll also need a day pack/bag to carry water, a camera, a jacket and activity-specific items like a swimsuit, a waterproof pouch/bag for your phone, or hiking shoes.

Below we have listed the essentials for this trip:, https://www.intrepidtravel.com/packing-list, ESSENTIALS:
- Pillow or travel pillow
- Travel towel
- Closed in shoes. We highly recommend that you take a pair of comfortable, closed-in hiking shoes. Closed-in shoes will help to protect your feet from cuts and scratches when walking in the mountains, and will also act as a barrier protection in rare cases against bites or stings.
- Lightweight long clothing. You will need to bring a mixture of lightweight clothing, some warm items for the evenings. Women must cover their legs at all times, and no sleeveless tops as Pakistan is a Muslim country. Men can wear shorts however it is very uncommon. Ex-military, camoflage or military style clothing and equipment is NOT recommended.
- Warm fleece and beanie for morning and evening activities.
- Swimwear
- Sun protection - hat, sunscreen, sunglasses
- Insect repellent

RECOMMENDED:
- Optional sleeping bag/sleeping sheet for homestays. Your hosts will be providing mattresses and blankets, so it is based on personal preference. Note, it can get very cold at night in the desert and mountainous regions of Pakistan.
- A good quality, high-beam headlamp or torch.
- Waterproof/windproof jacket is a good idea for wet days, and early morning or evening activities when it can be cool.
- Personal medical kit. Large kits will be on hand at the lodges and from your leader (on trips that have a dedicated trip leader) but we recommend you carry items such as mild pain killers, electrolytes and bandaids.
- Camera with spare battery or power bank.

OPTIONAL:
- Ear plugs to guard against snoring.
- A good book, a journal or smart phone with music player.

LUGGAGE LIMIT:
Please keep your luggage to a minimum. One small soft-sided bag plus a day pack (no more than 15-20kgs in total per person) is essential. We recommend against bringing hard/externally framed suitcases as they are difficult to store and can damage equipment and other travellers' belongings. If your trip is beginning and ending at the same location, excess luggage can usually be stored at your arrival/departure hotel and can be collected after your trip.

VALUABLES:
Please try to avoid bringing unnecessary valuables, and use your hotel safe. It’s also a good idea to purchase a money belt or pouch that is easily hidden. We strongly recommend that you photocopy all important documents e.g. air tickets, passport, vaccination certificate, etc. and keep the copies separate from the originals. While not valid, a photocopy makes it very much easier to obtain replacements if necessary.

BATTERIES/POWER:
Our trips have access to power to recharge batteries for phones and cameras every couple of days. We always recommend that you carry an extra battery or powerbank just in case.

CONSERVATIVE DRESS:
Pakistan is a traditional Islamic nation and modest dress is required. Men can wear shorts but they are not very common and not allowed in religious areas. Loose fitting cotton pants are preferable for the heat. Tank tops should not be worn however short sleeve shirts that cover your shoulders are acceptable for men.
It is necessary for women to wear a headscarf when visiting mosques. It's perfectly acceptable for women to wear a headscarf that shows some of their fringe. We recommend always having a headscarf with you to cover up in religious places or conservative areas to avoid unwanted attention. Its acceptable for women to wear tights with loose long linen or cotton shirts, or even long light cardigans. These need to be long enough to cover your bottom. Your group leader will advise you of what attire is appropriate during the welcome meeting.
Open-toed sandals are acceptable for both sexes. Slip-on footwear is handy as you have to remove your shoes before entering mosques and homes.
You will be taken to shop for local clothing, headscarfs, salwar kameez (the local pants/top worn by men and women) on Day 2 of the itinerary., LUGGAGE LIMITS:
Domestic flights in Pakistan have strict weight limits - 20kg of check-in luggage and 5kg of carry-on hand luggage per person is included with your flight ticket.

Hotel Hill View, Main Jinnah Super Market, F-7 MARKAZ, Islamabad, 44000, PAKISTAN, Phone: 051 8319000

Alternate Joining Point

For trips departing on the following dates
use this joining point.
27 Apr 2025 (HQSW250427)
Hotel Hill View
Main Jinnah Super Market
F-7 MARKAZ
Islamabad
44000
PAKISTAN
Phone: 051 8319000

Hotel Hill View, Main Jinnah Super Market, F-7 MARKAZ, Islamabad, 44000, PAKISTAN, Phone: 051 8319000

Alternate Finish Point

Breakfasts included: 11

Lunches included: 10

Dinners included: 11

While travelling with us you'll experience the vast array of wonderful food available in the world. Your group leader or local representative will be able to suggest restaurants to try during your trip. To give you the maximum flexibility in deciding where, what and with whom to eat, generally not all meals are included in the trip price. This also gives you more budgeting flexibility. As a rule, our groups tend to eat together to enable you to taste a larger variety of dishes and enjoy each other's company. If you have dietary requirements and/or food allergies, please let your booking agent know prior to departure.

Though the food in Pakistan is no doubt delicious, it’s not necessarily the ‘clean-eating’ diet of your dreams. There’s a lot of oil, meat and bread, and a fresh Waldorf salad can be rather difficult to come by. Like India, Pakistan’s hygiene standards can sometimes be lacking and it’s not uncommon for travellers to experience stomach troubles at some point in their journey. This is just a part of travelling in the developing world. Your tour leader will be able to direct you towards restaurants that are known to have better hygiene, especially in tourist areas where they are travelling with our groups regularly.

If you are a strict vegetarian you may find travelling in Pakistan difficult at times. Meat is a daily staple, and things may be awkward if your host cooks up a feast and is unaware of your diet. Travelling as a vegan is particularly difficult as many dishes will include butter, ghee butter or yoghurt. Furthermore, vegetarian dishes are sometimes cooked with meat stock or in the same pot as meat. It’s possible, yes, but it’s important to be clear while understanding that veganism just isn’t a concept in Pakistan.

While we always endeavour to provide the best possible holiday experience, due to the nature of travel and the areas we visit sometimes things can and do go wrong. Should any issue occur while you are on your trip, it is imperative that you discuss this with your group leader or local representative straight away so that they can do their best to rectify the problem and save any potential negative impact on the rest of your trip.

We recognise that there may be times when your group leader or local representative may not be able to resolve a situation to your satisfaction - if this is the case, please ask the group leader or local representative to speak to their direct manager.

You may also choose to provide details in your online feedback, which we ask you to complete within 30 days of the end of your trip. Please do be aware that it is very difficult for us to provide any practical help after the trip is completed, so informing us while still travelling will give us the opportunity to resolve the issue in real-time.

For general contact details please use the following page: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/contact-us

Intrepid’s Local Operator: Available for phone call or WhatsApp call on +92-311-5212996 and +92-320-8700800

The style of accommodation indicated in the day-to-day itinerary is a guideline only and may change. On some occasions, alternative arrangements may need to be made due to the lack of availability of rooms in our preferred accommodation. In these cases, we will use a similar standard of accommodation.

Throughout the trip, we request that our properties prepare rooms in time for our arrival, especially if we're arriving prior to normal check-in time. However, this isn't always possible which means we won't be able to check-in immediately on arrival at some hotels. Instead, we can store our luggage and explore our new destination or on some trips, have use of shared day rooms until all rooms are available.

ACCOMMODATION:
Some of the accommodation along the way is basic or simple, staying in local guesthouses and homestays. Some may have shared bathroom facilities with cold water only. We use a mixture of air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned rooms. Some areas of Pakistan experience daily load shedding. This is where the power may be turned off at certain times of the day and usually occurs for a few hours in early afternoon. Most hotel properties have a restaurant or cafe serving local meals.

SHOWERS:
Showers at some hotels only have hot water at peak times (usually morning and evening). Outside of these times you may need to speak to reception to obtain hot water.

ROOM ISSUES:
If you have any issues with your room, please speak to the hotel and your tour leader right away rather than your travel agent so that the problem can be addressed without delay.

PAKISTAN HOMESTAYS
As a responsible travel company, we believe in facilitating positive and meaningful exchanges between our travellers and locals at the places we visit. Homestays are a great vehicle for us to facilitate this!

What will you do during a homestay? Well…it’s hard to tell. As you know a day in a family’s life varies from day to day. We don’t want this experience to feel forced (on you or on them) so we ask families to simply carry on with their lives and that, if there is anything that you may be interested in being part of, they ask you to join in. As such you may be invited to help cook dinner, or to go to the local market for groceries, or to join a soccer game! While your leader will give you some tools to interact with your family (such as some simple local words/phrases) big smiles and lots of sign language can go a long way!

That said, it’s also important that you understand that you are not obliged to participate in these activities. We believe that the more you put in the more you get out of an experience, but we also understand that you may just want to chill out, grab a book or your camera and go for a wander – and that is fine too.

Ultimately, we believe that by simply being there, observing family and friends dynamics is a step forward towards understanding the local way of life.

In homestays we will sometimes share one common sleeping space, just how local people sleep. Plenty of blankets are provided. Ask for more if you are cold. Layering up with thin thermals and a fleece material will help during very cold nights too.

Lastly, be aware that some homestays in Pakistan have shared drop toilets and no showers. So mind your step and bring your biodegradable wet-wipes!

DAY ROOMS & EARLY CHECK IN:
Please note in some destinations we will provide use of day rooms. These rooms are provided for shared group use before or after overnight train journeys. We have some days where we arrive at our destination before check in time and a day room is not included. If you have booked a Single Supplement for your trip, it will not apply to these day rooms. Your leader may be able to assist you in booking a room for your sole use (depending on availability) until our regular trip rooms become available for an additional charge. Please talk to your leader at the Welcome Meeting if this is a service you would like to request.

TRANSPORT IN PAKISTAN:
Main roads in Pakistan are usually very busy with an assortment of vehicles from the biggest trucks (who always have right of way) down to bikes (and animals!). Overtaking on blind corners at speed is common as is the total use of the horn as a form of communication. Our leaders have complete authority to remove groups from local transport if the driver is not driving safely. Drivers of our private vehicles are experienced and well trained. if you are uncomfortable with your driver, please always let your tour leader know immediately. Please ensure you wear your seat belt at all times.

TRAVEL TIMES:
Distances in Pakistan do not reflect the driving time and to cover 100km may take much longer than you would expect at home, even if much of the route is on a highway.

AUTO RICKSHAWS:
On this trip we travel on local style of transport called an auto rickshaw. These small, motorised three wheeled vehicles are a common form of transport in Pakistan and do not have seatbelts.

FLIGHTS:
International airports in Pakistan are becoming more modern (especially in the major and tourist cities). To enter the airport, you must have a copy of your flight ticket and passport. Schedule changes and delays do occur, especially when weather conditions make visibility poor.

INTERNAL FLIGHTS:
Flights between Islamabad and Gilgit are often delayed or canceled due to poor weather. Your local leader will give you the most up to date information regarding delays to flights. If your flight is cancelled we will endeavour to get your group on the next available flight. Failing that, we will follow our contingency plan by road using a private vehicle.