Southern Pakistan: Journey Through The Indus Valley
Group Tour
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Overview
Enigmatic, edgy and intriguing, Pakistan often makes the headlines for all the wrong reasons. However, it is a land filled with colour and contrast, offering the adventurous traveller a stunning wealth of culture, tradition and natural beauty.
This remarkable journey travels through the Indus Valley encompassing everything from Sufi tombs and desert fortresses, to bustling bazaars and lively cities, as we travel from the streets of Karachi and deep into the Punjab.
Beginning in ...
Enigmatic, edgy and intriguing, Pakistan often makes the headlines for all the wrong reasons. However, it is a land filled with colour and contrast, offering the adventurous traveller a stunning wealth of culture, tradition and natural beauty.
This remarkable journey travels through the Indus Valley encompassing everything from Sufi tombs and desert fortresses, to bustling bazaars and lively cities, as we travel from the streets of Karachi and deep into the Punjab.
Beginning in Karachi we’ll have a chance to explore one of Pakistan’s most exciting and historic cities, discover the tombs of some of the country’s most revered mystics and poets, visit the UNESCO World Heritage ruins of Mohenjo-daro and travel into the deserts of Cholistan to see the imposing fortress of Derawar. In Multan we explore the renowned City of the Sufis, before moving on to Lahore, the cultural heart of the Punjab. The second largest city after Karachi, it offers a backdrop of the traditional walled city and the chaos and clamour of one of the most vibrant cities in the country, where we discover the historic and religious reminders of the Moghul, Sikh and British Empires.
HIGHLIGHTS
At a glance
MEALS
TRANSPORT
On this tour we will use minibuses or coaster buses depending on the group size.
GROUP SIZE
EXPERT TEAM
ACCOMMODATION
ENTRANCE FEES
FITNESS RATING
WILD MILES
ACCOMMODATION
As an overall ethos, wherever possible we aim to use characterful accommodation that enhances the overall travel experience, not just offers a bed for the night. This can obviously vary dramatically from country to country and from trip to trip.On this particular trip we will be in a mixture of good quality hotels in the larger cities, to some smaller and more functional hotels in the towns. Please note that the accommodation mentioned in the itinerary is intended as a guide only and is always subject to availability.
FITNESS RATING
LOW: You should be comfortable walking around towns and cultural sites. May include some optional walks (typically 1-2hrs).LOW/MODERATE: May be of a long duration and/or involve numerous border-crossings. May include easy/moderate day walks (up to 2-3hrs/day). You should be relatively fit and lead a generally active lifestyle.
MODERATE: May include several easy/moderate day walks (up to 2-5hrs/day) possibly at altitude. You should be relatively fit and lead a generally active lifestyle. Previous experience of similar trips helpful.
MODERATE/HIGH: May involve several days of moderate hiking (up to 3-6 hrs/day) possibly at altitude. You must be a fit and active traveller with appropriate trekking experience.
HIGH: May involve several days of moderate/strenuous trekking (up to 4-7 hrs/day) possibly at altitude. You must be a very fit and active traveller with appropriate trekking experience.
Wild Miles Club
When you book a trip with Wild Frontiers you are awarded points, which are based on the return distance from London to the arrival city of your trip. Points are awarded for all our holidays, including both our escorted group tours and tailor-made trips. When you accrue points, you will qualify for the following discounts on all future bookings:
| Blue | More than 10,000 points | 2.5% discount |
| Bronze | More than 30,000 points | 5% discount |
| Silver | More than 45,000 points | 7.5% discount |
| Gold | More than 60,000 points | 10% discount |
Map & Itinerary
Individual departures may vary so please refer to the information in the tour specific links in the Dates and Prices section below
Day 1 Tour starts in Karachi
Day 1 Tour starts in Karachi
This afternoon we will begin our tour of the city with a visit to the Shrine of Abdullah Shah Ghazi. Born in Medina in 720 AD and widely revered throughout Pakistan, he was considered the patron saint of Karachi. Later we will have an opportunity to visit Clifton Beach, the National Museum and the Mausoleum of Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
Day 2 Karachi – Hyderabad
Day 2 Karachi – Hyderabad
Departing Karachi after breakfast this morning, we'll drive on to the city of Hyderabad. The journey takes us by way of the UNESCO World Heritage Site at Makli Hill, home to one of the largest necropolises in the world, and the Shah Jahan Mosque at Thatta, built during the golden age of Mughal architecture. Time permitting, we can also enjoy brief stops at the Chaukhandi tombs and the ancient port city of Bhanbore.
Day 3 Hyderabad – Larkana
Day 3 Hyderabad – Larkana
From Hyderabad the adventure continues through the north-west regions of Sindh province, towards the historic city of Larkana. Stops en route at the shrines of the famous Sufi saints of Lal Shahbaz Qalander and Abdul Latif Bhittai provide a chance to discover more about these revered mystics, philosophers and poets, before continuing on to our overnight stop in Larkana, on the banks of the River Indus.
Day 4 Larkana – Sukkur
Day 4 Larkana – Sukkur
Larkana is home to one of the largest and oldest settlements of the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation. The site at Mohenjo-daro (Mound of the Dead) was abandoned as far back as the 19th century BC. Here we will have the chance to visit this impressive UNESCO World Heritage Site. We continue in the afternoon to the village of Ranipur to the archeological and historical site of Kot Diji Fort, formally known as Fort Ahmadabad. Built between 1785 and 1795 by Mir Sohrab Khan Talpur, founder of the Upper Sindh Kingdom in 1783, the fort was strategically placed on the edge of the desert to intercept any enemies approaching from the east before they could refresh their supplies after a long journey through the desert. Our journey today ends in Sukkur where we can admire the impressive Sukkur Barrage, an engineering marvel of this region.
Day 5 Sukkur – Bahawalpur
Day 5 Sukkur – Bahawalpur
A full day's drive takes us north on to Bahawalpur, once part of an independent princely state that was founded in 1802 by Nawab Mohammad Bahawal Khan II. The road passes by the city of Uch Sharif, which was believed to have been founded by Alexander the Great in 325 BC at the confluence of the Indus and Chenab Rivers. Here we stop to visit the beautiful tomb of Bibi Jawindi, one of the five monuments in Uch village which today is a pilgrimage site for Muslims visiting Sufi shrines. From here we then complete the journey on to Bahawalpur.
Day 6 Bahawalpur
Day 6 Bahawalpur
Following breakfast we will drive into the remote landscapes of the Cholistan Desert to pay a visit to the imposing setting of Derawar Fort. With the increasing irrigation from the Indus the desert has receded and been replaced by cultivated fields now quite close to the fort which is surrounded by scrubland. Built by the Rajput Bhati, the fortress dominates the desert around it, with 40 towering bastions that stand over 30 metres in height. A visit to the fort and the royal tombs of the Bahawalpur Nawabs is followed by a visit to a local village, before returning to Bahawalpur for a second night.
Day 7 Bahawalpur – Multan
Day 7 Bahawalpur – Multan
A morning tour of Bahawalpur today provides an opportunity to discover a little something of its historic and cultural highlights relating to the local Nawabs, along with modern day local market. Departing the city after the visit, we'll then head on towards Multan, located on the banks of the Chenab River.
Day 8 Multan
Day 8 Multan
Multan (Madinat-ul-Auliya) is known as the City of the Sufis, or the City of the Saints, largely due to the abundant number of Sufi shrines that lie scattered across the city. Amongst the monuments that we will visit today are included the shrines of Shah Rukn-i-Alam, Bhahuddin Zikria and Shams Tabraz. We'll also have an opportunity to spend some time exploring the Old Bazaar.
Day 9 Multan – Lahore
Day 9 Multan – Lahore
From Multan the journey next takes us on to the capital of the Punjab, as we drive to Lahore, the largest Punjabi city in the world and the country’s cultural and artistic capital. Stopping en route at the famous archaeological site at Harappa, we'll have a chance to discover the remains of a Bronze Age fortified city whose origins have been dated back to 2600BC. This afternoon we continue our journey to the colonial city of Lahore where we stay for the next three nights.
Days 10 - 11 Lahore
Days 10 - 11 Lahore
The historic capital of both the Moghul and Sikh empires, the city also played a significant part in the British governance of the Punjab. Home to a remarkable collection of cultural and historic highlights, our tour over the next two days includes visits to the Lahore Museum, the Badshahi Mosque, Lahore Fort along with several local shrines and mosques. Along with visits to the old town, we will also head out east to the Wagah Border to witness the dramatic flag lowering ceremony.
Day 12 Tour ends Lahore
Day 12 Tour ends Lahore
This morning the tour ends in Lahore.
PRIVATE HOLIDAYS: DATES DON’T FIT?
All group tours can be taken on a private basis.
Additional Details
Responsible Travel
With local people, culture and eco-systems in mind, responsible travel and sustainable tourism are at the core of Wild Frontiers. We believe that a successful trip not only delivers a unique and unsurpassable journey for our travellers but also benefits the people and places we visit.
When designing our tours, we actively seek out experiences that have a positive impact on the communities and precious environments we visit - from supporting social enterprises; resting our heads in rural homestays; and eating at locally owned restaurants; to helping fund conservation projects that protect wildlife and their habitats.
Visit the Responsible Travel area of our website to read more, including the work of the Wild Frontiers Foundation through which we fundraise to aid community empowerment and education projects.
Reducing Single Use Plastic
We recognise the environmental issues and challenges around single-use plastic in many countries we visit and are actively working with our partners on the ground to reduce plastic waste on our tours and within the hotels and restaurants we visit. You can help to reduce your personal plastic waste by taking a refillable, filtered water bottle with you on your trip. Filtered water bottles can be refilled from water sources including your hotel room and restaurant taps, drinking fountains and refill stations. Every time you refill your bottle without the use of single-use plastic, you will be helping to reduce waste and protect the environment. Filtered Water Bottles | Wild Frontiers (wildfrontierstravel.com)
Getting There
If you would like us to send you a quote for the suggested tour flights or on any alternative flight that may suit you better, please let us know, noting that for our US clients, we will most likely refer you to one of our preferred partners. For this trip our suggested flights from the UK (subject to change) are shown below.
If you wish to arrange your own flights you are completely free to do so and in this case we can arrange any transfers or supplementary accommodation that you may require. However please note that if you are planning on making your own flight arrangements, we recommend that you first check with us to see if the trip is guaranteed. We then suggest that you purchase flights that are flexible and ideally refundable as due to the nature of adventure travel, itineraries and destination accessibility can change at any time. For more information, please refer to our booking conditions.
| Flight Code | Departing | Arriving |
|---|---|---|
| EK 030 | London Heathrow (LHR) 15:50 | Dubai Airport (DXB) 02:45 |
| EK 600 | Dubai Airport (DXB) 07:20 | Karachi Airport (KHI) 10:30 |
| EK 623 | Lahore Airport (LHE) 03:30 | Dubai Airport (DXB) 05:40 |
| EK 001 | Dubai Airport (DXB) 07:45 | London Heathrow (LHR) 12:25 |
Visas & Vaccinations
VISAS
Visas are necessary for many of the destinations we travel to and while we aim to provide you with the most up-to-date information, requirements frequently change and as such for the latest advice we advise that you check with the relevant embassies or contact a reputable visa agency. More details can be found here - https://www.wildfrontierstravel.com/visa
For this tour UK passport holders currently require a visa for Pakistan.
Passports should ideally be valid for a minimum period of 6 months from the end of your tour.
Non-UK passport holders or non-UK residents should contact the relevant embassies for individual requirements.
VACCINATIONS & ADDITIONAL TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS
A Yellow Fever vaccination certificate is a mandatory requirement for travellers to Pakistan coming from countries at high risk of the disease. Also, if your travels are for 4 weeks or more, you will be required to show proof of a Polio vaccination on exiting the country.
For all destinations, please make sure you are up-to-date with any standard vaccinations (e.g. MMR, Hepatitis A, Tetanus) as recommended by your local health care provider.
Malaria is present in some parts of Pakistan and precautions are essential.
For the most up-to-date information on all vaccination requirements and the most suitable anti-malarial tablets, we strongly suggest that you seek advice from your local travel centre or consult an official travel health website such as www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk or www.travelhealthpro.org.uk
Covid Testing: No mandatory testing is currently required for vaccinated or unvaccinated travellers.
If necessary further details will be sent out to you upon booking, however ensuring that correct and valid visas & vaccinations are obtained remains the sole responsibility of the client.
Extensions
If you have more time available, why not arrive early to adjust to a new time zone or just to get a feel for the country before your tour starts? Alternatively, you might choose to allow a few extra days after the tour to relax or to undertake some further exploration.
The choice is completely yours and we can usually arrange anything from simply additional accommodation and transfers to full tailor-made itineraries*. Please contact the office for more details and to discuss your requirements.
*Please note bespoke, tailor-made itineraries need to be a minimum of 7 days and we can only offer them in countries where we have a tailor-made expert
Governmental Travel Advice
Many governments issue advice which highlights potential hazards their citizens might experience when travelling abroad. We strongly suggest you refer to your country’s particular advisory site before booking and contact us if you have any queries or concerns. Click to follow links to the advice of the British Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) or the US State Department.
Non-UK citizens should consult the travel advice of their respective governments.
Warning
The FCDO sometimes advises against certain parts of this itinerary.
Wild Frontiers has many years’ experience of running trips which contravene FCDO advice but these decisions that are never taken lightly and are always taken in conjunction with our local partners after extensive consultation. As part of the booking process, you will need to sign a disclaimer to confirm you have read the advice, that you are still happy to travel and that you will obtain travel insurance which is not invalidated by the FCDO advice.
On this tour the FCDO currently advise against all but essential travel to areas of Sindh Province north of, and including, the city of Nawabshah. This effectively equates to much of DAYS 3-5 of the itinerary, however please note that this information is subject to change.
For more information, please see the Insurance section or contact us. Non-UK clients should be sure to check the travel advice of their own governments as well as the small print of their insurance policies. Should you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Key Information
CLIMATE
The Sindh and Punjab provinces of Pakistan at this time of year should be pleasantly warm and sunny with daytime temperatures in the late teens to mid-20s, but dropping at night to become fresher and much cooler. It is the dry season so there should be no rain. Temperatures on the coast are tempered by sea breezes in comparison with the mainland and desert areas.
IS THIS TRIP FOR ME?
It may sound obvious but Wild Frontiers tours are not always for everyone and it is important to us that the tour you choose is the most suitable. All our tours have a fitness rating as a guideline but you should check the day-by-day itinerary carefully. In certain instances we may ask you to complete a travel questionnaire before confirming your booking in order to ensure your suitability. Should you have any concerns about your ability to partake in any aspect of the tour then please contact the office.
KEY ASPECTS TO CONSIDER
Anyone in a reasonable state of health, with an open mind and a sense of adventure should be perfectly able to cope with this tour. However, please note that this is Southern Pakistan and has long been off the tourist trail due to political strife and unrest. As such we may have police escorts during certain parts of the tour.
Vegetarians should be well catered for but please note that food will tend to be quite spicy and more akin to India that the gentler cuisine in the North of Pakistan. There will also be some long driving days on the tour, although the roads are good, so come prepared for an adventure.
THE NATURE OF ADVENTURE TRAVEL
We feel that it’s worth pointing out that while we will always strive to stick as close to the stated itinerary as possible, it may be necessary from time to time to make changes to our itineraries or services (due to weather, political and religious influences etc.) and this can happen with little or no notice. This unpredictability can be one of the most exciting aspects of adventure travel and for many of our clients often leads to unexpected highlights as the tour-leader necessarily adapts the tour to the changing conditions. However we are aware that this lack of assuredness may not suit everyone. As such, with the greatest respect, if you are someone who needs to know that everything will happen exactly as planned, we would kindly suggest that perhaps our tours are not for you. Adventure travel can be infectious and once you’ve caught the bug, it is likely to never leave you, but especially if this is your first such tour we would strongly urge you to give us a call if you have any concerns whatsoever about your suitability for this trip.
TRAVELLING SOLO AND SINGLE SUPPLEMENTS
As a company approximately 70% of our clients are solo travellers, so it’s very unlikely you’ll be alone!
Our prices are typically based on twin-share accommodation but single supplements are not compulsory for any Wild Frontiers tour. If you prefer not to pay a single supplement we’ll pair you with someone else of the same sex for you to share with throughout the trip. On this trip, if you do opt to pay for a single supplement then please note that it will cover you for all nights of the tour.
Please note that paying a single supplement entitles you to lone occupancy of a single room. In many cases these rooms will be of the same size as a double/twin room, but in some cases they may be smaller.
INSURANCE
Insurance that provides cover for emergency repatriation in case of a medical emergency is compulsory for all tours. You should be aware that due to some of the geographical areas visited and some of the activities included on certain of our trips some standard insurance policies may not always provide adequate cover. As such we strongly recommend that you purchase a policy that adequately covers your trip. Please see the Insurance section for more details.
General Information
TOUR PRICE
All our tours are priced on a land-only basis, giving you maximum flexibility when deciding how to get to and from your tour.
DEPOSIT
A 10% deposit is required to confirm your booking.
PROTECTION FOR YOUR MONEY
For further details please see our travelling with peace of mind page
WILD MILES
This tour will earn you 7854 Wild Miles
WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED
We believe in a completely transparent approach to pricing with no hidden extras. As such, please note that the following are not included in the cost of the tour.
Visas & Travel Insurance: Visas will always be tour/nationality dependent but travel insurance is mandatory
Tips: Always optional but some guidance will be given in the pre-departure information documents
International Flights: Please ask us for an obligation-free quote for flights which originate in the UK
Airport Transfers: We include complimentary transfers if arriving/departing on the suggested group flights
Beverages & any costs of a personal nature: This will include items such as laundry and souvenirs
WILD FRONTIERS COMMUNITY
If you’re still not sure if this trip is right or just want to see get some different perspectives, then why not have a look at the wide variety of resources we have on our website? Browse our community section to read our blogs, watch videos and find out about our events.
WHY WILD FRONTIERS?
We are frequently asked what makes Wild Frontiers different from other tour operators. Visit our Why Wild Frontiers page to find out.