Tibet Is Officially Closed ... And So The Karakoram Here We Come

Tibet Contingency Plans - Nepal, India, Pakistan & China in 5 weeks across the Himalayas.

The problems in Tibet mean that we've been forced to re-plan our Tibet trips. As the saying goes "one door closes and another opens". This trip is every bit as good as our Tibet trip, it is just different.

With the final announcement that the Chinese have now closed Tibet to travellers through to June 2008, Dragoman are now committed to running an amazing contingency route.

Whilst, not being Tibet, because we think this alternative is equally good and rather than being down hearted about this turn of events, we are actually extremely excited about it. Our hand has finally been forced…. and

….The Karakoram Highway Here We Come

HTC 18 & SRT18:

There are 2 affected trips our HTC18 from Kathmandu to Xi’an and our SRT18 from Kathmandu to Bishkek.
These trips usually would run side by side through Tibet and then make their own ways from the town of Golmud. Instead that will now run together from Nepal, through the Indian Himalayas, into the Punjab and Pakistan and then up the Hunza Valley and the amazing Karakoram Highway, over the high passes of the Karakoram and into China and Kashgar. Here they split and go there separate ways.

SRT and HTC Itinerary Kathmandu to Kashgar

SRT Itinerary Kashgar to Bishkek

HTC Itinerary Kashgar to Xi’an

What You Need to Know about Pakistan

Before Nine Eleven, Dragoman had travelled through Pakistan regularly from the UK to Kathmandu and back again. It is not a new destination for us.

Pakistan does has obvious security issues and we therefore feel it is important that you are all aware of the Foreign Office Advice. If you are not British and are uncertain about travelling in Pakistan, please check your own governments advise and email Dragoman or your travel agent

The British Government Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advise, advises travellers not to visit specific areas of Pakistan. The most relevant to this trip is the a region of the North West Frontier District between Islambad and Gilgit (the first 2 days of the Karakoram Highway). For this reason we will be flying between Islamabad and Gilgit.

FCO Advice: North West Frontier Province (NWFP)

We advise against all road travel to Gilgit at this time for the same reason. We do not advise against road travel to Skardu, Hunza and beyond if you fly to Gilgit first, or travel to the Kalash Valley if you fly to Chitral first. If travelling on the Karakoram Highway towards Hunza you are advised to travel in daylight hours as the road can be narrow, with sudden precipitous drops.

For full text of the FCO advice, please click here

The Highlights of the new trip

Pokhara
Royal Bardia & Corbett National Parks - Tigers (hopefully!)
The Indian Himalayas, Rishikesh, Shimla, Dharamsala,
Amritsar & the Golden Temple
Moghul Lahore
Rawalpindi & Islamabad
Fly from Islamabad to Gilgit over the massive Karakoram Mountains
The Karakoram Mountains and the Highway to the Hunza Valley
The Karakroam Mountains and the highway from Karimbad to Passu
The Chinese Karakoram's, Pamir Mountians & Lake Karakul
Kashgar and the Sunday Market
Xi'an (HTC itinerary)
Kyrgyzstan (SRT itinerary

SRT and HTC Combined Itinerary Kathmandu to Kashgar

The new itinerfary has been planned in conjunction with Ben Greyling, (senior ex Dragoman tour leader) who cycled the whole route last year and has provided us with a wonderfully detailed itinerary. We are able to launch this amazing new overland itinerary for those who unfortunately can't make the trip across Tibet.

NEPAL:
Nights 1 - 3: From Kathmandu we head through the Himalayan foothills to the mountain retreat of Pokhara for 2 nights. This is one of the most picturesque towns in Nepal, set on the edge of lake, with a spectacular backdrop of the snow-capped peaks of the Annapurna Massif. Here you can trek out to Sarangkot.

Sarangkot has great views in all four directions, with Pokhara nestling below and the vast Annapurna Range stretching out in the distance. One of the most popular times to trek is to get there to watch the sun rise and head back to Pokahar after breakcfast.

Nights 4 - 6: The drive from Pokhara to Butwal is a beautiful, beautiful drive, albeit a long one. We will spend the night here before heading to Royal Bardia National Park. The park provides excellent habitat for endangered animals like the rhinoceros, wild elephant, tiger, swamp deer, black buck, gharial crocodile, marsh mugger crocodile and Gangetic dolphin. Endangered birds include the Bengal florican, lesser florican, silver-eared mesia and Sarus crane. More than 30 different mammals, over 200 species of birds, and many snakes, lizards and fish have been recorded in the park's forest, grassland and river habitats. A good number of resident and migratory birds are found in the park. It is also the home of one of the last known herds of wild elephants.

This park is one of the best place to view the most magnificent of cats, The Royal Bengal Tigers. The chance of seeing a tiger are said to be almost 80%, depending on the season. We will organise elephant back safaris to search for wildlife.

INDIA:
Nights 7-8: We cross into India and head to Corbett National Park. If we have failed on tigers in Nepal, hopefully we should see them here. Corbett National Park India is famous for its resident tigers. The park was created in 1936 and was India’s first national park. In 1973 it was one of the nine tiger reserves created at the launch of the Project Tiger. It has always be renown as a haven for tigers as well as their prey, which include four kinds of deer and wild boar. Panthers and the himalayan black bear are found in the more hilly areas of the park, whereas lower down you should see sloth bears. In the southern region the dole or wild dog can be found along with the Jackal. Elephants are among one of the main attractions of Jim Corbett Park and we will organise an elephant back safari.

Nights 9-10: We now travel through the lower Himalayas to the towns of Mussoorie, and the Rishikesh. The latter is a stunning place and is a magnet for hindu pilgrams as it is on the banks of the high Ganges. Here the waters of the 'mightly river' are mountain waters and it is a very different river from the the Ganges that snakes across the plains.

Nights 11-12: We travel deeper into the foothills through to the Old Colonial summer seat of Government, the town of Shimla. This beautiful hill town is surrounded by forests of pine and deodar . It is a big town now, but it's colonial past is still obvious.

Nights 13-14: After a couple of nights relaxing here we head to the Tibetan enclave of Dharamsala. When the Dalai Lama left Tibet, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru offered to permit him and his followers to establish a "government-in-exile" in Dharamsala in 1960. Since then, many Tibetan exiles have settled in the town, numbering several thousand. Most of these exiles live in Upper Dharamsala, or McLeod Ganj, where they established monasteries, temples and schools. The town is sometimes known as "Little Lhasa", after the Tibetan capital city.

Night 15-17: We now snake our way down from the mountains and into the steaming plains of the Punjab to Amritsar, one of India's most interesting religious cities. It's a few years since Drago have been here and it will be good to be back. The obvious attraction is our visit to the Golden Temple. Temple is the centre of the Sikh religion and is an incredibly beautiful sight. On a visit to the temple complex we should get the opportunity to learn something of the religion and are sure to be made to feel welcome. It may be possible to sleep the night in the temple guesthouse with the pilgrams.

PAKISTAN:
Both Amritsar and Lahore are very close to the border and so our border crossing day will hopefully be a fairly short affair. We will spend a couple of nights in Lahore as this is a fascinating and friendly city, a lustling and full-on experience with many excellent bazaars.

The city is packed full of famous sighte, such as 'Kim's Gun' of Rudyard Kipling fame and the magnificent Badshahi Mosque - once the the largest in the world and considered to be the final architectural fling of the Moguls. It can hold over 60,000 people and it is possible to climb one of the towering minarets to get a magnificent view of the Lahore Fort. The beautiful and peaceful Shalimar Gardens on the edge of the city make an interesting contrast from the hustle and bustle of the crowded city centre.

Night 18-19: A short day's drive takes us back towards the mountains to the colonial administrative capital of Rawalpindi and the modern countries capital Islamabad. The cities are only a few miles apart and from here we will prepare ourselves for the heart of this expedition our trip up the Karakoram and over the top of the world into China.

Nights 20-26: The Karakoram Highway and the Karakoram Mountains.
This infamous road is the highest paved international road in the world. It connects China and Pakistan across the Karakoram mountain range, through the Khunjerab Pass, at an altitude of 4,877 metres (16,002 feet). In China it is known as the Friendship Highway. It was completed in 1986, after 20 years of construction. 810 Pakistani and 82 Chinese workers lost their lives mostly in landslides and falls, while building the highway. This is an ancient route as the KKH traces one of the many paths of the Silk Road.

It is staggeringly beautiful and has to be one of the most extraordinary journeys on earth.

Map: Check out this great map site to see the whole route up the highway

Our Route up the Highway: from Islamabad we will fly to the town of Gilgit. The trukc wil relocate to Gilgit, allowing us a couple of nights for R&R. The next section of the journey takes us into a 'totally fascinating and beautiful area full of beautiful people' (Ben Grayling's decription). We are now in the Hunza Valley, an area of breathtaking beauty. It is so beautiful that we will spend the next three nights in the Valley including one night in Karimbad. The plan is to camp and explore on foot some of the stunning mountains and glaciers and then to have a night relaxing in the wonderfully friendly town of Karimbad. We will organise a visit to the Baltit Fort (pictured below) and hike up the glaciers.

The next day is an epic of 40 kms through to Passu. 40 kms may not sound a lot but this is some of the worlds most epic scenery and some of the worlds most friendly people, so lets take it slowly. Ben decribes it thus

'Glacier walks, village walks, hot springs, short hikes and even suspension bridge walks. Stayed at a great place called the Passu Inn, run by a very friendly and honest old Pakistani guy called Ghulam who speaks impeccable English. The place is cheap and hot showers can be arranged. There is also a nice garden; a restaurant and the truck could be parked out the front of the hotel on the road. One would be crazy not to stay in this town, it's so damn beautiful!!!'

CHINA:
And so to China. Our final day in Pakistan takes us up to the frontier at Sost and onto the Chinese town of Tashkurgan. We are now back on familiar territory and our usual route down the Chinese section of the Karakoram Highway through what is termed the Tadjic Autonomous Region. We now descend through the Karakoram Range

Our last night before arriving in the famous city of Kashgar will be at the beautifully wild Lake Karakul where we will camp with the traditional Tadjik nomads who graze their herds of goats, horses and camels along the shoreline. We have finally left the Karakoram range of the Himalayas and are now in the vast Pamir Mountains, This lake is flanked by two of the biggest of the Pamir Mountains, the 7546m Muztagh Ata and the even bigger 7719m high Mt. Kongur. We will have time to hike or ride around the area with the locals before heading down to our Karakoram destination, the Silk Road city of Kashkar. Please Note: The HTC itinerary will not stop at Lake Karakul as we want to allow a couple of nights in Kashgar before flying onto Xi'an

HTC Itinerary: Nights 27-28: Kashgar
SRT Itinerary: Nights 28 - 30: Kashgar
Both itineraries will be in Kashgar for the all important day, Sunday, market day. Kashgar was immortalized in the antics of the British and the Russians during the Great Game, (the first Cold War - late C19th). Both nations established consulates or listening posts in Kashgar to try to extend their own influences over the vast realms of Central Asia. These missions are now hotels and are well worth a visit. Kashgar has managed to keep an exotic atmosphere under the ubiquitous mantel of Chinese modernity. This is mainly due to the ethnic mix of Uyghurs, Tajiks, Uzbeks and Kyrgyz and is amply portrayed throughout the old town, with blacksmiths, silversmiths, cobblers and others working in ways that have not changed for hundreds of years. The highlight of the week for the local populous and for the visitor is the massive Sunday market. 50,000 people migrate for the day into the town. The Chinese have split the market in two and moved the animal market out of town. This is a must for the visitor, as it exemplifies the daily life of the indigenous people. The noise, smells, the animals, the traders, the junk, toot, cloths, rugs, jewellery, tapes and ghetto blasters. Horses, cows, donkeys, sheep and goats all awaiting the inevitable sale. In Kashgar we will stay in a comfortable tourist style hotel.

HTC Itinerary: Nights 29-30 and Final Day: After the day in Kashgar we will fly through to our final destination, the city of Xi'an. Without a doubt Xi'an is one of the three big musts in China for the visitor. The History of this city is immense, with the earliest habitation dating back 6000 years. It first started coming into pre-eminence between the 3rd and 5th century BC and despite suffering several setbacks it remained as one of the ruling cities in China through to 900 AD. Today it is most famous for its army of Terracotta Warriors that date back 2000 years, but the city is full of other cultural, religious and historic sites.

SRT Itinerary: Nights 31-33: The Torugart Pass and Kyrgyzstan: And so finally through to Kyrgystan and the Silk Road to Central Asia. Our route now takes us through the last of the great mountain passes, the Torugart Pass. The Silk Route had many different physical barriers to overcome, none more difficult that the vast Tian Shan mountains that separate the kingdoms of the Kyrgs, now Kyrgyzstan, and the land of the Turkic speaking Uyghurs, Chinese Turkestan. The main route through these mountains was and still is through the 3752m Torugart Pass.Once again the route is through stunning mountains and is one of the most exciting overland routes in the area.

Before arriving at our final destination of Bishkek, we will sample some fo the legendary Kyrgyz hospitality at a traditional homestay. Kochkor is a sleepy little Kyrgyz village and looks very much like the paintings of traditional Kyrgyz life seen in various museums and art galleries throughout the country. Here we will stay for the night with a traditional Kyrgyz family, living with them and finding out about their daily life, food and family patterns. The Kyrgyz have embraced Responsible Tourism and actively encourage travellers to stay in the homes of local people. There is an excellent local animal market and a traditional felt making enterprise which we usually visit. Here they make a variety of the different felts used for making yurts, rugs, carpets and souvenirs.

Nights 34-35 and Final Day: Bishkek is the capital of Krygyzstan and is a relaxed city with an excellent atmosphere. The city centres around Ala-too Square which was previously known as Lenin's Square. Lenin used to stand in his concrete overcoat in the middle of the square, proudly gesturing at the mountains from the vast central square, renamed Ala-too Square in 1991. For those into Soviet memorabilia, a larger than life Lenin still sits on a bronze horse facing the train station, though his name has been removed and you can still visit the museum built over Lenin's birthplace. At Dubovy (Oak) Park, you will find a few open air cafes where you can sit and soak up the atmosphere. The century old oaks here and along Freedom Avenue make Bishkek one of the greenest cities in Central Asia.

Well that's it folk's you have made it all the way from Kathmandu to Bishkek. It's a hell of a route and one which you will never forget.