General
Motorbike Tour to Astore & Skardu (2024-25) – 11 Days
Motorbike Tour to Astore & Skardu is an exciting adventure in the Karakorams of Pakistan. Two and a half million domestic tourists visited this region in the year 2018 and it still continues to be the top destination among foreign and domestic tourists. Our biking adventure to Hunza Valley is normally referred to as Motorbike Tour to Astore & Skardu.
Our events (fixed departures) for Motorbike Tour to Astore & Skardu are given in the table below.
| Holiday | Price (USD) | Price (PKR) |
| Motorbike Tour to Skardu (08 days) | US$1,550 | PKR 240,200 |
| Motorbike Tour to Skardu (09 days) | US$1,590 | PKR 246,400 |
| Motorbike Tour to Skardu (10 days) | US$1,790 | PKR 277,400 |
| Motorbike Tour to Astore & Skardu (11 days) | US$1,790 | PKR 277,400 |
| Motorbike Tour to Kalash Valley – 15 Days | US$1,990 | PKR 308,400 |
Dates & Cost – Motorbike Tour to Astore & Skardu (11 Days)
All seasons are considered good for sightseeing in the northern areas of Pakistan. Considering the flow of tourists and demand for Motorbike Tour to Astore & Skardu, we carefully choose our dates for this tour. The start and end dates in the table below are your dates of arrival and departure from Pakistan. We have at least 2 guaranteed departures every year. Our dates and costs for Motorbike Tour to Astore & Skardu are given below.
| Start Dates | End Dates | Price (USD) | Price (PKR) | Deposit | Registration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15-Jul-2020 | 25-Jul-2020 | US$ 1,790 | PKR 277,400 | US$ 490 | |
| 15-Aug-2020 | 25-Aug-2020 | US$ 1,790 | PKR 277,400 | US$ 490 |
The remaining balance (to be paid in Islamabad) will be decided depending on the number of people joining this trip, according to the table below.
| Solo Rider | 2 Persons | 3 Persons | 4 Persons | 5 Persons | 6-8 Persons | 9-10 Persons |
| $1790 (Per person) | $1590 (Per person) | $1490 (Per person) | $1390 (Per person) | $1290 (Per person) | $1190(Per person) | $1090 (Per person) |
Holiday Information
- 125cc Motorcycle for the tour (can be upgraded in registration form)
- Domestic flights (if included in itinerary)
- All airport transfers (if included in itinerary)
- Road transfers (according to itinerary)
- All accommodation in Pakistan according to itinerary (twin sharing)
- Invitation letters and other documents for Visa application
- Set of "Naming list" (required at Police check-points)
- Tour Map
- Emergency contact numbers
- Tour guide during Islamabad sightseeing (if included in itinerary)
- International airfare
- Personal travel insurance or trip cancellation insurance (recommendations only)
- Insurance of motorcycle
- All meals (breakfast, lunch & dinner) and beverages/water during meals
- Support staff (guide, cook, assistant(s), mechanic etc)
- Personal equipment (e.g. helmet, knee-pad, bag etc)
- First aid medicine kit
- Satellite phone for emergencies (available for rent: USD 20 per day)
- Local SIM card for personal communication
- Entry fees to museums, parks, malls or any other establishment
- Toll/road taxes (estimated total of maximum USD 15)
- Extra night stays
- Miscellaneous (tips/gratuities, minibar, bottled water, phone calls, laundry, souvenir etc)
- Charges incurred due to delays beyond the control of Apricot Tours (Force majeure)
Why should you register now?
1. Price changes: The given prices for the holidays are early bird discount offers and are subject to change. There will be an increase in prices every month after January. Service providers including (but not limited) to hotels increase prices in peak-season. Early reservations cost less than peak-season. Our motorcycle holiday prices will not change once you have paid the deposit so the price when you book is the price you will pay. Register yourselves early to avoid increase in holiday prices.
2. Peak Season: If your itinerary includes domestic flights, we might not be able to get you on the domestic flights if you do not pay your deposit on time. Domestic flight seats are sold very fast way ahead of time because there are only a few flights to the mountains during peak season. This is a very serious concern. Among other things, the deposit is used to book domestic flights for you in advance.
3. Pay less deposit: Given below is our deposit schedule for 2020 departures.
- April to September 2019 (deposit: USD 390)
- October to December 2019 (deposit: USD 490)
- January to April 2020 (deposit: USD 590)
Note: The same months above apply to 2021 departures.
Price discrimination
We strongly believe that international guests should not pay more than locals. The reason for what may seem to be price discrimination is purely because of the additional and necessary services included as you will find under holiday information.
Deposit amount for Pakistani nationals
The deposit amount for Pakistani nationals is PKR 50,000 or 30% of total price, whichever is greater. The deposit amount is non-refundable and non-transferrable to other departures.
Refund policy
Deposit: Once paid, the deposit is non-refundable as it will be spent on making in-country arrangements. In case of visa rejection, a refund/partial-refund (if costs incurred) will be considered. In such cases, a valid proof of visa rejection must be submitted to our office within 72 hours of rejection. The deposit in non-refundable for Pakistani nationals in all cases.
Balance: Pay the balance amount on arrival in Pakistan on the first day.
Currency
All international travelers can pay in US Dollars (USD) or equivalent in Euros (EUR) or Pound Sterling (GBP). Pakistani travelers are charged in Pakistani Rupees (PKR).
Single Supplement
Separate accommodation (single supplement) will cost according to the number of days given below:
- 08 Days: USD 410
- 09 Days: USD 465
- 10 Days: USD 520
- 11 Days: USD 580
- 13 Days: USD 670
- 15 Days: USD 775
Highlights – Motorbike Tour to Astore & Skardu
Motorbike Tour to Astore & Skardu has a lot to offer. Given below are main highlights of Motorbike Tour to Astore & Skardu.
- Experience the culture of ethnic minorities of Skardu and Astore
- Participate and dance to the tunes of Skardu drums
- Enjoy local and Pakistani cuisines
- Opportunity to interact with the community members
- View of Nanga Parbat peak in Himalayan Range
- Rivers (Gilgit, Indus), tributaries and streams
- Deserts (Cold desert or Katpana desert)
- Valleys of northern Pakistan including Shigar, Skardu, Khaplu, Kharmang etc
- Lakes including Upper and Lower Kachura, Sheosar, Sadpara, Blind lake and Rama lake
- Deosai National Park
- Sightseeing of forts (Shigar, Kharpocho and Khaplu)
- Manthoka waterfall in Kharamang
- Chaqchan mosque in Khaplu
- Bazaars of Shigar, Skardu, Khaplu, Kharmang and Astore
- Sightseeing in Islamabad & Rawalpindi
- Make new friends
- Discounted cultural travel
Itinerary – Motorbike Tour to Astore & Skardu
The itinerary for Motorbike Tour to Astore & Skardu is given below.
On this Day
Your flights will normally arrive in Islamabad in the afternoon. Our guide(s) will receive you from the airport. Soon the participants will be transferred to hotels. This day the participants can relax and recover from the journey. At night they will visit their bikes and prepare themselves for the exciting journey.
| Accommodation | Twin-sharing room at Chateau Royale (see pictures), Prestige Residence (see pictures) or equivalent standard partner hotel (depends on occupancy) in Islamabad. |
| Meals | Breakfast, lunch and dinner + tea/coffee and snacks |
On this Day
The journey begins on the Karakoram highway. We will decide later whether to take the Naran-Kaghan road or the Besham road to reach Chilas. We will depart for Chilas after having lunch at Naran/Besham. Travelling along the river Indus on Karakoram Highway, we will reach our destination late in the evening for dinner. Night stay will be in Chilas.
| Accommodation | Twin-sharing room at Shangrila Raikot (see pictures), Shangrila Chilas (see pictures) or equivalent standard partner hotel (depends on occupancy) in Chilas. |
| Meals | Breakfast, lunch and dinner + tea/coffee and snacks |
On this Day
This will be an exciting day for our participants as we will move towards the beautiful valley of Astore from Chilas. It will take them 4-5 hours to reach Astore.
Astore is one of the districts of Gilgit-Baltistan and it is also one of the main attraction points of Gilgit-Baltistan.
After reaching Astore, riders will stop for a while at Astore main market where they can have lunch and afterwards, continue towards Rama on a non-metalled road.
They will spend their night in Rama, Astore.
| Accommodation | Twin-sharing room at PTDC Motel Rama or equivalent standard partner hotel (depends on occupancy) in Rama, Astore. |
| Meals | Breakfast, lunch and dinner + tea/coffee and snacks |
On this Day
Riders will visit Rama Lake and enjoy their time in this breathtakingly beautiful valley. Nanga Parbat can be seen clearly from here. They can also go for short hikes and interact with the locals. Night stay will be in Rama, Astore.
| Accommodation | Twin-sharing room at PTDC Motel Rama or equivalent standard partner hotel (depends on occupancy) in Rama, Astore. |
| Meals | Breakfast, lunch and dinner + tea/coffee and snacks |
On this Day
This will be the day when riders will begin their journey towards Skardu. Passing through Deosai National Park, they will reach Skardu within 7-8 hours.
Deosai National Park is situated at an elevation of 4,114m and Deosai plains are considered to be the second highest plateaus on this planet.
Riders will depart towards the plains. They will have short stops at Sheoshar Lake, Kala Pani & Bara Pani, Sadpara Lake and enjoy this breathtaking view. Night stay will be in Skardu.
| Accommodation | Twin-sharing room at Concordia Motel (see pictures), Mountain Lodge (see pictures) or equivalent standard partner hotel (depends on occupancy) in Skardu. |
| Meals | Breakfast, lunch and dinner + tea/coffee and snacks |
On this Day
Today participants will ride to Shangrila Resort and will visit lower and upper Kachura Lakes. After visiting these lakes, they will move towards Shigar Fort while riding through Shigar Cold Desert. Night stay will be in Skardu.
| Accommodation | Twin-sharing room at Concordia Motel (see pictures), Mountain Lodge (see pictures) or equivalent standard partner hotel (depends on occupancy) in Skardu. |
| Meals | Breakfast, lunch and dinner + tea/coffee and snacks |
On this Day
Today we will ride towards Ghanche district to explore new places. Our participants will visit Sailing village and fish farms. After sometime, participants will move towards Khaplu Fort Residence (Aga Khan Cultural Services Pakistan), from here we will visit Chaqchan mosque. Night stay will be in Khaplu.
| Accommodation | Twin-sharing room at PTDC Motel Khaplu or equivalent standard partner hotel (depends on occupancy) in Khaplu. |
| Meals | Breakfast, lunch and dinner + tea/coffee and snacks |
On this Day
Our participants will depart for Kharmang district in the morning. They will ride towards Manthoka waterfalls. After spending sometime there, participants will leave for Skardu. Night stay in Skardu.
| Accommodation | Twin-sharing room at Concordia Motel (see pictures), Mountain Lodge (see pictures) or equivalent standard partner hotel (depends on occupancy) in Skardu. |
| Meals | Breakfast, lunch and dinner + tea/coffee and snacks |
On this Day
On this day the participants will take a flight from the Skardu airport to Islamabad airport. You will have a good time to relax at the hotel in Islamabad.
The domestic flights sometimes get cancelled due to weather conditions. In case of flight cancellation, you will be travelling back to Islamabad in a Hiace/Van and will drive via Babusar Pass or Karakoram Highway(depending on weather and other variables).
Islamabad
| Accommodation | Twin-sharing room at Chateau Royale (see pictures), Prestige Residence (see pictures) or equivalent standard partner hotel (depends on occupancy) in Islamabad. |
| Meals | Breakfast, lunch and dinner + tea/coffee and snacks |
Besham
| Accommodation | Twin-sharing tent/cottage at Besham Hilton Hotel (see pictures), PTDC Motel (see pictures) or equivalent standard partner hotel (depends on occupancy) in Besham. |
| Meals | Breakfast, lunch and dinner + tea/coffee and snacks |
Naran
| Accommodation | Twin-sharing room at Parhena Cottages (see pictures), Hotel deManchi (see pictures) or equivalent standard partner hotel (depends on occupancy) in Naran. |
| Meals | Breakfast, lunch and dinner + tea/coffee and snacks |
On this Day
This day is allocated for any potential delays in case the domestic flight does not operate the previous day. Our guests will depart early morning from Besham/Naran to Islamabad which can take up to eight or nine hours. However, it will be a free day in case the participants make it to Islamabad on the domestic flight. This time can be utilized for sightseeing in Islamabad.
| Accommodation | Twin-sharing room at Chateau Royale (see pictures), Prestige Residence (see pictures) or equivalent standard partner hotel (depends on occupancy) in Islamabad. |
| Meals | Breakfast, lunch and dinner + tea/coffee and snacks |
On this Day
Our staff will transfer all our guests to the airport on their respective departure timings. The checkout time of all our partner hotels is 12pm.
As Featured In:
| Apricot Tours' Social Responsibility |
| 1 foreign participant = 5 trees |
| Apricot Tours will plant five trees for every foreign tourist who visits Pakistan for a tour to Hunza Valley. The trees will be planted in the northern areas of Pakistan starting from 2019 as part of our CSR initiative. We aim to contribute to "Goal 13: Climate Action" of UN's Sustainable Development Goals by taking part in the massive government campaign to plant 10 billion trees during the next five years to tackle climate change. Pakistan's adverse climate impacts are very much visible through changing temperatures, prolonged droughts, increased floods and extreme weather conditions especially in Pakistan's mountain regions. Pakistan stands 7th on the list of countries that are mostly likely to be affected by global warming and has one of the highest deforestation rates in Asia. Decades of tree felling have reduced the country's forests to less than 3 percent of its total land area. How planting trees will make a difference? Planting trees will help save energy and money, cool our cities, reduce carbon emissions, reduce soil erosion, provide habitat for species of many kinds, provide clean water and add to the beauty of Pakistan's mountain region by simply being there. Our participants can also donate separately. Details on this initiative can be requested. |
