🚀 A 12-Day Rickshaw Adventure Through the Most Breathtaking Landscapes of Gilgit-Baltistan! 🚀

📍 Start & Finish: Skardu

🛺 Mode of Travel: Rickshaws (3-Wheelers of Chaos!)

🏔️ Route Difficulty: 9/10 – Extreme roads, high-altitude madness, and non-stop adventure!

🎯 Highlights: Skardu, Khaplu, Deosai, Astore, Hunza, & Khunjerab Pass

Buckle up, buttercup! This isn’t your grandma’s Sunday drive—it’s a 12-day rickshaw rodeo through the wildest mountains on Earth. Expect cliffside roads, epic fails, chai stops every 30 minutes, and more “hold my chai” moments than you can count. 🫖

The wildest three-wheeled adventure across the breathtaking landscapes of Gilgit-Baltistan! The Great GB Rickshaw Rally is not your average road trip; it’s a chaotic, high-altitude, adrenaline-fueled joyride through deserts, glaciers, meadows, and the world’s highest border crossing! From the sandy Cold Desert of Skardu to the dizzying heights of Khunjerab Pass (4,693m!), you’ll be pushing your rickshaw—and your sanity—to the limits, dodging mountain goats, braving Karakoram winds, and sipping chai with the warmest locals you’ll ever meet.

This 12-day adventure takes you from Skardu’s lunar landscapes to the royal palaces of Khaplu, across the surreal plains of Deosai, through the lush Astore Valley, and into the legendary Hunza Valley, where ancient forts and apricot orchards welcome you. The ride gets wilder as we zoom past turquoise Attabad Lake, wobble across the Hussaini Suspension Bridge, and finally conquer the Khunjerab Pass, the gateway to China! Expect riverside picnics, star-lit camping, music-filled nights in mountain villages, and a test of your driving skills on the world’s most jaw-dropping (and slightly terrifying) roads.

But this isn’t just a race—it’s a deep dive into Balti, Wakhi, and Burusho cultures, where every chai stop is a story, every meal is a celebration, and every twist in the road brings a new adventure. Whether you’re drifting on the dunes of Skardu, dodging potholes in Deosai, or crawling your rickshaw up the Karakoram Highway, one thing is guaranteed: this is not just a rally—it’s the ride of a lifetime! 🛺🔥🏔️

🏆 Why Is This the Ultimate Adventure?

✔️ Insane Road Challenges – Dust, river crossings, cliffs, and rickshaw meltdowns!
✔️ Ever-Changing Landscapes – From deserts to glaciers, green valleys to high-altitude meadows.
✔️ Meet the Locals – Experience the legendary hospitality of Hunza, Skardu, and Astore!
✔️ A True Test of Endurance – Rickshaws at 4,693m? Only the toughest make it!

🗺️ The Route – A Wild Himalayan Adventure!

🛬 Day 0: Islamabad – The Calm Before the Storm!

• Arrival: Land in Islamabad with more baggage than your last relationship.
• Briefing: Meet your fellow chaos enthusiasts and get briefed (a.k.a. scared) about what’s coming.
• Vibes: Explore Rawalpindi’s wild markets or pretend you’re rich at Monal.

Mood: “We’re all gonna die… but like, in a fun way.” 😎

🛫  Day 1: Islamabad to Skardu – Welcome to the Danger Zone!

• The Flight: Window seat or regret. Fly over mountains that make you rethink your life choices.
• The Ride: Meet your rickshaw—a 3-wheeled beast that sounds like a blender full of bolts.
• Challenge: Drift on the Skardu Cold Desert dunes. Yes, in a rickshaw.
• Night: Bonfire by the dunes—because why not make it even riskier?

Mood: “If we die, tell my mom I loved her… and my rickshaw.” 🔥

🛺 Day 2: Skardu to Khaplu (110Km, 4 Hours) – Palace Life & Near-Death Experiences!

• The Road: Cliff-hugging tracks with a side of “nope.”
• The Palace: Roll up to Khaplu Palace like a broke royal.
• Dinner: Chapshuro and yak curry—spicy enough to make you see God.

Mood: “Me at home: Scared of potholes.
Me in GB: Let’s send it on this cliff road!” 😱

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🛺 Day 3: Khaplu to Skardu (110km, 4 hours) – Return to the Heart of GB!

• Morning drive towards the Hushe Valley, the gateway to Masherbrum Peak (7,821m)!—basically desktop wallpaper IRL
• Stop For Swimming—because swiming in glacier water is a flex
  

Mood: “Mom, come pick me up. I’m too beautiful for this.” 🥶

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🛺 Day 4: Skardu to Deosai Plains (110km, 5 hours) – Into the Land of Giants!

• Ride up to Deosai National Park (4,114m), the 2nd highest plateau in the world! and 100% worth the lung failure.

 

• Wildlife: Marmots judging your life choices and oh snap—a Himalayan Brown Bear just showed up to question all your decisions.
• The Encounter: When you lock eyes with a brown bear, and it’s like, “Bruh, really? In a rickshaw?” 🐻
• Camping: Sleep by Sheosar Lake, where Nanga Parbat watches you like a creepy ex.
• Survival Tip: If you see a brown bear, just remember: you don’t have to outrun the bear, just your slowest friend. 😎

Mood: “When the brown bear side-eyes your rickshaw: Am I a joke to you?” 🐻

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🛺 Day 5: Deosai to Astore (80km, 4 hours) – Down to the Hidden Valley!

• Descend through rolling green meadows, heading towards Astore.

 

• Rama Lake: So pretty, it makes you want to drop everything and become a poet.
• Night: Stories around a campfire—some true, most exaggerated. Astore Valley is known for its friendly locals and dramatic landscapes.

Mood: “Nature: Beautiful. Me: Out of breath.” 🏞️

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🛺 Day 6: Astore to Hunza (210km, 8 hours) - Enter the Valley of Legends!

• The Ride: Karakoram Highway—like Mario Kart but with more goats.
  
• Stop at Rakaposhi Viewpoint, where the mighty 7,788m peak dominates the skyline and finally, mountains that look like their Instagram pics.
• Arrive in Hunza, the land of apricot orchards and ancient forts!
• Explore Baltit Fort & Altit Fort, learning about Hunza’s royal history.

Mood: “Driving skills: 5/10
Bragging about it: 11/10” 🏎️💨

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🛺 Day 7: Rest & Explore Hunza – Sleep? Nah!

• No rickshaw madness today—just pure relaxation and exploration!
• Wander through Karimabad Bazaar, shopping for handmade rugs, gemstones, and Hunza apricots.
• Dive deeper into history at the Altit and Baltit Forts, both over 700 years old!
• Enjoy Hunza’s famous walnut cake & local organic food at a cozy café.
• Optional short trek to Ultar Glacier Viewpoint or just chill and soak in the Hunza vibes!

Mood: “Taking a rest day like a pro athlete (who also needs 5 chai breaks).” 🍵

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🛺 Day 8: Hunza to Khunjerab Pass (125km, 4.5 hours) – The Highest Border in the World!

 

• The Ultimate Climb – Zigzag past glaciers, praying your rickshaw doesn’t cough to death.
• Ride through Khunjerab National Park, Snow leopards probably watching like “Look at these fools.”
• Victory at 4,693m! Take photos at Khunjerab Pass, the highest paved border in the world, if you’re not dizzy, you’re lying.
• Ride through the breathtaking Attabad Lake, where turquoise waters meet towering peaks.
• Explore Passu Cones, an iconic range of jagged peaks that dominate the skyline.

Mood: “When you reach Khunjerab Pass: We did it, boys!” 🎉

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🛺 Day 9: Gulmit & the Suspended Heart Attack! (85km, 3 hours) – Into the Heart of Upper Hunza!

• Gulmit, the cultural hub of Upper Hunza, surrounded by glacier-fed rivers and lush green fields.
  

 

• The Bridge: Hussaini Suspension Bridge—who needs solid ground anyway?
• Culture Stop: Tea with locals who definitely think you’re crazy.
• Night: Bonfire by the river, stars above, existential crisis optional.

Mood: “POV: You’re on a bridge held together by prayers and duct tape.” 🌉

🛺 Day 10: Gilgit – The Final Stretch!

• The Descent: Karakoram Highway—return of the goat gang.
• Finish Line: Cheers, high-fives, and stories of “that one time I almost died.”
• Celebration: Biryani and chai—because carbs don’t count in the mountains.

Mood: “I survived the rickshaw rally and all I got was this epic story.” 🏆

🚙 Day 11: Gilgit to Skardu (Vehicle Transfer) & Flight to Islamabad

• Leave the rickshaws behind and drive back to Skardu (6–7 hours by road).
• Take an afternoon flight back to Islamabad and officially end the rally!
• Victory Dinner in Islamabad! 🏆

🛫 Day 12: Farewell, Legends!

• Goodbyes: Swap contacts, promise reunions, and try not to cry.
• Last Words: “We should do this again!” (Knowing you barely survived).

Mood: “Goodbye, mountains. Hello, back pain!” 🥲

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🔥 Who’s Ready for the Wildest Rickshaw Rally in Pakistan?

🚀 Get your rickshaw, a crazy team, and an appetite for adventure! Let’s make history on the Karakoram Loop! — Pull up or shut up! 🛺🔥🛺🔥

Ride for a Cause! A whopping 20% of the profits from The Great GB Rickshaw Rally go directly to supporting game-changing initiatives in Gilgit-Baltistan! 🌱 This isn’t just about epic roads and wild adventures—it’s about making a real impact. Your rickshaw chaos helps fund climate change action to protect glaciers, education programs that light the path for local youth, women empowerment projects that fuel dreams, and wildlife conservation efforts to keep snow leopards and Himalayan brown bears thriving. So, every cliffside drift and chai stop you survive isn’t just a flex—it’s a step towards a better tomorrow! 🛺💚