Pakistan, the ride report (2025)

[budman]

Loving it!!

 

[cal scott]

Loving it!!

+1

 

[Rtmac]

So awesome... what an adventure!

 

[gixxerjeff]

So awesome... what an adventure!

^^^So much this^^^

 

[bikeama]

Great photos, keep them coming.

 

[JimE]

I've been to PK with Moin twice. Once for the first organized tour in 2012 and again a few years later for a 3 week trip with a small group (which I believe is the prototype for his "Round The Mighty Three" trip he runs). Let me just say.... your bikes are so much better than what we had! I'm jealous....

I also traveled with Moin's first group ride in Tanzania in late '23 and, typical of his style, it did not disappoint. Obviously Tanzania (and Pakistan) are amazing but equally amazing is Moin. That guy really cares about making sure the trip goes well and genuinely gives a damn about your experience. As much as I'm able and as long as he's doing this I am IN.

There are lots of places I want to travel. It's tough to go BACK to a place you've been with so much one wants to see. But THIS place, with THIS guy as a guide.... I'm going back. I'm taking the wife along this time. It's really that good. If I could go for a few weeks a year I would. I'm already budgeting for next year.

Thinking about going? DO IT. You look at that picture of the Passu Cones and think it's pretty but I have to tell you it's not until your standing right in front of it you really get it. Back in 2012 it was a wild thing to do but today it's pretty normal and safe. Trust me this is way better value than a LOT of other things you could do. Be warned though: it's addictive like doing track days. Getting bitten by the moto travel bug is a real thing....

 

[N4teTheGreat]

Can confirm riding with Moin and Jimmy was awesome, basically like a fun group ride, except they were also taking care of all the details, even the most minor stuff, to make the trip awesome. More than worth the price of the trip and the airfare, it was definitely a bucket list adventure for me. I'll probably have to go back for one of the other tours before too long.

Karimabad was a cool town and a great spot for a rest day, the perch our hotel sat on would have been enough for a whole days relaxation. Our first meal was dinner, and if I'd thought the view from the hotel was good, the view from dinner was better. So good that I apparently only managed to take a single photo before getting caught up in the friendship, food evening views.

Local bikes seen on the walk to dinner...

A stylin' tourist police bike

We took a walk after dinner to find a pharmacy so the rider that low sided could pick up supplies to hopefully offset some of the expected day after soreness.

I captured a disappointingly blurry image of a local shop in the process of fixing a bike...

After a bit the streets got quieter, and we found our Pharmacy down the way.

On the walk back we caught up with the rest of the group. Stan and Butch were in the process of procuring some stylish shoes at a local store, and they ended up getting matching pairs. I failed to get a photo of this unfortunately, but they were stylin'.

We got back to the hotel and I sat outside for a bit attempting to use the internet. After failing to get anything to post, and seeing no one from the group I figured everyone was wiped out and headed to bed, so I did the same. The room was very nice and the AC was very effective, at least until the power cut out, I managed to sleep through the night and woke up feeling pretty decent.

As it was early and we had the day off and these were about all the excuses I needed I opted for a morning stogie to enjoy with the cool morning weather.

I tried to post to BARF, I promise...

After breakfast at the hotel, we headed to Baltit Fort for a tour, it was a short, but steep walk up the hill from our hotel, and while it was still morning, the heat was certainly making itself known.

The goats didn't mind.

I saw this very functional parking spot, who needs a kick stand?

I also think there is a market for fabric bike wraps in the US. This one even had cargo pockets, I mean, come on!

Shade was important as we got to the ticketing office for the fort.

Butch procured a hat to address the sun, and everyone was having lots of fun.

It was still a bit further up a steep pathway to the fort, I was certainly glad we did this in the morning before the heat really settled in.

You could feel that the age of the surrounding buildings was, mostly getting older as we climbed, and then we got to the fort which has been carefully restored with an eye to preservation.

I won't bore you with all the details of the tour, as this is a RIDE report after all, but, we had a very knowledgeable guide and he did a great job of showing us the fort and sharing some of it, and the surrounding regions history with us. Seeing the interior and some of intricate woodwork, as well as the views from the roof, were highlights for me.

Our guide

All the posts and beams were carved beautifully.

 

[N4teTheGreat]

The roof of the fort, including the covered area where the royal family would hang out during the day in the summer months.

Their view didn't suck.

On the way down I spotted a weather worn mail box embedded into a wall below the fort. At least I assume that is what it was.

As we walked back to the hotel we stopped for a snack, a local favorite that I cannot remember the name of, but it sure was tasty. Curried meats and veggies inside fresh warm bread.

Our official lunch stop was a short way further down the hill. They shared the space with a coffee shop and their patio was pretty sweet.

The restaurateur, had left a corporate gig in the city to move up here and start his place. All the food was locally sourced and recipes were based on the seasonal availability of ingredients paired with local dishes. It was a treat and really tasty.

We also got to meet a friend of Jimmy's who also had moved to the area from Islamabad several years ago. She ended up inviting the whole group to her house for dinner. If we were in doubt that her place could handle all of us, we were reminded that she'd hosted Jimmy's wedding a few weeks prior. With that we went back to the hotel to relax for a few hours and beat the mid day heat.

 

[N4teTheGreat]

That afternoon we headed to the other, and I believe older, fort in Karimabad. While it was later in the day, it was still quite warm. The lower angle of the sun did make for great views of the surrounding mountains as we walked from parking to the fort.

While a westerner might assume the color of the water indicates pollution or sewage, this is actually more or less fresh glacial water. Whatever the geological makeup of the mountains here is, the runoff is so heavy with sediment that the water sparkles with minerals and had a murky grey brown color.

One thing I noticed, it says a lot about how special this part of Pakistan is that you find numerous examples of funding provided by European nations, in this case Norway, but often Italy or Spain, to preserve the natural and historical elements of Northern Pakistan. Not the outlook you get in the west at any rate.

The fort itself is built on top of a massive rock outcrop on the edge of the Hunza River, which is essentially a gorge at this location.

Being older than even the ancient Baltit fort, there's a heavy Bhuddist influence in the decoration of the fort, which I again really enjoyed.

All the doorways were built quite low, even for the shorter stature of humans at the time, partially to ensure you were always bowing as you entered a royal space, but also, to make it easier to defend against invaders. For modern 6' tall folks like myself, it sure made entering rooms a very deliberate process.

Did I mention I really got a kick out of the carvings?

Apparently I was not alone as I spotted, what I assume was an offering stuffed into a nook of one of the posts.

This fort featured an equally spectacular rooftop view

It also allowed for a view of the oldest part of Karimabad, and area that is not open to men, so the best I could do was view it from above.

After the fort we drove to the highest point in Karimabad, referred to as Eagles Nest Point to catch the sunset. It was ok I guess....

Nerds

You take a photo with me, I get a photo with you

After sunset we drove a short ways outside of Karimabad to our dinner destination. The friend I'd mentioned earlier. I had no idea what to expect but she really pulled out all the stops. We had a lovely meal in her beautiful garden, and then, as an added treat Jimmy performed some of his music and some covers for us, long with a few duets with our host. It was an amazing evening.

Just an incredible night, I got not a single picture of the performance as I was totally engrossed.

 

[prymnumber]

That magical night

 

[N4teTheGreat]

It was so good

 

[FLH03RIDER]

What an EPIC trip!!!

 

[John2023]

I suppose I should mention, the weather had been pretty darn hot for the past two days. It was 116 in Islamabad the day we were there, and while I don't know how hot ti was in Skardu when we landed, it felt like it was in 90s. While lying under the ceiling fan in my room which was running at such a high speed I thought it might lift the roof, I wondered how I'd far riding all day in the heat.

Thankfully, when I woke up the next morning the weather had decided to give us a break as it was overcast and drizzling. While this would impact the views along the ride, I was happy to have the break in temps.

Hey N4te,

Thank you again for sharing your experience and those awesome photos!

 

[N4teTheGreat]

After this amazing meal everyone was pretty relaxed so it was back to the hotel and to bed after a quick check in to determine the meet up time for the following morning. The bikes had all enjoyed their own spay day during our day off with clean air filters chains, they were also parked much more neatly than we'd managed.

Ultar Sar (24,239 ft), whose snowpack and glacial melt is the only source of water for the Hunza Valley was looking imposing and windblown in the morning sun.

Before heading out this morning the plan was to have Afgan style eggs for breakfast at a restaurant called the tree house.

The view from our table was acceptable, with the commanding presence of Rakapushi ((25,551 ft) in the distance. We'd be riding to a high valley that overlooks the range today on the way to our next stop.

Breakfast was excellent, essentially some fried eggs over some delicately seasoned red sauce, eaten with copious amounts of roti by hand, and of course, Chai.

I had seconds, it was worth it.

We got back to the hotel to change into our riding gear and finish packing. It was gonna be hot today and there was a chance we'd need to hike as rumor was the road to the valley had suffered a landslide near the top and wasn't passable.

We rode west out of Karimabad, following the main road through several villages with Bazaars, traffic and open roads all mixed in, eventually turning off the main road to start our climb.

The road skirted the edge of the mountain for a ways before starting to switch back it's way upwards, we passed through tiny villages and rural farms as we climbed.

The views didn't suck and the terrain kept attention on the task at hand.

As we got near the top, we encounter a jeep conveniently parked in the middle of the road, not too far ahead was the landslide. Despite a few folks attempts to get around the jeep, the majority of us decided to park our bikes and ditch some gear to hike the rest of the way.

Regis managed to get one bike past the slide on some sketchy single track and Moin used that to ferry anyone interested to the valley. I chose to hike as the temperature was pleasant at this elevation and walking would give me more time to take in the sights.

@Butch getting a ride...

 

[N4teTheGreat]

While steep, it wasn't a long hike and soon I was over the ridge and looking across at Rakapushi

And whatever mountain this one was...

And of course back at Ultar Sar

The up close view of the mountain and it's glacier was pretty spectacular.

Group Shot!

After spending a bit of time enjoying the cooler air and amazing views we hiked back to our bikes, geared up and made our way back down the mountain.

Regis wrestling the CFMoto back down past the slide...

What the terrain looked like for the rest of us mere mortals.

Nice a scenic on the way down as well.

We stopped in one of the towns we'd passed through on the way up for lunch. It was hot, dry and dusty on the roadway where we parked, the hotel was an oasis from the heat.

The way was fancy... pinkies up!

We sipped on water and tea, cooling off in the shade while we waited for lunch.

Lunch was a stone pot stew, choice of chicken or yak, I had both and it was very tasty and quite filling.

After lunch we got on the main drag and made our way south towards Nomal. We stopped for a quick regroup at a point along the roadway that crossed over the fault (maybe? between the Eurasian and Indian plates.

A few miles down the road we peeled off the KKH to take a side road to Nomal. The road was only a few hundred feet from the banks of the Hunza river and the temperature dropped notably, feeling almost chilly. After a regroup we took off towards the hotel, however I took too long to get my gloves on and got blocked by some traffic the group made it around. Getting to an intersection I had no idea where the group was, as I was pondering my next move a kid tapped me on my shoulder and pointed down the road to my left and off I went. Moin happened to see me as I blew by the turnoff to the hotel, chased me down and with that, we were at our stop for the night. A beautiful guest house situated on a cherry orchard (or so it felt to me). I appear to have failed to take any good pictures aside from a shot of our dinner table setting that evening, but it was a nice place to end the day.

 

[Cabrito]

Yeah man, good stuff!

Stunning views, great riding, cool furniture, and man do I want some of that Yak stew!

 

[N4teTheGreat]

I was up, packed and in my gear for breakfast the following morning. I figured I'd enjoy breakfast and not have to worry about rushing to gear up after. I was rewarded with a little time to myself with a nice cup of coffee while everyone else geared up.

The main ride today was a short-ish one to Astore, with a side trip up to another alpine valley with a lake and a view of Naga Parbat, assuming the snow had receded far enough to get there. As we left it was apparent it was going to be a scorcher.

Our first stop was a point at which three mountain ranges, the Karakoram, the Himalaya and the Hindu Kush meet at the confluence of the Indus and Gilgit rivers. It was damn hot, but in between standing under the fan in a convenience store sipping water or hiding in the shade I managed to snap a few photos.

 

[N4teTheGreat]

After a regroup and some hydration we took off, heading further south before turning off on the road to Astore, a winding, mostly dirt road following following the Astore River.

Our fearless leader

Nanga Parbat in the distance.

But first, a check point.

After a relatively heavily trafficed ride down the road, we stopped at a the Harcho waterfall to cool down.

There was a wood working shop right off the road which was interesting to see.

Sitting in the spray from the waterfall felt amazing, and soon I'd gone from hot to somewhat chilly.

A nicely decorated tree along the path to the waterfall.

One serious windscreen parked outside the general store. They didn't have any cool drinks, and hot chai didn't seem appealing in the heat so we got back on the road.

I stopped for a shot of this house along the road.

Seems they like Polo here in Astore.

Not a bad view for a checkpoint.

Big bikes all patiently waiting to clear the checkpoint.

We climbed up through the main bazaar which was dusty and busy at this time of day, dodging cars, pedestrians and animals. Eventually we arrived at our hotel and it was time to cool off, eat some lunch and then ride up to Rama Meadows and see if we could make it to the lake.

The road up was rocky and full of switch backs, so, fun, but a lot of work. I came around one such switch back and encountered a SUV going the other direction. I was sliding downhill before I managed to get my foot on the rear brake. Expecting to be met with angry looks for stalling out and blockgin the road, I got nothing but waves, smiles and thumbs up. I got the bike off to the side and waved them by, more smiles, and off I went.

As we got near the meadows, things cooled off and the road leveled out so I finally stopped for a photo.

Along with the cool temps, things were greener and there I started noticing pine trees.

From Rama Meadows we had a pretty spectacular view of Nanga Parbat, the ninth highest mountain in the world (26,660 ft), and the fastest growing (7 mm per year) and marks the westernmost edge of the Himalayas.

Once past the valley, the road up to the lake became narrow, steep and rocky. I took this picture after a bit of assistance from Moin making a loose / steep switch back.

Luckily for me, about the time I was wondering how much further I was willing to attempt, we stopped to assess and found the trail was still deep under snow.

We hung around for a bit with a few brave souls attempting to hike the rest of the way (they eventually turned back as it was quite far) while Moin helped everyone get the bikes turned around. I stopped to get a shot of troublesome switch back on my way down.

As we waited for the rest of the group, we were treated to the evening light on the mountain, and a horde of mosquitoes. Then a guy rode by on what looked exactly like Moins bike, to the point I really thought we'd just witness it being stolen. But, shortly after Moin showed up and the rider turned around to talk. Turns out he just happened to have a very similar setup, and he and Moin exhanged notes on their various mods.

We regrouped and made our way back down to the hotel where we feasted on... pizza and chicken wings I think it was an attempt to treat folks to something outside of the usual fare, but, I think most of us would have preferred more Pakistani food. Still now we know what Pizza in Astore is like, and it's not great. The wings were pretty solid though.

After that, we spent some time on the hotel patio listening to music, drinking local green tea and playing ping pong before calling it a night.

 

[norcalkid]

Just read this from the start, sounds like a great trip. Thanks for sharing.

 

[N4teTheGreat]

The next day, we enjoyed a nice breakfast before gearing up and heading to the Deosai Plain. We were supposed to do this near the start of the trip, but due to a late winter, they glamping facility wasn't set up and ready yet.

The early risers get extra Chai

We headed south from Astore along the Astore Valley road, passing through numerous villages with amazing views of the clear blue Astore River.

We were slowly gaining elevation and the scenery began to reflect that, more greenery and sweeping mountain views.

A regroup stop with views.

The road a lot fo tourist traffic as Deosai is a popular national park, but it also had it's local rush hour traffic to contend with.

Deciduous trees gave way to pines and things started feeling like the Rocky Mountains or the Alps in my mind.

We stopped for a Chai break at a roadside restaurant and I don't think anyone complained. The chai included fresh local milk and was definitely delicious.

Everyone enjoyed the break, and the Chai.

I considered buying this local honey, but I also considered how challenging it would be to get back to the US intact.

We saddled back up and headed off towards Deosai, through a few small mountain villages and expansive views.

They're quite fond of the brown bears found in the park. We didn't see any of them, unfortunately.

Bear checkpoint, probably.

To say the scenery was impressive is an understatement.

After clearing a few check points, we continued our ascent to the plain.

Apparently this was just the beginning of the wildflowers that carpet the plain in the summer months.

Butch getting some photo tech support from Regis.