Northern Areas Trip (KPK & Gilgit-Baltistan) Help with Itinerary and General Advice!

Hello all,

This summer, August to be precise a few friends and I are planning on visiting the northern areas. The plan is to make this the ultimate trip as we're moving on to later phases of our lives and don't know if we'll ever get the chance to go again as a group.

Here is the itinerary (in Google Maps form): 9https://goo.gl/APsFrI9

In case you can not view it properly (you won't be able to open it on mobile) I have also attached it as a JPG

The plan is to get the Green Line train (although I am still researching alternatives) from Karachi to Islamabad, stay the night in Islamabad and early next morning start the journey in a jeep.

I have 4 questions, so I'll break down the post in four.

1. Is the trip feasible given the amount of time?:

Basically, given the length of the itinerary, is this trip feasible? And if so, what is the minimum amount of time that it would take to complete? Right now, the plan is to go for 2 weeks, but that can be extended (to some extent) to 2.5/3 weeks if need be. What would you suggest is the ideal amount of time that we should spend on this trip?

1. What is the minimum amount of time we should stay in each place to make the most out of it?:

Obviously some places are bigger than others and some have more places of interest than others. I have no experience with any areas higher up than Murree so I really don't know what to expect. I've been told that some places like Shandur can be done in a few hours or even be experienced on the way, where as places like the Kalash Valley would need at least 2 days. Planning this part of the trip is probably the most important so any help would be really appreciated.

1. Any recommendations for accommodation?

Does anyone have any recommendations for hotels/hostels/inns/general accommodation for any of the places mentioned in the itinerary? Any places that are both cost-friendly and are of decent quality? We would love to camp but I am not sure which places (on the itinerary) actually would allow us to do so. I've heard that Shandur allows camping during the days of the polo tournament but unfortunately we won't coincide with it, so I'm not sure whether they allow us to do so during the rest of the year. So any information on that would really be helpful as well.

1. (If the itinerary is too unrealistic within 2 weeks or 3 weeks) What would you cut out?

Planning is still in the early stages so any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you