Tour guide for Northern Areas of Pakistan
Not everyone is looking for a guidebook. Most people are looking for a person. A person who understands the region, is familiar with the roads, speaks the local language, keeps the trip from stalling when a pass is closed and tells you what you are looking at. This article is for the second group. When you need to travel with a Northern Pakistan guide, when hiring one is a requirement, how to tell the difference between a guide and a jeep owner, and what questions to ask a potential guide.
We have guides and take care of permits.
HospitalityTours.com.pk takes care of all tour arrangements from Murree to the Chitral Valley and Kaghan-Skardu small set tour packages. We cater to all tour arrangements from the Gilgit-Baltistan region and provide local licensed guides and the required permits. We are based in Islamabad and do not work with the first guide that comes our way. Send your travel plans to WhatsApp. Complete contact information is at the end.
What a guide actually does up there
A guide in the northern areas is not a museum docent. The commentary is the smallest part of the job.
Guide Commentary Structure
First Group
Some people are looking for guidebooks.
Second Group
Most people are looking for a guide that understands the region, is familiar with the roads and speaks the local language, keeps the trip from stalling when a pass is closed and tells you what you are looking at.
Requires a Guide
When there is a requirement to have a guide to travel
Spotting a Real Guide
When you need to hire a guide, how to spot a real guide from a jeep owner
Questions to Ask
Questions to ask a potential guide
Judgement is what makes travel. Will I risk taking the road to Bahrain after last night's downpour? Which of the 4 hotels in the village has working heating this month? When to backtrack on a path. How to even get offered an invitation to come into the houses in Gojal as opposed to only taking pics from the road. Whose number do you call in Gilgit when someone in your group is not acclimatizing and has to come down quickly?
Judgement is also about the language you use. Urdu and English are all you need for travelling on the main roads. Off the main roads is where you find Shina, Burushaski, Balti, Wakhi, Khowar, and a valley-speaking guide changes your day entirely.
At times, you are obligated to have one.
For normal tourism, you don't need a permit or a guide for visiting open areas. Pakistani citizens only need a valid visa to visit Hunza, Skardu, Shigar, Deosai and the Karakoram Highway. For foreign travelers, Pakistani checkposts are to be visited on the way, which only take about a minute to process and do not require any advanced planning.
The rules, as you can imagine, do become stricter as you go up and near borders.
Under the current regulatory framework, trekking and mountaineering in Gilgit-Baltistan necessitates a tour operator license. There are restricted zones, including routes to Concordia and K2 Base Camp, and Baltoro Valleys bordering the Line of Control, which require permits that foreign visitors are unable to apply for. Such permits are applied for by tour operators endorsed by the Department of Tourist Services. Any peak higher than 6500 meters requires climbing permits, irrespective of their location. Irrespective of whether the peak is located in the open zone or restricted zone, annual royalty is levied. In addition, climbing permits require the tour operator to provide insurance for the guide and other support staff, and it is a lengthy process instead of a short one.
The list of restricted areas is subject to change. Verify it against your dates instead of this blog post.
Guide, driver, porter and liaison officer
One is usually booked as a package of four.
A driver drives. A good mountain driver is invaluable on the Fairy Meadows track or the Naltar road, and he is not a guide.
A guide plans and leads the day, handles language and logistics, and takes responsibility for your group.
Porters carry loads on treks. In Gilgit-Baltistan, their stage rates are fixed by the government, and any operator should be paying those rates and insuring the porters. If a quote is cheap, this is where the savings are made.
A liaison officer is a government requirement on climbing expeditions, not something you choose.
Checking guide authenticity
First, check for the license. If they show you a license, it’s likely they are an authorized guide. If they don’t have a license, ask for their DTS number.
Beyond that, there are other questions that cannot be faked. Look for answers to:
-Which routes have you done in the last two years?
-What is your first aid/wilderness medicine certification, and when did you last renew it?
-How do you manage altitude, and what would be your criteria for lowering someone?
-Do you and your porters have insurance?
-Can I speak to two customers you guided this year?
A guide who answers these questions is the one you are looking for. A guide who doesn’t take well to these questions is telling you something.
High and low estimates
Guide pricing in the north is day rates plus the guide’s personal food, lodging, and transport costs. Rates vary based on the season and difficulty of the itinerary. A city tour in Gilgit is drastically different from a tour on the Baltoro Glacier.
During peak season, good guides get booked the fastest, so the most realistic reasoning for early bookings is not a sales ploy; this is true for the other itineraries. There is almost always something fishy about a price that is much lower than the rest. This is likely to be uninsured staff, unlicensed guides, porters who are working for free, or someone who has never done the trip before.
Tips are expected following the completion of the service.
Customs to familiarize yourself with prior to your travels
Ask for permission before taking someone’s photo and be prepared to leave without taking the photo if your request is denied. Taking photos of women without asking is highly offensive throughout the region.
When visiting the Kalash valleys, Festivals are not performances. Abide by the valley's rules and pay the entry fee.
Dress appropriately in the villages and shrines, especially the less frequented places in Hunza. Cover up and avoid eating and drinking in public during the day while Ramadan is in session.
All waste generated should be packed out. Waste generated on the more frequented trails and around the lakes has become a significant issue for the local communities.
Questions to be Directed Towards the Operators prior to Booking a Guide
What is their name?
What is his license #?
Do they speak the language of the local valleys?
What is their availability? What is included in the cost?
Who will be arranging the permits, and when do they need a copy of my passport?
What happens to the cost, and who devises a new itinerary if the booked road is closed?
Get written confirmation for all your questions. Disputes after the fact always occur due to one of these things.
Book with us
Let us know where you are going, the date you are traveling, and the kind of trip you have in mind, such as: a family trip to Hunza and Skardu, a heritage circuit to visit the forts and rock carvings, a trek, or a corporate group requiring on-ground support. Based on this, we will assign you a licensed guide who has knowledge of the valleys, arrange permits where needed, and present the complete plan and cost to you before the booking is done.
WhatsApp: +92 341 111 3777
Email: info@hospitalitytours.com
Head office: Office No. 2 & 3, Ground Floor, Parish Rose Plaza, Opposite NUST Gate 4, Sector H-13, Islamabad