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Announcement |
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Gandhara Tours
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We have especially designed a few programmes for our clients interested in Gandhara culture. The whole kingdom of Gandhara starting from Mankiala Stupa till the footsteps of Hindukush and Karakoram mountain ranges await you to be discovered. Our different modules from 3 days to 15 days programmes or even more will suit your needs. Here under are some examples of our proposed itineraries:
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Takshashila, Udyana & Pushklavati |
(8 Days/7 Nights) |
Highlights: This short tour will successively take you to the ancient capital cities of the Kingdom of Gandhara: Taxila with its Monastery, Stupas and cities, Swat valley with carved Buddha on the rock, Takht-e-Bai Monastery and Peshawar with its museum housing a splendid collectio
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TAKSHASHILA, UDYANA & PUSHKLAVATI
(8 DAYS/7 NIGHTS)
ITINERARY AT A GLANCE
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D 01 |
ISLAMABAD / RAWALPINDI |
100 kms |
D 02 |
RAWALPINDI / TAXILA / HARIPUR / MANSEHRA / BESHAM |
270 kms |
D 03 |
BESHAM / SHANGLA PASS / SWAT |
100 kms |
D 04 |
SWAT / MADYAN / BEHRAIN / KALAM / SWAT |
200 kms |
D 05 |
SWAT / MALAKAND PASS / TAKHT E BAI / PESHAWAR |
170 kms |
D 06 |
PESHAWAR |
40 kms |
D 07 |
PESHAWAR / ATTOCK / RAWALPINDI |
150 kms |
D 08 |
RAWALPINDI / ISLAMABAD / FLIGHT BACK HOME |
10 kms |
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DETAILED ITINERARY
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D 01 : ISLAMABAD / RAWALPINDI (100 kms)Arrival early in the morning at the Islamabad International airport. Welcome by your guide and transfer to your hotel. Breakfast and rest of the morning at leisure. Lunch at hotel. Departure for the sightseeing of the twin cities Rawalpindi & Islamabad. Drive to Islamabad to visit Rawal Lake situated at 12 km distance. Water to both twin cities is supplied from this immense reservoir. It is also a picnic spot amongst locals who often come here with families in the evening. Shakarparian is another scenic spot that overlooks the capital city of Islamabad. Next to it is the Folk Heritage museum where you will discover different aspects of Pakistani culture. If time allows, we shall visit National Council of Arts where you can appreciate paintings of known local artists.
Drive to Daman e Koh, a terraced garden in the Margalla Hills, which offers a panoramic view of Islamabad. Drive back to Rawalpindi to visit Ayub National Park, situated in its outskirts. Covering an area of 2300 acres, it has a lake, a garden restaurant, a Japanese garden and a golf course of 18 holes. Before reaching hotel, we will be passing through some of the busy streets and bazaars of this old town of Rawalpindi, such as Muree road, Sarafa bazaar, Urdu bazaar, Raja bazaar, Sadar bazaar, Mall road…etc. Dinner and overnight at hotel. D 02 : RAWALPINDI / TAXILA / HARIPUR / MANSEHRA / BESHAM (270 kms)Breakfast. Drive to Besham with the visit of Taxila, including Julian, Sirkap and museum. The history of Taxila spans about 1000 years (516 BC to 600 AD). Sir Jhon Marshal excavated Taxila in 1913. Taxila is known for the archaeology remains of the Buddiest period which includes the ruins of three cities and some Buddhist Monasteries and Stupas. Taxila was serving as the winter capital of Gandhara during the period of Ashoka, who was the Morian empire. Later on Taxila became the permanent capital of Gandhara during the Kushan period. Depending on the time, we will be visiting the following sites in Taxila: 1. Dharmarajika Stupa : it is supposed to enshrine the relics of Lord Buddha) 2. Sirkup : a well planned city 3. Julian Monastery : used to be the university in Kushans period 4. Museum : with a very good collection of elements from Gandhara Kingdom
Departure in the direction of Besham. We will be passing by the fertile valleys of Khanpur, Haripur, Abbottabad and Mansehra. Oranges of Khanpur, apples, apricots, pears, melons of Haripur and Abbottabad, wheat and maize of Mansehra are well known products from these regions. Lunch enroute. Arrival in Besham in the evening; Dinner & overnight. D 03 : BESHAM / SHANGLA PASS / SWAT (100 kms)Breakfast. Proceed to Swat through the picturesque and changing landscape. Today, we shall leave Kohistan region and the KKH. Dry mountains landscape will be replaced by the green terraced fields and the villages. From here starts a relatively narrow road. Here start the interminable zigzags of Shangla Pass (1300 m) with a spectacular landscape all around. If time allows and if you are lucky enough, you will probably witness the sunset at the top of this Pass. Arrival Swat (Saidu Sharif) late in the evening. Lunch. Proceed for the sightseeing of Swat. Visit of Swat Museum with its nice collection of Gandhara sculptures collected from some of the Buddhist sites in the valley. A few coins and weapons are also displayed as well as local embroidery, carved wood and tribal embroidery. After this visit, you will be taken to Butkara, an important Buddhist site close to the museum. Here, you will discover the main Stupa surrounded by many smaller Stupas of different sizes. Historians believe that it was probably built in the 2nd century BC by the Emperor Ashoka of Mauryan dynasty. It was Emperor Ashoka who contributed in a big way in propagating Buddhism in the neighbouring countries. This fact has been validated now by many historians that Ashoka’s period was the time when Buddhism flourished the most. Unfortunately, most of stone carvings found here have been shifted to other countries. You will discover the headless statue of Buddha standing on a lotus flower. Dinner and overnight at hotel. D 04 : SWAT / MADYAN / BEHRAIN / KALAM / SWAT (200 kms)Breakfast. Proceed to the centre of Saidu Sharif for a short promenade in Mingora bazaar with its different boutiques of handicrafts, local jewellery and shawls. This region is also well known for its handmade carpets. Depart to Madyan, situated at an altitude of 1320 m some 57 km north of Saidu Sharif. It is a quiet and tranquil village situated along the roaring Swat River with its cold green waters. Here, mountains are covered with Pine forests and terraced fields. We continue our journey to Behrain, another charming small town, situated at a few kilometres from Madyan. Local artisans here are known for woodworking. Rivers Daral and Swat also join here under a bridge. Kalam will be our last stop today. Situated at an altitude of 2100 m and some 40 km north of Behrain, Kalam enjoys a reputation of a popular summer resort. Swat valley widens here and snow covered mountains of Hindu Kush range can be seen. Here, Ushu River is full of trout and a variety of cold water fish. Dense forests of Fir, Pine and Cedars of Himalayas are also a part of the idyllic scenery here. Kalam is also considered as the base to different treks in surrounding areas. Lunch of freshly caught trout from the river. Return to Saidu Sharif late in the afternoon. Dinner and overnight at hotel. D 05 : SWAT / MALAKAND PASS / TAKHT E BAI / PESHAWAR (170 kms)Breakfast. Departure in the direction of Peshawar to visit a well preserved monastery of Takhat-e-Bai enroute. Before reaching the monastery, we shall pass through the Malakand Pass. Photo stop at the top of this pass will allow admire superb panoramic views over the valley. There is also a Fort built by the British but visitors are not allowed to enter. There are also a few Churchill Piquets all along the Pass. These security check posts were used by the British army to watch the movements of local Pathan tribles who fought against them. Despite the heavy fights that lasted years, the British army never succeeded in defeating local tribes who posed them fierce resistance. In fact, British controlled the whole sub-continent except this zone which is now known as Khyber Pakhtoonkhaw. After descending through the zigzags of Malakand Pass, our next stop will be Takht-e-Bai. Most of the Buddhist monasteries are built on the hills and away from the cities. Upon arrival, we shall walk up the hill to discover the monastery. Thakt-e-Bai was unearthed in the early 20th century and is the only well reserved Buddhist monastery in Pakistan. This monastic complex comprises of a main Court with the main Stupa of almost 10 meters high that is supposed to enshrine the ashes of Lord Buddha and surrounded by the chapels. The adjacent court shows us 38 votive Stupas made by the student who lived there and later became Monks. Then we will see the cells of Monks in the Monastery Court. These cells are believed to be originally plastered and painted in different colours. Lunch will be served at a restaurant with a local speciality: Chapple Kabab. Drive to Peshawar. Dinner and overnight at hotel. D 06 : PESHAWAR (40 kms)Breakfast. Proceed for the city tour. Sightseeing of this historical city will commence by the visit of museum which houses treasures of Gandhara period: 300 BC to 300 AD. Built in 1906 in memory of Queen Victoria, Peshawar Museum is a blend of British and Moghal styles. It has the largest collection of Gandhara Greco-Buddhist art in the world with 4247 Gandahara pieces including Buddhist stone sculptures, coins, manuscripts and panels, stucco sculptures, terracotta figurines, relic caskets and toiletry objects. It also houses effigies from Kalash tribes, weapons, Moghal paintings, jewellery, Persian handicrafts and household objects.
Our next halt after the museum will be Yadgar Square and visit Mahbbat Khan Mosque, constructed in local tradition with lofty minarets. A walk through Sarafa Bazaar (jewellers bazaar) will allow you to measure the degree of adoration that the Pakistani women have for the yellow metal, the gold …
Chappal kabab restaurants and small tea houses (Qehwa Khana) along the road sides could be an interesting experience for a western tourist. You will see people sitting there, sipping green tea and gossiping for hours and hours. Their debate topic could vary from cock fight that took place the day before to the next general elections. Lunch. Quick visit of Peshawar university, a beautiful and imposing colonial architecture with vast grassy lawns recall us the gone days of British era. Your guide will then take you to the old part of Peshawar where you will walk through the famous Qissa Khawni Bazaar or Story tellers bazaar. In the gone day, trade caravans used to come and stay here in Serai. Unfortunately, there is no Serai left today. While walking through the bazaar, you will passing by the different shops Pottery works, then Bater bazaar and Mochi Lara well known for its stylish embroidered sandals that have become integral part of local dressing. Return back to your hotel. Dinner and overnight at hotel. D 07 : PESHAWAR / ATTOCK / RAWALPINDI (150 kms)Breakfast. Morning free at leisure. If you like, your guide will take you to visit the carpet market located at hardly 5 minutes drive from your hotel. Here, you will find a very large variety of Pakistani, Iranian and Afghan carpets and rugs. Pakistan is known in the world for its top quality carpets and for such a purchase, Peshawar is certainly the ideal place where prices are reasonably low compared to the other parts of the country. On your way back, you are invited to experience a short Tonga ride. Lunch. Leave for Rawalpindi. On arrival in Attock, your guide will show you the Fort from the bridge (actually in use by Pakistan army). Attock is also the meeting point of two rivers Indus and Kabul. Colour of water of both rivers can easily be distinguished, green for the Indus and muddy for the Kabul. Attock river that starts from here is formed by the combination of both. Arrival and check-in at hotel. Farewell dinner at a local restaurant in Saidpur village Islamabad. D 08 : RAWALPINDI / ISLAMABAD / FLIGHT BACK HOME (10 kms)Early wakeup. Transfer to the airport for your flight back home. End of our services. |
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VALIDITY PERIODE : YEAR 2012 TOUR COST IN US DOLLARS AND ON PER PERSON BASIS BEST PERIOD : APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER |
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ABOVE COSTS INCLUDE |
- Meet & greet by our staff at the airport
- Airport/Hotel/Airport transfers in air-conditioned car/minivan/coach (depending on size of group)
- All surface transfers in air-conditioned transport
- Three stars comfortable hotels
- All meals during the tour
- One bottle of mineral water per person and per meal
- A farewell tandoori dinner at a local restaurant
- All visits and sightseeing mentioned in the programme
- Entrance fees at all sites, monuments and museums visited
- A small souvenir gift at your departure
- Services of a professional English speaking guide during the tour
- Services of professional and skilled drivers
- Porterage at hotels
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ABOVE COSTS DO NOT INCLUDE |
- All personal expense such as local or overseas phone calls
- Above mentioned prices will be readjusted incase of any future petrol hike, increase in entrance fees at sites or increase in hotel tariffs
- Your personal laundry
- Tips for guide and drivers
- Individual room supplement
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For a group of more than 10 persons, please do contact us by or make an through our website |
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