This is one of our four different gemstone tours in Pakistan. For this special tour we team up with a local geologist who has also decades of experience in not only geology, but taking tourists all over Pakistan. You cannot ask for a better guide in Pakistan who has this much knowledge in the field and also has extensive knowledge of Pakistan. You’ll be introduced to the origins of precious and semi-precious stones in Pakistan as you’ll be in the good hands of a professional. On our gemstone trips we visit several mines and also gemstone shops. You will see how the gemstones are mined and get to know the culture around it. We have a total of 4 different programmes which you can find on our website. You can ofcourse combine them, please contact us if you’d like to do that.

There are several organizations which are active in the gemstone industry in Pakistan such as APCEA and PGJDC. The coastal city of Karachi used to be one of the biggest trading centers of gems in Pakistan, but afterwards the trade moved to Peshawar, becoming the center of gemstone trading in Pakistan. In Peshawar you can also find gemstones which come from Afghanistan, as the city neighbors the country. There are gemstone identification labs all over the country, which are established by the government of Pakistan  (Pakistan Gems and Jewelry) with the goal of promoting the gemstone business in Pakistan. We can find facilities in Lahore, Karachi, Quetta, Gilgit, Sargodha and Muzaffarabad. This has had a positive influence on the gemstone trade in Pakistan. There are of course also private identification laboratories.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa we have the Hinduskush mountains, the Karakoram mountain range and the Himalayas with a massive production of baryte, corundum and quartz. In Swat there are enormous reserves of emerald and there is a good stock of pink topaz in Mardan and peridot in Kohistan. In the Tribal Areas, located next to Afghanistan with the Safed Koh range and Sulaiman range, we can find a large variety of gems such as emerald, tourmaline, garnet, quartz and others. Gilgit-Baltistan has many minerals and gems such as ruby, sapphire, moonstone and amethyst, azurite, agate and many others. Hunza is known for beautiful pink and red rubies. In the south in Balochistan where there are several rugged mountain ranges we can also find emeralds, apatite, saphine, tourmaline, ruby, topaz, turquoise and many others. 

On our travel in Pakistan we will visit gemstone mines with precious and semi-precious stones in the mountain areas of the north in Pakistan. Besides mines, there will be plenty of opportunities to go to local markets and shops so you will have the chance to buy gemstones and minerals from Pakistan during your travel. We offer mine visits in several regions such as Skardu, Chitral, Haramosh, Deosai, near Nanga Parbat, Hindukush, Swat Valley, Hunza Valley, Nagar Valley and many others. Our trips include hiking and camping, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to discover the natural wonders of Pakistan as we are going to one of the most beautiful regions in all of the country and with some of the most breathtaking mountainous views in all of the world.

You will have plenty of opportunities to interact with the locals and there is also time for culture and history during our village visits. You will get to know everything related to the mining trade and the life and the culture around the gemstone and mineral trade. Some of the mines only require short hikes, but for others we have to trek a few days. We selected the most interesting hikes, so that you’ll have a wonderful experience in the middle of nature. Combined with camping you will feel truly connected to this place, an ideal way of clearing your mind. Enjoy the green lush valleys of Hunza and Nagar, covered in the blossoms of apricots, apples and cherries. Discover the mighty forts of Karimabad and be amazed by the majestic snow-capped mountains of Gilgit-Baltistan, some of the highest mountains in the world. We can find gem pegmatites all over Gilgit-Baltistan, the northern province of Pakistan where we can find huge batholiths and pegmatite fields,    

Itinerary: 

In this travel we’ll visit the famous aquamarine mines of Haramoshi and Shigar Valley, the latter which is one of the major producers of minerals in the north of Pakistan. The Basha and Braldu float into the Shigar and these valleys offer great hiking and camping adventures in a marvelous setting. Our adventure will begin in Skardu, which you can reach by either road or plane from Islamabad.

The Haramosh mines are two hours drive from Skardu on the Karakoram Highway followed by a 4×4 trail to Dassu from where we will hike to Kutwal. There are many granitic pegmatite fields in the Haramosh Mountains between the Chogo Lungma Glacier and the Indus River.

The three most important mining spots are Haramosh Mountains, Istak Nala and Tormiq Valley. Besides visiting the mines, we’ll have time to absorb the beauty of this place and enjoy the magnificent views on the mountains while hiking and camping through this wonderful region. 

Day 1: Arrival to Islamabad/hotel

Day 2: Fly to Skardu or drive to Chilas in case the flight is canceled

Day 3: Drive from Skardu or Chilas to Shigar

Day 4: Visit of mines then back to Skardu

Day 5: Drive to Dassu – Haramosh (camping) 

Day 6: Trek to Guray, visit of the mines (camping)

Day 7: Trek to Kutwal Lake (camping)

Day 8: Visits of mines (camping)

Day 9: Trek back to Dassu – drive to Gilgit 

Day 10: Drive to  Karimabad and explore the town with its forts and historical center 

Day 11 : Visit to the  ruby mines at Doyndas-Ganish

Day 12: Full day visit to Gulmit 

Day 13: Drive to Gilgit 

Day 14: Fly to Islamabad or drive to Islamabad (2 days) in case of flight cancelation 

Day 15: Full day visit to the salt mine and back to Islamabad

Day 16: Departure

Price:
1 person: 7.590 usd
2 persons: 4.895 usd per person
3 persons: 4.299 usd per person
4 persons: 3.749 usd per person
Single supplement: 780 usd

Our gemstone specialist:

Mr. Ishaq is our geologist and general guide and grew up in the Hunza Valley. Besides geology his interests are hiking in nature and he has been working as a trekking guide over 12 year all over Pakistan (and the Alps) and has general experience in the field since 1992 assisting in not only geological tours, but also trekking and climbing tours. He has great knowledge about Pakistani precious and semi-precious stones and has direct contact with miners and local dealers in the northern areas of Pakistan and leads the expeditions to the mines and has in the past assisted in coordinating documentaries about gemstones in Pakistan. He has great overall experience and will add a lot of value as a guide, besides being a great geologist.