Itinerary
Day 1 Lahore to Multan (6 hours)
Pick up from desired location at 9:00am, Departure for Multan via Indus Highway at 9:30am, guided tour of the historically rich city .Multan, the most important city of Southern Punjab, has been famous for the pilgrimage to the sun god’s temple even before Alexander laid siege to it in 326BC. However, the monuments that remain today date from the Islamic period between the 11th and 15th centuries, when Multan was a center of Sufi teachings. We visit the fort mound on which is found the landmark of Multan, the shrine of Rukne-e-Alam a renowned Sufi. The shrine of his grandson is within walking distance and here at the entrance can be found musicians singing Sufi poetry. The square & octagonal construction of the shrine was trend-setting architecture in its day. Afternoon visit the old walled city with its lively bazaar, where artisans still work on the traditional handicrafts. Meals and overnight stay at PTDC hotel.
Day 2 Multan- Taunsa Boat Safari ( I.5 HR ) Drive from Multan to Taunsa on the bank of the Indus River. Here we meet the boat people and in the afternoon start our boat safari. We shall have a medium size, locally made wooden boat for ourselves and will tow a small boat to be used for excursions to the shore.Both boats are operated by the local fishermen who are experts in navigating them without engines, by drifting downstream on the calm waters. Overnight stay in camps on the bank of the river.
Day 3 Taunsa – Ghazi Ghat Boat Safari In the soft morning light we pack up our tents and have breakfast at the boat. Floating on the rhythmic waves of the Indus we pass through the heart of Punjab - the land of five rivers. In winter the banks of the river can be underwater in summer and present a varied landscape, form sand dunes to thick jungle and then flat lands of straw and other vegetation. By evening we arrive at Ghazi Ghat on the bank of Indus river. We meet our camping staff here who travels by the jeep, Overnight in camps.
Day 4 Ghazi Ghat –Panjned-Sitpur-Uch ( 4-5 HRS ) With our experience of the waterways of Punjab, we now begin the exploration of the once great and low lost cities of a great & by-gone civilization. Drive by soft top 4x4 jeep to Sitpur, to visit the exciting 13th century monuments in blue glazed tiles - erected to pay homage to the great Sufi Saints of that period who are still loved by the locals. We also visit the village mosque and the small sleepy village that may spring to life to welcome the surprise guests. Later drive to Uch, the great 14th century center of Sufi Islamic teaching and learning. We visit the monuments of the landmark monuments, half fallen to the floods of the roaring rivers and the rest still bravely facing the winds of time. Overnight stay in camps.
Day 5 Uch- Channan Pir (1 HRS)The best part of Uch is revealed in a sunrise visit of the Sufi shrines and the madrassas (traditional schools) in the soft morning light, when the tiles glow with bright colors to reveal their glory. Later we drive to the pottery village of Ahmed Pur to experience the art of clay pottery. Drive on to the shrine of the patron saint of the Cholistan desert. Here we meet our companions for the next two days - the ship of the desert & their captains - Camels and their proud and elegant owners. Overnight stay in camps.
Day 6 Channan Pir – Hillao Rani Camel Safari After breakfast at the camp we have a training session of camel riding with our camel drivers teaching us how to mount and dismount this elegant and friendly animal of the desert. Each person shall have a camel; controlled by the camel driver walking in the front holding the reigns. You may decide to trek through the desert, to have better frame for your camel pictures. By late afternoon we arrive at the camp, a small shrine in the middle of nowhere. Overnight stay in camps.
Day 7 Hillao Rani - Derawar Fort Camel Safari Camel Caravan through Cholistan, the ninth largest desert of the world, with a varied landscape. As this is no ordinary desert, it is called the land of the lost river that once used to flow through it few thousand years ago and supporting some 406 settlements. Today we have chance to meet the nomads at the occasional water holes. Arrive at Derawar, the largest fort of the desert that is part of the chain of forts built to protect the central Asian trade route to India proper. Overnight stay in camps.
Day 8 Derawar Fort – Bahawalpur-Lahore
In the morning we take a walking tour of the Derawar; its landmark fort with forty buttresses, the elegant and charming 19th century Abbasi Mosque and the exquisitely decorated tombs of the members of the royal family. Later we drive through the desert on soft top 4x4 jeeps to Bahawalpur, the capital city of the former princely state. Afternoon flight to Lahore, the cultural heart of Pakistan, the capital of Punjab and the premier Moghul city.
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