Wheeler Expeditions
presents
CONCORDIA
The Greatest
One Week Adventure In The World
Friday, September 14 to Sunday, September 23, 2007
This is K2, the second highest mountain
in the world at 28,741 feet (8762 meters), and harder to climb than Everest. It
isn’t in the Himalayas, but an even remoter mountain range in Central Asia called the Karakorum.
Last year, Wheeler Expeditions conducted the first ever successful helicopter
expedition to the base of K2, a confluence of massive glaciers known to mountaineers as Concordia.
Concordia is by consensus of professional mountaineers and adventurers to be
the single most spectacularly scenic place on planet Earth.
It takes ten days of trekking from the last outpost of civilization
– called Skardu – to reach Concordia. Then ten days back. But this September, Jack Wheeler will take a dozen adventurers to Concordia in a single
day – by helicopter.
At Concordia there are 41 peaks over 21,000 feet within a radius of nine miles. The highest mountains in the world are called “eight-thousanders,” higher
than 8,000 meters or 26,250 feet. There are 14 such giants, all in either the
Himalayas or the Karakorum. At Concordia you can see four all at once. It is unique on earth.
The approach to Concordia is via a gigantic river of ice called the Baltoro
Glacier, the largest in the world outside of the polar regions:
This is K2, the second highest mountain in the world at 28,741 feet (8762 meters),
and harder to climb than Everest. It isn’t in the Himalayas, but an even
remoter mountain range in Central Asia called the Karakorum.
Last year, Wheeler Expeditions conducted the first ever successful helicopter
expedition to the base of K2, a confluence of massive glaciers known to mountaineers as Concordia.
Concordia is by consensus of professional mountaineers and adventurers to be
the single most spectacularly scenic place on planet Earth.
It takes ten days of trekking from the last outpost of civilization
– called Skardu – to reach Concordia. Then ten days back. But this September, Jack Wheeler will take a dozen adventurers to Concordia in a single
day – by helicopter.
At Concordia there are 41 peaks over 21,000 feet within a radius of nine miles. The highest mountains in the world are called “eight-thousanders,” higher
than 8,000 meters or 26,250 feet. There are 14 such giants, all in either the
Himalayas or the Karakorum. At Concordia you can see four all at once. It is unique on earth.
The approach to Concordia is via a gigantic river of ice called the Baltoro
Glacier, the largest in the world outside of the polar regions:
On one side are the world’s
tallest vertical rock faces, the Muztagh
Towers, rock needles jutting over 20,000 feet in the sky.
On the other side are Karakorum giants like Masherbrum:
When we reach Concordia, to your
right is the Upper Baltoro Glacier and the massive peaks of Baltoro Tengri and the Golden Throne:
Towering straight above you is the
Gasherbrum Massif -- Gasherbrum
I at 26,463’ (8068m), Gasherbrum II at 26,360’ (8035m) and Gasherbrum III at
26,089’ (7952m) -- and the stupendous Broad
Peak, 26,400’ (8126m):
And to your left, straight up the
Godwen-Austen Glacier, is K2:
But reaching Concordia and standing
at the base of K2
is not all to this extraordinary adventure.
What separates the Himalayas
from the Karakorum is the Upper Indus
River. Concordia is in a region of
northern Pakistan known as Baltistan. From there we take our helicopter through the Indus Gorge – considered to be the most spectacular
mountain gorge in the world – to the Kingdom of Hunza.
Hunza has been considered the ultimate
paradise on earth since the time of Alexander the Great, who was there in 327 BC. The
Burushaski language spoken in Hunza is derived from ancient Macedonian. The people
of Hunza are known to be the healthiest and most long-lived folks on earth.
We stay at a beautiful lodge overlooking
Hunza Valley near the Palace of the Mir,
to visit the ancient bazaar, the palace, and hidden Hunzukut villages nearby.
Then we go deep into the Hindu
Kush mountains to the remote and rarely visited Kalash Valleys, inhabited by the Kalasha people, one of the most interesting
and unique cultures on earth. For thousands of years they have preserved their
culture and to this day refuse conversion to Islam.
We have a special permit to visit
these special people.
And if time permits, we then drive
to the legendary Khyber Pass as the guests of Jack’s friends, the leaders of the Afridi tribespeople
who control the region.
Yes, this is a “soft”
rather than a “hard” adventure. By helicopter instead of trekking. Staying at the five-star Serena hotel in Islamabad
and the Aga Khan’s Shigar Palace
in Skardu on the way to Concordia:
But we know the value of time to
those who want an extraordinary adventure to enrich their lives. Thus Wheeler
Expeditions can conduct this adventure in one week. That’s from arrival to departure in Islamabad,
Pakistan.
Jack Wheeler will personally guide
the adventure.
Only 12 – twelve –
of you can join him. Families with teen-agers are welcome.
The cost? $7950, all-inclusive, everything from start to finish in Islamabad.
Jack has been conducting expeditions
and adventures to the world’s most exotic and remote places for forty years. He
is quite sure that this is beyond question The Greatest One-Week Adventure in the World.
If you want to experience it, we
encourage you to move quickly. Very few of even the world’s greatest adventurers
have ever stood at the spot of the greatest scenery our planet has to offer. You
can be one of them. You can stand right here, right with Jack:
To do so, contact him at drjack@wheelerexpeditions.com.
Note: All of the pictures above were taken by Jack (except the one of him!) on our Concordia 2006 adventure.
Itinerary
Friday, Sept. 14. Arrive Islamabad, capital
of Pakistan. Most people will arrive via British Airways 129 non-stop from London, arriving 5:50am. Transfer to the five star Islamabad Serena Hotel. Afternoon tour of old city of Rawalpindi. Welcome reception and dinner hosted by Dr. Wheeler.
Saturday, Sept.
15. Morning flight, Islamabad-Skardu. Enroute we fly past the western terminus of the Himalayas, the giant “eight-thousander” Nanga Parbat (26,660’, 8126m). Transfer to
the Shigar Residence, an ancient palace rebuilt by the Aga Khan. Afternoon, explore
the Central Asian bazaars of this old caravan city on the banks of the Upper Indus River.
Sunday, Sept. 16. We board our high-altitude helicopter to fly up the Shigar Valley to the last human habitation in Baltistan, Askole. Continue overflying the gigantic Biafo Glacier
to its junction with the Baltoro Glacier, the largest in the world outside of the polar regions, then over the Baltoro past
the Mustagh
Towers and
Mashrbrum to Concordia. After the most memorable lunch of our lives amidst the greatest scenery on earth, we return
to Skardu.
Monday, Sept 17. This morning our helicopter takes us through the Indus Gorge to Hunza. At the western end
of the gorge is a unique geographical spot: the junction of the Indus and Gilgit Rivers
where the Himalaya, Karakorum, and Hindu Kush mountain ranges converge. The capital of Hunza is the
small mountain-top town of Karimabad. We transfer to the Serena Hunza Lodge. Hunza is on the famous Karakorum Highway connecting Chinese Turkestan
with the outside world (the border with China is only a few miles away). After lunch, we’ll visit one of the most interesting bazaars
in Asia, and the Palace of the
Mir.
Tuesday, Sept. 18. This morning we visit the remote village of Passu and the spectacular Batura Glacier, taking the
time to meet a number of friendly Hunzukuts to learn how they live longer than anyone else on earth. In the afternoon, we drive down the Karakorum
Highway to Gilgit, and spend the night at the luxurious Gilgit Serena Hotel.
Wednesday, Sept.
19. We spend the day driving deep into
the Hindu Kush mountains to the
old caravan city of Chitral, at the base of 25,000’ Tirich Mir, the highest mountain of the Hindu Kush. (No longer a rough four-wheel drive track, the road has been recently
paved!) Being here is a true adventure.
We stay at the Chitral Guest House.
Thursday, Sept.
20. Today we explore the three Kalash Valleys of Birir, Bumboret, and Rumbur, visiting Kalasha villages to learn something of their unique culture
and aboriginal religion, one of the oldest on earth. This is a very special privilege
to meet these people. Return to Chitral at the end of the day.
Friday, Sept. 21. Today the famous Khyber Pass. An early morning flight to Peshawar, then a drive with Afridi tribesmen
to the village
of Ladi Khotal
in the Khyber Gorge, and to the crest looking down into Afghanistan. After enjoying the pushtunwali (tribal hospitality)
of the Afridis for lunch, we return to Peshawar and overnight at the four-star Pearl Continental.
Saturday, Sept 22. After a morning flight back to Islamabad, we spend a relaxing afternoon by
the pool or at the bar at the five-star Serena. We finish this evening with a
celebratory farewell dinner.
Sunday, Sept. 23. With this incredible part of the world now a part of our
lives, we transfer to the airport for our flights back home. Most will be taking
the return flight non-stop back to London, British Air 128 departing Islamabad at 8:15am, arriving London-Heathrow at 12:25 for onward connections.
Note 1: BA 128 operates on Friday, 9/21, and Sunday, 9/23, but
not on Saturday, 9/20. Those for whom it is important to depart Friday, we will
have you back in Islamabad Thursday evening (necessitating skipping the Khyber). Those who wish
to depart Saturday on non-BA flights, we will have you back in Islamabad Friday evening.
Note 2: This is an ambitious itinerary in a remote part of the
world. There may be delays and the itinerary adjusted accordingly. Of paramount importance is good flying weather for the helicopter to reach Concordia. Mid-September is the ideal time of the year, but the weather cannot be guaranteed. If necessary, we will delay or remove remaining portions of the itinerary, to wait for good flying conditions
to Concordia.
Cost
$7950 per person.
Includes all transfers, accommodations, meals, commercial air flights (Islamabad-Skardu, Chitral-Peshawar, Peshawar-Islamabad),
private charter helicopter flights Skardu-Concordia-Skardu-Karimabad/Hunza, all activities as outlined in itinerary.
Cost does not include
international air travel to and from Islamabad, alcoholic beverages, personal expenses such as laundry and phone, visa/passport expenses, trip cancellation
and medical insurance.
Payments
Deposit of $1000 upon
booking. $500 non-refundable. Balance due by August
1st, 2007. Refund in full (less $500) if cancellation in writing
before August 1. Refund after August 1 only if acceptable replacement found. Trip Cancellation Insurance highly
recommended.
Requirements
Normal good health.
No trekking. Visa for US citizens. No vaccinations (other than yellow fever if arriving from infected country).
Positive cheerful attitude. No whining and incessant complaining will be tolerated. Adventure travel in remote
areas often necessitates unexpected difficulties and schedule alterations. Participants are expected to accept such
necessities should they arise with helpful understanding.
Contact
Deposits and payments
sent to: Wheeler Expeditions, 611 Pennsylvania Ave., Suite
429, Washington DC 20003. Phone 202-575-1036.
Email: drjack@tothepointnews.com.
For international travel
and trip cancellation insurance, we recommend John Spielman at World Travel Service in Chevy Chase MD, phone 301-656-1300
(dial 110 upon hearing voice mail), johns@worldtravelservice.com.
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