LAHORE: Ali Tahir, a Lahore-based biker tourist, along with seven other bikers has toured and explored the areas around Trich Mir, the highest mountain in Hindu Kush mountain range, on motorbike.

Tahir has been touring the country on motorbike since 1997. Earlier, he used to tour only the hilly areas but after forming K2 Kings Tourists Association in 2013, he started exploring other areas of the country. He arranges tours for groups of bikers to explore the length and breadth of Pakistan.

“I have a passion for exploring the northern areas and other parts of Pakistan on motorbike and I have almost explored whole of the country,” Mr Tahir told Dawn.

He led a group of eight bikers in August who toured some of the most difficult and high altitude mountain areas, especially Trich Mir, which, he claimed, had never been explored by any other biker.

Sharing the details of his recent expedition to the mountains, Ali Tahir said the bikers took the route for this year from Lahore to Nowshera then Dir to Lowari Pass. They went to Chitral, Kalash Valley and while exploring the glory of ancient culture, they went to Garam Chashma and Trich Mir (7,708 meter high). The end points of the tour were Yaarkhun and Broghil valleys.

“The team explored the magnificent Naltar, Hunza, Chiporsun valleys along with Wakhan Corridor. It was an amazing and challenging journey. We returned to Lahore via Chillas, Dasu, Bisham, Battagram, Chattar Plain, Mansehra, Abbottabad,” Tahir says and adds that it was a 15-day tour and they covered some 4,000km or on bike.

He says the K2 Kings Tourists Association aims at exploring the unexplored places in the country for promotion of tourism. He considers biking in hilly areas really difficult but full of adventure.

Published in Dawn, September 18th, 2017