DAY 1 - ARRIVAL
We will receive you at Islamabad airport and whisk you away to Nurpur Noon (2.5 hour drive). Here you will have breakfast and be shown to your rooms. There is time for a tour of the house and grounds before lunch is served.
After lunch the first stop is the polo pitch to meet your mounts followed by a quick chukker to test your horses out so everyone can be sure they are content with them. Afterwards, we will ride out around the estate, through the orange groves, and down the country lanes finishing with a ride through the village where you can experience the true village life of Pakistan, camels, buffalo and playing children on every corner.
On return relax in the sitting room with tea served at 6:30pm. Around 8:30pm dinner will be served in the dining room.
DAY 2 - JHELUM RIVER
After a leisurely wake up and breakfast, you will mount your horses on the lawn around 10:30 am. Your three day riding adventure begins here as we set off towards the Salt Range Mountains. We will stop at a simple, authentic local restaurant on the way where you will be served light, traditional local foods. Once we reach the Jhelum River you will swim (or boat if you prefer) the horses across to your camp located on an island. Here you can race the horses across the sandy flats and play some beach polo for those that would like. It is a good place for polo beginners to have a go playing as the sand offers a soft landing.
There will be camels you can also ride if you wish. The evening will be spent on the island with dinner and dancing around an open fire to the beat of local drummers. The hounds and horses will be with you on the island for the night ready for a hunt along the riverbank early the next morning.
4-5 Hour Riding
Overnight in tents.
DAY 3 - THE SALT RANGE MOUNTAINS
We will wake as the sun rises, with both horses and hounds ready waiting for you at camp. A morning’s hunting will be had from our camp along the reed beds of the river flood plain.
Once the sun is out, you will leave the hounds to go back to the kennels and continue your ride across the river plain towards the Salt Range Mountains.
Lunch will be taken en route at a local farm situated in a biblical setting surrounded by donkeys, goats, chickens and maybe a camel or two.
Camp will be reached in the early evening as the sun sets. Situated at the base of the Salt Range Mountains where you experience a vastly different landscape from the day before.
5 – 7 Hours Riding
Overnight in tents.
DAY 4 - DEEP MINE AND HIDDEN WATERFALL
Wake up and breakfast at camp. You will then ride up into the Salt Range Mountains stopping en
route to view a working rock salt mine.
After a short ride into the mountains you will reach a cross roads where you dismount and leave your horse with the grooms. It is then a short hike and climb up a rocky bank until a hidden waterfall reveals itself for a refreshing swim.
You then continue along the base of the mountain range for 3 hours stopping for a light lunch along the way. Your ride will finish in the late afternoon where cars and trucks will be waiting for us and the horses to be taken back to Nurpur for a relaxed evening at the house.
DAY 5 – TRADITIONAL EXPERIENCES
After a leisurely wake up and breakfast, this will be a relaxed day where you can enjoy the house and gardens at Nurpur. Witness the rare and dying art of wild snake charming and catching in the house grounds by the visiting Jogi tribe of South Punjab. They conjure cobras and mesmerise them with the melody of their flutes.
We will then take you for a walking tour of the local village giving you an insight on the ways of life in these rural areas of Pakistan.
A tent pegging demonstration will then be held on the polo ground. There will be an opportunity for you to have a go and also to watch this amazingly flamboyant spectacle that is so popular in Pakistan.
Drinks and dinner will be held at the main house in the evening.
DAY 6 - THE PESHAWAR VALE HUNT
A morning hunt meet will be held on the lawn in front of the main house with the Peshawar Vale hounds. You will ride around the Noon Estate for three hours. Be prepared for fast riding and some ditch jumping.
There will be a post hunt breakfast before packing up to go to Lahore, a 2.5 hour drive. Once you arrive in Lahore, a busy, bustling city with a population of over 11 million, you will enjoy a late lunch at the Lahore Polo Club.
You then check into your hotel. After some time to freshen up, you will drive to the Old City to have dinner at one of Lahore’s oldest and most traditional restaurants located within the walls of the Old City overlooking Badshahi Mosque
3 Hours Riding
Stay at a top hotel in Lahore
DAY 7 - EXPLORE LAHORE
Breakfast at your hotel before heading into the fabulous chaos of the city to do some shopping in the traditional markets and shops where you can purchase beautiful handmade rugs, fabrics and jewellery.
You will then enjoy lunch either at the Polo Club or at a different restaurant in Lahore.
After lunch you will have a private guided tour of the Old City of Lahore, viewing the famous Fort and Mosque as well as other prominent sites while walking through the hustle and bustle of the markets interconnected with narrow busy streets where you will get a real feel for the colourful culture of the wondrous city that is Lahore.
Back to your hotel to sleep or freshen up before heading to the airport depending on the time of your flight.
SUMMARY
Duration: 8 Days / 7 Nights / 6 Days Riding
Max Riders: 12
Min Riders: 6, if fewer an extra cost is incurred.
Arrival and Departure: Arriving to Islamabad or Lahore depending on flight schedule: Departing from Lahore on an early morning flight.
Riding Level: Advanced. Many years riding with a natural seat. Comfortable riding at speed over uneven ground and jumping ditches if participating in hunting.
Weight Limit: Maximum of 100kg/220lbs/15.7 stone
Time in the saddle: 2 to 7 hours a day
HORSES
The Noon family estate has a racing and polo stud, the family are avid polo players and horse breeders. The horses are mostly thoroughbreds or thoroughbred crosses making them fast and fun to ride. All the horses are trained polo ponies that double up as safari horses, making them extremely fit, forward and responsive.
You’ll ride in polo saddles covered in a sheepskin fleece for comfort. Bridles are mostly double reined polo bridles though these can be adjusted if not comfortable for you.
ACCOMMODATION
Three nights are spent in individual rooms at the Nurpur Noon house. Each room has two double beds and a large shower room and ample closet space.
Two nights are spent in large safari tents that you can stand in, sharing two to a tent. They have real beds, rugs, lamps and bed side tables for very comfortable sleeping arrangements. There are two short drop loos at camp but no showers.
Two nights are spent at a top hotel in Lahore. Guests will share rooms unless they want to pay extra for their own room.
MEALS
Pakistani cuisine originates from many varied places and empires such as the Mughal and British Empire. Both of which have made their mark on the kinds of food that you will be served.
As a Muslim dominant nation, the cuisine follows its religious guidelines, so chicken, mutton and beef are the meats of choice. Spices are heavily used in the traditional cuisine and meals usually involve curried or barbequed meat, rice, lentils, cooked vegetables and potatoes.
We can however cater for all dietary requirements if given notice, all ingredients are of the highest quality and sourced locally.
| INCLUDE |
|---|
| All Meal |
| Accommodation |
| Horses |
| Guide |
| Security |
| Entry of landmark |
| Drinks and surprise entertainment |
| EXCLUDE |
|---|
| International and domestic flights |
| Mandatory travel insurance |
| Staff tips. We suggest a tip of £25 a day (£175) |
YOUR HOSTS
For the duration of your stay, you will be hosted by Taimur Noon and Bertie Alexander, two friends who studied at the Royal Agricultural University in England and have now set up business together at Taimur’s ancestral home in Pakistan.
Taimur is a skilled horseman and polo player as well as passionate horse breeder who has immersed himself in farming and social welfare in Pakistan.
Bertie Alexander is from England but spends much of his time in Pakistan. He has spent the last two years exploring Pakistan and integrating himself into the life and culture of the country. Bertie is also master and huntsman of the Peshawar Vale Hunt and a keen horseman with a passion for hunting and adventure.
Email: info@thenurpurbandobast.com
Phone: +447794116612