In his quest for the ends of the earth and the Great Outer Sea, Alexander of Macedonia entered the region now known as Pakistan in 326 BCE—the easternmost limit of his conquests. The tour takes you across diverse and dramatic landscapes, tracing the route of his campaign as his army battled terrain, resistance, and exhaustion before ultimately mutinying on the banks of the River Hyphasis (modern-day Beas). The tour revisits ancient names and legendary sites—Massaga, Bazira, Aornus, Taxila—and rivers like the Sindu (Indus), Cophenes (Kabul), and Hydaspes (Jhelum). Alongside Alexander’s campaign, the journey explores the archaeology of the Gandhara Civilization, the rich cultures of the Pathans, Punjabis, and unique ethnic groups like the Kalash. From the mountains of the Hindu Kush (the Hind Caucuses) to the fertile plains of the Punjab, the tour offers a vivid encounter with one of the most extraordinary military expeditions in human history.

The tour brings to life names and places from antiquity. It starts from the capital city of Islamabad and a picturesque flight takes you north to the Vale of Chitral where we will spend a day with the lost tribe of the Kalash whose mythology and folklore compares to that of ancient Greece. From here we follow the route taken by Alexander …………….. into the beautiful valley of River Swat (Suastus in Greek literature). Here in 327 BC, Alexander lay siege to the fortress of Massaga near Chakdara and stormed the battlements of Odigram and Barikot. In Greek accounts these locations have been identified as Massaga, Ora and Bazira. The area is rich in sites of the Gandhara civilization excavated first by British and after Independence Italian archeologists. Alexander outdid his ancestor Heracles by capturing the citadel of Aornos but it is too deep in the mountains for us to get to.  On leaving the valley we will head to  Peshawar (ancient name Poshpura and the crown jewel of Bactria) where we will immerse ourselves in its flavors. When we drive back to Rawalpindi we will briefly stop at Hund where Alexander’s army crossed the River Sindu (present day Indus). We will then proceed to visit the well preserved city of Sirkup in Takhshasila (called Taxila by the Greeks) where his army rested.

As Alexander entered the rich alluvium plains of the five rivers of Punjab he was confronted by the large army of the tribe of Purus on the banks of the River Hydaspus (present Jhelum). Here Alexander’s troops faced war elephants for the first time and fought and won their last major battle. We will visit two sites that historians believe to have been the scene of the battle. On our way for a night’s stay at Lahore, we will take an underground tour of the Kewra Salt Mines that date back to the time of Alexander.  

The last stage of our tour we drive to Multan, the ancient capital of the exceedingly warlike Mallis, where Alexander was seriously injured while storming the citadel.