Daily Times

Serena Hotels on Tuesday announced the beginning of Expedition Indus, the first-ever exploratory river rafting expedition covering the entire length of the Indus River, starting from North to South, leading to the Arabian Sea. The Federal Minister and Adviser to Prime Minister of Pakistan for Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam was the Chief Guest at the occasion.

Wajahat Malik, an adventurer, travel filmmaker has initiated this expedition which would be Pakistan’s first ever full-length rafting expedition of the Indus River. At the send-off reception hosted by Serena Hotels, he announced his departure for the North of Pakistan in the third week of March 2022.

The Indus is fed by mighty glaciers on the slopes of the Karakoram range, the Nanga Parbat massif, and the Kohistan highlands. Passing through rough terrain around the Northern and Western sides of the Nanga Parbat in gorges that reach depths of 17,000 ft; the river contours around the KPK province then enters the plains of Punjab and finally culminates in the Arabian Sea.

Wajahat Malik’s mission is being sponsored by Serena Hotels, under its Adventure Diplomacy Initiative that aims at fostering adventure sports in the country and providing a supportive environment for the nation’s talented sportspeople to flourish.

Wajahat said: “Expedition Indus will be a landmark expedition not only in terms of natural conservation, but also in identifying sustainable tourism sites along the path of the river. I am truly grateful to Serena Hotels for supporting this unique initiative.”

Aziz Boolani, CEO Serena Hotels, said: “We at Serena have always been a passionate advocate for adventure sport, testing human endurance and commitment. Supporting brave adventurists like Samina Baig, Sirbaz Khan and now Wajahat Malik, we are encouraged to further strengthen our Adventure Diplomacy Initiative.”

Malik Amin Aslam said: “I congratulate Wajahat and his team for the remarkable idea and journey they will be embarking upon. This year the Government will be initiating ‘Living Rivers’ to study the history and mapping the health of the river and life around it, hence this expedition will play a vital role in documenting the Indus”.