About us

Isobel Shaw

Author

Isobel Margaret Shaw, nee O'Beirne, (born 22 April 1943) is a travel writer from Ireland, renowned for her extensive contributions to tourism and travel literature, particularly about Pakistan. She studied Archaeology, Anthropology, and English at Newnham College, Cambridge University, and has lived in various countries, including Tanzania, Indonesia, the USA, Pakistan, and Switzerland.

Since the 1980s, Isobel has produced some of the most comprehensive travel guides to Pakistan, including Traveller’s Guide to Pakistan, Pakistan Trekking Guide, Illustrated Guide to Pakistan, and Trekking Guide to the Karakoram and Hindu Kush, a key resource for adventurers. She and her youngest son spent five years exploring trekking possibilities across the northern regions of Pakistan.

Isobel’s work promoting Pakistan’s tourism earned her the Friends of Pakistan Award (1993) and the Pakistan Society London Award (2005). Her book, Pakistan Handbook, was also a finalist for the Murray Best Guidebook of the Year, making her a well-known travel writer on Pakistan’s remote areas.

Wick Walker

Author & Explorer

Wickliffe “Wick” Walker is a pioneering American whitewater explorer, author, and retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel. A former Olympic canoeist, he represented the U.S. at the 1972 Munich Games and led groundbreaking river expeditions across Asia, including in Pakistan, Bhutan, and Tibet. His book Paddling the Frontier remains a foundational guide to Pakistan’s whitewater. Walker is also a National Geographic Explorer and Fellow of The Explorers Club.

In his latest work, Torrents As Yet Unknown, Walker chronicles ten of the world's most daring whitewater adventures, offering insights into the explorers who ventured into some of Earth's most remote river canyons. This narrative not only captures the thrill of these expeditions but also delves into the motivations and experiences of those who dared to navigate the unknown.