Fairy Meadows

Fairy Meadows was my first ever backpacking/trekking trip to the North of Pakistan. Like me, many of the trekkers start their outdoor adventure life with it. Fairy Meadows is a beautiful plateau situated at the foot of Nanga Parbat(8126m) which is the ninth highest peak in the world and second in Pakistan after K-2. No where else in the world you can reach to the base camp of such a massive mountain by such a little effort.

Nanga Parbat

One can take a NATCO bus heading towards Giligit to get dropped at the Raikot bridge on the KKH which takes around 12-14 hours. From Raikot bridge, jeeps operated by local villagers are available that can take you upto the Jail/Tatto village on a fixed rate. You can also tell the jeep driver the time you plan to be back so that he can come to pick you up from there.

From Tattoo, Fairy Meadows can be reached through a hike of around three hours. There was once a time when Fairy Meadows was not that popular specially among the local tourists and so not much facilities were available. Today however, there are multiple established campsites are available where you can get accommodation in camps/log cabins and get good food. Fairy Meadows Cottage run by Qari Rehmat and Raikot Sarai run by Rehmat Nabi are the most prominent among them. If you are not that experienced trekker, it is also recommended to get guides from here to take you to Nanga Parbat base camp and other trekking opportunities in the surroundings. One option to get a feel of the area is to do the trek up to Susar Bush a local 4000m+ peak.

Fairy Meadows

Bayal, a summer shepherd settlement is a further couple of hours walk from Fairy Meadows where there is another established campsite. The path is a gentle walk that passes initially through the dense pine forest and then on a clearly defined trail along the stream. From Bayal, Nanga Parbat base camp (4200m) can be reached after a hike of 2-3 hours that also involves crossing the Raikot glacier. A monument has been erected at the base camp in memory of those who lost their lives attempting this mountain also known as Killer Mountain.

Another exciting option from Bayal is to do the trek to Juliper Peak (5500m) via Juliper Pass (4625m). You have to be in good stamina and with proper gear to attempt Juliper peak.

Naltar – Ishkoman Trek

Following is the description of  Naltar over Naltar Pass to Ishkoman Trek. Source is the book ‘Pakistan Trekking guide’ by Isobel Shaw:

Best Time: Mid July to September
Duration: 5 days
Difficulty Level: Strenuous
Max height:  4600m

Naltar is a two hours jeep ride from Gilgit (42km) via Nomal. Alternate is to go by public bus to Nomal and then hike for about six hours (not recommended). After this the trekking can start:

Stage1 - Naltar to Naltar Lakes About 12 km (4 hours to walk). Can be done in one hour by jeep. The book recommends walking through the thick pine forest. After nine kilometer and crossing the bridge comes Bangla a summer settlement. After that you pass through more forest and reach the first of the Naltar Lakes. There are a total of four lakes around and Isobel Shaw says that you can do fishing there.

Stage2 - Naltar Lake to Lower Shani Four to five hours. Along the way is a summer gujar settlement Gupa. The advice is to have a shepherd or local show you the way as the path may not be clear at some points. Camp at Lower Shani
(which is a summer camp for shepherd). There are 3, 4 peaks of 5800m or so around.

Stage3 – Lower Shani to Naltar base camp Four to five hours. The path goes along the edge of Shani glacier to upper Shani which is a pasture. Then passing through knee deep flowers you reach a Plateau at 4100m where you can camp.

Stage4 – Across Naltar Pass to Kruibokht Six hours. Two hours climb up stones and snow to the flat top of the pass. Views of Shispar peak at a distance. The first hour on the other side of the Naltar pass is across crevassed snow fields. Next is a difficult two hours walk along the crest of the lateral moraine of Pakhora glacier.  Camp at the green pasture along the stream.

Stage5 – Kruibokht to Phakora Six hours. The path is above the river first through pastures and then through thick forest. Passing through settlements you finally come to the Utz village. It is a hot three to four hours before you reach Phakora.  Pakhora is a small village with some shops. Jeeps leave from here for Gilgit.

Lakes of Kaghan Valley

Kaghan valley is one of the most beautiful valleys of Pakistan and is an ideal candidate for 4-8 days of green trekking. While Saif ul Mulook is the most famous of all lakes it has, there are others which are far more beautiful and worth attempting. Below are the description of five major lakes in Kaghan Valley…

Saif ul Mulook Lake
Elevation : 3200m
Saif ul Mulook is by far the most popular lake in Kaghan valley for tourists. Reason of its popularity is its beauty and accessibility. A person visiting Kaghan valley, doesn’t go back without being on this lake. The beauty of this lake however is slowly being spoiled by the huge number of people visiting it every year. From Naran, a large number of jeeps are always available for this lake which takes around an hour on a 10 km bumpy road.

Aansoo Lake
Elevation : 4000m
People who have just heard about this lake and never came across any of its picture, get disappointed to see its size. It is however the path that leads to it is attractive rather than the lake itself. Aannsoo means ‘tear’ and is called so because of its shape which looks very much like a tear drop from the top. It can be accessed via Saif ul Mulook or Manoor valley. It takes 3-4 hrs of walk to reach it from lake Saif ul Mulook including a tough ascend just before it. From Manoor, it can be accessed via Manoor gali and Kuch gali which is described in another post of mine here.

Lulu Sar
Elevation : 3430m
Lulusar lake is the widest of all lakes in Kaghan Valley. It has a pretty irregular lake. As it is almost along the Naran – Chilas road, it can be reached through Jeep. Total drive from Naran is approximately 60 kms and takes around 4-5 hours on jeep via Batakundi, Buruwai, Jalkhad and Besal. It is however not recommended to camp  near this lake as this area falls under Kohistan and the people are not very hospitable as compared to the rest of Kaghan valley.

Dudipat Sar
Elevation : 3900m
Dudipat lake is the crown of all lakes of Kaghan valley. The fact that it cannot be accessed through any vehicle has so far kept it in with its original charm and matchless beauty. The trek to Dudipat starts from Besal which is at a distance of around 55 kms from Naran and is accessible through jeeps. From there the trek remains mainly along with the Purbi Nar (Nar is ‘Nala’ in local language) and takes around 6-8 hours.  Best months to visit this lake are July and August. Isobel Shaw’s book mentions that one can view Nanga Parbat and other snowy peaks from the pass and further top of the hill towards northeast after 2-3 hrs of climb.

Saral Lake
Elevation : 3500m
From Dudipat, a trek of 5-6 hours can take you to Saral Lake.  From Saral, one can come back to Naran or  can try descending into the Neelum valley. A trek of 6-8 hours from Besal can take one to Noori Nar top from where jeeps can be taken for Sharda in Neelum Valley.