Shimshal has for centuries remained a very cutoff place from rest of the world. Absence of a road upto the village had made it possible for only the brave to cross the tough mountains on foot and visit Shimshal. While the road was being worked on since 90s, it was only in 2005 when road got opened all the way up to Shimshal village. A distance that once used to take three days of walk now can be covered in less than three hours on a jeep from Passu. Riding on the jeep road, one has to praise the efforts of brave people who took part in the construction of road on this difficult path. Most of the terrain is rough and dry. One thus gets a very pleasant feeling upon coming across lush green fields and trees of Shimshal village. It is believed that first person came to Shimshal from Chapursan valley centuries ago. The people of Shimshal are extremely hospitable and hardworking. They are some of the finest mountaineers of Pakistan. As per this article, more than twenty people of the village have summitted one or more 8000+ peaks in Pakistan. Shimshalis speak wakhi language which is the same language spoken in Gojal, Wakhan corridor and part of Tajikistan.

Shimshal Village

The Trek:

Trek for Shimshal pass starts from Shimshal village (3080m). It is an intial 60-80 mins flat walk along the Shimshal river bed followed by a little ascend until you come across the Pamir-e-Tang river. After crossing the river through a suspension bridge, the trek climbs very steeply for next hour or so up to Gar-e-sar (3500m). There is a local hut at Gar-e-sar where night can be spent if one started the trek later in the day. There are many huts of these king made by the locals to facilitate local people who often made their visit to and from Pamir. From Gar-e-sar, there is another ascend of thirty minutes to a point where Shimshal village can be seen for the last time. One can get very nice views of the Yazhgil glacier, Shimshal whitehorn and Dastagir peaks. From here the trek ascends gradually or remains flat before a final sharp descend takes one to  PastFurzin which is where normally first night is spent by the trekkers. If you are in good stamina and have started the dat early, you will reach here by afternoon and can continue up to ArbabPurian or PurianSar at least.

From PastFurzin, the trek ascends a bit before descending sharply into WoochFurzin and ultimately touching the Pamir-e-Tang river at around 3400m. Your guide/porters might want to take the shortcuts through scree slopes however do remember their is an alternate but long path with less scree. The river is crossed on a foot bridge and a gradual ascend of around thirty minutes takes one to Purian-e-Ben. Be prepared for a tough ascend from this point upto Purian-e-sar (3900m) which takes around a couple of hours. Another hour or two on a less demanding path takes one to ArbabPurian where night can be spent. Fresh water is available on the camping site.

From ArbabPurian, there is a gentle walk upto Shujerab valley. Shujerab valley does have a little vegetation and is used by locals for feeding the yaks before returning back to Shimshal. From Shujerab the path ascends steeply for next 250m. The moment one reaches the top, lush green valley opens up. This is what is known by locals as Pamir, their summer grazing land.  A further one hour gentle walk on the grassy path takes one to first the smaller Shimshal lake (lupwhooyee) and then the bigger lake (Zaklayee). Across the lake is the Shimshal Pass(4600m). From the pass, another fifteen minutes walk takes you to the Shewart village (4560) where Shimshalis spend their summer months with their livestock. Total distance from Shimshal to Shewart is 40-45 km.

Shimshal Pamir

Shimshali women are very tough folk. Their day starts with the initial rays of sunlight and they remain busy the whole day in some work or another the whole day without any rest. Most of their day is spent in making cheese and butter form yak milk. Taking yaks to the pastures is a collective responsibility of village and turns are divided on regular intervals among each family. Their food is simple and is often comprised of bread with cheese or butter. Use of rice or even vegetables is very seldom. Yak wool is collected during these summer months and stored. Later in the winters, people make very fine hand made carptet from it. Shimshalis are very fond of milk tea and would always be seen willing to drink it during their breaks. Weather in shewart remains chilling during whole day. Strong wind often keeps blowing. The moment sun goes down, the weather drops below freezing point.

Return from Pamir is normally done faster with a single night at PurianSar or WoochFurzin. While most of the people come back to Shimshal via same path, its not the only option. One possibility that a few try is to make a loop and return to Shimshal via Magata pass (5100m). While this does add a couple of more days to the journey, it has the advantage of being on a new and different path on the way back. A relatively long and tough trek can take one to Biafo and Askole from here via Braldo glacier in 12-14 days.

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.

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.

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.

Trek from Thandiani to Nathiagali is one of the most popular weekend treks of the region. This is the trek on which many people mark the beginning of their camping/trekking life.  Thandiani (2700m) is at a drive of approximately 4 hours from Islamabad via Abbotabad. This trek could be done in two days if one is in good stamina and is able to start the trek early in the morning. It is better in this case to spend the night either in Abbotabad or Thandiani. If you are not a regular trekker, or want to start the trek from Thandiani late, it is advisable to do it in three stages by spending the first night at Birangali forest rest house and second at Dagri bangla.

Birangali rest house is in the Birangali village around 7-8 km from Thandiani. The path to it is a gentle walk that takes around 3-4 hrs. There is a fresh water stream at 5 minutes walk down the hill from the rest house. There are also a few shops in Birangali village where basic items are available. Dagri rest house is at an elevation of 2720 meters. The path from Birangali to Dagri is around  17-18km and includes mainly ascend. On average, it takes 5-6 hours to reach there. The dense Quercus (burongi) forest of this area is the crux of this whole trek. If the weather is clear, Dagri also offers some very nice views of the area and an awesome sunset . Fresh water is available at 15 minutes walk from the rest house towards Northwest. Next day, you can reach Nathiagali via Miranjani top (2980m) which is the highest peak in the Galiyat region.

If the weather is clear you can view different peaks of the region from the top. Mountains of Kashmir are visible at west and northwest including Ganga peak, Pir Hassmir, Qazi Nag and the Pir Panjal range. Towards the North, you can view Makra, Blue Mountain and Malika Parbat. Total distance from Dagri bangla to Nathiagali is 19km. If you are lucky, you will also be able to spot massive Nanga Parbat behind Makra and Malika Parbat towards North.

If you just have a single day to spend, another option is to start the trek from Nathiagali and come back from Dagri rest house through Miranjani. This part takes 4-5 hours one way depending upon the pace. On the whole, this is a great alpine trek  ideal for spending a nice weekend away from the daily hustle and bustle of our busy lives.

Just a handful of people in Islamabad know about this exciting trek very near to them. Panjpeer is the highest point of the Danoi Ridge in Kotli Sattian. It is called Panjpeer because of a shrine it has at the top. Locals believe this was a place where five buzurgs came and got settled. It is at an altitude of approximately 1800 meters.

Danoi trek starts from the Lehtrar rest house on the Lehtrar road. This road links Islamabd to Bagh via Kotli Sattian. Total distance between Islamabad and Lehtrar town is around 40 Kilometers. Rest house is behind the petrol pump just a little ahead of the main bazaar. The trek starts behind this rest house and is actually an abandoned jeep road. In a couple of hours, this trek reaches Danoi rest house while passing through a beautiful pine forest. Danoi rest house has a height of approximately 1300 meters.

If you have less time, another option is to skip the first part and start the trek from Danoi rest house itself. A metalled top road comes to it from Lehtrar. Follow the Lehtrar road for a further few kilometers towards Kotli Sattian till a place called as Thum Mor from where a road turns right towards Baba Saeen Matka Sharif shrine in Kamra. There is also a sign board indicating this shrine. Total traveling distance from Islamabad to Danoi is around 60 kilometers. If you are coming on your own vehicle, you can park it here. Tell the rest house guards to take care of it, and they will do it well. The rest house was built in 1928 and is right in the middle of the beautiful pine forest. You can also spend the night here through an advanced booking from the forest department office near Sawan station, Rawalpindi.

From Danoi, follow the road going towards Kamra and Nar. To avoid the long zig zags of road, you can take short cuts at many points during the initial stage. You will also see some arrows helping you for the directions marked by ASG. Continuing with the short cuts and the road, the road turns in to a rough jeep track. Soon, you will be able to see Murree and Patriata on your left towards west.. Enjoying the pine forest and the beautiful views this trek offers, you will reach a place where there are big boulders stretched over a large area. This part is the specialty of this trek. Nowhere else on the whole region, you will find any thing like this. It is not just these large stretched boulders, throughout the trek you will notice large rocks of very unique size and structure. Continuing on the trek will take you to Panjpeer . The total travel time from Danoi to this place is 2-3 hours. Panjpeer offers some great panoramic views of the whole region. On clear days, you can see Makra and other mountains of Kaghan area on your north while different peaks of Kashmir are visible on the east.

From Panjpeer, you can walk down back to Danoi if you have your vehicle parked there. Otherwise, another option is to drop down on the other side towards East to the Jehlum river through Nar. This trek ends at Azad Pattan where a bridge links Azad Kashmir to this part of Punjab. Public transport can be taken from Azad Pattan that will reach Islamabd in around 90 mins via Kahuta and Sihala. Though it seems much less from the top, the trek on the way down takes around 3-4 hours.

A couple of weekends ago, I explored an interesting hiking loop that can be made behind the Faisal Mosque.  If you are looking for a moderate hike for a few hours in a very natural environment, this trek is for you. You can park your vehicle at the back of Faisal Mosque on the eastern side. The entry to Magallas from that side is blocked by a fence. If you however follow the fence towards west, you will find an opening there. That is the point from where this trail starts. Just a few meters ahead a wider trail turns left. Leave this one and continue the one which is less wider and going on the right side towards North East. The ascend starts after a while but it is of a very moderate nature. The trail makes some long zig-zags and goes through a very dense forest. There are strong chances of finding monkeys and wild boars in this part. Follow the trail for about an hour or more till you come across an intersection where a path is going straight while the other one turns right. This is Trail4. If you still have time, take the straight path going up to make another interesting loop. I called this second loop as Jabbi loop as it goes through a small village Jabbi consisting of only a few houses. To take this loop, you will have to leave the main trail and take a less wider trail going left. It will take you to a small field followed by the houses. Just before the field, a path is turning left which can take you back to Trail4. Using Trail4, you can go back to the same point from where Faisal Mosque trail joined Trail4. Turn left from this point and follow the zig-zagged path for about an hour till you come across another intersection at almost the ground level. Taking the straight path will take you to the Pir Sohawa road around a kilometer ahead of the Jungle restaurant. Taking the one going right, you can reach Kuwait Hostel and your starting point by taking a right turn from an intersection after around ten minutes of walk. Going straight will take you to E-7 near the Jamia Faridi cemetry.

Ganga Peak more commonly known as Ganga choti is situated in the Bagh district of AJK near Sudhan gali. It is 3045m high. The peak can be reach through a 2-3 hours trek from Sudhan gali. I have also met people in Chanari who have climbed Ganga from that side but I personally have not attempted it from there.

One can reach Sudhan gali from Muzaffarabad or Bagh. It takes around a couple of hours to reach here on public transport from Bagh. The other option is to come from Muzaffarabad via Hattian Bala and Chikar. This option takes around 4 hours. There is an unconfirmed report of a proposed plan to develop a road and even a chair-lift from Sudhan gali to Ganga. This might result in an increase of tourism but would definitely be a disaster for its natural environment and beauty. The trek to Ganga offers some very nice views of the valley and meadows. This area used to be even more beautiful before the 2005 earthquake as some effects of it can be seen on the trek. From the peak one can have a great panoramic view of the whole area including the peaks occupied by Indians in their side of Kashmir. In winters this whole area is heavily covered by snow so the the best time to visit it is from April-August.

It was a great day for me today, as I got a rare chance of seeing a leopard live in the wilderness for the first (and probably the last :-)) time in my life. It was an hour before the sunset and the place was around 5-6 km North of Faisal Mosque (half way from Tilhar village). This part of Margallas offers pure natural environment as there is no human settlement nearby and even not many trekkers wander here.
It was two of us me and Usman Zafar. We started our hike from behind the Kuwait hostel of International Islamic University and joined Trail 4. We continued on Trail 4 for about an hour where a smaller trail branches off towards right. While we always continue on the path going straight that goes to Tilhar/Monal, this time we were in a mood of finding a new way of returning back. I always wondered where this path ultimately leads to as it apparently turns down towards right so we decided to explore it. On this trail, after a walk for about 10 minutes, there was a curve when I felt like there was some movement ahead of me. I took a few steps forward and phew, it appeared and it was nothing else but a leopard. It was not more than a few meters away from us but we never got an eye contact and it immediately ran away in the opposite direction with its specific movement. We could only see it for a few seconds as it fast disappeared into the bushes. To me it looked like an adult one. It was not very tall and would have a height of something around 2.5 – 3 feet.
There have been some leopard sightings on Margallaz in the past too. Just a couple of months ago, a partially paralyzed male leopard was sighted and later caught near the Kilinjhar village. It is good to see this beautiful car surviving in Margalla hills despite not very favorable conditions (increasing human interferences and decreasing prey)

While there are many tracks on Margallaz that could lead to Khanpur, I personally like the Faisal mosque – Tilhar one. If you have to start from Islamabad and have 6-7 hours to walk, Faisal mosque to Dhuniyyan village trek is the best option.

You can start the trek either from E-7 or from behind the Kuwait hostel of International Islamic University. CDA has marked this trail up to the Tilhar Mor as Trail 4. Surprisingly trails in Margallazs are not numbered sequentially as Trail 3 is in the middle of Trail 5 and 4. Trail 4 starts opposite to the northern end of E-7 from the corner of the road near Jamia Faridia cemetery and the residence of Dr. A. Q. Khan. First 15 – 20 minutes of the trail is a gentle walk that goes almost along the Pir Sohawa road. After around 10 minutes of walk from the start, the path from Kuwait hostel joins it. Some area here has also been fenced probably to stop the wildlife to enter.  Continuing the main trail, after crossing a small stream, one comes across a fork from where the straight path joins the main road again. Take the path to the left to continue on Trail 4. From this point, ascend starts and continues for the next hour or so. The ascend becomes mild as the track starts going more along the ridge. For most of the time, one can see the main Pir Sohawa road going in parallel at the far end on the other ridge. In around 2 hours from the start, one should be able to reach at the top of ridge where a marked path to the left goes towards Tilhar View Point. From this point, Tilhar becomes visible with a beautiful view of its field and houses.  Total distance covered up to this point is around 8.5 kms. Continuing straight on Trail 4, one can reach the Pir Sohawa road in further 15 – 20 minutes from where Monal restuarant is at a distance of further  5-10 minute walk. From Tilhar View Point, one can descend to the Tilhar village in around 30 minutes. Reach to the eastern side of village where there are a few shops. Continuing on the road, you will reach a wide water stream that is bisecting the village. Cross the village and pass through the houses through a narrow way before the school to reach the road.

From this point, you should be able to see a few houses at the top of ridge in front of you towards west. This is the Kingri village (part of Tilhar village). Keeping those houses in sight, take the path going towards them. Continuing on the track after passing through Kingri, you should be able to reach at a relatively open area near the top of the ridge where one can get a very clear view of Khanpur lake. A jeep track starts after another further 10 minutes of walk from this point. Follow the track and you will reach the village Bakka. You will come across a fork after crossing Bakka. Take the one that is going right and it will take you to the Karwali village. From Karwali, leave the jeep track and drop down to the village from where take another track that is going towards Dhunniyan. From a walk of another 5-10 minutes from the village a Jeep track will join from the left where there is also a small water stream and a place for prayers. If from Kingri, you take a path going left, you will come through this jeep road bypassing the Bakka and Karwali villages. Follow the jeep track for another hour and it will take you to Dhunniyan. The total time it takes from Tilhar to Dhunniyan is around 4 -5 hours. From Dhunniyan, public transport can be taken to reach back to Islamabad via Tarnawa and Taxila.