There were two objectives of this trip. One was to gather some information and do some preparations for our planned summer expedition for the year 2011. This year we have planned to do Biafo Hispar and snow lake in the month of July Inshallah. Other objective was to get some used and new trekking gear that would be reliable and much cheaper than the stuff generally available in Islamabad or Lahore.

I did not want to take the risk of Skardu flight and wanted to save some bucks too so decided to go through NATCO. It has a daily bus service from Rawalpindi that leaves at 4 PM and has a fare of Rs. 1900. The bus took 26 long hours to reach Skardu. Initially I had the plan to come back via bus too but the flu that I had before leaving Islamabad got transformed into fever after that long journey and I decided to try my luck with PIA. Luckily, there was a seat available for Islamabad the next day. I had to pay Rs. 4650 as one way fare but have come to know that this has been increased now by PIA. What took 26 hours of the long and hectic journey became just a 45 minutes pleasant flight on the way back. It was indeed a lucky day where the weather was clear and visibility was awesome. On a clear day like this one, the flight between Skardu and Islamabad becomes a very fascinating one where one can get views of some of the highest peaks and valleys of the world in the great ranges of Karakorum and Himalaya. Moreover, as it was just the beginning of summer season, there was still a lot of snow on the higher grounds that made the whole journey indeed memorable. The plane also passes along the shoulder of Nanga Parbat (8126m), which is world’s 8th and Pakistan’s 2nd highest mountain that is also known as The Killer Mountain (see the second picture below).

I took some pictures during the air journey that I am sharing below.

SPS Trekking Club is one of the most active and well organized non-commercial trekking clubs in Pakistan. The club was started by the teachers and students of Swat Public School which is one the most prestigious schools of the whole region. Club started its activities in late 80s with short hikes around Mingora. It entered into the world of formal trekking in 1991 with the Kachi Khani trek. Since then, SPS Trekking Club has done one major trek every summers in the great mountain ranges of Pakistan. The year 2009 is the only exception when there was a military operation going on in the whole area and most of the Swat population had to migrate in those unfortunate times.

SPS Trekking Club holds an annual function every year in which they review previous year’s activities, select a trek for the next year and also elect fresh cabinet for the new year. This year’s event was scheduled on 6th March. I was also invited to attend this event which was a great honor indeed for me. It was a great motivation to be among some of very seasoned and experienced trekkers. Unlike the trekking community in big cities where it is generally considered as the youth activity , surprising thing here was the active participation of senior members. The event was well attended by club members some of whom had come from other cities. There was also some participation by the senior students of Swat Public School which was a sign that club’s future will be as energetic as its present. One of the most interesting agenda item is next year’s trek selection. Iftikhar Ali who is called by friends as club’s John Mock presented three different options with their details. These were  Concordia and Ghondogoro La, Chillinji Pass and a trek in Tangir valley, Kohistan. After a very interesting discussion among club members who were equally divided between the first two, Chillinji Pass was finally selected as the 2011 Expedition. Good Luck Guys!

I used this opportunity to see the post operation Swat and interacted with people about the current situation. Things in Swat overall are although peaceful but the army is present everywhere on the streets. From Mardan to Mingora, vehicles are stopped for checking at eight to ten different places. One must have the national identity card with him without which entry to Swat is impossible. People generally have a mixed feelings about the presence of army in the area. They do not see the situation in a global or regional paradigm rather discuss it in the context of Swat itself. While some of the highly educated urban youth overwhelmingly support the army operation, people with roots in the villages looked more against it. Militants initially enjoyed the support of local population however they eventually lost it or were forced to loose it. Pakistan army has been very harsh in tackling them stories about the extra judicial killings and torture are common. Devastating floods in 2010 came as another blow for the people of Swat and caused great damage. Only four wheel vehicles can go at the moment beyond Bahrain. Hotel and tourism industry has suffered miserably from these situations. Despite all these hardships, people of Swat have not lost the hope and their endurance and patience cannot go unnoticed.

ASG is planning to arrange same trek in the summer of 2011. They are evaluating two options at the moment. First option is to start the trek from Kishmanja, reach Karomber and come back Kishmanja through same route . This path mainly remains very gentle and first timers can also take part. Coming back through the same route would also skip the scary path of Shutargurdan that we had to cross as the glacier has blocked the main way before Virgoth since 2007. Second option is to start from Kishmanja, reach Karomber and continue towards Ishkoman Valley by ending the trek at Mitramdas. This was the route we followed. However one has to compromise the scary patch of Shutargurdan after Sokhtarabad, a few brief glacier crossing including that of Chittiboi and a river crossing at one point to complete this route.

ASG will finalize the details somewhere around April. Those who are interested in joining ASG for this trek can contact Mr. Aftab Rana at afopak[at]yahoo or +923009742158.

In one of the rare captures, a group of three wild snow leopards (apparently a mother with two sub adult cubs) has recently been snapped in a single photograph from the Khunjerab National Park area. This photograph along with many others were captured during Late November to December 2010 by the Snow Leopard Foundation in coordination with the wildlife and national park management in Pakistan.

BBC Planet’s Earth’s team, after a very tough  effort, was able to capture the rare moments of a snow leopard’s hunt on her prey in the Chitral Valley. A couple of short clips from that coverage can be seen on the links below…

Following is the list of major presentations that were given in the event..

1. The Trekkerz were represented by Tanwir Jogi and his group members who came all the way from Lahore. Tanwir presented the Conconrdia and Ghondoghoro La which was their major accomplishment of the year. Besides Ghondoghoro, The Trekkerz had a very busy year with smaller expeditions to Musa ka Musalla, Fairy Meadows, Makra and Kuch Gali. Concordia trip was a test of their patience and endurance as they had to wait for four days first at Ali Camp because of bad weather and then at Chilas because of flood which added an additional 8 days to their trip duration. But they all managed it well.

2. Zeeshan Ahmed from Faisalabad really stole the show with an impressive presentation on The Great Crossing of Askole to Shimshal via 5700 meters Lupke La . It is amongst the few places of the earth where very few have dared to venture. Helped by the heavy winter snowfalls, they found much of the previously known cravessed area flat near the great pass. Trek pictures almost mesmerized the audience who appreciated the remarkable effort done by Zeeshan and his group members.

3. I gave a detailed presentation on Along the Wakhan Corridor trek that we did this July as a team of 7 and is described here. We started the trek from Yarkhun valley in Chitral and ended in Ishkoman valley of Gilgit. We had initial plan to cross the 5200 meters Chilinji pass but bad weather, much snow on scree and porters reluctance didn’t allow us to and we had to divert our trek towards Ishkoman valley.

4. Dr. Abdul Hadi came all the from Peshawar and is a very active member of SPS (Swat Public School) Trekking Club. He gave and year by year overview of the annual expeditions organized by the club followed by a very detailed presentation on Asamber Pass trek that they did in early July this year. Asamber Pass is a 4500 meters high pass that is located West of Gilgit and connects Ishkoman valley to the Yasin valley.

Apart from the above, there were some presentations on smaller treks which were equally entertaining and informative…

5. Rizwan Buttar from Lahore presented the winter trek to Kuch Gali that The Trekkers did in the chilling weather of December.

6. Muhammad Kashif from Islamabad gave presentation on Musa ka Musalla trek that his team did in June 2010.

7. Majd ud Din from Islamabad briefed about his trip to Deosai Plains and the attempt they did to cross into Neelum Valley through Kala Pani trek in bad weathers.

8. Waqas Ashraf from Muzaffarabad gave an interesting presentation on the trek that was done from Pir Chanasi to Pir Hassimar in district Muzaffarabad.

9. Asad Mahmood from Islamabad presented Ratti Gali trek that his team did in July.

10. Ahtesham Ali Raja from Islamabad gave a small presentation on the Kafir Khan trek in Leepa valley that he and his team members did in October.

The event was organized at Hotel Pak Continental in G-8 Markaz.

Below are some of the event pictures..

Trekking community in Pakistan is familiar with a trek known as “Along the Wakhan Corridor”. It is called so because it runs inside Pakistani territory almost in parallel to the Wakhan corridor. Some people call this area as Wakhan which is incorrect as the actual Wakhan area is in Afghanistan. This is one of the most amazing treks  in Pakistan’s North because it offers everything that a trekker encounters during different trekking expeditions i.e. lush green meadows, high passes, glaciers, rivers, and some of the most beautiful lakes including the magnificent Karomber.

The trek connects Yarkhun valley in Chitral to the Chapursan valley in Gojal(Hunza) and can be done both ways. As we did the trek in west to east direction starting from Chitral, I will describe it in the same. There are some other possibilities to undertake this trek that I will mention in the last.

To reach Chitral, one has many options. See  Travel options for Chitral for the details on these options. The trek starts from a small village of Kishmanja which is the last point where jeeps can take you.  From Chitral, one has to reach Mastuj first which is a small town on the Gilgit-Chitral road. Booking of a jeep from Chitral to Mastuj can be done in somewhere between Rs. 3000 and 4000 and Rs. 150 per person if one doesn’t book the whole jeep (rates as of summer 2010).  There is a PTDC hotel and a couple of rest houses available in Mastuj for accommodation. From Mastuj, Kishmanja can be reached through a long and rough jeep ride of 8-10 hours. A jeep would cost between Rs. 10000 to Rs. 12000 for this part.  If you are to book a jeep for this journey, do confirm if the bridge at Kankhun is jeep cross-able or not and fix the rates accordingly. We had to abandon our land cruiser jeep because of the bridge instability and had to hire another one on the other side for last one hour of the journey. This jeep road ends a kilometer before Kishmanja which is a very small village of few houses. This is also the last point where electricity is available in this region.

Broghil valley

In the whole of Broghil valley, people speak mainly Chitrali language but can speak Urdu and can also generally understand Persian and Shina.

Below are stage by stage trek details as how we did it…

Stage1: Kishmanja – Ishkarwaz:

Duration: 4-5 hours

From Ishkarwaz, cross the flowing stream through a log foot bridge and continue south along with the river bed to reach Garamchashma. From this point, one leaves the river bed and turns left. The path ascends very smoothly till one reaches a small pass. From this point, there are two options to reach Broghil. One can climb right to reach Chikar which is the base of Darkot glacier from where one can reach Showrsheer the other day bypassing Ishkarwaz. If one continues towards southeast, the valley opens up with vast stretches of different small but colorful flowers. The stage ends at Ishkarwaz where there are posts of Chitral scouts and police where one has to register.

Stage2: Ishkarwaz – Showrsheer via Lashkargaz

Duration:  7-8 hrs

A couple of hours walk away from Ishkarwaz is Garhil. Inhabited by a few households, Garhil is one of the most beautiful spots of the whole area in terms of landscape. After crossing Garhil, one walks beneath the Darwaza Pass and reaches Lashkargaz (or Lashkargah Goz). Darwaza pass is another way to enter into Agfhanistan’s wakhan area. Before Lashkargaz, the main attraction of this day is a series of small but beautiful lakes with changing colors. In total, these are five different lakes just adjacent to each other. Every few kilometers on this path, one comes across a new pasture which is used as the grazing land for yaks. Lashkargaz is the place where traditional polo festival is held each year where wakhi people from the whole region participate.

One of the lashkargaz lakes

Stage3: Showrsheer – Karomber Lake

Duration : 4-5 hrs

It is a very gentle walk up to Karomber that climbs very smoothly. One passes through small settlements of Rabat and Lale Rabat before reaching the Karomber Pass at 4200 meters. Karomber lake is further half an hour away from the pass at 4160 meters. There are some camping sites maintained along the lake. Porters normally stay in open sky small huts built above the lake. They must be provided a water proof sheet as a protection against snow and rain.

Karomber Lake

Stage4: Karomber Lake – Swinj

Duration:  3-4 hrs

This is the easiest day of the whole trek with a very gentle walk of few hours. One enters into the Karomber valley after crossing Karomber lake which does not enjoy the greenery and beautiful landscape of that of Broghil valley. Swinj is inhabited by the Gujjar people. They come from Imit during summer months with their livestock. They are not as friendly as the wakhi people and must be treated with caution.

Stage5: Swinj – Sohktarabad via Chittiboi Glacier

Duration: 7-8 hrs

This is one of the longest day of the trek included with it is the crossing of Chittiboi glacier. Glacier crossing takes around 2 – 2.5 hours. The crossing itself is not very technical however donkeys with load struggle on it. At Sokhtarabad, a campsite is maintained along with the police post where one must register. The post comes under the jurisdiction of Ishkoman police station.

Stage6: Sokhtarabad – Virgoth

Duration : 5-6 hrs

Soon after leaving Sokhtarabad, one has to cross the Sokhtarabad glacier. Virgoth which is the destination of this day is undoubtedly the best camping site of the trek but it comes with a price which is “Shuttargurdan”. It is the name of the difficult mountain one has to cross with very narrow, steep and scary path. The original path used to go along with the river however in year 2007, glacier blocked the way of the river and there is no apparent way to cross it. One has to be very careful on this narrow path as any wrong step can take one down to thousands of feet down into the river.

Yasin village, Ishkoman

Stage7: Virgoth – Pekhin

Duration: 4-5 hrs

If one starts early, it is also possible to reach Mitramdas the same day however Pekhin is the other option if one can’t. It is probably the worst of campsites of the whole trek and feels more as one is coming from the campsites of Virgoth and Sokhtarabad. After leaving Vrgoth, one has to cross the glacier that takes 30-40 minutes and  ends at Yasin village (not to confuse with the Yasin Valley in Ghizer) which is another pictersuqe village and is very much similar to virgoth.

Stage8: Pekhin – Borth via Mitramdas

Duration : 3-4 hrs

An hour walk from Pekhin takes one to the river. One can cross the river on foot if water is not high or there is an alternate route available over the cliff on the left which is not very difficult however is narrow where donkeys with load struggle..Although there is a jeep road till Mitramdas, jeeps are generally not available there unless already arranged. One has to walk further couple of hours to Borth to find one. From Borth, the jeep can be taken to Gahkuch which is the capital of Ghizer and is a big town. Regular transport is available from Gahkuch for Gilgit.

Trek Map

If one intends to end the trek at Chapursan valley after crossing Chilinji Pass (5200 meters), one must cross the river before Virgoth to camp at Jungle Camp instead of Virgoth. From Jungle Camp, with one night at Chilinji base, one can cross the pass to reach Biatar. This trek can be done other way around from Chapursan valley as well however the biggest challenge this route presents is crossing the Chilinji pass on the second or third day of trek while one is not fully acclimatized. If there is a spare day or two for acclimatization, this is a better option to cross Chilinji as from the base camp on the other side (from Jungle camp), the ascend is very steep and is mostly scree.

Another option to reach Broghil valley is via Darkot Pass (4675 meters) from Yasin valley in Ghizer. Jeeps go all the way to Darkot village which is at 5-6 hours drive from Gilgit. From the Darkot village, one can reach Chikar village in Broghil valley with one night at Darkot base camp and crossing the pass other day.

There are in fact two adjacent peaks in the same vicinity. Locals know more of Sheesha Mali which is at a height 3450 meters. Name Sheesha Mali it is referred to as is because of the mirror it used to have in British era through which signals were sent to Mushkpuri in one direction and a peak above Srinagar in the other direction.

Sheesha Mali top amid the mist...

There are four potential routes that we have identified from where it can be accessed…

1.       From Pir Hassimar: Staring from Pir Chinasi above Muzaffarabad, it makes a very interesting trek via Pir Hassimar and Kafir Khan where one can ultimately descend to Leepa from Muji side. In total it becomes a very interesting and scenic 3-4 day trek and is highly recommended. I personally know of at least one group who has done this trek and have heard from them a lot about the beautiful lush green meadows above Hariala.  At some places, this trek comes dangerously close to the Line of Control and thus extreme care should be taken. Depending upon the latest border situation, it is also possible that army guys don’t let you go beyond a certain point. If one happens to descend all the way to Muji, visit to Mithan Baba shrine is a must external wall of which touches the barbed wire that separates Pakistani and Indian controlled areas.

2.       From Kaimanja/Hariala: From Garhi Doaptta on main Muzaffarabad – Srinagar road, a metalled cum jeep road can take one to the village of Hariala. From here, the ascend to Kafir Khan is extremely steep and is not recommended to do without a night on the way.

3.       From Reshian: This is the route we followed.  Reshian is around 70 kilometers from Muzaffarabad and can be reached through Hattian Bala on a metalled road. From here, while the main road continues towards the main Leepa valley through Reshian Gali (3200 meters), a jeep road turns left towards Muji. Four kilometers from Reshian is a forest rest house at Daokhan where night can be spent with advance booking from DFO office. Continuing from the rest house, one can reach a little settlement just a little below the ridge. From here the trek starts that passes through dense forest at some points before emerging at the ridge. Trek time till the base near the shepherd huts is 4-5 hours. From those huts, it takes an hour to reach Sheesha Mali and around an hour further to the Kafir Khan top. From the top, one can descend to Hariala from where local transport and jeeps are available that can take one to Garhi Dopatta and Muzaffarabad

4.       From Lamnian: Lamnian comes before Reshian on the main Muzaffarabad-Leepa road. From here a jeep road goes left towards some villages. From the end of road, a trek climbs up which is supposedly steep but can be explored.

Kafir Khan Trek Map

Water is not apparently available above 10000 ft height around the top so one should not spend the night there. People of the area speak Kashmiri language and area also fluent in Hindko and Urdu. This whole area is not generally known in the trekking community and is worth exploring. Best time to visit this area is from June – September.

Musa ka Musalla peak stands at an altitude of 4050 meters at the junction of Siran and Kaghan valleys. The name translates to Moses’ Mat which has different stories associated with it. While some believe it to be named after a local shepherd with the name of Musa who used to pray at the peak here, some even attribute it to the prophet Moses. There is a small flat structure made up of different stones and marked with colorful flags of type one finds in all the shrines of this region. On a clear day, the summit offers exciting panoramic views of the entire area and surroundings.

Musa ka Musalla

There are many possible options to reach Musa ka Musalla top. It can be accessed from both Kaghan and Siran valleys. Trekkers have been using four basic routes to access Musa ka Musalla which are described below…

1. From Mandakucha/Jacha village: One can reach here through Mansehra/Shinkiari.  Public transport is available from Mansehra for Mandakucha with a fare of Rs. 150 per head (May 2010).  The road goes through Jabori and takes around 2-3 hours. One can also hire a hiace van or a jeep that can be taken up to Jacha village. Porters can be taken from Mandakucha village. From the starting point, the trek to the top of Musalla takes 8-10 hours. One can camp at Bikhi or Khori on the way which are 4-5 and 6-7 hours of trek from Mandakucha respectively.

2. From Naddi Bangla: One can reach Naddi bangla from Balakot on a jeep road which comes through Hangrai and takes around a couple of hours. Rest house here is mainly used to monitor the forest and is not in a very good condition. The road is metalled up to Hangrai and a little beyond after which a left turn takes one to a jeep only road.  A normal jeep would take Rs. 3000-4000 one way up to Nadi Bangla and can accommodate a maximum of six persons. A loader jeep if available can be hired if one wants to save some bucks. It charges between Rs. 2000-3000 and can accommodate a group of 10+ people along with the luggage very easily. The disadvantage of a loader jeep is the lack of proper sitting space and often you have to spend the journey which standing in the open roof jeep which is quite an adventure in itself.  It is recommended to take the jeep further few kilometers ahead to a place called as Kachal Katha from where the trek can be started. From here one can take a) Bagheer meadows route towards Northeast of Naddi Bangla b) Maidan route towards Northwest. Both the approaches converge at Shaddal Gali (also known as Thandi Gali) where one can also camp. Fresh water is available here at a short walking distance. From Bagheer, one can reach the top of Musalla in 5-6 hrs via Shaddal Gali.

Bagheer Meadows

3. From Kund Bangla / Shaheed Pani: There are forest rest houses on both the places and they can be reached via Masehra/Shinkiari. This is the longest re oute in terms of walking distance but is less hectic in terms of steepness. Jeeps take 3-4 hours from Shinkiari to reach Kund where one can stay at forest rest house for the night. From Kund, a 3-4 hours trek can take one to Shaheedpani where there is another rest house. From Shaheehpani, one can reach Shaddal Gali/Thandi Gali in 4-5 hours on a relatively flat terrain where the trail coming from Naddi Bangla joins in. From the gali, summit of Musalla can be reached in 2-3 hours.  In all, the whole trek from Kund Bagla to Musalla peak takes 10-12 hours.

4. From Sharan: Sharan is a beautiful forested place that can be reached from Kaghan (Paras) on a jeep. There is a rest house and youth hostel available at Sharan. This is the most difficult option in terms of steepness and is not generally recommended for reaching the top. This option can be considered however for coming back which is all descend and takes around 7-8 hours.

Out of the above mentioned options, Naddi Bangla option via Bagheer is the most recommended path in terms of natural beauty. It is advisable to get the porters arranged beforehand as the population is scarce and locals might not be willing to go on a time of your choice.

Best time to do this trek is from mid June to mid September. Some groups also attempt it in winters in harsh conditions as a winter survival expedition. As with the other treks of the region, porter rates are not already defined and would have to be negotiated. Porters would charge on per day basis and it could be anything between Rs. 500 and 1000. A horse or mule can be hired on something between Rs. 1000 – 1400 per day (Rates as per summer of 2010).

It was summer of 2002 when I visited Neelum Valley for the very first time. Those were the times when one used to find Neelum valley in newspapers every few days in the form of cross border shelling incidents and casualties. Current Neelum valley road was considered as a death trap for vehicles. My plan was to visit Kutton/Jagran area with some friends who were working with an NGO Islamic Relief there on different community development projects. We left Islamabad in morning and reached Muzaffarabad in the afternoon. In Muzaffarabad, I was told that we will use Leswa bypass road to reach Neelum Valley. Leswa bypass road was built with the purpose of providing a safe alternate route to Neelum valley and was supposed to remain out of Indian guns’ range. However even this road could not be made completely safe as Indians managed to bring some of their long range artillery at some of the high grounds on their side in such a way that they could hit a point on the road directly. This point was known as Zero Point.

I was told that we will leave Muzaffarabad at mid night so that we can cross Zero Point before dawn. By avoiding the daylight we could decrease the chances of being hit by crossing the hit point with vehicle’s lights turned off. It was a smooth journey in a very light environment till we reached near Zero Point. A sign board with an army post and barrier indicated that we are about to enter red zone. Only after an annoying verification process and mentioning of a few army references, we were allowed to cross the barrier by the soldiers.  Our driver turned off the tape switched the head lights off. My friend and his colleagues started reciting kalima and different verses from Quran. Sitting in the jeep, I could feel the tense environment inside. At that time, I had a feeling mixed of excitement and fear. I saw an army jeep standing on the roadside with full of  bullet holes. I was told that unlucky jeep tried to take risk by crossing the hit point but couldn’t make it and was hit hard. Five or six soldiers got martyred in that single incident. Our driver rushed the jeep at fast speed till it approached another army barrier that indicated the end of hit point. Phew, we were out of danger and came along a great sense of relief. The atmosphere turned back to normal once again. Since then, I have traveled to that road many times. I still recall that  journey and the tension on that patch every time I cross it now.

During my stay at Kutton, often the peaceful surroundings used to get shaken with explosion sounds coming from far. The war continued at many points across LOC. I found the people of affected areas to be very brave however. They were not ready to give up their homes and lands. In Athmuqam bazar, there wasn’t a single shop without bullet holes in the walls. A bunker was a must beneath every home. Locals used to say with a laugh that they can only be killed with the first shell. Any subsequent shell can never harm them as everyone would rush to the bunker in whatever state he/she may be in.

Now in 2010, this Neelum Valley presents an absolutely different picture. The tension has long gone and tourists now come to visit the area in large numbers during summers. Rest houses have been built with one at Kairan which is right at the border at stone throw distance from Indian occupied Kashmir. This rest house was badly damaged by Indian artillery shelling before ceasefire. It has now been completely renovated with more than 17 well maintained rooms. Indian soldiers can be seen patrolling the other side. A friendly exchange of waiving or whistling also occur sometimes.

Indian soldiers across the river at Kairan..

In these apparently peaceful days, I wonder about those hard days these people have seen. While ceasefire certainly couldn’t bring anything positive for Pakistan from military and strategic point of view, it brought back the routine life for ordinary people living along the line of control. I pray for the day to come soon when we will be able to visit the other side of Kashmir and meet our brothers and sisters there who have been living under suppressing Indian rule for such a long time. Meray watan teri jannat main ayin gay ik din!!!

• PIA runs daily flights from Islamabad and Peshawar to Chitral. From Peshawar, flights are available on all seven days of the week while from Islamabad, they are available on all days except Sunday. All of the flights depart early in the morning with some slight timing variations on different week days. Return fare from Peshawar is Rs. 6040 and from Islamabad it is Rs. 7480 as of May 2010. Islamabad-Chitral flight time is 45 minutes. As with other northern areas bound flights, Chitral flights are always weather dependent and often get cancelled due to bad weather specially around lowari pass.

• To travel by road, best option is to take 25 seat flying coach from Pirwadhai bus station in Rawalpindi through the service run by Chitral Travels. Two coaches leave every night at 9:00 and 10:30 PM respectively with the later one is tentative and depends on the number of advanced bookings. The route passes through Dir and crosses Lowari Pass at 3100 meters and takes around 12-14 hours in total to reach Chitral. Fare for this one way journey is Rs. 900 as of May 2010. For reservations and other information, one can contact Usman Ali the managing director on 0344-8865550 or Khursheed Ahmed who is the booking manager in Rawalpindi on 0336-5414201. For bookings in Chitral, Haji Baig can be contacted on 0343-5801661. These coasters leave from crystal-line  bus terminal near the Pirwadhai police post.

• From Peshawar, buses and vans leave for Chitral more frequently than Rawalpindi and take 10-12 hours. For reservations and further information, these numbers can be contacted: 091-2215545 and 0301-8865223.

• Another option from Islamabad is to go to Dir first and get Chitral bound van or jeep from there. From main Pirwadhai bus station a daily bus leaves for Dir at night while hiace vans operate more frequently on different timings. If there is no direct service available for Dir, one can go to Mardan from where regular transport leaves for Dir.

Dir-Chitral road remains closed from late November to late May every year because of heavy snowfall at Lowari Pass. During this time, vehicles cannot cross the pass and it has to be crossed on foot. A glimpse of what to expect in such conditions can be read in an interesting post by Mathew here who did a backpacking trip to Pakistan in late 2009. Work is still in progress on the much awaited Lowari Tunnel and is expected now to be completed in 2012. Once operational, the 8.6 km long tunnel will cut the Chitral travel time by half and will also make it possible to travel on this road even in winters. For locals, an all seasoned road remains opened through Afghanistan’s Kunar province or else the last option is to come via Gilgit on KKH which increases the travel time three times.