A.A. PWers
I just checked with Naran locals and here is the latest update from the valley.
Update 1 - 9 May 2012:
- This year snowfall was less in the valley as compared to previous years.
- This year snowfall was exceptionally more on mountain tops as compared to previous years
- More snow on mountain tops resulted in much bigger glaciers this year as compared to previous years
- There is a new glacier just before petrol pump in Naran which may finish by end of July only.
- This new glacier is stopping the way at the moment and some dispute is going on between FWO and NHA which is halting the process of clearing the road
- If dispute is resolved then it will take 2-3 days to open the road for Naran.
- Road till Jalkhad will take 3-4 weeks to open as more and bigger glaciers are expected due to heavy snowfalls on the tops.
- This may delay the opening of Babusar as well
- Locals will be moving to their homes in Naran in this week.
Update 2 - 13 May 2012:
- Jeeps are crossing Naran glaciers now and reaching the bazar.
- Jeeps are going till Saif-ul-Muluk road big glacier only. After that it's hiking till the lake.
- Beyond Naran, way is open till Sooch village only. So, it will take some more time for opening of way till Batakundi and Lalazar.
Update 3 - 18 May 2012: by fellow PWer "asadsethi"
- Shogran is open for all kind of traffic now and Asad's friend reached there on Santro.
Update 4 - 20 May 2012: by fellow PWer "GMasooMG"
- shogran is open but rd is broken, contractors are working on the rd so u will have lot of stoppages
- Rd is open till siri, paya was still closed, but u can go on foot
- Rd till Naran is open, there are lot of glaciers in the way but the biggest is 1km short of Naran
- Tr to saif-ul-malook is still closed .. jeeps can go upto 3 km rest about 6 km walk
- Rd towards Jalkhad is open upto a 8 km distance rest machinery was clearing up
Update 5 - 28 May 2012:
- Jalkhad is now accessible by jeeps
- FWO is working on area beyond Jalkhad
- Babusar pass is expected to be open between 15-20 June
- Saif-ul-Muluk road is still half-closed and is expected to be cleared in first week of June
Update 6 - 31 May 2012: by fellow PWers
"farooq05"
- The latest update from Naran is that vehicles are now moving till Jalkhad plus upto 5 km more towards Lulusar only but access to Lulusar Lake is completely blocked as of yesterday!
- My friend was in Jalkhad day before yesterday and he has informed that car can also move till Jalkhad though FWO has not cleared some glaciers fully they have made the trek useable and all kinds of transport can move now.
"Raheeln"
- few of my friends were on shogran and naran trip, in last few days, bohat thand hai wahan, sai al malook par saturday ko snow falling hui hai, shogran is freezing cold.........
Update 7 - 3 June 2012:
- One of the first groups of trekkers reached Dudipat Sar Lake during this week.
Update 8 - 5 June 2012:
- Cars are easily reaching Naran now as road is completely clear between the glaciers.
- Saif-ul-Muluk road is now open for jeeps. Yesterday, first jeep reached at the lake for this season.
- Lalazaar is accessible by jeeps now
- Besal and Lulusar Lake is accessible by jeeps now.
- Babusar Top pass is still closed and work is in progress.
- Nuri Top pass is still closed.
Update 9 - 6 June 2012: by fellow PWer "MultaniTraveler"
- Completed Shogran to Makra Peak Track on last Sunday. Road from Kiwai to shogran is under maintenance. However, all types of vehicles can go to Shogran.
Update 10 - 9 June 2012: by fellow PWer "Moj"
- I am in Naran right now, weather seems to be perfect ! Visited saif ul malook and lulusar lake. Road to Babusar top is still not clear. Same is the noori top condition. As per the locals road to Babusar top will open in 4-5 days. Boating at Saif ul malook is closed by local govt, not sure about the reason. The crowd is building up and I am sure in a week or two this place will be like murree. Hotel + jeep rates also inflating. Do bring along a lot of warm clothes as when it rains the weather gets really freezing. Good luck everyone !
Update 11 - 10 June 2012:
- CNG and petrol strike at the moment in Punjab, Islamabad and KPK.
- CNG, petrol and diesel are available without any limit on motorway
- Petrol limit of Rs. 1000 at other petrol stations but very long queues.
- Petrol is available in AJK without limit
So, plan your trip such that u exit the motorway with a full tank. Carrying the petrol cans can cause trouble as there are 6 check-posts between motorway and Murree Expressway in Islamabad. There will be check-posts on other routes as well and this can be considered dangerous.
Update 12 - 12 June 2012:
- Babusar Top Pass is open for jeeps now
- Way to Sharaan is also open now. Some part of the road was destroyed by floods for which an alternate route has been made and jeeps are going to Sharaan.
Update 13 - 17 June 2012: by fellow PWer "Oblivious"
- Great thread and very useful information. I visited Naran on 15th June and got back home today. One update from my side- The road from Naran onwards to Lulusar, Lalazar etc was blocked only a few kms after Naran by Army/FWO yesterday on 16th June. Army was not letting any one pass through and we had to turn back (90 AM 16th June). Do check if that road is open now if you plan to visit Lulusar, Lalazar or Babsur Pass.
- Apparently there is a land dispute between Army and Locals and Army is trying to take possession of the land according to locals and jeep guys.
Update 14 - 18 June 2012: by fellow PWer "nomi1234"
We went to the Babusar top yesterday which is open to trafffic. The track from Lulusar lake is in very bad condition with lots of muddy ruts. cars can go up to the Lulusar lake but only jeeps can go beyond it.
After Naran there is a glacier a couple of miles further on the road, its open for vehicles but has a sharp approach and departure angle making it very difficult for cars. Although many crossed over it, some body damage could be expected for lower vehicles or extended bumpers etc.
Update 15 - 25 June 2012: by fellow PWer "kaliem"
1) Naran is fast becoming mureee and tourists are being overcharged. Example: 2 beds room in royal hotel costed 5000 per night on weekend (its not less than 2500-3000 per room even in ordinary hotels). Many families had to stay in tents due to lack of rooms and expensive situation. Jeep from naran till babusar top wont charge less than 6000. For non-bargaining customers, they can charge 7000/-
2) We planned only for dudipatsar and saral lakes this time, along with ansu lake if possible. Near besal, we came to know that all tourist jeeps are being looted by Kohistani people. Mobiles, cameras, cash etc from 25 vehichles was looted (someone in Cygnus lost 170K too). Seeing this situation, we were recommended to cancel dudipat trek and that was our biggest disappointment. Now i very much believe all those tourist looting stories near dudipat and on its way. Similarly, we stayed a night @ lake saif ul malook, and the camp adjacent to us had to face looting too. However, they managed to escape out of that situation.
3) Jeep walas, guides and hotel owners are becoming arrogant due to increased business activity.
Update 16 - 26 June 2012:
- The incidents of theft and looting did happen ahead of Besal area during last 10 days
- Now there are 4 new police checkposts at following positions:
1- Besal
2- Lulusar Lake
3- Gittidas
4- Babusar
- Trekkers are required to keep guide and there is no exception. I think it is a good idea to keep locals with u for overnight treks in upper Kaghan Valley.
Update 17 - 2 July 2012: by fellow PWer "asmile79"
I have recently visited Naran (29th june to 1st July) , Trekking to Sat Sar Mala Lakes but manage to see only first 2 lakes, Fairy Lake (complete frozen) and 2nd lake. The trekking condition was very tough. I witness a snow fall at 2nd lake of sat sar mala lakes. I will post complete trip in new thread in coming days.
Update 18 - 3 July 2012: by fellow PWer "taimur76"
- I am just back from the same road. Hiace can easily go till Babusar and onward to Chilas. I have seen few Hiace going on the route. even two oil tankers crossed Babusar from Chilas side. one more thing to add. I dont know how this road behaves in case of rain. I think there will be slippery especially when descending from Babu sar top (First few Kilometers).
Yes, Babusar-Chilas road is open. I just have crossed it from Chilas side. safety is a concern. In Chilas, people asked me not to stop unless I reach Babusar top. incidents of decioties happened in the area. Gilgit Baltistan Police has establised a check point around 2 KM before top. on the other side at Naran when I told local people about my travel, they also shown concern and said I took a risk.
But on positive side, I have seen around 20+ vehicle on the road even a Civiv reborn reached top though I will not recommend travelling on cars on this road.
Road section just before KKH on Babusar-Chilas road is not repaired yet. you have to cross it through upper Chilas town.
Update 19 - 7 July 2012: by fellow PWer "adyadeel"
- The road from RWP to Balakot and KEWAI is Excellent.
- Shortly, after kewai you will reach PARAS where you will find first of the big diversion due to land sliding
- Up till Khaghan, you will witness various diversions and land sliding but easily manageable
- After crossing Kaghan there are two particular points where there is a big diversion (one way traffic) where one must cross with caution. You will also cross few glaciers and one only have to see the flow of water and nothing else. All in All any car can go without trouble but as i said only thing require is experience and caution... the place is awesome and everyone should go.. i had a excellent trip my car ride was v good
Update 20 - 7 July 2012: by fellow PWer "Skt_Z4"
-
for all members, plZzzzzz do take care of not polluting this Heaven. There were plastic bottles and wrappers on Lake saif ul maluk... which make me upset
Update 21 - 12 July 2012:
- Nuri Top is still closed
- But the issue is not snow. Army has delayed the starting of work at Nuri Top road. So, the way may not be open at usual time though snow will completely melt in few days.
Update 22: by fellow PWer "kansi84"[I]
20 July 2012[/I]
- I'm in Naran at the moment. Roads are becoming empty. Most of the people have left already. Alot of shop keepers are also leaving because of ramadan. We visited noori top yesterday in our own jeeps. Although we didn't goto the top but we asked someone from the army and he told us that road is blocked 1-2km before noori top and that there is a crain parked over there so I'm assuming that they are working on the road. We went upto the start of the valley and then came back.
21 July 2012
- We went to noori top again today. Army is working on the road and they said it'll take around 3-4 days for the road to open.
Update 23 - 4 Aug 2012:
- Nuri Top is open now :D
Update 24 - 16 Aug 2012: by fellow PWers "gameofthrones" and "Raheeln"
- Very sad news of killings on Babusar road near Lulusar Lake.
- Babusar Road and pass has been closed till further notice.
Update 25 - 7 Oct 2012: by fellow PWers "ImranKhan01" and "mubeenshahid"
"ImranKhan01"
my brother was in Shogran yesterday, Light Snowfall has also started in Shogran, but NO road blocks and NO continious snowfall in the region. BUT nights are really COLD out there.... Hotels and transportation is quite cheap these days...
If you are willing to enjoy partial snow then visit.
"mubeenshahid"
My fathers friend went to naran yesterday and snow fall is reported by him.now a days hotel fares are very less.
Request
Please update this thread with whatever latest information comes in so that we can run one thread only for Kaghan valley instead of dozens of threads and same information being repeated again n again.
Please contribute the latest information like:
- Road conditions
- Places visited
- Jeep rents
- Hotel rents
- Any specific advice or new information
Thanks & Regards
Mobeen
