I went on a tour of Murree & Kaghan Valley this summer. My ride was a hired Pajero from Murree. We took the AJK route. From Murree, we went to Neelam Point then Muzaffarabad, Balakot. Stayed in Balakot and next day went to Naran. After staying in Naran, our plan was to get dropped in Nathiagali on Balakot, Mansehra, Abotabad route.
Unfortunately, when we arrived at Balakot on the way back, we came to know that Mansehra road was blocked by protests against WAPDA. Mind you, this wasn't the first time we had this. We had to change our route twice due to protests on the way going to AJK.
We were not ready to take a chance of getting stuck in a block again so the driver took us from AJK route and right before Neelam Point, he took a hill road from Kohala to NG.
Well, well, well... we were very tired because of the long journey and pissed off because of the road blockage which led us to take such a long route. BUT, when we traveled on this road, we forgot everything. This road is not in very good condition and it's extremely steep incline, but it's BEAUTIFUL. Incline is such that half of the time Pajero was on 4X4 and still crying out for mercy. The road took us directly to Nathia Gali at the popular church in front of the park in about 2 hours.
Has anybody traveled on this road. The driver told me that locals use this road only for coming down from NG to Kohala. Cars can not climb the road. Even 4X4 Pajero had a tough time climbing it.
I will be posting pictures and a few short clips (once I downscale them) later on.
Please do post your comments if you have traveled on this road. The off-roaders will definitely love the experience and it will be a good test for their beloved vehicles.
Imran
