Anyone planning a trip to Hunza / Gilgit in November 2010

[zorro]

Hello everyone,

Just wondering if anyone is planning a trip to Hunza / Gilgit in November 2010.

[Akbar84]

Salaam, I am planning a trip for the first week of december all the way from UAE, but i had few questions and would be really pleased if some one can help with these;

My planned trip is as follows;

UAE } LAHORE } ISLAMABAD } MUREE } ABBOTABAD } MANSHERA } PATTAN } CHILAS } NARAN } GILGIT } SKARDU.

My questions are as follow;

1. Can i travel all these places on a toyota corrolla 2009 ?
2. How is the road condition as of now, especially after the flood ?
3. Is it safe to travel in these areas ?
4. If any, kindly provide your suggestions ?

Waiting for a serious help from you people.

THnx
Akbar

[Shahbazzain]

Dear Akbar, just drop Naran frm the list, rest is almost on da same route. Yes u can travel on Corolla 2009. Roads are OK. Regarding safety- yes these areas are safe.

[oodbalow]

Planning a trip to Gilgit, Hunza, Skardu....... after 15th of December

[incognito59]

Planning a trip to Gilgit, Hunza, Skardu....... after 15th of December

if any one needs a very competent co (H)driver and avid photographer as a companion I will be more than happy

[autoSlaVe]

@Akbar84:- Bro the road condition is not good at all...but still you can manage till Gilgit/Skardu on Corolla. We did the same route but not via Naran but via Besham on the main KKH.

Rides used were Mini Pajero 2001 model and Honda Civic 2000 model. You can check out our thread below:-

https://www.pakwheels.com/forums/road-trips-vacations/143094-exploring-beautifull-north-pakistan-gilgit-baltistan

[Akbar84]

Thanks alot for helping me gathering information, sepcially autoSlaVe & Shahbazzain.

I have a few more questions :

As i understood that i souldn't travel naran, can anyone explain me the reason ?
Approximately how much Kilometre is Skardu from Muree ?
Will i be able to go to Jheel Saif-Al-Malook ?
For how long should i plan my trip, in which i can roam around these places easily ?

Finally, can any one suggest me a better tour or a better route ?

THnx a lot guyz for your help n favor !!!!!!

Rgrds,
Akbar

[travelinghell]

@Akbar84 dear i had traveled on this road for so long... on several occasions. you must get hit underneath your car by rocks or unstable road for sevaral times.. only better clearance and 4x4 can do the job.
Last time i got my beleno wind screen cracked by the falling rocks from the nearby mountain near chillas but that was acceptation not necessary .

[Caio]

Most probably, I will be available from Nov 25th to 28th. May be i can get along for a part of trip and will offcourse share cost of gasoline.

[ersal]

Thanks alot for helping me gathering information, sepcially autoSlaVe & Shahbazzain.

I have a few more questions :

As i understood that i souldn't travel naran, can anyone explain me the reason ?
Approximately how much Kilometre is Skardu from Muree ?
Will i be able to go to Jheel Saif-Al-Malook ?
For how long should i plan my trip, in which i can roam around these places easily ?

Finally, can any one suggest me a better tour or a better route ?

THnx a lot guyz for your help n favor !!!!!!

Rgrds,
Akbar

1. naran is extremely out of way of your tour plan..and road is good wd 4x4s onli..i vl suggest better nt to take risk especialy if u're wd family..plan better to visit next summer
2. differs frm 680-850kms via besham route..depending on whether u visit deosai astore shigar gilgit jaglot etc
3. no way its next to naran..
4. bro northern areas are full of sceneries..u have a different view aftr evry single mins..if u're a nature lover even 3-4 weeks vl b less..odawise 5 days are more than enuff if u're a measuring tool
5. i vl suggest besham route..

hope da answers

[izhar555]

i personaly belong 2 gilgit. firstly november is not a suitable time 2 visit gilgitbaltistan. you will find no greenry or scenery except the severe dry and cold weather. i'll prefer summerz for ur trip. these days the road is in pathetic condition especially after thakot bridge so better find a 4wd vehicle. u can also take a PIA flight from isb to gilgit or skardu. if u wana hit the road there a two choices. whether you go straight on kkh through abbotabad,mansehra , besham, battal, batgram , dassu, chillas to gilgit and 2nd choice is via babusar pass..the route will b like abbotabad mansehra besham,batgram, naran and via babusar pass to chillas.in route you'll find sum good scenic views like saifulmuluk lake and babusar valley. i'll personally prefer 2nd rote 4 u. there r various places to visit in gilgitbaltistan starting from skardu, astore , deosai plans, ghanche, shigar valley, manthoka. comming to gilgit u shld visit nalter, hunza, . and in ghizer district phander valley , yasin valley etc.

[Caio]

i personaly belong 2 gilgit. firstly november is not a suitable time 2 visit gilgitbaltistan. you will find no greenry or scenery except the severe dry and cold weather. i'll prefer summerz for ur trip. these days the road is in pathetic condition especially after thakot bridge so better find a 4wd vehicle. u can also take a PIA flight from isb to gilgit or skardu. if u wana hit the road there a two choices. whether you go straight on kkh through abbotabad,mansehra , besham, battal, batgram , dassu, chillas to gilgit and 2nd choice is via babusar pass..the route will b like abbotabad mansehra besham,batgram, naran and via babusar pass to chillas.in route you'll find sum good scenic views like saifulmuluk lake and babusar valley. i'll personally prefer 2nd rote 4 u. there r various places to visit in gilgitbaltistan starting from skardu, astore , deosai plans, ghanche, shigar valley, manthoka. comming to gilgit u shld visit nalter, hunza, . and in ghizer district phander valley , yasin valley etc.

I totally agree....

[aarish]

i personaly belong 2 gilgit. firstly november is not a suitable time 2 visit gilgitbaltistan. you will find no greenry or scenery except the severe dry and cold weather. i'll prefer summerz for ur trip. these days the road is in pathetic condition especially after thakot bridge so better find a 4wd vehicle. u can also take a PIA flight from isb to gilgit or skardu. if u wana hit the road there a two choices. whether you go straight on kkh through abbotabad,mansehra , besham, battal, batgram , dassu, chillas to gilgit and 2nd choice is via babusar pass..the route will b like abbotabad mansehra besham,batgram, naran and via babusar pass to chillas.in route you'll find sum good scenic views like saifulmuluk lake and babusar valley. i'll personally prefer 2nd rote 4 u. there r various places to visit in gilgitbaltistan starting from skardu, astore , deosai plans, ghanche, shigar valley, manthoka. comming to gilgit u shld visit nalter, hunza, . and in ghizer district phander valley , yasin valley etc.

@Akbar:

I think Izhar (quoted above) is suggesting this route for summers not winters. Even in summers Babusar Pass requires 4x4. I had heard that after the flooding, they had made this road good for non-4x4 cars as well (because the KKH was closed for a long time), but I'm not sure. In December, I would not suggest this road for your Corolla at all. Take the KKH, but as @AutoSlave has mentioned, the road is not good from Thakot onwards, so better take a 4x4 for better ground-clearance (if nothing else). Murree Galliat, you can travel in your car, but its pretty damn cold there in November. So take along a lot of warm clothes. Moreover, on all these roads ahead of Mansehra (whether Naran-Babusar-Chilas, Pattan-Chilas-Gilgit, or Jaglot-Skardu) you should be prepared for getting stuck because of landslides. The rest, best of luck

[drzeex]

Aoa,i find this thread quite usefull at this hour,cuz am going to visit gilgit by air for som official work,and i ws planing to take my wife and one year old baby boy,but coudnt still decided yet whether to take them with me or not? Am rather confused,i wana give it a final try by asking it here for a pro advice frm this forum.so guyz if any one there alive at the moment do reply/comment for appropriate decision.
Any help would b greatly appreciated
Thanx
Ahsan

[mountainier]

@zorro<SCRIPT type=text/javascript> vbmenu_register("postmenu_2250704", true); </SCRIPT>

the places you want to visit are the safest places in pakistan
in NOV 2009 i went on my honeymoon to the area, search for the post "HONEYMOON IN NA"
i had the time of my life since it was their 1st elections in the region, all the leading hotels were open i.e. Shangrila, Masherbrum in Skardu and Darbar at hunza,
this year though you have to call the hotels to check whether they are open or not.

My suggestion to you is that if you are going their for the first time go by air as it is not that expensive and you can cover a lot of places,

OCT and begining of NOV is a special time to visit NA, as you will find thousands of colors in the trees (best for photography), weather is cold though it is still bearable (upto -5 at hunza and -2 at Skardu), sun shnes almost everyday.

Downside, sunset at 4:45 pm, the temperatures drops several degrees below zero at night so it is difficult to leave hotel room at night and nights are really boring.

my advise is to wake up at 6:30 am and utilize all the daylight that you can...

In the end, just go their words cannot explain the beauty of the most exceptional place on earth i.e. the NAs of Pakistan, YOU HAVE TO BE THEIR TO WITNESS THE CHARM.

[ranasherdil]

Road to Naran (Starting from Balakot) is blocked by landslide at Malakandi (Mahandri). One have to sit on makeshift chairlift 2 times to cross the landslide and then from other side change the vehicle for onward journey to Naran.

The other way to go Naran is from Chillas. But it is not a good condition road (jeep road) and it goes through Babusar Top and might be there start snow fall.

From Balakot or Mansehra General Bus Stand you may take upto date information of the Naran road status. If the land slide is cleared you may Go upto Naran with your Corrolla.

[ranasherdil]

Road to Islamabad to Gilgit is now in good condition as NATCO is operated AC Coaches Buses.

051-9278441 NATCO Phone number Islamabad