5 Cousins
1 a bit older SUV
6 days
No pro-cam so please bear with the photo quality
[Day 0 - Leaving Lahore: June 2, 2015]
Ravi Toll Plaza Checkin [11:50pm]
[Day 1 - Lahore to Chillas: June 3, 2015]
10 minutes break at Bhera Services for snacks & drinks [1:20am]
Islamabad Toll Plaza checkin [3:30am]
We had to pick 5th guy from Islamabad so asked him to join us at Islamabad toll plaza to save time. It was Fajr time and there is a small prayer area at Islamabad toll plaza. We offered Fajr prayers there and left Islamabad toll plaza at 3:50am
Within 22 minutes we reached Burhan Interchange. This is time to say goodbye to motorway and start our journey on KKH.
It took about 1:40 hours to reach Mansehra via Haripur & Abbotabad. The time was 5:50am and Mansehra was sleeping at that time. Shops were closed and roads were empty. Weather was cloudy and soon it started drizzling. We started looking for a place for breakfast but as it was too early, it took us some time to find an open restaurant.
After breakfast we explored Mansehra a little, bought some grocery items for the trip and got fuel tank full (it is hard to get good quality fuel on KKH).
There are ruins of an old Gurdwara which has been badly neglected by the locals.
We left Mansehra at 8:35am and reached Besham by 12: 05pm with a small refreshments break at Thakot. The road condition was okay so far. Without stopping in Besham, we continued our journey. The road after besham is not so good.
At 2:35pm we reached Dassu. Dassu is the headquarter of Kohistan Indus. For security reasons, it is best to travel through Kohistan in day light. Everyone was tired by now so we stopped at a Lalazar Hotel for lunch. Food was okay. Forget about Lahori taste and quality when you are in this area. After lunch we left from Dassu and just after crossing the bridge there was a better dhabba "Mountain View Hotel". We stopped there for tea and awesome river view.
Then we stopped at another place for a better view of the river. Did Wuzu from cold river water and offered Zuhr prayers on a stone. It was an amazing experience. With stays like this, we reached Chillas at 8:30pm. In chillas we got a couple of rooms in Shangrilla Hotel. Nice and clean rooms @ 2500/- per room
[Day 2 - Chillas to Fairy Meadows: June 4, 2015]
After breakfast, we had to get the car repaired. There was a strange sound coming from rear wheel which needed to be diagnosed before going further. Luckily, we found a reasonable ustaad who fixed the issue. But the whole thing took much of our time and we left Chillas at 1: 00pm
With half an hour stay for tea on the way, we reached Raikot Bridge by 3:15pm. At Raikot bridge there is another Shangrilla hotal and they have parking available @ 500/- per day. We spent about half an hour at Raikot Bridge in parking and getting a jeep and left for Jall at 3:40pm. Jeep charges are fixed and there is no bargaining. 6500/- both ways. Jeep track was dry and dusty. Jeep took 1:20 hours and we were at Jall by 5: 00pm.
The weather had changed and it was quite cold as compared to chillas or Raikot Bridge. We did wuzu from freezing water of a nearby spring and offered Asr prayers and then started trekking towards Fairy Meadows. After 2:30 hours of trekking we were in Fairy Meadows. It started drizzling on the way. Luckily all of us had raincoats with us. We had already reserved 2 huts at Fairy Meadows Hut so checked in there at 8:15pm. Due to continuous rain, it was very very cold. Again, luckily all of us had sleeping bags with us which saved us from extreme cold weather.
[Day 3 - Fairy Meadows to Rama: June 5, 2015]
It rained all night and continued in the morning which changed our plan dramatically. We had a plan to trek towards Nanga Parbat base camp but it wasn't possible. Nanga Parbat wasn't visible from Fairy Meadows due to fog. We spent some time after breakfast and waited for the fog to go away but it didn't work.
So, we had to return without wasting another day in Fairy Meadows. We left Fairy Meadows at 12: 00 noon and reached back to Jall at 1:45pm. At Jall, our jeep was wating for us and we reached back to Raikot Bridge at 3:30pm. Again, the temperature change was there.
It was hot at raikot bridge so we changed back to summer clothes. After Lunch and Zuhr prayers at Shangrilla Hotel Raikot Bridge, we left for Rama lake at 5:15pm. The manager at Shangrilla Raikot Bridge was a nice chap, he not only guided us but also reserved rooms at PTDC rama for us.
Road conditions changes from worse to great here.
There is a turn for Astore after driving a few minutes on KKH.
After a short stay for Maghrib prayers and another one in Astore for tea, we reached PTDC Rama by 8:30 pm. This was a clean and nicely built resort. We got 2 rooms for 3500/- each. As the weather was cold again, we got 2 heaters as well for 500/- each. This was the only place in the whole trip where we got good quality food.
Total Expense:
Fuel 28990/-
Food 21280/-
Accommodation20200/-
Transportation 10800/-
Grocery Shopping 4350/-
Misc (Guides, Tolls, Porters, Horse riding etc.) 12540/-
