From chaos to pure magic (Chitral, Kalash, Kumrat, Jahaz Banda & Katora Lake Tour)

[MSSR]

They reserved our seats in peshawar hiace @600 per person. But a guy at ayun stop offered to take us @400 per person that too in another coaster of pindi. We declined him because we had already done a deal with the hiace guys. But the hiace was still nowhere to be seen. They were supposed to touch ayun stop at 9am but were in reality, very late. We were short of time so asked them to pick us till 9:45am or otherwise we will be boarding the pindi coaster. At the exact target time, the pindi coaster arrived and we boarded it because hiace hadn't arrived yet. The coaster took 10minutes at ayun stop to board some luggage and other passengers. In the meanwhile, the peshawar hiace arrived. Its driver and conductor stepped inside the coaster in our search because they had left 7 seats vacant while leaving chitral. They were furious and drivers of both vehicles started fighting over us. As the situation got worsened, we decided to leave comfortable and cheap coaster seats and aboard narrow hiace seats to avoid further argument. So at 10am, we were hardly sitting inside the extremely narrowly spaced seats of the hiace and they were almost flying it.

[joinami]

Very nice looking trip and I like the details you putting with pics

[Shahbazzain]

good going bro

[MSSR]

Very nice looking trip and I like the details you putting with pics

Thanks brother. Glad you are liking it!

good going bro

Welcome bro! glad to see ur comment i owe u big time!

[MSSR]

The journey from ayun stop to dir was very uncomfortable due to condition of the hiace. But the driver was making up for our lost time by driving swiftly. At 12pm we stopped at ziarat for lunch. Lowari ascend starts from this place and the tunnel is just ahead of this small town. The restaurant where hiace stopped for meal break was in a poor condition and we were reluctant to try it but didn't have much to choose from so we went inside and sat at their charpayis. Ordered beef pulao which turned out to be very tasty. Each plate was served with a small bowl of chickpeas gravy and the combination was winning. Enjoyed the lunch a lot, purched some dryfruits from a local shop and were again on our way again at 12:45pm. After crossing tunnel, the eerie hairpins again started and after so many turns, the vehicle finally reached top at 1:40pm. After usual NICs check, the vehicle started descending and reached tunnel's dir mouth at 2:30pm.

Lowari!

Our ride parked in ziarat for a lunch break

Our poor backpacks with all the dust of the lowari track

The restaurant in ziarat where we had a very tasty beef pulao

Sanpsots on the way to lowari top

[MSSR]

Inner view of the hiace

Clouds gathering around a nearby peak

When were were descending after crossing the top, a vehicle was stuck at a water crossing due to uneven surface created by rocks. Even after trying several times, the driver failed to cross that area. Withing few minutes, several vehicles queued up behind our van. Finally our driver helped guys from that stuck vehicle in adjusting few rocks in the troubling area. As a result, the vehicle crossed successfully and the traffic resumed.

The stuck vehicle

I stepped out of the hiace and clicked it!

Our vehicle a long queue behind that

Adjustment of the rocks

Our hiace successfully crossing the naughty patch

[MSSR]

Even after trying lowari twice, all of us were of the unanimous opinion that was "Lowari! aap hamen bilkul b achay nahi lagay" (in that vicas wala prank style) and we were extremely happy k chalo jaan chooti!
After some further travel, we reached dir city at 3:15pm and immediately walked to dir adda to grab a vehicle for thal. I had heard that 11 seater old landcruizers are available to rent for kumrat side from dir adda but there we couldn't find any such vehicle. One local person took us to where those jeeps move for thal. One such jeep was boarding passengers for thal and they were accommodating 14 passengers. We immediately purchased 8 seats (rear most sets of 4 seats) @300 per seat, one extra seat, so that larger torsos (like shah g and zaheer) could be easliy accommodated We got our luggage loaded while shah g, junaid and waqas went to adjacent bazar to purchase some necessary stuff like chicken, vegetables, fruit, cooking oil etc for kumrat. I called raja taj muhammad and informed him about our arrival and reminded about our reservations.

Our ride for thal village in dir adda

Companions of our journey - our backpacks!

[MSSR]

After loading our luggage and purchased groceries, we seated ourselves in the jeep and it took off for thal at 4:30pm. After a long break in the outskirts of dir for refueling, the jeep embarked on the journey on the road along the left bank of panjkora river. One road at right side of panjkora was under construction and once completed, it will cut short the travel time by great means bcz it was completely along the river bank while the old road (which we took) was in bad shape and it was on height from river and was swirling from one hill to another. After an hour or so, we reached a small village where we offered asar prayer and ate fresh shehtoot which were being sold by local kids/lads (one plate worth 10 rupees). Shehtoots were ripe, sweet amd very tasty. So we ate several plates. The journey resumed afterwards. We were getting tired and exhausted, road condition was getting worse and driver was in no hurry at all. Khuda khuda kar k we reached sheringal which is the local hub and a large city in this area. We passed a newly built university campus which was named as shaheed benazir bhutto university and were extremely glad to see a higher education institute in this remote area. After crossing few villages, the vehicle stopped at the river's bank for maghrib. We performed wuzu by cold river water and offered prayers on the concrete blocks at road side which serve as barrication/fence between road and river. It was a unique experience to offer prayer on these blocks which seems perfectly designed as per an adult's prayer place and the view was also very mesmerizing. Later, after crossing villages after villages, we finally heard the good news about thal. We had finally completed our today's long journey and had arrived at our destination.... KUMRAT!!!

Local kids selling shehtoots after collecting from trees and making handsome pocket money

Shah G was the source of their best ever sale that day

Wuzu time from a river side stream

The place where we offered maghrib prayer. Fellow passengers can be seen offering it on the concrete blocks

[MSSR]

It was 9pm when we hit thal village. Where we stayed in thal is another story. There is a two-room rest house in in outskirts of thal which is actually a forest rest house and they rent it out for visitors when they have vacancies. I had reserved this guest house 3 weeks before the tour but our tour had little shuffling due to shandur plans so when i contacted them again in the morning near drosh, they excused that the resthouse was occupied and they can't help us. It was extremely worrying for me because we didn't have any alternate, no tents either and time was too short to arrange something else. Upon request to do something, the forest officer sheringal revealed about another guest house named as shadow guest house located inside thal, provided me sheringal's assistant commissioner's contact number and asked me to request him. I immediately contacted hime, introduced our team and requested him to permit one night stay in shadow rest house which he very generously accepted. I can't thank him much for what he did for us. May Allah bless always bless him (aameen). So, in thal we asked our driver to drop us in shadow rest house which he did. The rest house was built at the bank of panjkora river. Driver parked his jeep in guest house's porch because he lived adjacent to rest house. We asked him to take us in the morning to kumrat valey and then drop us in jandrai village which he gladly accepted. After a little negotiation, 5000 fare was finalized with him for aforementioned journey. We asked him to pick us up at 6am and went inside the rest house.

[MSSR]

At the rest house the incharge (which was a local and lived nearby), his son and a nephew greeted us with warmth. They arranged mattresses and blankets for us and helped us in preparing and cooking our dinner. We didn't have roti ingredients so they went to purchase flour and then even took that to their home for dough making and roti preparation at that late hour. We were extremely impressed by the hospitality and warmth those locals possessed. Shah G and zaheer stepped forward and prepared chicken curry. The roties also arrived and we had a suitable filler for our empty tummies. After that, everybody slipped inside his blanket and immediately fainted into sound sleep. The rest house was nicely built but poorly maintained. Anyways, it was a blessing in disguise for us so we were more than happy to be sleeping in the warmth of blankets while the cold wind blew outside. By midnight, there was nothing but the sounds of snoring in the room
It was 6am, when the driver knocked on our door and in no time all of us were ready to roar. It was also a long long day and our today's destination was jahaz banda rest house so we were tight on time. By 6:45, we had left the rest house after thanking the incharge. His nephew, a youngman kashif who was doing bachelors in biology from Mardan, was serving as our guide. He was a very warm, nice and innocent-hearted boy who turned out to be a fun company.

Boys preparing stuff for dinner

The stove was being lit for the meal

And shah G once again proved to be a great cook

The room where we stayed in shadow guest house. It was badly maintained but was a blessing for us.

[MSSR]

External view of shadow rest house

A magnificent bridge at the very entrance of rest house

Farhan bridge ko apne qadmo talay rondtay huay!

Driver chacha arrived as per committed time

Gorgeous panjkora flowing in front of the guest house

[ism1]

Wow excellent writing skills. Mashaallah. You got me hooked

Sent from my HUAWEI G610-U20 using PW Forums mobile app

+++++1++++++

[ism1]

Wah Wah Bahawalpuri dost, TUSSI CHAHH GAYE HO. Tum ne tou 3 pages mey hi purey Chitral ki sair bhi karwa di..... (Y) Excellent narrations with pics.. doesn't seem its your first thread... Thumbs Up bro (Y) ... btw where are the lil snowy pics of Lowari Top ?

I have just covered 3 pages in around 1 hour... slowly slowly but enjoying a lot aur aisa lagta hy aap k saath hi travel kar raha hon

[ism1]

good going bro

Aaj Sooraj kahan se nikla tha..... hamay tou GURU jee lift hi nahi karwa rahe since long...

Aur SMS bhi kafi kum ho gaye hain

[ism1]

Post # 61 ki 1 dozen pics show nahi ho rahi bro

[talhawaleed]

Yesterday, when we started our trek to sheikhanda, we came across a taxi standing near PTDC motel. We did a deal with the taxi wala to take us to Dir next morning. His name was Rehmat Zaman. He agreed to take us to Dir in 5500 and took 500 rupees as advance. We asked him to pick us up from motel at 7am sharp. This morning, we got ready but the taxi didn't show up. We visited the place where the taxi was standing yesterday but couldn't find it. I dialed rahmat's number from v-fone placed at motel's reception. Rehmat replied that he was in Boni and the taxi got some maintenance issue there and he won't be able to take us to Dir. He asked us to contact him again after reaching drosh and his some fellow will return our 500 rupees. Money was not the issue, TIME was!!! Later upon reaching drosh, excused again and claimed that his friend has left for dir so we could get our money upon reaching dir. When we contacted him again after reaching Dir, he didn't pick his phone. 500 mubarak rehmat zaman! :S

Taxi and mobile contact number of the cheat!

dishonest

[Shahbazzain]

Thanks brother. Glad you are liking it!

Welcome bro! glad to see ur comment i owe u big time!

, anxiously waiting for Kumrat travelogue...

[MSSR]

Wah Wah Bahawalpuri dost, TUSSI CHAHH GAYE HO. Tum ne tou 3 pages mey hi purey Chitral ki sair bhi karwa di..... (Y) Excellent narrations with pics.. doesn't seem its your first thread... Thumbs Up bro (Y) ... btw where are the lil snowy pics of Lowari Top ?

I have just covered 3 pages in around 1 hour... slowly slowly but enjoying a lot aur aisa lagta hy aap k saath hi travel kar raha hon

Haha thank u meri karachi k dost 3 pages me chitral cover hogya..is it a good or bad thing? i really don't know I am glad that u liked the thread. and lowari was all dust at this time of the season. Few small glaciers were still unmelt at dir side near the top.

Post # 61 ki 1 dozen pics show nahi ho rahi bro

Pics of post#61 have been reuploaded. Sorry for inconvenience.

[MSSR]

, anxiously waiting for Kumrat travelogue...

Wait khatam.. bass ham kumraat pohnch hi gaye hen

[MSSR]

It was a beautiful, mildly cool morning of thal and we were on a rocky track in our old landcruiser and were crossing scattered wooden settlements of the locals. Thal is a large village and is at the edge of kumrat forest. After crossing the outskirts, we entered into the forest after crossing kumrat forest rest house which was supposed to be our shelter for last night but i could witness rangers vehicles parked at its front lawn. Yesterday when forest officer told me that rest house had no vacancy, i was hoping to come across few other tourists like us but the rest house was actually occupied by the forces. Anyways, we started getting inside the forest and the scenery was getting better and better with each passing moment. Panjkora was flowing smoothly in a wide valley which is surrounded by tall cedar/deodar trees and then green mountains from every side. Snowy peaks of higher mountains could also be witnessed at front and rear sides of our track. It was a magical place indeed and everybody instantly fell in love with its beauty and charisma. We decided to step out at a location of our liking and clicked few snaps. Time was short so we were bound to cover kumrat it in just few hours and that was a pity!

Panjkora!

Happy to visit this place

Our ride waiting with few locals who boarded along the way while we were clicking photographs

Awesome views of kumrat valley and forest

A long beautiful water crossing