From South End (Karachi) to North End (Khunjerab Pass) of Pakistan [-12ft to 16002ft]

[nawabtanweer]

Date: 26th & 27th September, 2015

Passing some time at the bank, we return back to the main Gilgit area using the same Konodas Bridge. Now we use a different road parallel to the river in the direction of our hotel, on the route there was a small tea shop, the weather is awesome and it was still drizzling so we asked the shopkeeper to serve us the tea at the river bank. We were enjoying sitting and having some snacks and tea along the river bank, but suddenly it started raining and we have to move inside the shop.

Finishing the tea we again walked to our hotel, we cross the famous N.L.I Market but it is still closed. By asking people along the road they informed us that due to Eid holidays these shops are shut, but some stores might open in the eventide. Then we revert back to our hotel room and enjoyed viewing the TV again.

In the evening, we again went out and this time, some are shops open, we also visited the famous N.L.I Market and bought some souvenir for our friends and relatives. N.L.I is a large market and there are many different types of shops, but more interesting are those with handicrafts and local dresses. Wandering around in the market and doing some shopping we return back to our room.

Tomorrow we have to travel back to Rawalpindi and then finally back to our home in Karachi, so we pack your luggage and after dinner we went to sleep.

[kamranmemon1]

Dear Friends, I want your valuable opinion regarding travelling to khunjrab pass from karachi.
can i take my own car and drive my self over there. i do not have any previous experience in driving in mountainous areas

[nawabtanweer]

Dear Friends, I want your valuable opinion regarding travelling to khunjrab pass from karachi.
can i take my own car and drive my self over there. i do not have any previous experience in driving in mountainous areas

Many people visit Khunjerab Pass, the highest border on earth, on their own vehicle using Karakoram Highway (N35), the eighth wonder of the world and one of the highest paved international roads in the world. Khunjerab Pass at an altitude of 16,002 ft is open only between May 1 and October 15, after October it is completely closed due to heavy snowfall. I visited Khunjerab Pass in September, 2015 with my family but used the Public Transport.

Travel on G.T Road (N5) toward Peshawar and after crossing Tool Plaza and then at Abbottabad Mor take a right turn and you will be on Karakoram Highway that is going directly to Khunjerab Pass. One thing to know is that the Karakoram Highway (KKH) from Besham toward Chillas is in very bad condition and you also have to wait for conveying before crossing that section of KKH. Good thing is that there is an alternate route which is short and much better, is Mansehra-Naran-Babusar-Chillas (N15) Highway. From Mansehra, you have to leave KKH and take the route to Naran and then to Babusar Pass which will lead you to Chillas and from Chillas you will be again on KKH and go toward Gilgit.

Remember you will be traveling at high altitude in the mountainous region where you have to go up and down on slopes so please take advice from some expert drivers who know do and don't of driving in these type of roads.

Regarding weather remember that July and August are rainy seasons and there are chances of the landslide on KKH which can cause the delay in traveling sometimes for 4 and 5 hours. You must keep an eye on weather using online services, even better is that you call PTDC in Sust (the last town before Khunjerab) before you start your journey, they can tell you accurate situation. PTDC # +92-321-9277881, +92-300-9113675 or you can also call Riveria Hotel # +92-311-5994279.

Another thing is that July will be a peak season for Tourist and you might find hotel rates too high in this season. And remember to keep warm clothes with you as you will feel a drop in temperature after crossing Gilgit and it will be too cold at Khunjerab Pass. But yes, it is a marvelous and a place must visit and it will be more comfortable if you travel on your own vehicle.

If you need any further information you can contact me at tipveller@gmail.com I will be happy to provide you help as much I can.

[kamranmemon1]

thats great. u have provided me very nice information. i am planning to go in 2nd week of August.
thanks

[nawabtanweer]

Attabad Lake
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAP1yREhFG0

Nagar Valley & Hopper Glacier
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZCT_jNGekE

View of Hunza Valley from Altit Fort
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLqkpykMOT4

Wood Crafting at Karimabad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5qOiMgIEt4

[nawabtanweer]

Date: 28th September 2015

Now is the time to leave this splendid, marvelous and stunning region on the planet earth. From the last 15 days we have been in this beautiful Heaven, we have visited lots of places including Abbottabad, Mansehra, Balakot, River Kunhar, Naran, Saiful Muluk, Lalazar, Batakundi, Jalkhad, Lulusar Lake, Piyala Lake, Babusar Pass, Dalain, Chillas, Tata Pani, Confluence of River Indus & river Gilgit, Junction point of Karakorum, Hindukush and Himalayas, Raikot Bridge, Nanga Parbat View Point, Jaglot, Gilgit, Rakaposhi View Point, Aliabad, Karimabad, Baltit, Ganish, Attabad, Naltar, Hopper, Altit, Dauikar, Gulmit, Passu, Sust, Borith Lake and accomplished our objective of reaching Khunjerab Pass at Pakistan-China border.

Last evening we call ?Madinah Car Service? in Gilgit and booked a car to drive us to Rawalpindi and were waiting for it to arrive. Only after waiting some time as the car didn?t make it on time, we call the ?Madinah Car Service? for the reminder and we were surprised to find out from them that they will not be able to get us to Rawalpindi as they have no car available at this time. We all were very upset to hear this as a lot of time have already been wasted and now either we have to go by bus or spend one more night in Gilgit. Luckily, while watching the television a day before we saw an advertise of ?Buraq Car Service? and have noted down the phone number of that, we immediately call them and happy to know that they have a car available to take us to Rawalpindi, and the car will pick us from our hotel within half an hour.

After about half an hour a black color ?Toyota XLi? arrived to pick us, it was a well maintained and really comfortable car, we load our baggage in the trunk of the car with drivers help and hopped in the car. The person driving the car told us that he is the manager of the company and first he will drive us to the ?Buraq Car Service? office and from there another driver will take us to Rawalpindi after registration. We were driving along the Gilgit River on River View road and this trip to the office provide us an opportunity to see more of the Gilgit River and the city area.

[nawabtanweer]

Date: 28th September 2015

It took about 20 minutes to arrive at the office, at the office, we pay half of the fare in advance and now our actual journey toward Pindi started. We asked our driver if he knows a nice restaurant as we didn?t have our breakfast and we have to stop at a place for breakfast. The driver informed us that he also didn?t have the breakfast yet and if we can wait we can have breakfast at a location outside the Gilgit city. We agreed with his advice and then we started to drive outside the Gilgit city.

On the Gilgit Road and Karakoram Highway junction our driver stopped to fill up the gas tank, and then our journey started out on the same Karakoram Highway. This is the highway by which we arrived at Gilgit some 9 days ago and then using the same highway we went Aliabad, Karimabad, Duaikar, Gojal, Sust, and our destination of Khunjerab. Traveling on Karakoram Highway is a marvelous experience at some spots you will be travelling between green valleys, at others between mountains, at some places Gilgit River on one side and mighty mountain on the other. And then we got to the point of Confluence of River Gilgit and River Indus, this is the spot at which River Gilgit meets the Indus River and this is also a place where the three mightiest mountain ranges of the world converge. The Karakoram, the Hindukush and the Himalayan ranges meet here at the confluence of the Indus and Gilgit rivers. And then at Jaglot we stop for long awaited breakfast at a local restaurant. The restaurant has both a room to sit in and an open area, we decided to sit under a tree in the open area and eat our breakfast. The breakfast was delectable and the surrounding was beautiful.

[nawabtanweer]

Date: 28th September 2015

Our journey to Rawalpindi again started, crossing the Nanga Parbat viewpoint and then Raikot Bridge. Raikot Bridge is a point from where a route lead to the land of Fairies knows as Fairy Meadows. Fairy Meadows is located at the height of 3,300 meters (10,826 ft.) and is one of the wondrous places on earth. It is a foremost step that leads to the base camp of Nanga Parbat, Basil. The route to Fairy Meadows is divided into two sections, in the first section one has to travel by Jeep on a rough and dirt road till Tato and from Tato take a 2.5 hour hike till Fairy Meadows. We did not stop at Raikot Bridge, as there is nothing to watch at that location and proceed along our journey toward Chillas.

[nawabtanweer]

Date: 28th September 2015

Crossing Tata Pani, a place where the stream of both cold and hot (boiling) water flows in parallel, we reached Chillas at nearly at 12:00 PM. We stop at ?Pakistan Hotel & Yasir Restaurant, Chilās?, it is the worst eatery in the whole of our journey. At that place was so much suffocation inside the restaurant, not enough space for sitting, surrounding is dirty and the toilets are worst. We just ordered a plate of Rice and tea for the road, and both the rice and tea are horrible. In the surroundings there are some shops of dry fruits and spices, we passed some time in the market bought some dry fruits before proceeding toward Naran.

[nawabtanweer]

Date: 28th September 2015

At Chillas there are two routes leading to Rawalpindi. One is via the Babusar Pass and the other via Besham on the main Karakoram Highway. The route via Besham is long and the road is rough and damaged at many places between Chillas and Besham. And the route via Babusar is mostly closed due to heavy snowfall, and road department has to remove the snow so that the traffic can pass through Babusar Top. The day before our arrival, there was a heavy snowfall and the reports was that the Babusar Pass is closed, but I advised the driver that he should ask at the check post if Babusar is clear, and we were glad to know his reply in positive. So we choose to take the road of Babusar as it is short, well maintained and more beautiful than the Besham router.

We were traveling on Chillas-Babusar-Naran-Mansehra road, the weather at Chillas is warm, but as we began climbing up on the mountain the temperature started dropping. Till we reached Babusar-Gah the weather becomes so cold that we have to wear our Jackets and Swatters again. At the Babusar-Gah, we had a little tea break at a small restaurant, it is a wondrous place with snow covered mountain surrounding the valley and the river Chillas flowing along the road.

[nawabtanweer]

Date: 28th September 2015

Our journey toward the Babusar pass started again, as we were getting close to Babusar the weather is changing rapidly and the rain that has taken off after crossing Babusar-Gah has now converted to snowfall and the surrounding is now shrouded with snow. After about 2 hours of drive from Chillas, we reached Babusar Top the highest point in the Kaghan Valley at an elevation of 13,700 ft (4,200 meters).

[nawabtanweer]

Date: 28th September 2015

At the Babusar Pass, it was snowing hard and the weather was extremely frigid. The whole area is covered with snow and cloud. It was nearly 1:30 PM but there is no sunshine because of the clouds. The wind was also blowing at Babusar Pass that is increasing the chill factor. We immediately hopped out of the car and started enjoying the snowfall. We walked till the Babusar Pass landmark and kids started playing with the snowballs. Since the wind is blowing very fast that is making it really hard to stay at Babusar Pass, so after capturing some photos we started our journey toward Naran.

[nawabtanweer]

Date: 28th September 2015

[nawabtanweer]

Date: 28th September 2015

Our trip now started descending down the mountain. The snow is spread all over the plans and all the peaks seen from the road are hidden under the snow. Running up & down, left & right, crossing bridges & water flowing on the road from the mountains, mesmerizing the green plains, the trees and the potato & corn crops harvested by the locals, crossing Lulusar Lake, Payala Lake, Jhalkhad, and Batakundi we reached Naran at nearly 3:00 PM.

[nawabtanweer]

Date: 28th September 2015

We had a plan to stay in Naran longer as we had to have Lunch and my wife need to do some shopping there. Naran is the city where we stayed for three days at the start of our journey from 15th September till 17th September and visited Saiful Muluk Lake, Naran Bazar, Lalazar, Batakundi and then on the fourth day we left for Gilgit.

[nawabtanweer]

Date: 28th September 2015

This time weather in Naran is much colder as compared to the time we remain here in the start of our journey, and as it was also drizzling the valley looks stunning. For the lunch we opt for the same local restaurant where we use to eat during our last halt, we order for Kabuli Pullao (Rice), Chicken and Chapli Kabab. After nearly 20 minutes of waiting for the lunch was served and during that time my wife and daughter visited the nearby shops. Finishing the lunch my wife and daughter again started their shopping adventure and me and my son just roamed about on the main Naran Road.

[nawabtanweer]

Date: 28th September 2015

Passing more than one hour at Naran our journey to Rawalpindi again started. Travelling on Mansehra-Naran-Babusar-Chillas highway we are directly passing through Khaghan Valley, a sensational and marvelous valley with River Kunhar flowing along one side of the road and the beautiful mountain covered with Pine forest on the other side. Mesmerizing the stunning beauty of the area we reached ?Abshar Cafe & Restaurant? near Kewai. The mentionable feature of this restaurant is that it is built on a running stream and one can sit and enjoy food and tea while dipping his feet in the water. We stick around in that location for a cup to tea but didn?t dip our legs in water as water was ice cold.

[nawabtanweer]

Date: 28th September 2015

We reached Rawalpindi at nearly 11:00 PM as we have stopped at many places during our journey from Gilgit to Pindi, enjoying the fascinating surroundings. This was the most wondrous journey of our life and will be remembered forever. In the last 15 days, we have visited many beautiful and marvelous places that have fresh water streams, mighty rivers, lakes, meadows, snow covered mountains, glaciers, forests, gardens, and a lot more.

After staying in Rawalpindi for three days we return back to our Home, in Karachi. Thither are many stunning locations that we were unable to visit on this trip like Fairy Meadows, Deosai, Astore, Naltar and lots more but we will be visiting these places very soon. But for now, this is the end of our most fabulous journey.

"I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list." -- Susan Sontag

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Dear All: Make a vow not to throw litter specially non-bio degradable material (plastic bags, wrappers n bottles + ropes + cans etc.), bring them back to the city or dispose them properly. Think Clean, Think Green.

From South End to North End of Pakistan, Karachi to Khunjerab [-12ft to 16,200ft]

[nawabtanweer]

Karimabad Weather:
https://youtu.be/KLug46pupgI

Karimabad to Eagle's Nest:
https://youtu.be/TLvNnguQBqY

Eagle's Nest (Duikar):
https://youtu.be/6rIBGS95SOI

Aliabad:
https://youtu.be/GhsKdoBGa9A

[nawabtanweer]

Attabad Tunnel:
https://youtu.be/v8QMYyYYiQY

Town of Sost at Karakoram Highway:
https://youtu.be/DZz6FhKarNM

Toward Khunjerab:
https://youtu.be/VUI_WwU5kkk

Khunjerab Pass:
https://youtu.be/B6sOdh7QDUA