Help required to sort Travel plan to Fairy Meadows

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hash737 2017-06-19 13:52:22 +0500 #1

Hello,

Me and my Mrs would fancy going to Fairy meadows in eid holiday.

the thing is i have been to babusar top many times but has never crossed babusar top.

So here is the deal.

Car: Honda Civic 2005 Vti Oriel Manual (Top Notch Condition)

will be travelling from islamabad.

till babusar top i am completely sorted but after that please guide were to stay till fairy meadows.

also we tend to take our camping gear with us and would want to camp at fairy meadows.

so please guide do's and don'ts. if camping not feasible recommend hotels or cottages at fairy meadows.

also please advise how good is the fairy meadows road? can the car be taken all the way to fairy meadows so the camping gear can be taken out from the car?

nagar1 (nagar1) 2017-06-19 14:03:03 +0500 #2

You will have to park your car at Raikot. From there you will have to take a jeep ride of about 2-3 hrs to tattoo village and from there trekk till fairy meadows. camping place is available at fairy meadows you can camp easily. There are some huts up there but better to camp. will be a nice adventure

ekfaysal (Faysal Khan) 2017-06-19 16:13:55 +0500 #3

You have to park at Raikot Bridge and get a jeep.
Raikot Bridge is approximately at 4/5 hours drive from Babusar Top.
The road from CHillas to Raikot is a little rough but alright. your civic wont have any problems. Its just you cannot go in speed on rough patches.

Jeep from Raikot to Tattu village takes 2.5 hours. from Tattu, you can trek for up to 3 hours to reach fairy meadows. I recommend you hire a local guide. If you want, i can provide you a number.
A porter can carry your camping equipment.
You can PM me if you have any questions.
Cheers

hash737 2017-06-20 14:08:25 +0500 #4

hello,, any recommendations where i can buy camping gear in reasonable prices please from islamabad???

ekfaysal (Faysal Khan) 2017-06-20 17:30:50 +0500 #5

i bought a camp from Itwar bazar. its not in the best quality, but works.

plus if you are buying for fairy meadows, they have their camp installed there. They have cottages as well as the tents. you can just live in a tent there.

OnlyForYou (OnlyForYou) 2017-06-20 22:47:35 +0500 #6

No need to buy your own camping stuff, it's available easily in fairy meadows

hash737 2017-06-20 22:49:23 +0500 #7

thanks buddy, but i am still buying stove and its cartridges for coffee and breakfast. not buying a tent though.

hash737 2017-06-20 22:49:54 +0500 #8

i see, i shall count on already installed tents then.

m-yousuf (m-yousuf) 2017-06-21 01:54:51 +0500 #9

Last year jeep track was damaged from 2 3 areas due to landsliding. So one had to switch 3 jeeps to reach tattu village and while switching jeeps individuals have to walk to the next jeep point. I dont know about current situations. While trekking to fairy meadows, you can hire mules on the way if you feel tired or exhausted. 3 hours trek.

Fairy meadows cottages is best place to stay. You need to do advance booking because fairy meadows will be over crowded.
You can book a tent or a cottage its your call

After crossing babusar top, stay in shangrila hotel chilas, which also need to be booked in advance.

Next day park your car in shangrila raikot parking, they charge Rs.500 per day

rebel (rebel) 2017-06-21 02:49:25 +0500 #10

Wonderful idea! Here is what I have to say about the trip.

In order to go to fairy meadows, cars must be parked at Raikot. I would travel from Islamabad to Batakundi on the first day and go to Raikot the second day. Raikot has Shangrila hotel if you wish to do this journey in one day (not advised)

At Raikot, they will offer you covered and open parking. Covered parking is just 300-400 a day and may be a good idea.

From there, the local jeep drivers will gather around you. You have to bargain for a good price.

Tip the guard who will take care of your car before leaving and you will not have to worry about anything.

There arent any shops at fairy meadows except for one dhaba with select biscuits and chips etc. Prices are inflated by at least 2 times here and for good reason because the transportation of food is hard. Food at the restaurants is also expensive and a cup of tea and boiled egg would set you back 50-70 rs.

My advise is to do the following.
1. Buy drinks and biscuits from raikot bridge for you hike up. Juice and water is a must.
2. Get a jeep and drive to tatu village.
3. From tatu hike to fairy meadows. If you are travelling heavy, rent a horse for 1000rs from tatu village but i would recommend you travel ultra light as the hike is not to be taken lightly. Use backpacks instead of duffel bags. trolley bags are a no no.
4. Refill you water bottles from the streams if you have to. water is clean, cold and refreshing.
5. You can ride horseback to fairy meadows yourself too but if you are even slightly active you would not need to.
6. Zong got one bar of network coverage last I went at the viewpoint to the glacier next to broad view hotel. This may have improved now.
7. There is a hotel near tatu where you can just crash for the night should something go wrong. This is fairy point hotel and they will give you a room with mats on the floor and possibly a blanket. There is no bathroom but an outhouse. This isnt a pleasant experience by any measure but is good to know should you encounter a situation where you have to break mid journey for injury/ nightfall etc.
8. Communicate the date and time of the return journey to your driver before leaving the jeep. What you communicate to your driver is set in stone and he will be there at the time mutually decided. Missing the jeep will result in you having to make the payment in full and securing an alternate jeep may prove to be a bit of a challenge for the way back.
9. You must trek to beyal camp. Its a leisurely walk through the forest along streams that is a breathtaking experience.
9. Have tea at beyal and go to nanga parbat view point. its a humbling experience. This beyal trek can be done in a day at a comfortable pace.
10. I would recommend staying at broadview hotel. They have a facebook page where you can get reservation details. This is the hotel closest to the ledge of the meadows and overlooks the galcier with nanga parbat at the far end. It is perhaps the best view of all hotels. Others are more surrounded by forests and you dont really see much of a view. That too however is not a bad experience but i just prefer broad view more.
11. Tents are available at these hotels although their log cabins are an experience in their own right. You wouldn't regret either option.

Let me know if you have any other questions! I'd be glad to help! And have a wonderful trip!

choctalpur (choctalpur) 2017-06-21 16:27:46 +0500 #11

Lads, can he do babusar top on his civic??

hash737 2017-06-21 23:45:13 +0500 #12

thank you very much for such a lovely detailed reply,

i have few question, please guide me a little further,

we will leave at 6 am in the morning from isb and reach the arcadian hotel in kaghan adn stay the night there, the next morning we will leave for fairy meadows.

we will be carrying alot of camping gear (canned food) Stove and its cartridges, veggies and chocolates along with instant soups, but what i am concerned about is the TENT we will be renting at fairy meadows, we would want to camp at beyal camp, are there any tents available to rent at beyal camp?

also can you please tellme how GOOD are the tents being offered and their quality, i was thinking to buy a tent myself and carry it with me but everyone telling me that you can rent there is fine with me as long as they are good tents. if beyal camp does not have any tents to offer then we can install our own tent.

also about the FUEL PUMPS, i have been to babusar top around 7-8 times probably even more but have never went beyond babusar pass, so could you please tellme after crossing babusar where to get petrol for the car? what are the exact locations of Petrol Pumps,

you mentioned broadview hotel, how can i contact them and reserve a room as there is no telecom service?

about the nanga parbat base camp, does nanga parbat base camp offer tents too? or do i have to carry our own?

hash737 2017-06-21 23:46:11 +0500 #13

that is a very good question

i have taken this car to highland country club, thats the most lethal road ive ever been to, babusar is i believe same as monal road so that wont be an issue, i have been to babusar top many times but all those times i went there on a jeep never on a car.

rebel (rebel) 2017-06-22 02:44:19 +0500 #14

Lads, can he do babusar top on his civic??
Driving a civic to Raikot is not an issue provided you take the Babusar route. The Besham/ Dasu route is a bit of a mess. Roads are metaled and your car should not have any issue at all.

we will leave at 6 am in the morning from isb and reach the arcadian hotel in kaghan adn stay the night there, the next morning we will leave for fairy meadows. we will be carrying alot of camping gear (canned food) Stove and its cartridges, veggies and chocolates along with instant soups, but what i am concerned about is the TENT we will be renting at fairy meadows, we would want to camp at beyal camp, are there any tents available to rent at beyal camp?
This image should answer your question about the tents at fairy meadows.

Fairy Meadows Broadview Hotel. World class facility in heaven on earth. Exquisite wooden cottages with attached bath and...
Posted by Fairy Meadows Broad View Hotel on Sunday, April 16, 2017

As for beyal, i would get the latest from bradview when you reserve. Beyal is a more remote destination and has fewer amenities. Tents were not present there when I went 5 years ago. But 5 years is a long time and they may have these available now.

Fuel is a challenge. Make sure you fill up at Naran. The next pump will be in Chilas. When I travel, I carry a jerry can of Hi Octane from a good pump in Islamabad/ Rawalpindi. The fuel in Naran is fine but the quality of fuel available beyond Naran is very poor. The Octane level is low and your car will almost certainly be knocking and losing power. Should that happen, don't worry. Just top up with half of your hi octane with each fuel up. you should not require more than 1 refueling after babusar.

There is a PSO pump just beyond Chilas where KKH (N35) and the road from Babusar (N15) merge which has okay fuel. This is about 6 KM east along the KKH from the point where you merge. If you fill up here, you should be good to go to Raikot and return to Naran. I have marked this on google maps at the link below:

you mentioned broadview hotel, how can i contact them and reserve a room as there is no telecom service?
https://www.facebook.com/Broadviewhotel/
They have a presence in Skardu where you can reach them by mobile phone and an Scom number which is local to that region only.

about the nanga parbat base camp, does nanga parbat base camp offer tents too? or do i have to carry our own?
I have not been to Nanga Parbat base camp and would not want to speculate. As before, contact the hotel at Fairy meadows and they will give you the latest most up to date information. You may ask them about horse rental prices and jeep fares as well. They are very helpful and will guide you better than I may be able to.

hash737 2017-06-22 20:57:23 +0500 #15

thank you so much buddy, any idea how good is astore rama road? if i get off from KKH to astore road and go to PTDC rama, will the car make it?

rebel (rebel) 2017-06-23 01:12:56 +0500 #16

Please refer to this post for details on the stretch to Rama.

Astore is further ahead form your initial plan of Raikot. So should you decide to go this way, further travelling will be needed and I would recommend carrying extra fuel.

The road from KKH to Astore is not very good. it was once paved well but since then weather has destroyed most of it. Cars however, will still make it without issue though. Once in Astore, fuel will be sold from shops not pumps. Ask locals and they will guide you. The road to Rama is a bit of a challenge. Some driving skill comes into play and while the road is in no way rough or damaged, it is narrow and steep with challenging corners which need momentum to go through. Locals may scare you into thinking that a jeep is the only way but rest assured I have taken cars there that have no job being in a place like Rama and with a little skill, so can you.

hash737 2017-06-23 09:18:21 +0500 #17

i have managed to get my hands on a 20L jerry can, it has been used to carry diesel previously but ive been told a gentle wash with 1-2L of petrol would clean it for Petrol Carrying purpose. as recomended above to carry hi-octane. Doesn't hi-octane offer lower fuel economy as it burns faster. for last 12 years all the cars in my house refill only from Attock Pump F-11 as it has the finest fuel in islamabad/pindi by far. my civic gives 570-620 KM in full tank WITH AC these days in islamabad local driving.

I am planning only to carry normal fuel from attock in jerry can (provided they fill the jerrycan because usually No KHULA fuel allowed to sell in islamabad premises), will definately get a top up from NARAN PSO. but will carry the jerry can just to be on the safe side in the boot, (just have to be sure that its air tight).

sir thank you very much for such lovely detailed replies above. we are only sticking to fairy meadows for now.

hash737 2017-06-26 21:55:23 +0500 #18

@rebel @choctalpur @m-yousuf @hash4u @Xulfiqar @arkhitekt
Hello,

Im travelling to fairy meadows tomorrow, will be taking civic. can someone please tellme how to carry extra petrol in car?

at the moment i got a plastic can (15L) (used for water) and got it filled with petrol to full lid, i did put malmal kapra then covered it will shopper and tightly closed its lid, still if i put the can in the car there is a strong smell of petrol coming, can you please guide me where to keep the jerry can or how tightly to close the lid so there is no smell of petrol coming?

arkhitekt (Ali) 2017-06-26 23:21:07 +0500 #19

It is quite risky. Specially in a plastic bottle. Better find a jerry can and seal it properly

rebel (rebel) 2017-06-26 23:31:58 +0500 #20

to answer both your questions,
1. No Hi octane does not give poorer mileage. It is the same fuel as "regular" petroleum with an additive of iso-octane. Hi octane just has more iso-octane added to make the fuel more resistant to premature combustion due to high temperatures in high compression engines thereby resisting knocking. The better or worse fuel consumption is just a popular misconception and there isn't the chemistry to justify this claim. I can elaborate further if you wish but I would recommend you carry hi octane to get the most benefit for what you would be using the fuel for.

2.In order to carry petrol, a certified jerry can designed for fuel is recommended. The water cans tend to get softer as the petrol eats at the plastic. I would recommend using an old military jeep jerry can for the purpose or buying a purpose built plastic can which will withstand the corrosive property of petrol. The lids of these do not leak and that will resolve both issues. You can pick one up at city saddar road rwp or in the kamran market/ "baoo muhalla" area. Alternately, you can pick one from the old army auction car dealers near NUST EME on the left while heading to Taxila. Thirdly, you may try your luck at metro cash and carry. Make sure the lid seals satisfactorily if getting a used one.

If however you are desperate right now. Carry the can very carefully (preferably outside the vehicle) roof rack? put the cloth and the plastic shopping back as you did but add a cut out from a tire tube (from any puncture shop) and use it to form a more satisfactory seal. Once again, i would not recommend having the can in the cabin or trunk as with a/c on the fumes may overwhelm you without you even realizing. I strongly recommend a roof rack if the container is compromised as the one you describe. It is however worth the investment to just get a fuel jerry can specially with all the fuel related accidents in the country as of late. Also, dont forget a funnel! If that can not be sourced, a 1.5 litre pepsi bottle cut from the base at an angle serves for the purpose beautifully.