17 May update
Got back from Naran on Sunday. Road access has been restored a little further than Batta kundi. That is about 20kms from Naran. Further than that heavy machinery is working to clear the road. They say the road will be cleared till Jalkhad in 5-6 days. From Jalkhad to Babusar top, FWO is working on clearing the road, no idea when that part will be open. There is a big glacier right after Naran, which is tough to cross for cars, further than that, all glaciers can be crossed easily.
Road to Saif-ul-mulook is partially open, Jeeps will take you up to the glacier and further than that you need to walk for about 1.5 hours to get to the lake. Jeep rent to the glacier is between Rs. 1000 - Rs. 1300 depending on your bargaining skills. You don't necessarily need to take a jeep, you can take your own car and if you drive carefully you should be able to reach there without damaging your car. The walk is not very tough, but there are some spots where it gets dangerous. One slip and you could fall more than a hundred feet. Definitely not the type of trek for families. Most people managed to get to the lake, but some faint-hearted people turned back. There is also danger of landsliding at some places so be very very careful if you decide to go there. My advice would be to delay your trip for 15 days and wait till they completely clear the road to saif-ul-mulook.
Room rent is very low, we paid Rs. 1600 for two rooms at Gateway hotel. Hotel Demanchi is asking for Rs. 2500, PTDC Rs. 4500. Hotel rooms in the main bazar are for about Rs. 1000- Rs. 1200, but expected to rise sharply in June. A lot of removation work is going on in the hotels in anticipation of the new tourist season.
