This happens to be my second travelogue. The first one was about the journey that I undertook in Feb 2019 to Quetta. I hope this travelogue serves as a breath of fresh air and a much needed distraction from the stress of this unfortunate outbreak that we are facing and my dua is that May Allah SWT protect all of us.
I started rallying my colleagues for a trip to Gilgiit Baltistan back in July 2019 because I was curious to see what was ahead of Babusar Top. I explored the “tours” section of this forum and realized that for my first trip to GB the target should be of course a trophy hunting trip to Khunjerab pass. Three other friends gave me the green signal for the trip and so we sat down in order to plan the number of days, routes, stay options and other things. I have a manual Honda Civic 2004 Exi which I had taken to Naran in July 2019 so I was pretty confident it would be able to go all the way to Khunjerab. But one of my friend suggested we take his Honda City 1.5 Aspire Prosmatic since it is automatic and the drive would be less tiring and so we settled for the City. One of my friend, Dr Hamid, who was accompanying us for the trip actually is from Balakot and was kind enough to make the offer of staying at his home.
Day 1
We decided to hit the road on evening of Friday 4th October 2019 at around 7 pm. We stopped at Behra for dinner at Hardees and our target was to reach Balakot by 2 am but then we decided to stay for the night in Islamabad and do Islamabad to Gilgit in one go next day.
On our way to Islamabad
Our stay arrangements at Islamabad
Day 2 (5-10-2019)
On the morning of 5th October we set out for Gilgit after fajr at around 5:10 am. This was going to be very hectic since our target was to reach Gilgit by 5 pm. Hitting the road early gave us the added advantage of being able to avoid the Abbotabad traffic jam.
Driving on Hazara Expressway
By 8 am we were in Balakot and stopped for a delicious breakfast that was arranged by our friend Hamid’s elder brother. We hit the road again at 9:15 am and I noticed that the roads were a lot less crowded compared to when I had come in July. On the way we passed the construction site of Suki Kinari Hydro-Power Plant which is going to be of 870 MW. We also saw many locals moving down their herds of grazing animals from high altitudes in anticipation of winter.
Road conditions from Balakot till Naran
By 11:15 am we had reached the outskirts of Naran and the city looked deserted with very few tourists and most of the hotels were closed. We kept going and by 1 pm we were passing by the Lulusar Lake. This lake obviously does not give the same majestic views as lake Saif-ul-Malook but since the road is pretty much on the banks of the lake hence the view is nothing short of spectacular.
From Naran onwards till Lulusar Lake
After passing the lake we started our climb towards the Babusar Top and by 1:15 PM we were at the top. We stopped for Zuhr salah but as soon as we stepped out of the car all 4 of us started feeling dizzy and experienced severe altitude sickness. The view was breathtaking nonetheless and even though our heads were spinning we still managed to grab a few clicks. The wind was gusty and very chilly and the temperature was around 3 or 4 C.
Babusar top at 13700 Ft
We unanimously decided to drive ahead and offer Zuhr salah in Chillas or somewhere before that. We stopped for Zuhr salah at a local masjid while on our way down from Babusar top, feeling a lot better, we thanked Allah SWT for his blessings.
Going down hill from Babusar Top
By 2:45 pm we had reached the KKH and there was marked difference between the road conditions from here onwards till Raikot Bridge. The scenery was tremendous with River Indus on our left side and mountains on the right but the road condition was appalling. We reached Raikot by 4:15 PM and offered Asr salah there.
From Chillas to Raikot Bridge, very bad road condiaions
As soon as we crossed the bridge the road instantly became smooth and the drive became comfortable. By 6 pm we had reached the outskirts of Gilgit. Our accommodation was in an army mess of GB scouts in Juttial. As soon as we settled in we offered maghrib and then dinner was ordered. It had been a tiring day and the plan was to do Khunjerab pass the next day and stay in Hunza on the way back.
Fantastic road conditions ahead of Raikot Bridge
Outskirts of Gilgit
Day 3 (6-10-2019)
We all woke up for Fajr and after offering salah we gathered around and sat till ishraq. Our plan for the day was to hit the road early again and go straight to Khunjerab and then come back to Hunza valley and stay there for the night. But after a not so lengthy Mashwara we decided to take it easy for the day. The plan was modified and we decided to just head for Hunza valley and explore the area. Our aim was to go up the Eagle’s nest and explore options for staying the night there. It was decided that we were going to go to Khunjerab on the 7th of October.
Bright and sunny morning in Gilgit
Road to Hunza
After a nice breakfast and downing our first cup of tea for the day, we hit the road at 10 am on our way to Hunza valley. We stopped at the Rakaposhi Viewpoint near Ghulmat Nagar and gazed at the 27th highest peak in the world with an elevation of 25,551 ft. Due to overcast conditions we were not really able to take pictures of the summit but still it was amazing to be finally able to see it in real.
Rakaposhi view point
After a few snaps we went ahead and while on the way we deliberated regarding stay options in Hunza. On the way we decided to check out PTDC hunza as it is right next to the road and we wanted to see if they had rooms available. There the options given to us were standard rooms and deluxe rooms with costs of around 3500 Rs for standard and 4500 Rs for deluxe. The only advantage deluxe rooms had over the standard rooms was the view from the balcony. We decided then to head to Eagle’s nest hotel knowing that place offers great views and we also hoped the prices wouldn’t be too much considering it was October. The ascent towards Eagle’s nest was thrilling to say the least but our Aspire 1.5 was more than enough for the task. One thing I noticed was that those coming down were very courteous and would always give right of way to those who were going up. This is something I hadn’t seen on way to Naran so it was very pleasant. We reached Eagle’s nest hotel and explored various options offered to us by the hotel management and the cheapest room available was for 7.5k and accommodated 2 people with a very good view. But we decided to explore other options in the vicinity and those included Hotel Panorama, Hard Rock Hunza hotel, Fairyland hotel, Hunza huts and Al-Noor lodges. We decided to stay at Al-Noor lodges because they had just recently been built and hadn’t even seen a full season. Also the rooms were excellently furnished and the ambiance was amazing. We got three rooms for around 7.5k which was excellent price. The owner was about to close the hotel but was courteous to let us in for the night.
Eagle's Nest and night stay at Al-Noor Lodges
The hotel had ample supply of hot water and the temperature at night dropped to around 0. It also started to rain as well and the experience was amazing to say the least. After offering isha we all decided to set off for Khunjerab at 7 am and then it was bed time.
Good night from Eagle's nest
Day 4 (7-10-2019)
The morning of 7th October was very pleasant with rain subsiding but cloud cover was still there. We offered fajr and then stayed up to get ready for our departure for Khunjerab. The plan was to be back before evening and stay the night in Hunza again but this time we were thinking of PTDC. At 7 am we said our goodbyes to the host for their awesome hospitality and hopped in our car. We were excited but also apprehensive since we all had experienced altitude sickness at Babusar Top which had a height of 10,700 ft and Khunjerab is a lot higher than that. But we assumed that things were going to be better since we had been in the mountains for a couple of days now. The road to Khunjerab is the most wonderful road I have driven on and I could easily manage speeds of up to 100 kph and even 120 kph at certain sections. The road was mostly empty with very little traffic and driving through the tunnels was something new to me. On the way we stopped at the banks of Attabad Lake and took pictures.
From Hunza till Attabad Lake
We were very excited to see the Passu cones which were up ahead. After a short stay over near the cones we went ahead and got the tank filled at Khasghar filling station in Soust. Next stop for us was the entry to the Khunjerab National park where we gained entry by giving 400 Rs (100 Rs/person). To our great excitement the park rangers informed us that there was a high chance to spot ibex since they had been spotted in the area recently. And that is exactly what happened as we drove a little ahead we saw a spotter with a scope pointed towards the slanting slope of a mountain and he signaled us to stop and asked if we wanted to see Ibex. That was surely the cherry on the top for this trip. We took pictures from the scope and also tried to zoom in on the ibex that were sitting in the sun on the slopes of the mountain.
Passu cones and the Khunjerab National park
After a short stop spotting the ibex we went ahead and soon we got our first glimpse of the place which was our destination for the day. It was a surreal sight as the sun was out but and there was a strong gusty wind that was bringing with it flakes of snow from the surrounding mountains. The time was 11:20 am and it was as if we had the place all to ourselves. We spent almost an hour at Khunjerab and tried to take as many pictures as we could. We did not really have any dizziness or difficulty in breathing and we were fully able to enjoy our experience.
Khunjerab...and the trophy was ours!
We left Khunjerab at around 12:30 pm with the goal of going for coffee at Café de Hunza. Of course the famous walnut cake was also going to be part of the menu. We prayed Zuhr salah at the Ibex resort Dhee and then stopped once again in Passu in front of the cones for a few snaps.
Returning to Hunza and another stopover at the Passu cones
We reached café de Hunza at around 4 pm and stayed there for 45 mins. Honestly the cake was good but not really that great but then again we all are entitled to have our own opinion and I know many would disagree with me but for me it was just ok.
Cafe de Hunza and the cake
We left café de Hunza and then decided to head back to Gilgit instead of staying the night in Hunza so did a short stop at PTDC Hunza for Asr Salah and then started our journey back to Gilgit. We stopped at Rakaposhi view point on the way back and prayed Maghrib.
We reached Gilgit and stayed at the GB scout mess in Juttial for the night. After a short deliberation we decided that the next day we shall stay over for the night at our friend's place in Balakot.
Day 5 (8-10-2019)
We left Gilgit at 8 am and the target for the day was to reach Balakot by evening and spend the night there. We did a short stop at the Nangaparbat view point before reaching Raikot Bridge at 9:30 am. By 12:45 pm we had reached Babusar Top and after offering Zuhr Salah we sat down and enjoyed hot tea with egg pakoras.
The return leg: from Gilgit to Babusar pass
We decided to have lunch at PTDC Naran since the restaurant there is amazing and very affordable. By 3 pm we had reached Naran and ordered lunch at PTDC. After lunch we went down to the bridge over the river Kunhar for sightseeing and snaps. PTDC Naran is by far the best place to stay in Naran for a family trip. The restaurant is amazing and the Kabana huts give you ample privacy where you can chill out, relax with family and also go for bonfire at night time.
PTDC Naran
We stayed there till Asr and after praying Asr at the PTDC motel masjid, we left for Balakot. By the time we were passing by Kaghan it was time for Maghrib so we stopped and offered Maghrib at a local masjid.
As we approached Balakot our initial plan was to stay at my friend Hamid’s home but then we decided to stop there for dinner only and then continue on traveling through the night to Lahore. After a wonderful dinner we rested for a while and then offered isha salah before getting on our way again at around 11 pm.
Something is wrong with that skull!!!
We made a short stop at Mcdonalds near Abbotabad at around 12:30 am (9th October 2019) for coffee and shakes and then got on the Hazara expressway.
Leaving Sial service area at Dawn
Our next stop was Chakri rest area were we stopped again for bathroom break and also for tea. Next stop was Sial and by that time it was already time for Fajr. After offering Fajr salah at the masjid in Sial rest area we were on our way again and by 8 am we reached back to Lahore Alhumdulillah with the best memories for a long time to come.
The sun coming out..the journey is almost complete!
The whole trip was hectic but it was worth spending money and time. We did a complete cost breakdown after reaching Lahore and the total cost per person came out to be a little over 17,000 Rs. In total we had covered around 2300 kilometers and there were two designated drivers for the trip including me.
So when we set off on the 4th of October it was my friend who was driving,
My friend: Lahore to Bhera = 215 kms
Me: Bhera to Margalla road = 185 kms
Me: Margalla road to Balakot = 205 kms
My friend: Balakot to Babusar Top = 154 km
Me: Babusar Top – Raikot Bridge = 90 kms
My friend : Raikot Bridge to GB Scouts mess in Gilgit = 72 kms
Me: GB scout mess to Eagle’s nest = 100 kms
Me: Eagle’s nest to Khunjerab = 177 kms
My friend: Khunjerab to café de hunza = 182 kms
My friend : café de hunza to GB scout mess = 93 kms
My friend: GB scout mess to Zero point Chillas = 120 kms
Me : from Zero point Chillas to PTDC Naran = 105 kms
My friend: Naran to Balakot = 90 kms
My friend: Balakot to Chakri service area= 220 kms
Me: from Chakri service area to Sial service area = 236 kms
Me: from Sial service area to Lahore= 150 kms
My friend drove = 1146 kms over the course of 5 days
I drove = 1248 kms over the course of 5 days
Total kilometers driven = 2394 kms
Overall it was a wonderful experience where the whole journey was filled with amazing scenery and fabulous views. Friendships and bonds were consolidated and inshaAllah a plan is in place for October 2020. The plan includes doing a loop around three tops. We will set off from Lahore and inshaAllah do a loop through Lowari Top, Shanduur top and Babusar Top returning back to Lahore. I hope all of you like the pictures we took. See you next time inshaAllah.
*Cameras : Huawei Mate 20 pro and Mi 9T
