Dear PWs,
AOA. We recently travelled Skardu to see the Winter colors of Northern Areas of Pak.
Tour at Glance
Tour: Lahore to Skardu
Date: 15th Dec. 2010 to 20th Dec. 2010
Travel Time: 39 hours (can vary, bcoz we stop for prayers)
Duration: 4 Days
Transport: Suzuki APV (2010 model)
Distance: 1,178 (Lahore to Skardu)
Group: 4 persons
Drivers: 2
Tour Cost: Rs. 32,000, (Including everything), Rs. 8,000 each
We left from Lahore at 10.00 PM Wednesday 15th Dec. 2010 via motorway. Reached Mansehra at 5.30 AM (next day) and offered Fajar near Shinkayari. And then reached Basham at 10.00 am and did breakfast. After breakfast again started journy for Skardu and reached Dassu at 1.00 PM, offered Zohar prayer and had cup of tea on the bank Indus river. And ten reached Chillas at 8.00 PM. During Dassu and Chillas, stopped several times for taking pics.
Stayed night at Chillas and then next day (Friday, 17th Dec. 10) again started journy and reached Jaglot at 12:30 after noon.
On right side the road goes to Babusar Top (Shortcut route via Babusar Top-Naraan-Kaghan-Mansehra)
Then left the KKH- Karakoram Highway and after crossing the Aalam bridge, journy started in Skardu road along with Indus River, from Aalam bridge the Skardu is 170 KM. After 30 mints drive, we were stopped at Police Checkpost bcoz of 10th Muharram Jaloos (procession) on Skardu road. The Policeman asked us to go back Jaglot and stayed there. We told him that we travelled in this cold weather & short vacations just for Skardu so can't go back and waste our precious day, and also give him some reference. Then police personal talked with their officer and he asked us to wait for 2 hour for road cleareance. We offered Zohar prayer and killed the time by playing cards.
After 2 hours wait........they allowed us to move and at 3.00 pm we again started our journy. Waiting for road to open....
Road was single and full of cuts & sharp turns. At some points road is under big mountains...terrible. At 4:20 pm we reached Shingas and offered Assr prayer there.
After prayer again started journy and reached Damo-Dass. Here again another Police checkpost and checking was very strict. They asked for NIC's ( (National Identity card)) for writing details and unfortunately one of our friend was not having the orignal NIC, so they stopped us and asked us to drop him. Big tension & hurdle.......here again our reference worked 
and we got permission from SHO to move. Police people wrote down all details of NIC, travel purpose, etc.
One anyone traveling in Northern Areas, pls. remember to keep his NIC (National Identity card), otherwise rules are really very strict.
Bcoz of Winter and especially the Muharram holidays......there was no trafic on Skardu road and we travelled ALONE 170 distance KM's. Sometimes we were scary :o.....bcoz single road....no light....sharp curves & ditches....Indus river on bank of road. Really we can't make this happen again.....
We reached Skardu at 10.00 pm (Friday) and again stopped at Police & Army checkpost. Here again same problem of NIC's and they asked to wait there. After 30 mints, they talked with their Senior and we luckily got permission :).
As Skardu & Gilgit are Shia dominating areas, and its was 10th Muharram also so WHOLE Skardu was closed.....:(. We were little worried that how to find hotel (A)......then saw one bakery opened, asked them about hotel. He told about Karakorum Inn Hotel......but it was also closed. Then we reached PTDC hotel, hoping it will be open, but it was also closed. So we requested the PTDC hotel person to help us in finding good hotel (as it was full dark night, and we don't know the roads & places). Al-hamdolillah, finally we got very excellent hotel 
(forgetting the name, I think something like Continental (A)....... After off-loading the laguage, we went to Hotel DewaneKhas for diner. DewaneKhas hotel was good to sleep & dine, we took soap, Chicken Karhai and Chicken fried rice. Then went back to our hotel, weather was very cold & freezing (-8).
Next day (Saturday, 18th Dec. 10) we wake up earlier and did the tasty breakfast of Omlate & Paratha in Skardu Bazar. After breakfast, we went to Satpara lake, it is an important lake in Skardu Valley which supplies water for the town of Skardu, which is located at 2,636 meters (8,650 ft). It is one of the most picturesque lakes in Pakistan. Govt. is building a dam on the Satpara Lake and constrcution work is going-on (by Descon). Weather was very very cold & freezing.......:o (despite it was 11 am). We took some beautiful pics.
After spending 30 minutes at Satpara lake (its entrance point to Deosai also) we moved back to Skardu. At 1 pm we left for Shigar valley. The Shigar Valley, 32 kms (20 miles) from Skardu and 40 minutes by jeep, is watered by the Shigar River, falls in Pakistan's Northern Areas. The secluded Shigar Valley is wedged between the Karakoram, Hunza and Rondu ranges, Shigar is situated on the banks of the Indus, at a height of 2798 meters. It's the gateway to the high mountains (inlcuding K2, Gashabrum I, II, III, IV, Trango Tower, Broad Peak, Hispar La, snow lake, Spangtik and countless peaks and trek routes)) of the Karakoram.
<span style="font-family: Verdana"><o:p></o:p></span></font><p></p><p><font color=[/IMG]<o:p>We visited Shigar Fort known as Fong-Khar, which in the local language means the ?€œPalace on the Rock?€?.(known as Phong-Khar, which in the local Balti language means, " border="0" alt=" - B known as Fong Khar which in the local language means the " title=" - B known as Fong Khar which in the local language means the " /></o:p>
<o:p>
The Shigar Fort comprises the 400-year-old Fort/Palace and two more recent buildings, the "Old House" and the "Garden House"</o:p><o:p>
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Some more pics
I am trying ti upload the pics......but getting error,
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Pls. help me..
