Planning the extreme road trip with a not so extreme vehicle

[Awais12]

Hi All,

Me and my friends are planning a good 10 day road trip for this summer.
The ideas are floating in our heads and basically there is a hell lot of stuff to do and places to visit in Pakistan, and 10 days don't seem enough but, we want to be able to tour as much area as possible spending most of our time on the road(Looking to go as far up north as possible). So, on that note help regarding which areas, routes should we take is much appreciated. Also we are looking to do some rafting for extra fun... paragliding too if we have the time and money.

Now, i wanted to ask;
On a 2004 Executive Santro?(80,000 km done)
how far can you go?
how far is it sane to go?

Some people say that even mehrans can go far up in the northern areas(heck, last year a Pathan took us from Mansehra to Naran on one on GAS:o), while others suggest that if you are looking to go up till Gilgit on road jeeps, cruisers or better cars like civic are necessary.

The car is in relatively fine condition. Engine wise it is quite good(0-100 in 15/17s and top speed 142/130 km/h, on petrol/gas)(H)

I know im asking a lot but its just that i haven't seen someone here do a big trip on a small/old car and can't find any guidance.

Thanks in Advance:D

[ranasherdil]

AA.

1. Vehicle will be fine for all roads excluding Jeepable roads.

2. You can go Naran, Gilgit, Skardu Hunza, Muzaffarabad Chakoti, Rawlakot, Murree Galyat on this car.

3. You have to select areas you like to visit. research time taken, distances etc. You can find a lot of threads regarding differnt areas here at PW and other sites.

4. You must have driving skills for hilly areas.

5. Don't expect CNG.

6. Prepare for petrol shortages on way. Keep petrol cans for emergency.

7. For paragliding visit Hawks Adventure at Khanpur Dam. In Muzaffarabad, there are also paragliding sites e.g. Lohar Gali (on abbotabad raod) and Pir Chinasi. Search also for other.

8. In Naran there is adventure club that arrange rafting. I have no info regarding rafting in other areas. But there should be.

Have a nice journey.

Share your experiences here after your trip.

[Alam39]

With your car u can reach Gilgit. Be patient in driving. Have rest and take rest to your vehicle too, if feel tired. You can also reach Chillam Chowki 40 Km beyond Astore. But Nullah crossing at 2 places can be a problem.
From Gilgit u can move towards Mastuj, Phander, Ghizer and till Atta abad Lake in Hunza. You can also reach Skardu town and uptill Shangri La resort.and Sadpara Dam (formerly Lake) If landslide permit and u go in last week of July U can be able to touch Deosai to some extent paved road is available.
However real info will be available once u reach in those areas. Things there tend to change. Mechanics are available at Mansehra, Battagram, Besham, Komila, Astore and Gilgit. Have fun with caution and keep an eye on Petrol availability. You should not be shy in asking questions from locals especially road users.

[qadeergillani]

@Alam39 is right

[Awais12]

aahhhh... thanks a lot for the help guys, its really a relief to hear about the car prospect:D, and thanks for the hawk club link, I've been trying to find about paragliding and found a few sites but they weren't updated:(
Hmmm and i think i will most definitely be going end of july 18 most propably as i have entry test on 17th!... many people have said that that is the best time are roads become open and real monsoon doesnt start august. + what should be my target budget for this 9~11 day trip(4 or 5 persons)... based on my last years trip to naran(public tranport only) i think 50,000 total is a realistic target.. or is it?

[luckybilal]

I don't know what kind of luxury you want to enjoy during your whole visit. However, based on your parameters posted so far i.e. Santro, 50,000 rupees 'TOTAL' and 5 persons. Dear it is quite sufficient for your trip. BTW five persons are ideal for trips. Money sharing buhat achi ho jati hay

[imtishal]

I would recommend u to take santro till naran and then move towards AJK.going towards gilgit or kunjrab is not recommended.B'coz it's a low ground clearance car and KKH condition not gud,or 5 bandaye baithaye gaye tou phir tou bilqul zameen kaye saath lag jaye gi.:).plus U wont find any gud mechanic or even a santro owner on the way to gilgit or skardu,So if any thing happens to it's electric system/sensor u r on ur own.
50k is more then enough for your trip.May be u can rent a car,should be high ground clearance,like xli etc

[zahid135]

I would recommend u to take santro till naran and then move towards AJK.going towards gilgit or kunjrab is not recommended.B'coz it's a low ground clearance car and KKH condition not gud,or 5 bandaye baithaye gaye tou phir tou bilqul zameen kaye saath lag jaye gi.:).plus U wont find any gud mechanic or even a santro owner on the way to gilgit or skardu,So if any thing happens to it's electric system/sensor u r on ur own.
50k is more then enough for your trip.May be u can rent a car,should be high ground clearance,like xli etc

+1

[zahid135]

We visited hunza valley on mehran.
But now we are not ready to take our santro to gilgit due to reasons mentioned by "imtishal"

[mubeenshahid]

Bro you can go to Gilgit by using car following this other route .
1:GO to NAran through Balakot.
2:Then Naran to Babusar pass now cars can go till chilas
3:Then Chilas to straight Gilgit.
This route is easy for cars and during the travel you can visit many other places on way like lulusar lake,babusar top .

[luckybilal]

Naran to Chillas on santro. Dear it seems very difficult. Close alternate may be to borrow at least Suzuki Pothohar jeep. Replace rear seats with car ones and enjoy. I seen this jeep walking great on Mahudand Lake track last year.

[Awais12]

hmmm well im comfortable with my ground clearance... its identical to a 98 model corolla that my brother own's, thats becuz the suspension has reduced travel and a custom rig, + do you guys think that increasing the damping on the shocks is a good idea? i mean it will reduce the total amplitude whenever i hit a bump but would make the ride uncomfortabe.. are there any other side effects this would have on the say, the tires, suspension and axels?

@ mubeen shaid, thanks for the advice bro but from what i've heard the road onwards from jhalkad to chillas isnt in the best of condition, and many people say it's do-able only on 4x4's, if you have seen the road recently please do tell me the conditon otherwise i will most propably do rafting in naran and go back tracking and use KKH.

@ Zahid so ure saying that the track is do-able and ground clearance is the primary problem right?

• Thanks to all of you guys for taking out time for this

[mubeenshahid]

@ mubeen shaid, thanks for the advice bro but from what i've heard the road onwards from jhalkad to chillas isnt in the best of condition, and many people say it's do-able only on 4x4's, if you have seen the road recently please do tell me the conditon otherwise i will most propably do rafting in naran and go back tracking and use KKH.

No bro i havent seen it recently but seen it last year.We were on Honda civic which has very low ground clearance still we were able to go to chilas very easily.The road is in reasonable condition nor good nor bad.BUt your santro can easily go through that.I dont know current condition so you better contact someone in Naran who can tell you about present condition.

[Awais12]

aaaaaaahhh okaaay, that is good news.... seems like naran to chillas might actually be do-able! thanks for the info brother, much appreciated

[travelinghell]

@awais12 , you are on your fun trip not on destroying your car trip . some times even jeeps have to strugle hard for naran to chilas trip . there are nullahs and glaciers and even massive un paved tarren . i have seen pple destroying there cars on that road , butt calling it road is not proper it's all mud and stones all the way , even once my jeep hitted underneath the body on the way to lulusar lake. At least on kkh it's paved road but some times due to land slides and water flow road in not paved on most of the the areas.
you are five pple so keep in mind that on kkh your car will hit underneath the suspension and other body for several times. your idea of pulling up the car for this trip can works good. after that trip you can remove the spacer of shocks. i have a wast traveling experience on kkh .. in 2004 kkh was good for any car but now it's very uncomfortable and broken down from place to place. I go sick for driving in slow speed on unpaved bumpy tarred .
Stop driving when you see heavy wind near chilas and after wards chilas because these mountains are of mud and stones and in wind small stones hit the car and some times wind screen. it's just a tip don't worry too much .
After Gilgit the two roads are fine with driving either you go to hunza or gizar , phandar lake. it's like fully paved . just a little paths of unpaved on hunza road but the gizar road is fully paved.

[romano]

I totally agree with Travellinghell. I have a Santro, and I have done many trips in the NAs, but NEVER in my car. Motorbikes and rented jeeps. Its going to kill the car. Leave the car in Mansehra. get on public transport, and have fun without killing the car. In any case the load limit on hilly terrain is 3 persons (its not a truck man!) plus you will be carrying luggage!
Pmail me and I can give you DETAILED info over the phone. Leave the car; it will be fun and you will be spared a lot of grief, I promise you!

[warewolf1]

I totally agree with Travellinghell. I have a Santro, and I have done many trips in the NAs, but NEVER in my car. Motorbikes and rented jeeps. Its going to kill the car. Leave the car in Mansehra. get on public transport, and have fun without killing the car. In any case the load limit on hilly terrain is 3 persons (its not a truck man!) plus you will be carrying luggage!
Pmail me and I can give you DETAILED info over the phone. Leave the car; it will be fun and you will be spared a lot of grief, I promise you!

I totally agree with above statements... I travelled til shugran and naran on my civic prosmatec with 6 people on board including me... koi khas problem nahin hui laikin tension hoti hai car ki and the driver (me in this case) cannot enjoy properly. We hired a jeep after naran and believe me, meray liay maza wahin se start hua... so... If u really wanna have a tension-free trip, do it on public transport or jeeps.

[Awais12]

Hmmmm... Thanks for all your help guys, u guys have seriously put me in doubt, there is a lot of different information and i think it's mostly because of the un updated road conditions.

@travellinghill, thank you sir, your info has been a real help and as it give a definite condition of the road, as far as the suspension is concerned im thinking of posting a pic, btw what would be the ideal benchmark or ground clearance that i should have on the KKH to avoid major problems

@romano, thank you for your help man... I'll email you to contact over the phone in June, so we can consider my options with a bit of updated road conditions

@warewolf, i know what you mean man, i always get that feeling when i drive in traffic while outing with friends, but the long road is a different story, i sooo love to drive on long routes that challenge my driving skills and the car

Then again thank you all for taking the time out to help me. Cheers

[asifcae]

BTW driving in mountains is much easier than in city...... atleast thats what i think.

[awajid]

dear , awais i did three trips from khi to naran on civic 94 , my car is known for lower ground clearance but still we managed till naran with 5 adults on board, i think it is the driving skill 1st and than your ride , i saw alot of mehrans , and carry climing up showgran , so your car is ok .............
do check your cars cooling system , breaks, engine oil etc and go ahead ..........
you can find my froum " khi to rainy naran via murre and showgran"