Travel gurus

gameofthrones 2012-05-24 11:54:40 +0500 #221

i was thinking...
is there a road connecting neelum valley to astore/skardu?? or has anyone tried to travel through that route?

google maps is showing a road .. but then after a place called taobat.. there is no indication of a road.. but after a few kms a the road starts again... :S :S

aesiege (aesiege) 2012-05-24 12:10:28 +0500 #222

That area is called Kamri pass which can be crossed by trekking only.

Army is remaking the road on Shounter pass which will connect Neelum valley to Rattu on Astore side.

conflicted (conflicted) 2012-05-24 12:47:00 +0500 #223

rightly said by asif.. its a trekking region but only for army officials, or u can get permission from pak army...............

gameofthrones 2012-05-24 13:53:31 +0500 #224

thanks aeseige and conflicted

i went on google maps again and yes there is a road coming from rattu to shounter pass ... and rough patch of road coming from upper domail (indicated in black dashes) towards shounter.

now look at the satellite image date.. the month is june and theres still a lot of snow on the shounter pass peak...

seriously how many days a year will this route be opened for travellers?

conflicted (conflicted) 2012-05-25 05:28:03 +0500 #225

kamri top requires army permission, u can do shounter freely,,

brother,, are u planing to do shounter in june... no use bro.... u will come back.. july rather after mid july is the season to cross shounter

gameofthrones 2012-05-25 08:03:03 +0500 #226

yes actually i am planning to go in june with family... but i m not sure where ... a lot of risk passing through chillas and gilgit due to security... someone in this forum https://www.pakwheels.com/forums/road-trips-vacations/192524-karakoram-may-help-needed mentioned that 75% of kkh is broken along with route to skardu! ... i have heard chitral has sort of the same issue.. swat is hot in summers ... naran and murree no chance... so i was thinking to go to neelum valley..

now that you have mentioned the pass will be opened in july.. i m having doubts on neelum too :S

conflicted (conflicted) 2012-05-25 09:15:43 +0500 #227

no brother, no doubt on neeleum,, with family u can be at sharda, at kel, at toubet and pass pleasant holiday. these towns are capable of holding u for long time.

at sharda, walk in the kishan ghati, the ancient fort and budhist university.... at toubet walk towards kamri top is pleasent and full of scenes.... these towns offer a lot for families.........

crossing shounter with family is hard, as yet i dont think that there is any road. it is a half tough trek not the tough most but relatively tough one....

gameofthrones 2012-05-25 15:44:55 +0500 #228

i think you are right .. shounter would be hard for them...
with your advice and this forums numerous threads... exploring neelum valley is a must then..
i have noted down the places u suggested to visit when staying in sharda and taubet ...got alot of details for kel from other threads (the city, arrang kel.. will even try visiting upper domail and shounter lake)

Thank you so much for your help brother! Allah bless you!

Skill (Skill) 2012-05-31 09:28:15 +0500 #229

Informative thread,thanks every one for sharing and helping us on making plan making.
Asif,mubeen and conflicted and all others,you are gurus with out any doubt after going through the whole thread.

mubbi (mubbi) 2012-06-04 09:47:25 +0500 #230

salam to all the gurus, i want to know about the route for rush lake trek from gilgit to gilgit, will we have to cross atta abad lake to get to rush lake? thanks in advance

aesiege (aesiege) 2012-06-04 13:06:12 +0500 #231

There is a bridge near Karimabad called Ganish Bridge which leads to Nagar Valley. That route goes to Hopar village and Hopar glacier.

Trek of Rush Lake starts from Hopar village.

Atabad Lake is quite far from this location.

mubbi (mubbi) 2012-06-04 13:17:10 +0500 #232

thanks alot sir guru that means another hefty budget would be required to go to hoper village via a jeep, damn, this will cost around 4 to 5k easily, i heard the trek to rush lake is of 6 days ( 3 days going towards) and 3 days coming back) is that correct?

aesiege (aesiege) 2012-06-04 13:26:32 +0500 #233

lol@sir guru

yup its 5 or 6 days trek depending on your stay at lake. If u attempt Rush pari peak then 6 days.

asifcae (asifcae) 2012-06-04 16:22:07 +0500 #234

yar trekking dayz are not 5-6 i think. 2 din may upar and 1 day may wapis a sakta hai banda waisay. personally i think 3 din may ho jay ga trek .....

yes 1 day for rush peak is also there if u want.....

aesiege (aesiege) 2012-06-04 20:27:06 +0500 #235

Yup for sure it can be done in 3 days. My friend did it in 3 days and they didn't attempt Rush Pari due to shortage of time but he said that it was too hectic. They reached up there late in the 2nd day and left early morning the next day for day long descend. They hardly got any time to spend at lake.

But definitely, it is possible to do it in 3 days with longer stages.

asifcae (asifcae) 2012-06-05 11:43:24 +0500 #236

yes i f u wana stay at lake for 1 day then its a 5 day trip

devilslayer (devilslayer) 2012-06-05 12:29:49 +0500 #237

Salam Travel Gurus,

Please advise 2/3 not crowdy,peaceful n cold as well place fr a 7/10 days trip in Northern Areas most probably in the month of July.

Jazak Allah

aesiege (aesiege) 2012-06-05 12:50:44 +0500 #238

Family or friends?

Trekking or just driving/off-roading?

Own vehicle or public transport?

Budget or lavish ?

Just plz answer the questions and u will get good suggestions here inshallah

devilslayer (devilslayer) 2012-06-05 12:54:41 +0500 #239

Family... Jus a couple

Driving

Own Vehicle

Lavish+ Budget too

asifcae (asifcae) 2012-06-05 13:06:42 +0500 #240

best option for family trip is Hunza. its relatively cheap as well and ppl r good as well.
+ lots of options to c and go.....

upper hunza gojal is less crowded also. due to attabad lake u will have to cross by boat thats only problem......

u can also trnasport ur vehicle across the lake as well .....

if u dont wana do this adventure still then there r many options in hunza.....