Tuesday 31 May 2016

Yasin to Chitral over Thui and Shah Janali Pass to Rich Valley of Chitral


·        An interesting 10 days open zone trek
This trek could be started from either sides from Yasin or Rich from Chitral. The drive from Gilgit to Yasin to the starting point of Thui pass takes 4 hours and from Chitral to Rich takes 6 hours along the beautiful villages of Chitral and Yasin valleys with spectacular views and stopping points on the way to eat and take rest.
This is an easy interesting trek of  8 to 10 days in the Hindu Kush range. The best season to go on it from June to October, enjoy the landscape and meeting local communities along the way and Explore about their ways of living, culture, and traditions. These experiences add to the joys of your holidays as I have experienced during my guiding. The people are friendly and helpful always. It gives amazing scenery of the snow-capped mountains all along the way welcoming the climbers to Explore them and be the first ones most of them are unclimbed yet.
 The treks takes a week time from Islamabad to Islamabad.
   The trek starts from Nalti Thoi a village at the altitude of 2600 meters with 150 houses holding eight members in average in every household.
  
 Nalti to Lasht 3 to 4 hours.
     
The walking starts on jeep road up to one hour and then on clear path along the Thoi River with amazing scenery ahead with the views of Thoi 1 6600 meters. After a 3 hours walk you will reach to summer village lasht with clear spring water and soft grassy campsite. Your porters will celebrate the evening with camp fire singing songs. you will have great stay night here.

Lasht to Sholtalling 3 to 4 hours t ice and some parts on the rocky moraines of the glacier your guide will take care of you of the crossing some of the wide crevasses on the glacier.Soon after crossing the glacier you will be in the campsite of Gashuchi a nice camp site with mountain onions around the campsite as the name of the place Ghashu for onions in the local language Brushaski which is spoken by the people of Yasin and Hunza. The campsite is at the altitude of  4100 meters you may feel a bit cold after the sun set and before the sun rise in the morning.I hope you will enjoy the scenery of the valley which gives amazing views backwards the valley you come up.

Gashuchi to Golpigal 6 to 7 hours
  The most interesting day of trek that you are going to cross the Thui Pass 4999 meters and get into another region Yarkhun Valley an amazing valley of Chitral district KPK(N.W.F.P).
   This day will be little hard for you until to reach the pass you have to climb about 500 meters from the campsite on a steep way along the grassy path in the first two hours with superb views of the white peaks of the both sides of the pass and the on the rocky path close to the. \\\if you are lucky to have clear weather for the views from the pass is incredible. From the pass you are descending to the campsite of Golpigal which is wonderful campsite with clear spring water to drink and wash. dYou will have comfortable stay night after long day walk as I experienced in the past.

Golpigal to Gazin or directly to Chitral 3 to 8 hour  
  This is the last day of your wonderful trek you can stay in Gazin after 3 hours smooth walk or either can continue to Mastuj or Chitral town from Golpigal you have options here to enjoy more of you holidays in the Yarkhun valley or in the historical city of Chitral. There many amazing trekking and climbing opportunities you can enjoy. You can also go to Gilgit by Shandur Pass on a bus with your special transport or drive to Peshawar over Laworri Pass/t annul. If you wish fly from Chitral and lucky enough with the weather you can do it.

 This day gives immense joy to the nature lover to walk along the river which is called Mushibar River is the name of the valley, it flows down from Keronbar to the east and Qalandargum and Gashuchi glaciers you will have gigantic views of the both of the glaciers next day of your trek. The path is smooth along the juniper and birch trees and with grea.t views of snow-capped peaks ahead the valley. You will reach to the campsite Sholtalling a place with stone shelter and grassy campsite with superb views of the valley that adds to the joy of your holidays.

Day-6 Gazin to Yashkist:
An easy walk of four to five hours on jeep road along the Yarkhun River takes you to the village of Yashkhist the camp site for your trek Shah Janali Pass. The villagers are unbelievable hospitable. Many people will gather around you and help you for setting up your camp pitching the tents and invite you to their traditional homes and offer the local dishes you must taste them to encourage their hospitality. The view from here towards the Kurumbar and Darkot Pass is heart touching. You will camp at 3,100 meters.
Day-7 Yashkist to Ishperu Dok:
There are six to seven hours walk ascending up to the campsite about 800 meters along the Ishperu Dok stream flows down from the hills above. There are superb views up and back the villages of Yarhkun from all along the way and snow-capped white towering peaks of Hindukush. You will cross the stream on bridges and reach to wide flat meadow with spring water campsite at 3,900 meters. Ishperu Dok (means white hillside) is a large summer settlement of the Yarkhun and there are about ten to twelve huts where the women stay with their herds of goats and sheep. The men guard the herds and women milk mornings and evening, making butter inside the huts. You will be welcome by the shepherds on your arrival and offer you yogurt milk and butter. You can visit inside the huts and experience the living standard of the people on such places for long summer months in a very simple ways, it is an amazing experience for the people who live in the towns of Pakistan and foreigners who have luxurious living standard. You will enjoy the camp here.
Day-8 Ishperu Dok to Janali Gari crossing the pass:
Five to six hours exciting day of your trek. You will start your day climbing up towards the pass with spectacular views and flowers along the way on white sandy ridge with views to north of granite spires of Chapkar peak (5,804 meters) a mountain scarred by black rubble strewn glacier running of it. The surrounding hillsides are overgrazed pastures and countered by goat paths, the herds of horses, cattle, goat and sheep are here from Yarkhun Valley. You will reach the pass a green flat gentle area polo ground of the king that gives the name of the pass ( 4,259 meters) with several lakes around. You can enjoy the views from here the white towering mountains of Hindu Kush, if you are lucky having good weather on this day and worth to spend more time, I usually stop for lunch here during my trek. It is paradise on earth the most beautiful spot in Pakistan as I have seen other parts of the country.
From the pass, it is gentle descending towards the camp of Janali Gari, a deserted shepherds’ settlement with three stone circle beside a clear stream fringed by few willow bushes, you camp here and enjoy the night at 3,700 meters.
Day-9 Janali Gari to Dhershal:
 Four to five hours trek, this is a beautiful walk through knee-high grass and flowers and across plenty of side streams surrounded by groves of willows with the Shah Janali River well below on your right, you will reach in a summer settlement people from Rich village stay here in the month of June and move up in July. There are some shepherds’ huts sat in a flat pasture surrounded by birch trees at 3,350 meters, a wonderful camp site it is worth to have a rest day if you have time to be relaxed. There are fine views down to the valley.
Day-10 Dhershal to Rua
Five to six hours trek of the last of your trek. The walk is along the south of Shah Janali River in the juniper bushes, steadily goes down. While going if there is a clear weather this will be hot day because the land here barren, across stones and scree along the west bank of the Rich River about two hour the village Rua. On the way there are views ahead to the North is mountain wall of 6,000 meters high, blocking the way to Afghanistan.
Rua is the last village of Rich valley it takes six to seven hours by jeeps to Chitral. There is good camping site with clear water and your jeeps will arrive by the evening of your arrival either you can manage to leave to Chitral by the same day if you have already planned it. Mostly we use to stay the night here and move to our next destination by the next morning. The travelling from here to Chitral is amazing passing through different villages of Rich Valley with distinctive cultures and traditions. 

 I hope you will enjoy reading about this wonderful trek, if you wish to visit here you can contact on my mail and enjoy going on this trip.

Saturday 28 May 2016

Getting around Pakistan



Pakistan has extensive air networks, linking all the major cities and districts centers.  Internal flights are relatively cheap. There are great networks of trains and bus services from one city to another in the major cities there is wonderful Motor Way services with comfortable buses and stops to eat.
 Flights to Northern Areas (Gilgit and Skardu) and Chitral are heavily subsidized and very good value. They are the most spectacular commercial flights in the world. They are however highly weather dependent and subject to last minute cancellation. They can only be booked in Pakistan.  There is also Karakorum sightseeing flight available for the interested people to enjoy the trip.
 PIA ( Pakistan International Airlines) operates, comprehensive network of flights across the country with a fleet of air crafts that range latest 747s and Air buses, to propeller-driven F 27s. Apart from it there are other commercial flights in Pakistan with in the country with valuable services and all the domestic airlines offer discounts on their night coaches, flights that tend to depart and arrive at inconvenient times in the middle of the night, or very early in the morning. There travel agents all over the country sell air tickets and book the flight wherever you are and tend to have flight with in the country or across the country you don’t need be bother to find out airlines offices to book a flight and buy the tickets. All flights schedules are followed correctly except the flights to Northern Areas and Chitral ( as mentioned above the are subject to weather).
 Like the other countries in the world Pakistan has an extensive net work of railways that can provide comfortable and fast way of covering large distances, in addition to offering the opportunity to see the countryside and experience all slice of Pakistani society on the move. The main backbone of the system runs in a broad curving arc N-S between Peshawar and Karachi, via Rawalpindi and Lahore, with an important branch line to Quetta ( Balochistan) and various other branches throughout Punjab, Sindh, Parts of Balochistan  and N.W.F.P now KPK.  For those intended to travel by trains (Rail), there are great train services within the country in the major cities, offering the quickest, most direct daily services between destinations, in addition to all classes of ticket. Where possible, a choice has been offered between morning and afternoon services, although almost all routes have more services.
   Road long distance with buses:
The bus net work in Pakistan is extensive, provide services to getting around. Each province has its own government operates service in addition to there is multitude of privately run services. There are many different levels of service ranging from the long distance inter-city services, with comfortable buses with A/C and sometimes videos and free Wi-fi systems ornately decorated ‘local’ buses that crowd more people inside and on the roof, then you would think possible, and crawl along at 20 km per hour. Private Coach Services tend to be services although they generally quicker, comfortable and the assurance of a reserved seat. Most long distance and local buses rarely depart before they are full, but they fill up very quickly in the major cities. For long distances you have to book a seat in advance sometimes you can find the seats on the departure time too, but it is not always. Secondly, you can have a good seat in the result of advance booking. It is not unusual for hospitality to give up the best seats to foreign ‘guests’. How- ever it is difficult to reach the happy compromise between comfort and safety. Seats near the front tend tend to have greater leg-room. They also provide uninterrupted views of the landscape you travelling along. Seats in the back tend to have less-leg room, are bumpier too.
·        Local Transport
 Auto-Rickshaws Cheaper than taxis, auto-rickshaws are the most convenient way of getting aroundtownshough visitors should note that the variety found in Pakistan are even smaller than the other countries in the world as I saw in some parts of Europe and it is quite squeeze to fit in for two adults with backpacks. None have working meters, so you need to fix the fare of your destination in advance.
·        Local buses
If you are staying in larger towns and cities for very short time it unlikely that you will get to grips with the local bus system. Routes are difficult to understand, the buses are often impossibly crowded, and it can be very brutal getting on and off the still moving bus. However if you are determined, you will generally find someone who will ensure that you are on a right bus. I have heard of such mistakes made some my clients who travel with me. One of my English friends traveled on a wrong bus in Karachi for an hour.  
·        Minibuses
Many towns have mini bus or Suzuki services which operate on a fixed route, but pick up and drop passenger on request, but are quicker than local buses, but equally crowded.
OTHER LAND TRANSPORT
·        Car-hire A car hire means you hire a car and driver, although it is sometimes possible to self drive but it is only for a day two days in the major cities. Large hotels usually have car hiring system if you stay in one. There are Rent A Car services in the cities either in small towns too.  In more remote areas, it is possible to hire jeeps for the trip you wish to it one of the exciting trips in Pakistan over the high passes is called Jeep Safari.
·        Cycling: More and more foreign cyclists are to be spotted on Pakistan’s roads particularly on the popular Karakorum Highway (will see in the next post) route. The majority are travelling on high-tech imported mountain or touring bikes. Another option is to buy a Pakistani or Chinese cycle in Pakistan and can enjoying the cycling on the incredible routes and spectacular views of the landscape.
·        Special transport system
An increasing number people are travelling in Pakistan with special transport. You can hire a special car, jeep, bus or any other kind vehicle you like could be possible to find in any part of Pakistan without any problem. The hotel you stay in and there are Rent A car services that provide you the transport as you like to take it and travel around.

 


Tuesday 24 May 2016

How to reach the land of beauties and adventures North of Pakistan Gilgit Baltistan


The landscape of Pakistan is one of the ordinary contrasts. To the North lies a mountainous region that features the great concentration of high peaks in the world, and the longest glaciers outside of the polar regions; to the South is vast rivers plains . The physical geography of Pakistan falls into two major regions, each form distinct geomorphic processes. The extensive flat plains of the Indus and its tributaries resulting from the disposition of sediments washed down  from the Himalaya; the mountains from the North and west produced by the action of the Indian plate that carries the ancient rocks of the sub-continent, sub-ducting beneath Eurasian landmass.
·        Northern Pakistan- the ancient crossroad in the heart of Asia is land of soaring peaks, shimmering glaciers, secluded valleys, flower-strewn alpine pastures, lush green meadows, blue sky lakes, crystal clear springs, falling fountains from the towering peaks, rivers, streams and its unique cultured hospitality of the people gives an eternal happiness of the life of the visitors of the Gilgit, Skardu,Hunza, Nagar Yasin, Ishkoman, Punial, Phundar, Chitral. All the villagers invite the visitors such as trekkers, mountaineers to discover the grandeur of their landscape and the hospitality of their people. The world’s most incredible, scenery, a fascinating mixture of ethnic populations, and some superb trekking and walking routes. The building of Karakorum Highway linked Gilgit Baltistan to the other cities and towns of Pakistan and with China is a great source of the development of northern areas and made it easy to reach someone’s chosen destination.
  
It gives me immense pleasure to say that, answer to the question, how to reach there has been very easy in this technological era that one click with a finger shows everything you wish to enjoy with. However, I wished to make it easier by writing in detail, where to go, stay and eat, with descriptions of the treks and travelling areas, that someone can go through and visit us and enjoy holidays or research in the beautiful part of the planet Earth. God has bestowed us all those natural beauties that we need to enjoy on this part of Pakistan and I am proud to say that there is nothing missing to enjoy our life. Once it was inaccessible for people to reach here and go to other parts from the places they used to live. Once there were travelling of weeks long have been changed to hours and hours into minutes, people used to travel with horses on foot, now travel with planes and cars, life became easier than earlier those people used to eat food of weeks long now there places in every movement gives fresh food to eat. There were no hotels to stay and eat travelers used to stay in caves and under stone shelter in the freezing winters and burning summers’ days.
 The source of communication was unavailable, the news of emergencies had taken times of weeks and months. There were no medical facilities anywhere in the North. Most of the people were passing away of small treatable sicknesses but now huge serious sicknesses controlled in every part of north Pakistan. People used to travel for long distances to have single dose of peel, but now there are facilities of serious surgeries. It is surprising to say that it developed so quickly which is unbelievable for the people who have visited here some ten or fifteen years ago for trekking, climbing, research and other purposes. The transportation to the villages and the places from where treks start was awful in old broken jeeps on bumpy rough roads have been made metal and the time has been shortened to anywhere with comfortable modern vehicles. The basic supplies were not available in the villages except main cities of Gilgit and Skardu, but now they are available wherever you go (even in K2 base camp you can buy some very basic materials). You can travel easily of your own except some of the restricted areas which need permit and with an organized agency.
I will provide you the information with detailed description of travelling how to reach to your chosen destination to enjoy holidays, work or any other purpose. I would be glade of your positive comments and feedback to improve in my knowledge and make more interesting the articles I write.
 I hope you will enjoy reading it.


Saturday 21 May 2016

TREK OVER NAZBAR AND ZAGAR PASSES TO YARKHEN VALLEY CHITRAL PAKISTAN




Five to six days trekking in Hindu Kush Mountains:
This trek starts from couple of kilometers from Yasin a village is called Nazbar. You arrival in Gilgit is an access this village there are public van services from Gilgit to Yasin if you wish to do this trek on your own. If you are with an organized group with a guide will manage all. There is three and half hour s travel on metal road to Yasin and three km from Yasin to Nazbar on a smooth rough road. You come across beautiful villages of Punial and Gupis on the Shandur Road along the crystal clear Ghizar River.
Nazbar is village with about 300 houses. The villages will warmly welcome you on your arrival of the village, and help for your camp to sat up tents and show you reason place with clean water for drinking and cooking. You will arrange you porters from for the trek, it is better to have someone with you if you are without guide from the village to show you the way, because this trek is rarely used you will not find any path to approach to the passes.
Day-1 Nazbar Village to Shukan:  Four to five hours trek of the day, the trek starts on an easy smooth path the Nazbar people take tractors for wood up to the pastures during the months of October and November for the winter collection. You will walk trough summer settlement all the way with superb views of the natural beauty with amazing landscape. There are fields of barley and wheat where you will find people working in the fields and they will convey regards and invite you their homes and offer tea it is long tradition of the local you may have nice experience of the local culture. You will find some with little speaking English sometime a good speaking one because the education in the valley is top priority of the people Yasin.100% children go to school and study English from the very beginning. You go across the summer village in four hours reach to your camp site Shukan a place with clear spring water and camping areas for your tents. There is good view panorama of small snow capped peaks all around.
Day-3 Shukan to Ano gol across the Nazbar Pass (4,977 meters): It takes about three hours walk steeply towards the pass on rocky fields you cannot see any path on the rocks better to have some for day until to reach the pass otherwise there are many spots seem like a pass all around you may not miss the pass. There will be snow on the pass if you are here early summer or late autumn. I made it once in mid-August there was not snow on the pass. You need to have enough water from the camp for the three hour because there is no water until to cross the pass. There is nice view from here to both sides backwards and ahead. From here you will walk about two hours descending all the way to the camp of Ano Gol. A beautiful camping spot with grass and spring water and magnificent views of natural scenery of the Ano Gol an Baustter Gol, once I had this trek with a Japanese researcher of flowers. There are huge fields of flowers in the Bauster Gol we spent two weeks and enjoyed a lot. The valley has amazing peaks to climb for the inexperienced people to enjoy climbing.
Day-3 Ano Gol to Dedero Shall:
From here we cross the bridge on Bauster stream and reach to the first summer settlement Harigal Shall on the crossing Nazbar pass. The women from Shamaran stay here in the summer with cattle and warmly welcomed us with gifts of local dishes and it was surprise for them when my friend was working with the flowers. You walk down about a five kilometers and reach to the summer settlements of Dedero Shall, at the junction of the Zagaro Stream which flows down from the ZagarPass. There is beautiful campsite with trees at about 3,500 meters.
Fom here you have two options whether you go to cross Zagar Pass to Mastuj in Yarkhun Valley, in the district of Chitral or go down Shamaran a village of Phunder Valley on the way to Shandur Road. It takes two more days to go to Mastuj and to Chitral and one day to reach Shamaran and to Gilgit.
Day-4 Dedero Shall to Zagar Base camp across the Pass (5008 meters).Six to seven hours of the day trek it is bit harder walk the previous three days to go up to the pass. It takes four to five hour to reach to the pass it is a snow covered pass. The view from the pass adds to joy of holidays you can see two different kinds of landscape the one towards the Chitral and the other towards Ghizar district.  You walk another seven kilometers down on a clear path to the campsite of the Zagar Base camp at 3,700 meters.

Day-5 Zagar Base camp to Malo/ Chapali: We continue down the other side about eight kilometers, across rolling pasturelands with occasional shepherds, goes a trail with superb views of the mountains ahead Yarkun Valley and towards the Chamarkhan Pass ( A pass between Barsat and  Chamarkhan)  Chapali, which on the jeep road about 11 kilometers upriver  Mastuj. Your jeep will catch you there and drive down Chitral or Gilgit over Shandur Pass as you programmed. You can stay in Mastuj there are hotels to stay and worth to walk around The drive from here to Chitral takes 6 to 7 hour and to Gilgit 8 to 10 hours across the beautiful Phunder Valley there are many options on the way to stay nights and enjoy the holidays, if you are not in hurry, worth to spend more days in Chitral too, here is unique culture places to visit such as Kalash Valleys (will be described in the next posts).   

Health information for travelers to Pakistan


As it says health is wealth. I would like to share my experience being guided foreign travelers on mountains of Pakistan. Before travelling you should be precautions about some of the health problems that you will face. There are health risks not encounter in Western and American countries. Because some parts of the country where people visit are undeveloped and there are not proper management of health services except first aid posts or somewhere an ordinarily experienced doctor will be find in the remote areas of Pakistan. Sometimes there can be seriously infectious diseases are common and need to be careful about them. Travelers staying in hotels in big cities and tourist on organized tours, face different health risks. There are no absolute rules to follow you will no often have to make your own judgment on the healthiness of your surroundings. With suitable precautions you should stay healthy.
  There are many well qualified doctors in Pakistan in the major cities but the quality of medical care and medicine diminishes when move towards the remote areas. If you are in a major city your embassy may be able to recommend a list of doctors.
 If you are a long way of a medical help, some self treatment may be needed and you are more than likely to find drugs with familiar names on sale. Always buy from a reputable source, and check date stamping. Vaccines in particular have much reduced self-life if not stored properly.
  Before traveling to Pakistan take out medical insurance from your country. See your doctor or travel clinic for anti-malarial advice and for vaccination. Make sure your health is good. Make dental check up ( I found most my clients with toothache problem). If you have long-standing medical problem such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart-trouble get advice from your doctor and carry sufficient medicine to last the full duration of your trip or holiday.
Vaccination and immunization
  If you require travel vaccinations see your doctor well in advance of your travel vaccination is best done early. Travel clinics may provide rapid courses and advice.
Vaccinations for the following diseases are very important before travelling Pakistan:
Typhoid, Polio, Tetanus, Hepatitis, Malaria and Tuberculosis. Children should in addition, be properly protected against diphtheria, mumps and measles.
It is not need to be bother that if travel you will have these diseases but need to be precautions about your health.  Vaccination before travel gives any one bitten more time to get treatment so, particularly helpful for those visiting remote areas and also prepares the body to produce antibodies quickly.

I hope you will enjoy reading this article and comment for further improvement. I am very much curious to know about travelling requirements. I always keep trying to share useful tips for the travelers to this country where I had experience in the field work being guided people on trekking and mountains. I am sure that health is one of the important factor in someones life and need to careful of it.

Historical Yasin Valley in the mountains of Hindukush Pakistan


Like the Ishkoman Valley, the Yasin Valley is to the north west of the Ghizar District. It lies to the east of Ishkoman at an altitude of 2100 meters to 2800 meters. In its lower part the valley is wide flat and well watered, making it completely fertile, with irrigated fields on the either side of the Yasin River.
  The people here speak the original language of Brushaski which is also spoken in Hunza and Nagar valleys. It has played a leading role in the history of the region continually fought over by the rulers of both Chitral and Gigit, the history of the ruler of Yasin reads like catalogue of patricide, fratricide and avunculicide.
 Until the twentieth century, Yasin was an important Kingdom controlling the shortest and easiest Route between the Oxus and Indus Valleys. In the early centuries AD, it was the capital of the Little Bolor, which ruled Gilgit, the early in the eighth the century, the Tibetans, who controlled Great Bolor (Baltistan) tried to gain access through Yasin to the Oxus Valley in order to join forces with Arab and attack China. With Chinese help, Yasin kept the Tibetans at bay until 742, when the Tibetans persuaded the king of Yasin to marry a Tibetan princess and align himself with Tibet.
 The Chinese retailed by attacking in747. With 10,000 troops they crossed the Pamir and defeated an equal force of Tibetans on the Wakhan side of the Broghil pass, then chased them across the Broghil and Darkot passes. The Chinese than took Yasin and cut the birch-rope bridge across the Gigit River at Gupis which was as source of access, it took one year to rebuild. Thus blocking the advance of Tibetans reinforcement coming from Gilgit, as the Gigit River cannot be forded in the summer and there is no route along its north bank. Chinese rule proved to be short lived, however, as a defeat in 751 near Tashkent at the hands of Arab lost them control of Central Asia. The Chinese returned in 1749. In the eighteenth century the king of Mastuj controlled Yasin and at times Gilgit as well. The Ghizar Valley west of Yasin smooth as the Shandur Pass is making easy for Mastuj to communicate with Yasin.
 Yasin has playe pivotal role in the history of Gillgit Baltistan. It came to the attention of vitorian Britain following the murder of British explorer Goerge Hayward in Darkot village in 1870 ( will describe in the next pages about this).  Russian advanced through Darkot and Broghil pass in order to capture Gilgit but they were stopped at Darkot pass. The British took an interest in the valley and opened its agency at Gilgit in 1877, Britsh and Russian continued to jostle for control. Russian spies stood at the top of the Darkot Pass at 1890, peering down into Yasin, but retreated unseen. Five years later the Pamir Boundary Commission crossed the Darkot Pass with 600 ponies to survey the frontier. The Russian threat subsided, and in twentieth century Yasin became another small kingdom ruled by raja. It was absorbed by Pakistan in 1972.
Geographically, Yasin Valley of Gilgit Baltistan is the meeting point to the Central Asian countries in the Hindukush range of great mountains Gilgit baltisistan, to the North east its borders connect with Ishkomman Valley which has long border along the Korumbar and Wakhan Corridor and Chilinji Pass to Chupusan upper Gojal,to the South its border connects with the Yarkun Vally of Chitaral district of NWFP now KPK to continue to Afghanistanse. Because of this geographical importance ancient invaders and conquerors used these passes to proceed to the Sub-Continent.
 It was considered one of the remotest regions in Gilgit Baltistan but the modern technology and sacrifice of martyr (shaheed) Lalik Jan Nishan-e- Haider made it accessible in a short time by improving the road to Yasin, once it took eight hours from Gigit to reach there, but now it takes only four hours. The valley is very beautiful with spectacular views of the snowcapped mountains of Hindu Kush and passing through the beautiful villages of Punial and Gupis on the Shandur road leads to Chitral. The people of Yasin are unique in their hospitality as compare to any other part of Gilgit Baltistan. There is unique beauty for the travelers to enjoy their holidays. It has camping spots simple reasonable hotels to stay and easy and challenging trekking routes for trekkers and mountains for climbers (most of them are unclimbed yet). You can go on a day short trek or a month long trek from the valley crossing passes from a part to another part of the district. The detailed itineraries and descriptions of the trekking routes will be shared in the next posts. Some of them have been described already in the previous posts.
I hope you will find this article interesting and comment on it. Positive feedback is always welcome.




Friday 20 May 2016

TREK OVER ISHKOMAN /PUNJI PASS TO DARKOT YASIN

 Four days easy trek of open zone,( the best time is June to October).
It is an interesting and easy trek with superb views of snow towered Hind Kush peaks gives unbelievable joy to holidays.
We drive four hours from Gilgit to Ghotulti the village of the valley. It is an interesting drive along the Ghizar River crossing through beautiful villages of Punial and Ishkoman of the Ghizar district. There is public van service from Gilgit and you can hire private transport. There is beautiful camping site in garden under the apricot trees you can enjoy if you are there by the months of July and August with the falling apricots.
 Day-1 Ghotulti to Dazjabuk: This is a five to six hours easy day walk on a smooth path. The first one hour is little steep and then smoothly along the summer villages your treks goes amazing enjoying the real natural scenery of landscape, following the Baru River there are paths on both sides we can choose any one and if you have porters with donkeys will help you to find the easy one as the current situation. You cross a huge rock fall and reach to the first village Handis with fields of barley and wheat. From the village the view north Mathintir Valley showed jagged peaks (leads to another five days trek to Darkot over Attar Pass). Crossing the bridge at the end of the village there is spring need to full water bottles because there is no water for next few hours. We go across other summer villages with the views of lush green meadows and jagged peaks along the birch and juniper trees you will reach to summer village which is your campsite at 3300 meters with clear spring water with nice camping place.
Day-2 Dazjabuk to Holojut: This is walk of three to four hours walk. The first hour is an easy walk along the Babuser River and there is last summer settlement at 3400 meters, comprising about ten shepherds’ huts by a small lake. The people here are friendly will invite you to their huts and offer milk tea and yoghurt which is the traditional hospitality of the mountain communities.
 Along the there are more possible campsite under the shadows of the trees and good places for tents, but it is better to climb there is steep of an hour to make it easier for the next day to reach the pass in the morning time to avoid sinking in the snow on the pass, a place is called Holojut there are no shepherd huts but is beautiful vast grassy field with some stone shelters for your porters if you have some with you, camp at about 3,900 meters
Day-3 Holojut across Ishkoman Pass to Anisarbar: The climb northeast to the pass is very steep it takes three to four hours to cover almost 700 vertical meters to the top. It is better to start early in order to reach at the top before 10 a.m to avoid sinking on the snow at top. In late August the top is without snow, the pass is 4587 meters. From the pass to Yasin side there is a wide gentle snow field and small glacier need to be careful here. In an hour you can get down to the first clump of willow bushes beside a tiny spring a nice place for lunch and enjoy the views of jagged mountains of the Hindu Kush. After an hour down you will be in the last summer settlement with about 8 shepherds’ huts Anisarbar camp at 3800 meters.
Day-4 Anisarbar to Darkot: Four to five hours walking down through sparse pastures, and then barren gorge covered in loose shale, dropping about 300 meters the first summer settlement is Hapay by the Darkot people surrounded by barley fields and occupied for three months in the summer. At last the view opens you can see all the Darkot from here takes two hours to reach. The view all the down is magnificent you can see many snowcapped peaks ahead in for and close distance, the historical Darkot pass could be seen from here (we can combine this trek with that if you have more time to explore and see Broghi Valley).
Darkot is large village with about 400 houses situated at 2900 meters in wide fertile bowl but ( unfortunately 2010 heavy rains destroyed half of the part) most of the people became homeless and moved to down villages from here.
There is another two days trek from here to Thui Valley over Ghamubar Pass 4200 meters visible from the village with side Ghamubar Glacier falling down from the Ghamubar peak 6200 meters, worth for climbers to come here and can reach to the base camp in only three hours smooth walk from Darkot Village. There are several peaks around this beautiful village for less experience and low altitude climbers.

  I hope you will enjoy reading this article and pay visit to enjoy your holidays or enjoy the adventure life in the mountains of Hindu Kush and explore more.

Wednesday 18 May 2016

Ishkoman valley a land of beauties


The Ishkoman valley, running north to South to join the Gilgit Valley, divides the Karakorum Range from Hindu Kush. It was once the principality of Chitral when there was the Kingdom system before 1972. It incorporated to Pakistan by the same year. The valley is a junction of numerous trekking routes with beautiful landscape and amazing natural sceneries. The people here mostly speak the language of Chitral named Khowar. Some parts of it there people speaking Shina the language spoken in Gilgit and Punial. There are Wahki speaking people in the valley too. Public vans are available from Gilgit city to every village of the valley either you can hire special transport if you want comfortable travelling to reach to end of the jeep road for chosen trek. The people are hospitable and always ready to help you when you travel in the valley. You will be invited to local summer houses (cottages) offering local dishes especially made of milk, as you know that people live on the high pasture with herds of their cattle during the summer season and you can experience unique culture of the valley that adds to the enjoyment of your holiday. Trekking in the valley is heart touching smooth paths and spectacular views of snow covering peaks and lush green camping sites with crystal clear spring water all along the treks. There are both kind of treks you have an option to go on easy trek or difficult one. The valleys has some the beautiful lakes on your way to trek you come across the lakes, thick forest, rivers, glaciers and lush green meadows.
There are seven possible treks from Ishkoman valley to other valleys of Gilgit. One of the famous and the most interesting trek the Wakhan Corridor trek could be done from here. Apart from the six other open zone treks could be done on your own or with an organized tour agency. A five or six days trek starts from the village of Pakhora leads east towards Naltar Valley near to Gilgit across the 4,600 meters Naltar Pass (I will post the day to day itinerary with description in the next posts). The 55 kilometers long trek begins in the village of Bilhanz goes up the Korumbar River round west side Kozsar 6677 m peak to the Chilinji Pass 5,290 meters.
  Another restricted zone trek as mentioned above option from the top of the Korumbar River is to go northwest to the northern most tip of Pakistan, skirting the border with Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan and across the Kurombar pass (4343 m) to Broghil, at the top of the Yarkhun River to the N.W.F. P now it is KPK.
The treks connecting the Ishkoman and Yasin valleys will be described in the next posts. The Ishkoman pass is well used by the locals to go to Darkot which is one of the remotest villages of Yasin with fantastic landscape.
There numerous snow covered peaks all along the treks below 6000 meters easy to climb during the trekking with very little climbing experiences, and there are some of the peaks demanding for technical climbers, most of them are unclimbed and unnamed still waiting for their names and explore. Most of the peaks are in a very easy access of one day or two days trek is required to base camps of the peaks.
   I hope you will enjoy reading this article and encourage me by commenting on and suggesting for improvement. I am very new blogger and wish to explore the hidden parts of this country with my own live experience. Still I need great help of readers and bloggers to make it more interesting.



Tuesday 17 May 2016

Pakistan a land for Adventure lovers


I am proud to write about my beautiful country and invite people to explore and enjoy the natural beauty on part of  this planet. It is sure that God has bestowed this land with unbelievable beauty, it welcomes to the nature and adventure lovers to enjoy their holidays with diverse culture and amazing landscape. The beauty of the landscape with its history stretches to the very beginning of the human civilizations and spans numerous empires. Each has left its legacy, the great Indus Valley Civilization cities of Mohenj Daro and Harappa, the beautiful sculpture of Bhudhist Gandhara, the shirines and mosques of early Muslims pilgrims and invaders, the magnificent monuments of the Mughals and the colonial architecture of the British. But brace yourself also for an emerging dynamic Pakistan, responding as rapidly and diversely as any other country to the challenges to the approaching millennium. The country developing rapidly with this technological development and it adds to the beauty of the country and facilities for the tourist are improving such hotels for accommodation, transport for travel and mobile services for communication from every remote part of the country are available and the hospitality of the people the country cannot be compared to any other country in the world.
The media paints bloody picture of violence, danger and fanaticism by exaggerating little thing. But prepare yourself rather for a lesson in human warmth, generosity and hospitality.  Pakistan is one of the safest countries in Asia to travel.  You are far more likely to find yourself accepting endless invitations to stay or eat in people’s houses. The sheer diversity of the people s’ culture and traditions meanwhile make travelling in Pakistan a continually fascinating experience.
 Every paints a picture of stunning natural beauty and almost unbelievable range of landscape, and environments mighty rivers, huge deserts, fertile plains, thick forests and towering mountains. And for once nobody has got it wrong. Mountaineers were among the first to discover the full glory of Pakistan magnificent Karakurom, Hindu Kush and Himalyan ranges. Trekkers followed in increasing numbers, and today the modern technology with spectacular feats of engineering pushed roads through these breathtaking mountains opening them up to all. Over all in the country North Pakistan is an amazing part to visit and spend holidays over here if you are a nature lover and an explorer or an adventurer. Most of all it is a country full of surprises travelling through the remotest backward and people will welcome to visit their homes and offer local dishes with milk tea and bread.
 Most of the trekkers and climbers enjoy the local dishes and the culture of these remote regions, especially if they are on a trek or on the way to climb a mountain people along the way accompany them and ask for help such as to carry their bag, sometimes people afraid of it if they are doing something wrong but is a tradition of the hospitable people of the North Pakistan even this tradition is everywhere in the country. It has been long tradition that the people of the mountains never care of to serve someone for a day or some hours of the day. It is surprise to say that once I found a French girl got an accident near Rakaposhi base camp was on a trek with her German boy friend and had severe injury and was not able to walk. There were some who made wooden stretcher by joining sticks and carried her down for whole day and brought her to the jeep road. There was German couple with me it was something unbelievable for them and surprise.    


Sunday 15 May 2016

Trrekking styles


There are four basic styles of trekking in Pakistan. The one you choose depends on your experience and finance.  Back packing is cheap but for most people do not fit for long treks. Self organized be difficult and time consuming to without a fair command on language.  Going through a local agent is more reliable removes the need of some equipment without taking with it all of your flexibility, but it can be expensive.  Trekking with an international adventure travel company is very expensive, catering for those with little experience or time.
   Whatever style you chose, remembering that each trekking or mountaineering represent another wedge of destruction of fragile environment and culture and step-lightly.
     Talking of stepping lightly a word of warning, Most of Karakurum Glaciers re cover in gravel and boulders, and some are deeply crevassed, particularly where two glaciers are met or where glacier is surging forward. Other glaciers may be smoother and less cover in rocks, particularly high up, and some are like kilometers wide, motorways of ice with only small crevasses. In August you reach patches of permanent snow starting between 4500 and 500 metres; here the glaciers become very dangerous as the crevasses are hidden. Trekkers who venture this for must walk in single file, probing forcefully in front with walking stick to find the crevasses. It is better to rope up at least the first two or three in line. Mid-afternoon is most dangerous time, when the snow is at its softest. Someone in the group should be trained crevasses rescue.
   Also a world of warning about bridges; some are washed away each season and only the local know which are in place and safe. If you are trekking unguided, be sure to ask frequently about the condition of the path and bridges ahead.
      Nowadays trekking without guide has been easier than earlier, because you find someone in every village who can speak little English to clear the message.
         Backpacking
     The cheapest way to trek is to do by yourself; find the cheapest flight to Pakistan, travel by public transport to the beginning of your trek, then put your kit in bag and set off without guide and porters, like in Nepal where it is possible to live off the land and sleeping and eating in village guest houses, but trekking in Pakistan is different from it. Most of the trekking here is higher than the permanent villages, so there are no shops tea houses, or hotels along the trails. This means you must carry everything with you and that unless you are particularly fit and experienced trekkers aware of your own capabilities your range is reduced to a few days. Backpacking does, though, provide maximum flexibility. You can go everywhere you like or slowly as you wish. 
  

    

Friday 13 May 2016

Trekking season in Pakistan

Trekking season in Pakistan is on its peak now a days, I am glade to say that this year is better than previous year because the previous some years had been disappointing. The tourism department of Pakistan has put great efforts on this sector by setting new policies to facilitate the visitors both domestic and international. It is one of the encouraging steps that tourism department of Gilgit Baltistan is launching programs for the development of tourism industry in the country, It is launching awareness programs for the local people to manage guest houses, camping sites and other many things to facilitate the tourist. It is interesting to say that the department conducted programs in every district of Gilgit Pakistan for the concern people such as hotel managers, security departments, local people, porter sardars, and mayors of the villages to make sure better management to facilitate the visitors.
  One of the such programs was conducted by the Department of Tourism Ghizar district involving many local stakeholders to aware the people of this district about the tourism industry and its benefits, because the people this district are not aware about this important industry. The district full of with resources and potentials to develop this industry, there are amazing spots in the districts to enjoy the holidays. It was one of the first program managed by the tourism department and it was great opportunity for the people connected to this field. We shared our experiences and importance of tourism industry and its need. I would say that it gave us a chance to sit together with different stake holders and platform to work together for the development of this very important industry.
  I am going say for the all visitors who wish to visit the Ghizar district will enjoy the holiday.
The region is full with heart touching landscape and extraordinary hospitality of the people. There trekking routes of a day trek to a month long trek you can visit May to October on your or with an organizing tour agency.
  I hope you will enjoy and visit us,