Day 10: Pakistan-China Border, Khunjerab Pass [Zero Point] (Gulmit, Passu, Sust)

Date: 24th September 2015

Today is a great day, today we have to reach our main aim and final destination of Khunjerab Pass, the Pakistan-China border. The break of the day was cold, we took our luggage and proceeded to the restaurant for breakfast. After the breakfast, we went on the roof of the hotel for the tea and enjoy the spectacular beauty of the surrounding. For our trip to Khunjerab, we hired the same jeep from “Mountain Gems & Jewels” by which we went to Attaabad Lake, Hoper and Altit.

The route to Khunjerab is via Attabad Lake. Attabad Lake is a lake in the Gojal Valley of Gilgit-Baltistan and was formed due a massive landslide at the Attabad Village in January 2010. The landslide created a large dam and blocked the flow of the Hunza River resulting in a formation of 24KM long and 100 meters deep lake, at an altitude of about 2700m surrounded by 6000m-7000m peaks and glaciers. The 19KM (12 miles) part of Karakorum Highway, linking Pakistan and China, was also buried and inundated due to this landslide. The area behind Attabad including Gojal, Passu, Gulmit, Sust, and Khunjerab are totally cut off from rest of Pakistan. The only method to go to the other side is by boats operating at Attabad Lake. And due to this, all goods have to be unloaded and loaded on each side of the lake as there is no other means through the mountains, adding additional cost to the trader’s goods.

The Government of Pakistan in collaboration with the Government of China started work on the realignment of 24 KM long patch of the Karakoram Highway and was open for the transportation on 14th September 2015. The realignment project is a construction masterpiece consisting of five tunnels with a total length of seven kilometers, two bridges, and 78 culverts. The project restored the road link between Pakistan and China and have been named as Pakistan-China Friendship Tunnels.

At the time we were visiting that area the realignment project was in its final stages and the tunnels are operational only during the specific period of time for the traffic. To reach Khunjerab it is necessary that we have to pass through Attabad Tunnel and for that we have to wait for the tunnel opening time.

Our jeep arrived at about 10:00 AM to pick us up for the journey. Breaking off at different locations we reached Attabad Tunnel after nearly 40 minutes. The tunnel is still closed for the traffic as we had arrived before the tunnel opening time. During that time, we wandered around in the area and capture some photographs. We have to wait longer for the tunnel to open as there was some clearance work still in progress and instead of 11:00 AM the tunnel opens at 11:30 AM. Our journey begins again and we move in the first tunnel, the tunnel was dark as lighting work still needs to be installed in the tunnel, and to furnish the electricity for lighting in the tunnel a solar farm is built near the tunnel.

Passing five tunnels with a total distance of seven kilometers and two bridges we come into the Gojal Valley. Spreading over an area of about 8,500 sq.km Gojal is the largest tehsil of Gilgit-Baltistan and is a series of small and large valleys sharing a border with Hunza, China, and Afghanistan. Gojal comprises of nearly 25 villages and Gulmit is the largest settlement and also, a tehsil headquarter. Some of the popular settlements of Gojal include Gulmit, Passu, Khyber, Nazimabad, Sost (Aminabad) Khudabad, Misgar, Shimshal. Except for the Shimshal, Misgar and Chipursan valleys, all the villages of Gojal can be viewed from the Karakorum Highway (KKH) and are easily accessible.

We were travelling on smooth and outstanding highway, with magnificent mountains on one side, the splendid river on the other and the stunningly beautiful area in front. Travelling in between this unspoiled natural beauty and the pollution free environment we reached Passu. Passu is a small village some 15KM from Gulmit. We stop at the Passu viewpoint for the magnificient view of Passu Peaks and the Glacier. Passu Peaks are also known as Passu Cones or Passu Cathedral and is 6,106 meters (20,033 ft.) high. Also nearby are the high peaks of Passu Sar, Shispare Sar, and Bature. Batura also known as Batura Sar at the height of 7,795 metres (25,574 ft) is the 10th highest mountain in Pakistan and 25th highest on Earth, and the 57 kilometres (35 miles) long Batura Glacier is considered as the 5th largest and longest glacier outside the polar region.

Getting hold of some photographs we took up our journey again toward Sust. We are all extremely excited as we are now moving toward our main target of the whole journey, the Khunjerab Pass, for which we have travelled this far, an approximate distance of nearly 3000KM.

After about 2 Hours and covering 38KM from Pasu we reached the town of Sust, this is the last town on Karakoram Highway before Pak-China Boarder. At 10,000 ft high-altitude, Sust is a custom and immigration point for passenger and cargo transport because all traffic crossing the Pakistan-China border passes through this town. Sust also acts as a dry port between Pakistan and China, facilitating customs clearance and other formalities for goods moving from the Chinese regions of Kasghar and Sinkyang to the commercial centers of Pakistan. A passenger bus service offered by The Northern Areas Transport Corporation (NATCO) operates daily between Pakistan and China. However, the border crossing is open only between May 1 and October 15. During wintertime, the roads are choked up by snowfall.

At Sust there are many shops, hotels and restaurant on both side of the Karakoram Highway, the actual village of Sust is up above the mountains. People travelling between Pakistan and China stop at this place for food and rest, they even stay here a night before going toward their destination. We likewise hold a cup of tea and some refreshment at Sust before starting our journey toward Khunjerab again.

It is the autumn season and the trees are changing colors and creating a brilliant panorama of the valley. Travelling some kilometers along the marvelous surrounding we reached the Khun-zerav National Park (wrongly known as Khunjerab National Park). This park was established in April 1979 primarily as a mean to protect the Marco Polo sheep, which is only found in this area in Pakistan. The other animals inhabit this area are Siberian Ibex, Brown Bear, Tibetan Red Fox, Tibetan Wolf, Golden Marmot, Yak, Markhor and Snow Leopard. Encompassing a total field of 226,913 hectares this park is contiguous to the Taxkorgan Nature Reserve in China. Setting off at an altitude of above 4,000m and going up in the mountains till 4,934m at Khunjerab Pass, this park is considered one of the highest altitude parks in the world. It is likewise one of the most important alpine biodiversity regions within Pakistan.

We stop at the ingress of the park to pay a token fee. There they hold a baby Markhor which is being treated for the injuries. Moving around a little we also noticed a snow leopard in a coop. The security person stationed at the park told us that they have rescued this leopard cub from the icy river water from drowning, as it was separated from its herd. And today they are taking good care of him and will leave him back on the mountain as soon as it reached a young age.

The journey toward Khunjerab Pass again started after grabbing some pictures of the area. We are going along a very scenic route with many streams flowing from the surrounding mountains into the Khunjerab River, the beautiful trees that we have witnessed the first time in our life, snow covered mountains and many tunnels on the highway to protect it from land sliding. As we move forward we were climbing up on the mountains and the snow started to appear on the side of the road. Along the path to the Khunjerab Pass, there was a check post were a security officer told us that it will be very much colder up on the mountains and we should get into warmer clothes, then we immediately doubled our wearing. Khunjerab Pass is nearly 83 KM from Sust and it took us nearly 2 hours to arrive at the Khunjerab Pass.

Pakistan and China, the two friendly neighboring countries separated by the highest mountainous range of the world The Karakorum ranges. The only place connecting two countries together over this mountainous range is The Khunjerab Pass, at the altitude of 16,200 foot. Khunjerab Pass is the spot where the Highest Paved international road The Karakorum Highway enters China connects Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China and Gilgit–Baltistan of Pakistan. Since this place is at such high altitude, after November the crossing might be closed because of heavy snow. But after April, the pass is again open and can be visited at any time.

We started out of the jeep and went toward the zero point, this is the place where Karakoram Highway enter the China. As Khunjerab Pass is at 16,200 ft. above one can experience difficulty in breathing at that altitude but we have been eating lots of apricot on our way as apricot provide oxygen to the blood. We are walking on the Karakoram Highway toward zero-point and there is snow on both sides of the highway. Children immediately jumped in the snow and start playing with it. There is a very beautiful monument construct at the zero point between Pakistan and China border, enjoying the cold weather, scenic beauty of the surrounding and awesome panorama of the snow covered mountains we reached the monument. At the monument, there are security persons posted from both sides of the countries and also tourist visiting from both sides of Pakistan and China. We had the photo session with tourist from China as well as with the security officers.

While roaming around and taking photographs we asked the security officer from China if we can just visit the other side of the border, inside china for a few minutes, they allow us for just 5 minutes to go on the other side. We were so pleased, we thanked the officers, and with a brisk walk, we move toward the Khunjerab Zero Point and then entered into the China. With this, our domestic trip has now become foreign tripJ. We walked inside the China till their check post, grab some photographs, children pick up the snow and started playing with it and saying that this is Chinese Snow. With this adventure, we return back to Pakistan side and thanked the officers again for allowing us to enter into China.

As we were relishing the sensational beauty of the surrounding the snow fall suddenly started and the temperature dropped very rapidly with the high breeze. We return back to our jeep and had some snacks and a cup of tea that we have taken with us from Sost. One matter to remember while visiting Khunjerab is that there are no restaurants or shops at the Khunjerab Pass so you have to bring eatables and tea or coffee with you if you desire to hold a picnic at that place.

 After finishing tea, we embarked our downhill journey back toward Sost from 16,200 feet. Along the way back we stop at many places to occupy in the scenic beauty. At one spot there were many Yaks grazing on the ground along the Khunjerab River and at another spot, there was a Golden marmot sitting on the rock at the side of Karakoram Highway, we also stop to watch Markhors and Ibex grazing high up on the mountain. Many herds of sheep and goats were also moving along the Karakoram Highway these herds belong to the locals living in nearby villages between Sost and Khunjerab.

Travelling along the magnificent Karakoram Highway we reach Sost before sunset. We roamed around Sost market for a while and then we went into our hotel, we opt to stay at Khunjerab Hotel, it is a good hotel situated on a small hill alongside the Karakoram Highway but a little outside the Sost main area.

Videos:

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From South End to North End of Pakistan (Karachi to Khunjerab)

Day 1: Rawalpindi to Naran

Day 2: Saiful Muluk Lake (Naran)

Day 3: Lalazar (Naran)

Day 4: Naran to Gilgit

Day 5: Gilgit to Karimabad (Hunza Valley)

Day 6: Karimabad (Hunza)

Day 7: Hunza Valley (Attaabad Lake, Hoper Glacier – Nagar Valley, Altit Fort)

Day 8: Eagle’s Nest (Duikar)

Day 9: Eagle’s Nest (Duikar) to Aliabad

Day 10: Pakistan-China Border, Khunjerab Pass [Zero Point] (Gulmit, Passu, Sust)

Day 11: Sust to Gilgit (Aliabad, Rakaposhi)

Day 12 & 13: Gilgit

Day 14: Gilgit to Rawalpindi

Day 11: Sust to Gilgit (Aliabad, Rakaposhi)

Date: 25th September 2015

Yesterday we experience a great day at Khunjerab (Pakistan-China Border) as it was our goal and reason for traveling this far, and now our return journey back to Karachi is started. We spend our night at the Khunjerab Hotel in Sust, it is a decent hotel with courteous staff. One thing we were missing there was Wi-Fi and there were no mobile signals on that point as well.

Me and my son wake up at dawn and got out of our room to admire the beauty of the surrounding. While wandering around in the front garden we can observe the Hunza River flowing at a little distance down the hill, so I and my son decided to walk to the bank of the river. Crossing Karakoram Highway we walked toward the river, the path to the river is very rocky and making it difficult to walk. But we walk slowly and manage to get to the river bank, the sound of the running water makes it feel very pleasant. The water was really icy, so we decided to stay away from it. Getting hold of some photographs we return back to our hotel again after about an hour.

As my wife and daughter were awakeed too, we proceeded to the hotel food court for the breakfast. Completing our breakfast we packed our luggage and started our journey back toward Hunza. Our journey again started on marvelous Karakoram Highway along with the Hunza River. Today is a great day for residents of Pakistan and also for this area of Gilgit-Baltistan as today is Eid-ul-Adha, the animal sacrificial day, followed in the tradition of the Prophet Ibrahim.

It is a day here at Hunza when people wearing colorful dresses visits mosques (Prayer House) and community halls. Children were also playing and running around as there is a public holiday. Some people were taking their animals to the sacrificial ground. In this area, animals can only be sacrificed in a designated area and the meat is distributed among the people of this area. We saw that all the animals that are being taken for the sacrifices must be covered with white cloth. Upon asking our driver told us that this is a tradition that all animals dedicated for scarifying must be covered with white cloth as a symbol of the coffin.

The weather was tremendous, the cold wind was blowing but as we were descending from the high altitude the temperature is also getting better and it’s not as frigid as it was in Khunjerab and Sust. Continuing along this route between Khunjerab and Hunza, there were many stunning scenic views where one can break and admire the beauty of the skirting.

Our first halt was at Passu Peaks and Glacier viewpoint. This is a place from where one can understandably experience the view of Passu Peaks and its glacier. We had the plan to reach Passu Glacier but our driver told us that it will be hard for us to reach there, especially with the kids and instead of going to Passu Glacier it is better that we visit Borith Lake, and then we decided to take in some photograph at Passu View point and then go on our journey toward Borith.

After crossing Passu we stop at a spot where there were hotels and a very little population, I forget its name, but our driver told us that this population is constructed on a glacier and below this glacier the earth is continuously moving and slowly flowing like a river.

At Hussani a village near Gulmit, there is a rough & dirt road extending up on the mountain and heads to the Borith Lake. The lake is an important bird sanctuary for migrating wildfowl (ducks, geese and swans). The best time to see these migrating birds is between the months of March and June, when they make their way to the cooler climates of Central Asia and between September and November, as they return to the warmer parts of southern Pakistan. Once this lake was an important hunting ground for the Mir of Hunza during winters particularly for birds. On a nearby hill a small house was built for the Mir which is now converted to a hotel known as Borith Lake Hotel.

Going on an unpaved jeep route we reach Borith Lake at an elevation of 8,500 ft. (2,600 m) in nearly 30 minutes. Our jeep stopped near the Borith Lake Hotel and from there we have to trek down a little to get to the lake. The area was too peaceful and beautiful, we sit around the lake and adored the peace and calmness of the surroundings, and enjoyed a tasty cup of tea. The guy at the hotel told us that on that point are many treks starting from this lake, like the trek to the famous Passu glacier that is about 1 hour straight walk and then a 2 hour walk up to the glacier. The other walking trails lead to Ghulkin glacier, the famous Passu-Suspension Bridge, the Borigh Sar peak (4,200 m) and the most dangerous rope bridge in the world “Hussaini Hanging Bridge”.

Winding up the tea and enjoying the marvelous panorama we again embarked on our journey. Going along the same unpaved route we join the Karakoram Highway again. We bear to reach Attabad Tunnel before 1 PM as after 1 PM the tunnels will be closed for building work. Without breaking off at any place we reached Attabad Tunnel and stop at the Gulmit side of the Attabad Lake just for some photographs. And then after continuously traveling we reached Aliabad at noon. Agreeing to our plan, we have to spend a night at Aliabad before going to Gilgit but since we take in scads of time in our hand we mutually decided to proceed directly to Gilgit.

At Aliabad, our jeep driver helped us in arranging transport till Gilgit. Since it is Eid day, there is very less transport available in Aliabad. Only after some searching we were able to find a coaster how agreed to take us to Gilgit. We shifted all our luggage into the coaster and our journey toward Gilgit is started.

All of us are sad as we leave the Heaven on Earth, the most beautiful place we have seen in our life, The Hunza Valley. Our journey toward Gilgit started on Karakoram Highway with the stunning scenic view of the valley in front and the mighty snow covered mountains on both sides.

Traveling toward Gilgit we stop at Rakaposhi view point. Rakaposhi also known as the crown of Hunza & Nagar Valleys is the 12th highest peak in Pakistan and the 27th in the world with a height of 7788 meters. It is the highest unbroken slope on earth with its gleaming Gulmet glacier. The summit is almost 6 kilometers (5,838 meters) from Karakorum Highway. It is the only mountain on earth that plummets directly, uninterrupted, for almost 6,000 meters from the summit to its broad base which measures almost 20 kilometers east to west.

From this spot the complete aspect of the mountain, along with its peak is clearly visible. Thither is a restaurant, some tuck shops and a gems & handicraft shop too. Cold and clear water is flowing from the glacier, we sit along the stream to enjoy this marvelous place. We have put an order for the tea and decided to hold it in the sitting area adjacent to the cold water stream.

After finishing the tea our journey toward Gilgit again started. Crossing many small cities, beautiful valleys and mountains we reached Gilgit city in the evening. Gilgit city is situated at an elevation of about 4,800 ft. (1500 meters) and is the administrative and commercial capital of Northern Areas. Fenced in by the massive mountains of the Karakorum ranges this city has been an important city in earlier history too, as being along the important Silk Route which passed through this urban center. This city also serves as a main hub for the tourist visiting Northern Areas, as everyone has to first reach this city before heading toward different directions including Skardu, Hunza, Astore, Diamer and even China. Gilgit is served by the Gilgit airport with a flying time of about 55 minutes from Islamabad.

This is our 2nd visit to Gilgit city as we have already spend a night in Gilgit while traveling toward Hunza. We choose to stay at Taj hotel which is located near the famous N.L.I market in Gilgit. It is a really decent hotel with courteous staff. The location is great too with the famous N.L.I market, Gilgit River and the historic Konodas Bridge at a walking distance from the hotel. With neat and comfortable rooms this is a very good hotel to stay in Gilgit. The airport is at an easy access too. In that respect is also a decent restaurant with a fine dining area within the hotel, where one can sit and savor the food while discussing the plan or merely viewing the television. There was free Wi-Fi and also a tv in every room and it was really interesting watching the local Gilgit-Baltistan channels, which offer us lots of info regarding this area. Hot water was also available 24 hours. We stay there for two days and found it very comfortable. After putting our luggage in our room we went out and just walked on the road before coming back to our hotel for dinner and the night’s slumber.

VIDEOs:

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From South End to North End of Pakistan (Karachi to Khunjerab)

Day 1: Rawalpindi to Naran

Day 2: Saiful Muluk Lake (Naran)

Day 3: Lalazar (Naran)

Day 4: Naran to Gilgit

Day 5: Gilgit to Karimabad (Hunza Valley)

Day 6: Karimabad (Hunza)

Day 7: Hunza Valley (Attaabad Lake, Hoper Glacier – Nagar Valley, Altit Fort)

Day 8: Eagle’s Nest (Duikar)

Day 9: Eagle’s Nest (Duikar) to Aliabad

Day 10: Pakistan-China Border, Khunjerab Pass [Zero Point] (Gulmit, Passu, Sust)

Day 11: Sust to Gilgit (Aliabad, Rakaposhi)

Day 12 & 13: Gilgit

Day 14: Gilgit to Rawalpindi

Day 12 & 13: Gilgit City (The Capital of Gilgit-Baltistan)

Date: 26th & 27th September, 2015

We wake up after a comfortable sleep at Taj Hotel in Gilgit where we arrived yesterday from Sust the last town of Pakistan before china. We are all so excited and frequently keep on discussing our marvelous trip to Khunjerab that we have completed but at the same time, we are sad too, as we have left the “Heaven on Earth”, Hunza Valley. Children are insisting that they do not desire to move back to Karachi and reside at Hunza instead.

Gilgit is the capital of Gilgit-Baltistan and a tourist hub. The city is at an elevation of 4,800 ft. (1500 meters) and is fenced by the massive snow covered Karakorum ranges. Today is the 2nd day of Eid in Pakistan, hence all the markets and stores are still shut and there is very limited transport available in the city. We decided to have breakfast at an outside restaurant so we went out on the road. First, we travelled toward Sadar Bazaar and find out that there are no shops open neither any restaurant along that street, we walked till the Gilgit River and rest at that place for a while. Gilgit River is a tributary of the Indus River and starts from Shandur Lake. The total course is nearly 240KM (150 miles) and flows past the town of Gilgit before joining the Indus River.

We were starving as we didn’t have our breakfast yet, so now we travel on Col. Hasan Road toward Airport road in search of a restaurant. There were many restaurants on the road, but all of them are closed. Reverting back to our hotel where we are staying we were glad to find a Sweets & Bakery shop, from that shop we bought some snack and instant noodles for the kids. At our hotel, we ask the hotel staff for the tea and at last had our breakfast after such a long search.

After breakfast we stay in our room watching TV and talking about our tour. It was really interesting watching the local Gilgit-Baltistan channels, which offer us lots of info regarding this area. There were many different channels broadcasting local shows and programs and one channel is continuously broadcasting programs related to different tourist sites and beautiful surrounding of Gilgit-Baltistan region.

After passing sometimes we again settled to go out, but this time our intention is to travel to the surrounding areas. The weather outside was cold and it was also drizzling. First, we walk toward Gari Bagh Chowk, this chowk is identified by a statue of an Ibex built on a pillar. We walked toward the Gilgit River and reached the bridge, the concrete bridge is connecting two sides of the river for the traffic to cross the river. At a walking distance from this bridge we spotted an ancient bridge that was built on the Gilgit River, it is known as Konodas Bridge. This bridge is located in the Kashmiri Bazar area of Gilgit city, linking the main city with Konodas, across the Gilgit River.

We went travelling on Sadar Bazar road the path leading to Konodas Bridge, and at the middle of the route is a park by the name “Gari Bagh”.  This park also has some historic importance and government has also constructed a monument at the center of this park. Crossing the market, we took a right turn and hit the famous Konodas Bridge, this is a hanging bridge and made with iron rods, sand and stone bricks and the floor is made of wood. The bride is nearly 100 years old and deteriorating because of ignorance by the government. People are still using this bridge to traverse the river, we also walk on the bridge to view the river flowing below, and while standing on the bridge we feel that bridge continuously jerks as the people walk on the bridge. It feels a little scary, but after getting some photographs we more toward Konodas. Konodas is a residential area with small shops of daily usage items. While walking along the road we discovered a track going downward to the river, we considered that track and extended to the bank of the River Gilgit, the water was cold and flowing with high pressure.

Passing some time at the bank, we return back to the main Gilgit area using the same Konodas Bridge. Now we use a different road parallel to the river in the direction of our hotel, on the route there was a small tea shop, the weather is awesome and it was still drizzling so we asked the shopkeeper to serve us the tea at the river bank. We were enjoying sitting and having some snacks and tea along the river bank, but suddenly it started raining and we have to move inside the shop.

Finishing the tea we again walked to our hotel, we cross the famous N.L.I Market but it is still closed. By asking people along the road they informed us that due to Eid holidays these shops are shut, but some stores might open in the eventide. Then we revert back to our hotel room and enjoyed viewing the TV again.

In the evening, we again went out and this time, some are shops open, we also visited the famous N.L.I Market and bought some souvenir for our friends and relatives. N.L.I is a large market and there are many different types of shops, but more interesting are those with handicrafts and local dresses. Wandering around in the market and doing some shopping we return back to our room.

Tomorrow we have to travel back to Rawalpindi and then finally back to our home in Karachi, so we pack your luggage and after dinner we went to sleep.

VIDEO:

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From South End to North End of Pakistan (Karachi to Khunjerab)

Day 1: Rawalpindi to Naran

Day 2: Saiful Muluk Lake (Naran)

Day 3: Lalazar (Naran)

Day 4: Naran to Gilgit

Day 5: Gilgit to Karimabad (Hunza Valley)

Day 6: Karimabad (Hunza)

Day 7: Hunza Valley (Attaabad Lake, Hoper Glacier – Nagar Valley, Altit Fort)

Day 8: Eagle’s Nest (Duikar)

Day 9: Eagle’s Nest (Duikar) to Aliabad

Day 10: Pakistan-China Border, Khunjerab Pass [Zero Point] (Gulmit, Passu, Sust)

Day 11: Sust to Gilgit (Aliabad, Rakaposhi)

Day 12 & 13: Gilgit

Day 14: Gilgit to Rawalpindi

Day 14: Gilgit to Rawalpindi

Date: 28th September 2015

Now is the time to leave this splendid, marvelous and stunning region on the planet earth. From the last 15 days we have been in this beautiful Heaven, we have visited lots of places including Abbottabad, Mansehra, Balakot, River Kunhar, Naran, Saiful Muluk, Lalazar, Batakundi, Jalkhad, Lulusar Lake, Piyala Lake, Babusar Pass, Dalain, Chillas, Tata Pani, Confluence of River Indus & river Gilgit, Junction point of Karakorum, Hindukush and Himalayas, Raikot Bridge, Nanga Parbat View Point, Jaglot, Gilgit, Rakaposhi View Point, Aliabad, Karimabad, Baltit, Ganish, Attabad, Naltar, Hopper, Altit, Dauikar, Gulmit, Passu, Sust, Borith Lake and accomplished our objective of reaching Khunjerab Pass at Pakistan-China border.

Last evening we call “Madinah Car Service” in Gilgit and booked a car to drive us to Rawalpindi and were waiting for it to arrive. Only after waiting some time as the car didn’t make it on time, we call the “Madinah Car Service” for the reminder and we were surprised to find out from them that they will not be able to get us to Rawalpindi as they have no car available at this time. We all were very upset to hear this as a lot of time have already been wasted and now either we have to go by bus or spend one more night in Gilgit. Luckily, while watching the television a day before we saw an advertise of “Buraq Car Service” and have noted down the phone number of that, we immediately call them and happy to know that they have a car available to take us to Rawalpindi, and the car will pick us from our hotel within half an hour.

After about half an hour a black color “Toyota XLi” arrived to pick us, it was a well maintained and really comfortable car, we load our baggage in the trunk of the car with drivers help and hopped in the car. The person driving the car told us that he is the manager of the company and first he will drive us to the “Buraq Car Service” office and from there another driver will take us to Rawalpindi after registration. We were driving along the Gilgit River on River View road and this trip to the office provide us an opportunity to see more of the Gilgit River and the city area.

It took about 20 minutes to arrive at the office, at the office, we pay half of the fare in advance and now our actual journey toward Pindi started. We asked our driver if he knows a nice restaurant as we didn’t have our breakfast and we have to stop at a place for breakfast. The driver informed us that he also didn’t have the breakfast yet and if we can wait we can have breakfast at a location outside the Gilgit city. We agreed with his advice and then we started to drive outside the Gilgit city.

On the Gilgit Road and Karakoram Highway junction our driver stopped to fill up the gas tank, and then our journey started out on the same Karakoram Highway. This is the highway by which we arrived at Gilgit some 9 days ago and then using the same highway we went Aliabad, Karimabad, Duaikar, Gojal, Sust, and our destination of Khunjerab. Traveling on Karakoram Highway is a marvelous experience at some spots you will be travelling between green valleys, at others between mountains, at some places Gilgit River on one side and mighty mountain on the other. And then we got to the point of Confluence of River Gilgit and River Indus, this is the spot at which River Gilgit meets the Indus River and this is also a place where the three mightiest mountain ranges of the world converge. The Karakoram, the Hindukush and the Himalayan ranges meet here at the confluence of the Indus and Gilgit rivers. And then at Jaglot we stop for long awaited breakfast at a local restaurant. The restaurant has both a room to sit in and an open area, we decided to sit under a tree in the open area and eat our breakfast. The breakfast was delectable and the surrounding was beautiful.

Our journey to Rawalpindi again started, crossing the Nanga Parbat viewpoint and then Raikot Bridge. Raikot Bridge is a point from where a route lead to the land of Fairies knows as Fairy Meadows. Fairy Meadows is located at the height of 3,300 meters (10,826 ft.) and is one of the wondrous places on earth. It is a foremost step that leads to the base camp of Nanga Parbat, Basil. The route to Fairy Meadows is divided into two sections, in the first section one has to travel by Jeep on a rough and dirt road till Tato and from Tato take a 2.5 hour hike till Fairy Meadows. We did not stop at Raikot Bridge, as there is nothing to watch at that location and proceed along our journey toward Chillas.

Crossing Tata Pani, a place where stream of both cold and hot (boiling) water flows in parallel, we reached Chillas at nearly at 12:00 PM. We stop at “Pakistan Hotel & Yasir Restaurant, Chilās”, it is the worst eatery in the whole of our journey. At that place was so much suffocation inside the restaurant, not enough space for sitting, surrounding is dirty and the toilets are worst. We just ordered a plate of Rice and tea for the road, and both the rice and tea are horrible. In the surroundings there are some shops of dry fruits and spices, we passed some time in the market bought some dry fruits before proceeding toward Naran.

At Chillas there are two routes leading to Rawalpindi. One is via the Babusar Pass and the other via Besham on the main Karakoram Highway. The route via Besham is long and the road is rough and damaged at many places between Chillas and Besham. And the route via Babusar is mostly closed due to heavy snowfall, and road department has to remove the snow so that the traffic can pass through Babusar Top. The day before our arrival, there was a heavy snowfall and the reports was that the Babusar Pass is closed, but I advised the driver that he should ask at the check post if Babusar is clear, and we were glad to know his reply in positive. So we choose to take the road of Babusar as it is short, well maintained and more beautiful than the Besham router.

We were traveling on Chillas-Babusar-Naran-Mansehra road, the weather at Chillas is warm, but as we began climbing up on the mountain the temperature started dropping. Till we reached Babusar-Gah the weather becomes so cold that we have to wear our Jackets and Swatters again. At the Babusar-Gah, we had a little tea break at a small restaurant, it is a wondrous place with snow covered mountain surrounding the valley and the river Chillas flowing along the road.

Our journey toward the Babusar pass started again, as we were getting close to Babusar the weather is changing rapidly and the rain that has taken off after crossing Babusar-Gah has now converted to snowfall and the surrounding is now shrouded with snow. After about 2 hours of drive from Chillas, we reached Babusar Top the highest point in the Kaghan Valley at an elevation of 13,700 ft (4,200 meters).

At the Babusar Pass, it was snowing hard and the weather was extremely frigid. The whole area is covered with snow and cloud. It was nearly 1:30 PM but there is no sunshine because of the clouds. The wind was also blowing at Babusar Pass that is increasing the chill factor. We immediately hopped out of the car and started enjoying the snowfall. We walked till the Babusar Pass landmark and kids started playing with the snowballs. Since the wind is blowing very fast that is making it really hard to stay at Babusar Pass, so after capturing some photos we started our journey toward Naran.

Our trip now started descending down the mountain. The snow is spread all over the plans and all the peaks seen from the road are hidden under the snow. Running up & down, left & right, crossing bridges & water flowing on the road from the mountains, mesmerizing the green plains, the trees and the potato & corn crops harvested by the locals, crossing Lulusar Lake, Payala Lake, Jhalkhad, and Batakundi we reached Naran at nearly 3:00 PM.

We had a plan to stay in Naran longer as we had to have Lunch and my wife need to do some shopping there. Naran is the city where we stayed for three days at the start of our journey from 15^th September till 17^th September and visited Saiful Muluk Lake, Naran Bazar, Lalazar, Batakundi and then on the fourth day we left for Gilgit.

This time weather in Naran is much colder as compared to the time we remain here in the start of our journey, and as it was also drizzling the valley looks stunning. For the lunch we opt for the same local restaurant where we use to eat during our last halt, we order for Kabuli Pullao (Rice), Chicken and Chapli Kabab. After nearly 20 minutes of waiting for the lunch was served and during that time my wife and daughter visited the nearby shops. Finishing the lunch my wife and daughter again started their shopping adventure and me and my son just roamed about on the main Naran Road.

Passing more than one hour at Naran our journey to Rawalpindi again started. Travelling on Mansehra-Naran-Babusar-Chillas highway we are directly passing through Khaghan Valley, a sensational and marvelous valley with River Kunhar flowing along one side of the road and the beautiful mountain covered with Pine forest on the other side. Mesmerizing the stunning beauty of the area we reached “Abshar Cafe & Restaurant” near Kewai. The mentionable feature of this restaurant is that it is built on a running stream and one can sit and enjoy food and tea while dipping his feet in the water. We stick around in that location for a cup to tea but didn’t dip our legs in water as water was ice cold.

Finishing tea we traveled toward Mansehra, at Mansehra we are one more traveling on the famous Karakoram Highway. At that place was a heavy traffic jam on Karakorum Highway as the route is obstructed due to some construction work it involved tons of time for us to reach Abbottabad. From Haripur we left Karakoram Highway and used up an alternate route to Rawalpindi the Khanpur Road (N125), the route crosses through Taxilla. It’s a narrow road but there is no traffic jam on that road.

A truck at Abbotabad

We reached Rawalpindi at nearly 11:00 PM as we have stopped at many places during our journey from Gilgit to Pindi, enjoying the fascinating surroundings. This was the most wondrous journey of our life and will be remembered forever. In the last 15 days, we have visited many beautiful and marvelous places that have fresh water streams, mighty rivers, lakes, meadows, snow covered mountains, glaciers, forests, gardens, and a lot more.

After staying in Rawalpindi for three days we return back to our Home, in Karachi. Thither are many stunning locations that we were unable to visit on this trip like Fairy Meadows, Deosai, Astore, Naltar and lots more but we will be visiting these places very soon. But for now, this is the end of our most fabulous journey.

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“I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.” – Susan Sontag

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From South End to North End of Pakistan (Karachi to Khunjerab)

Day 1: Rawalpindi to Naran

Day 2: Saiful Muluk Lake (Naran)

Day 3: Lalazar (Naran)

Day 4: Naran to Gilgit

Day 5: Gilgit to Karimabad (Hunza Valley)

Day 6: Karimabad (Hunza)

Day 7: Hunza Valley (Attaabad Lake, Hoper Glacier – Nagar Valley, Altit Fort)

Day 8: Eagle’s Nest (Duikar)

Day 9: Eagle’s Nest (Duikar) to Aliabad

Day 10: Pakistan-China Border, Khunjerab Pass [Zero Point] (Gulmit, Passu, Sust)

Day 11: Sust to Gilgit (Aliabad, Rakaposhi)

Day 12 & 13: Gilgit

Day 14: Gilgit to Rawalpindi