Eco-Friendly Tourism

02/11/2019

Northern Areas

Short story of my 5 days trip to Northern areas with colleagues. Sar Pass Val...

30/01/2019

Passu (Urdu: پسو‎) is a small village located in the Gilgit Baltistan region of northern Pakistan. Situated along the Karakoram Highway in Upper Hunza, Passu is a popular tourist destination because of its easily accessible sweeping landscapes, and vistas of the 7,478 m (24,534 ft) tall Passu Sar mountain, the Passu Glacier, and Passu Cones.

Passu is along the Hunza River, some 15 kilometers from Gulmit, the Tehsil headquarters of Gojal, in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan, and about 150 km upriver from Gilgit. Passu is located in Upper Hunza, also known as the Gojal Valley.
It lies very near the tongue of the Passu Glacier, and just south of the tongue of the Batura Glacier. The latter is the seventh longest non-polar glacier in the world at 56 km, and reaches very near to the highway. Lake Borit is a large water feature below the Hussaini village in the area.
Tupopdan, 6,106 metres (20,033 ft), also known as "Passu Cones" or "Passu Cathedral", lies to the north of the village; it is the most photographed peak of the region. Also nearby are the high peaks of Pasu Sar, Shispare Sar, and Batura.

25/01/2019

Juma Mubarik.

23/01/2019

The Kachura Lakes (Urdu: کچورہ جھیل‎) are two lakes in the Skardu District of Gilgit-Baltistan, northern Pakistan. The lakes, at 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) in elevation, are Upper Kachura Lake and Lower Kachura Lake. The latter is also known as Shangrila Lake and is within a tourist resort named Shangrila Resort outside the town of Skardu. The lakes are in the Karakoram mountain range of the western Himalayas, and in the Indus River basin.

Upper Kachura Lake is of clear water and has a depth of 70 metres (230 ft). In summer it has a temperature of 15 °C (59 °F). In winter the surface is frozen solid. The upper Indus River flows nearby at a lower elevation. The beauty of the Upper Kachura Lake is almost un-tampered and mostly unexplored by travelers, due to lack of infrastructure owing to its rough terrain. The area has a rich flora of the Western Himalayan sub-alpine conifer forests eco-region. Recreation activities at Upper Kachura Lake include hiking, trout fishing, and Himalaya mountaineering.

Lower Kachura Lake is a popular tourist destination, and has a unique restaurant that is built on the fuselage of an aircraft that had crashed nearby. Shangrila was established in 1983 with the opening of the first Resort Hotel in Skardu, Baltistan. Shangrila Resort Hotel was founded by the late Muhammad Aslam Khan Afridi, the first commander of the Northern Scouts of the Pakistan Army.
Shangrila was named after a book titled Lost Horizon by James Hilton. The idyllic place was called Shangri-la, a Tibetan word meaning "Heaven on earth". In 2015, one of the photo of Shangrila Resort was declared as the grand winner of the Wiki Loves Earth, 2015, after a worldwide contest.

15/02/2018

Mukeshpuri is a 2,800-metre-high (9,200 ft) mountain in the Nathiagali Hills, in the Abbottabad District of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northern Pakistan. It is 90 kilometres (56 mi) north of Islamabad, just above Dunga Gali in the Nathiagali area of Ayubia National Park. Much of it the mountain is covered with Western Himalayan subalpine conifer forests.
The name Mukshpuri is possibly derived from the Sanskrit words: Moksha (liberation) and Puri (city). Mukeshpuri has a special of significance for the Hindus because of the Legends relating it to the Pandavas of the Mahabharata.
The route from Nathiagali on western side of mountain is a steady and 4-kilometre-long (2.5 mi) climb. The mountain also has a route on the Dunga Gali side, with a steeper slope. There is a bird sanctuary on this side created with the help of the European Union.

From the top of Mukshpuri peak, on the eastern edge of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the following areas can be seen: — Circle Bakote, Jhelum River, the Bagh District of Azad Kashmir, in the south the city of Murree and the Murree Tehsil, as well as Islamabad.

09/01/2018

Bahrain (Torwali/Pashto: بحرین; also spelled Behrain) is a hill station located in Swat District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, 60 km North of Mingora at an elevation of 4700 ft on the right bank of the Swat river. It is named Bahrain (lit. "two rivers") due to its location at the confluence of the Daral and Swat rivers. It is known for its riverside tourist resorts, local handicrafts, and its view of the merging of the Daral and Swat Rivers. It also serves as a base camp for the trail that leads to the Daral & Saidgai lakes.
With a mild and generally warm and temperate climate, Bahrain has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) under the Köppen climate classification. The average temperature in Bahrain is 16.6 °C (61.88 °F), while the annual precipitation averages 866 mm (34.1 in). November is the driest month with 21 mm (0.8 in) of precipitation, while March, the wettest month, has an average precipitation of 120 mm (4.7 in). July is the hottest month of the year with an average temperature of 27.0 °C (80.6 °F). The coldest month January has an average temperature of 4.8 °C (40.64 °F).

22/11/2017

Sudhan Gali is a village located in Bagh District, Azad Kashmir. It lies on the main road that connects the district Bagh to Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Kashmir. This beautiful, scenic place attracts hundreds of tourists from all over Azad Kashmir and Pakistan. Sudhan Gali is famous for its hiking trails that lead to Ganga Choti (Peak), a mountain peak about 9989 feet (3044 m) feet high which is one of the most famous tourist attractions in AJK, Pakistan. Sudhan Gali is also home to some of the rarest forests in the region containing pine trees that are hundreds of years old. Due to lack of knowledge and interest, these forests are now endangered to become extinct as locals continue deforestation by cutting down trees yet local and state governments seem to have no interest in saving them. There is a cricket ground near the Ganga Peak known as Ser Ground, located between two mountains. It is not very large but looks very beautiful. Every June a cricket tournament is held there in which sixteen teams of District Bagh and Muzafarabad participate. People of Sudhan Gali are very educated and the literacy rate is about 89% despite shortage of basic needs.

15/11/2017

Dhangali is a relatively unknown place (though fisherman may disagree) in the vicinity of Rawalpindi. This is the place where, for some time in a season, river Jehlum strips its muddy cloak; and turns emerald.

Dhangali is a place that links Kalar Syedan with Dudyal (Kashmir). It is located at distance of just 55kms (40 minutes) from Pindi (Kachehry Chowk). Road condition is good, though it is single. Route from G.T Road is

From Rawalpindi to Rawat (G.T Road)
Just alongwith the overhead bridge on G.T Road (where right and left you have Rawat bazar) there is small road turning left at almost 90 degrees. This is Kalar Syedan Road. There you can find Vans and suzuki's en-route to Kalar Syedan which is halfway to Dhangali.
Once you are on this road keep on this main road till you cross Kalar and further 10-15 Kms. Then this road will split into 2 roads 180 degrees to each other turning right & left.
On left-side are some villages of Choa Khalsa, but one should turn right. Suddenly after 2-3 turns, landscape will change and a bit wild nature can be observed. Once you have taken this right turn you will reach Dhagali bridge in the next 10 minutes.

Information source: https://www.pakwheels.com

13/11/2017

Nilan Bhotu Valley is about 40 minutes drive from Pir Sohawa on the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) side of Margalla Hills, roughly 27 kilometres (17 mi) North-East of Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan. The 'Chilla Gah' (Place of meditation) of Bari Imam is also located there with crystal clear water ponds full of Mahseer fish, but fishing is not allowed by the locals.

It is almost impossible to go there on a street car although you can use motor bikes (Trail bike preferably but a 125 will also do) since the road is in a dilapidated condition and is mostly broken. It also passes through a stream so ideally a 4WD should be taken there. You can also hire a jeep for Rs. 1,500 from the village to take you to Nilan bhotu. You must travel during the day since there is no electricity in that area and you can get lost on the way back if night falls.

05/10/2017

Babusar Pass or Babusar Top (Urdu: درہ بابوسر‎) (el. 4173 m./13,691 ft.) is a mountain pass at the north of the 150 km. (93 miles) long Kaghan Valley connecting it via the Thak Nala with Chilas on the Karakoram Highway (KKH). It is the highest point in the Kaghan Valley that can be easily accessed by cars. Babusar Pass connects Gilgit Baltistan with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.

04/10/2017

Rakaposhi (Urdu: راکاپوشی‎), is a mountain in the Karakoram mountain range in Pakistan. It is situated in the middle of Nagar Valley Nagar District and Danyore and Bagrote valley approximately 100 km north of the capital city Gilgit of the semi autonomous Gilgit–Baltistan region of Pakistan. Rakaposhi means "Snow Covered" in the local language. Rakaposhi is also known as Dumani ("Mother of Mist" or "Mother of Clouds"). It is ranked 27th highest in the world and 12th highest in Pakistan, but it is more popular for its beauty than its rank might suggest.

02/10/2017

Malika Parbat (Pashto and Urdu: ملکہ پربت‎; Queen of the mountains) (el. 5,290 metres (17,356 ft)) is the highest peak in Kaghan Valley, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is about six km south of Lake Saiful Muluk near Ansoo Lake.

The mountain is clearly visible from the popular tourist spot of Lake Saiful Maluk in Kaghan Valley. Malika Parbat is accessible from Naran-Lake Saiful Muluk side and from Batakundi-Dadar Chitta Glacier. There are three summits that forms Malika Parbat, Malika Parbat (North Peak), Malika Parbat Cresta, and Malika Parbat (South Peak).

Imran Junaidi from Pakistan and Jens Simonsen from Denmark climbed the Malika Parbat (North) peak in July, 2012. Imran Junaidi is the first Pakistani to have climbed the North peak. The mountain is considered non-climbable among the local population due to steepness as well as supernatural hazards.