Chitral, Gilgit, and Skardu with Family

Asked

Dear Muzzamil,

I have seen your blog regarding Chitral and Gilgit, which I really liked.

I would like to visit Chitral, Gilgit and Skardu with my family. I am Lahore based. Please advise which route could you suggest? Could we take Daewoo from Lahore? I look forward to hear from you.

Regards

Replied

Hi there

Thanks for your email. I'm glad that you liked my blog.

Chitral, Gilgit, and Skardu are great traveling destinations. In fact, we Pakistanis should feel lucky that we have natural beauty in this much abundance. However, while visiting these places it should be taken into consideration that transport is not easy in this part of the country, especially with the family, and distances are also long. For instance, Rawalpindi to Gilgit is almost 24 hours by road!
Also, there is no Daewoo to any of the destinations you mentioned.

Therefore, I'd suggest to target one destination at a time. Please let me know that so that I can assist you more.

By the way, have you been to other destinations in Pakistan, e.g. Swat, Kaghan Valley, Kashmir, etc which are easier to approach?
 Thanks

Muzzammil

Asked Again

Dear Muzamil

Thanks for your quick response.

Do you think  his one could travel by car? Is it safe? Yes, we have been to swat, naran, kaghan and muzaffarabad etc.

I will wait for your experience in Neelam Valley, which I believe is more easily accessible. By the way, if I could reach Chitral, how difficult it will be to take a transport for Gilgit etc and back to Islamabad?

Best regards

Replied

My pleasure.

I seriously doubt that one can go to Chitral by car. Lowari Pass, or Lowari Tunnel, is the major hurdle. While Chitral-Gilgit is certainly impossible by car.

For Chitral, the best is to take overnight coaster from Rawalpindi.

From Chitral to Gilgit, first one has to take jeep to Mastuj then NATCO bus, or jeep, to Gilgit. This might not be difficult as such, however, it'll be slow and one needs to be a bit methodical. Just to mention, Chitral-Gilgit passes trough Shandur Pass, so absolutely worth it. From Chitral to Islamabad, through Gilgit, takes at-least 3-4 days, and that too without any side tours.

However, both Gilgit and Skardu are accessible by car from Rawalpindi.

Hope this is helpful.

Muzzammil

NATCO is the Best Transport for Gilgit

Asked

Hi:

I read your post on the blog about travelling to gilgit.

We are a group of people including kids and we are travelling to gilgit.

Can you please guide us as to how to go there and what is best and most economical way to get there.

thanks,

Replied

Hi there

Thanks for your email.

The best way to go to Gilgit is NATCO (Northern Areas Transport Company) bus which can be found at Pir Widhai Bus Station of Rawalpindi.

For Rawalpindi - Gilgit it takes atleast 16 hours and in case there is a landsliding, add 3-4 hours. The bus goes nonstop, i.e. without a night stay, and might be a hassle with the family. Still then, this is the most viable option in my opinion because of various reasons:

Firstly, this is a government owned company which matters a lot around Northern Areas as in remote areas no  private operators have more resources then the government.

Secondly, their staff, and specially drivers, are real experts of Karakoram Highway as most of them are driving there for whole of their life. In comparison to other bus operators, I found their staff more courteous and educated. In fact, you might be surprised to see that they are uniformed and cultured.

Thirdly, not only their buses are generally in good condition, but also they are more informed and have backup arrangements, in case of landsliding, etc.

In short, don't go for any other bus operator, and don't hire something because in most probability the driver will not be used to of the Karakoram Highway which will add significantly to the travel time, unless you hire jeeps, which will be highly expensive.

Besides, if you are going for recreation, then please note that the Gilgit city has not much to offer; it is a dirt commercial town. These are the surrounding valleys which you must be targeting, most notably Hunza. Hunza's main cities Karimabad and Aliabad are further 2-3 hours from Gilgit. So from Gilgit you have to take another transport to reach there. Alternatively, you may ask NATCO as they run direct buses from Rawalpindi to Aliabad which will be very helpful. For that, you may need to contact NATCO office at Pir Widhai and buy tickets in advance. If that's not possible then you may stick to plan A, i.e. Rawalpindi - Gilgit and then take another transport to Karimabad, Hunza.

Hope this will be helpful. Please feel free to email me should you have more questions.