Karachi to Naran and Lake Saiful-Mulook: Itinerary, Logistics, and Cost

Asked

Dear Muzamil,

How are you , hope you are fine with good health. I have seen your blog on website regarding the tourism, it was awesome  and good article. We are couple want to avail our holiday from 26 of Ramadan to onward 4 august and we are from Karachi.  We last time, visited Muree , Patriayata and Isalamabad. Now we want to see another areas and need some guidance. Can you help me where to visis step by step with cost of living and meal etc if possible.

Thanks and Best Regards

TY

Replied

Hi TY

Thanks for your email and I'm glad that you found my blog helpful.

This year I suggest you to explore beyond Murree and Islamabad. You have ~10 days to spare - which means you can explore either Naran valley till Lake Saif-ul-Mulook or Kashmir's beautiful Neelum Valley uptill Arang Kel. (Google these places for photos and information)

Naran valley will be expensive so if cost is the constraint then Neelum Valley is a good choice.

For both, you have to first reach Islamabad/Rawalpindi. May I ask how do you plan this travel: by road, train, air, or you plan to take your own car?

So these are my first thoughts. Hopefully helpful. I'll wait for your feedback and will be happy to assist you in developing a good itinerary inshallah.

Regards

Muzzammil

Asked Again

Thanks you so much for your kind reply.

we will start my traveling from Karachi to Rawalpindi but still ticket not confirm for train or bus. 

I think I have to go to first taxila, onwards, abbotabad, naran, kagan, saiful malook, ansoo jheel and them up the bapostr. If you have any more ideas for more beautiful areas, then suggest me. But what will be cost , have no idea for that tour.   Will I get transport and accommodation easily during trip? And  how I can cut the cost .

I have 50000 Budget plan including traveling from Karachi to pindi.  I am fear that I will not get any train or bus ticket. Is Daewoo is feasible for long journey.

Regards

TY

Replied

My pleasure TY :-)

After reading your feedback, I've given that a thought and here is a rough plan from my side:

Day 1: Leave Karachi

Day 2: Arrive Islamabad/Abbottabad. Night stay.

Day 3: Arrive Naran. Night stay

Day 4: Visit Lake Saiful-Mulook. Possibly visit Aansoo Lake. Night stay in Naran

Day 5: Visit Babu Sar Pass. Night stay in Naran

Day 6: Arrive Shogran. Night stay in Shogran.

Day 7: Visit Sri Pai. The move to Islamabad. Night stay in Islamabad.

Day 8: Visit Taxila. Night stay in Islamabad

Day 9: Back to Karachi

Hope the above would be helpful. You might have noted that I have replaced Kaghan with Shogran plus Sri Pai. If you can add an extra day then extending your stay at Abbottabad would be worthwhile mainly to visit Thandyani. Further, I have kept Taxila for the tail-end of the trip so that it can also be used as a backup day should you desire to extend your stay in the hills or if it wouldn't go as per the plan, which is a possibility mainly because of the rainy weather.

Karachi-Islamabad Logistics:

I usually go by train; buy Karakoram Express Economy, which comes with the berth and an excellent dining car, for around Rs. 1,500, and unbeatable value for money. I go as far as Faislabad/Lahore and than continue by bus to Islamabad, another Rs. 700-800. But for Karkoram Express I doubt you will get seats now as a friend visited Northern Areas last month and he had to book that 2 weeks in advance, and then it might be Eid pressure now. However, you should try your luck as it is the most comfortable and cost effective option in my opinion, Don't go for any other train, as they might not be as reliable and can ruin up the whole trip. Business Train is a good possibility if that can fit into the budget. I guess it costs around Rs. 4,000-5,000 per person. Personally, I would avoid the Business Train as it adds not much for the extra cost.

Alternatively, Daewoo is the option. Bad thing is that it is too long a journey for a bus ride. Although it is comfortable and stops almost every two hours but still too tiring for me. Since you are two people, so the company might help. But the biggest advantage is that you can reach directly to Abbottabad, which I have also mentioned in the above plan. So in case I wouldn't get Karakoram Express ticket, I will go with Daewoo. And in any case, I will book the tickets without any more delay. Just to mention, one of my colleagues came back from Naran just last week and they did that the Daewoo way, however, it was an organized group.

Cost:

Rs. 50,000 is decent budget in my opinion. Main cost will be logistics, then hotel accommodation, and then food and other things.

Transportation Cost:

Let's take the Daewoo case. Their website (http://www.daewoo.com.pk/) shows Rs. 4,550 for Karachi-Abbottabad and 4,350 for Karachi-Islamabad. So it will be ~18,000 for the round trip. From Abbotabad to Naran, I will advise taking the public transport (usually hi-ace) which shall not cost more than 500 per person, so add ~2,000-3,000 for the round trip. Note that you may need to go to Mansehra/Balakot first if there is no direct transport from Abbottabad to Naran, In case, you opt for the hi-ace, be there at the bus station really early in the morning and ask for the front seats for a better experience. To avoid being cramped up, I usually buy an extra seat, especially when the front ones are not available.

For Lake Saiful-Mulook and Babusar, you have to hire jeeps. These jeeps can be found at Naran's main bazaar. They are usually lined-up and controlled by an association with fixed rates. Hiring one directly from there, rather than through the hotel or by some passing-by jeepwala, would give you cost and reliability advantage. Again the key would be to be there early, to beat the crowd. For Naran-Shogran and then Shogran-Balakot/Mansehra-Islamabad, I would go again with the public transport while for Sri Pai, the same jeep system works. For Taxila, you can hire a car from Islamabad, or contact PTDC Islamabad as I believe they arrange daily tours for that. Car shall not cost you more than Rs. 2,000 while the PTDC one can be cheaper and might include entrance fee and guide service - so the preferred option for me.

So in all, transportation may cost you around Rs. 25,000-30,000 for the whole trip.

Accommodation Cost:

You might have already noted that transportation cost is mostly not negotiable, unless you are relying much on taxi and car hire. On the other hand, it is the hotel expense which needs to be controlled and dealt with smartly otherwise your budget can be broken badly. It will be the peak tourist season so expect some outrageous price quotes from hotels, especially at Naran and Shogran. But there are way-outs indeed.

First and the most important is timing your arrival to a new destination. Try reaching as the first person, so leave the previous place really really early in the morning. As the day day passes, price quotes start reaching new skies. I know nothing can be more difficult for Karachiites than waking up early in the morning and getting to bed early in the evening, but as they say 'When in Rome, Do as Romans Do'. In this situation, we usually skip table breakfast and instead keep stuff which we can eat on the go. Other than better bargaining power, waking up early in the morning will also give you more daylight for sight-seeing, the main reason you will be committing this journey.

Additionally, doing some internet research about the hotel cost in your target destination can never be wasteful. There are many online resources available for that but I have particularly found http://www.pakwheels.com/forums/road-trips-vacations/ and wikitravel's pages helpful in this regard.

If you can keep the average cost of night stay around Rs. 1,500-2,000, which will be a good achievement, then it would total up to Rs. 10,000-15,000. So the overall cost is still within your budget.

What to Pack:

Don't load too much stuff as you will be mostly on the go but keep a couple of warm clothes as it will be very cold in Naran and Shogran.

So these are my two cents worth. Hopefully helpful. Please feel free to ask if you have more questions. And I would be glad if you keep me in updated of developments, with your convenience, and can share the feedback once you are back.

Happy travels.

Muzzammil