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