hiking around islamabad 1992

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H II< ING .AROUND ISLAMABAD



to J ea rn · moreaboL l t

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Pak is tan. Wl1en 'HansMat ' l~(1 le f laken w a s e n co u ra~e d ll tQ w r :1 te .: :a

h ik in g g Uid e .fo r t h e 'a re a b e ' PJ~l ; Icec; l~a s l i m : b oo kle t, fu ll o f u se fu lmaps and In fo rmat ion , i n . lge~e t n t i e r .~9a8. .

,;~;",? " 1 ; ¥ r G t s ; ,

This was very p ~ p ' l ' : J l a r . ' « 1 J ~ e fi lisl~,!eDlti0qhof 1 0 00 e o pi es w a sso ld o ut in tJvo an~ a ~~lf;¥ear;s.,,=,a~S\lJIctS,fi li i :iw pro du ce d a n ul:)·lo

d a te r ev is ed v er .s lo n Wb'li€R4ta~s.n to aCQol,mt t he la te st !n fOrma7tion o~· new~fd +sCJr(aE,e~t;ld " ie .e p ab le " r o ad s .. bu~ding

enc toochmel , ' l Js ' a D d st$f le ql !a t~ les : II a .mF~tJ re , ; t lna t th is w ill s e nw e l l to o a n d g i v B I i I S e f l ! J J J n € o . r : j : ) ; J a t l o r l and*;ple~rSUl"e to' many. .

11



"Happ i l y . ,:tti~reel<ists;in ·1$lamabad l f i . thrivin~Qrganj$atlonWhiChlabbies. roprese~e ' the Ige a~ ty o f . the M6! tgan~ .hills.. Th eMal'gallahr!ills ..S o ci ~ ty . e s ta b l is h ed by a gr oup ~~:~~qchiZsM oflsfamabad •.. ls dOingr.a i faudable Job Inn.usmg RUbll l l : : .

. , . . . b y o r ·I. ~ENeRAL . ....f;" .t} "", 1

A. Intf 'oo u c n o n : C ! ! l d Ackn o w le d gm en ts , ., ,B C Bma te " ''' ''' " ".." , ,.,. .., 4c " ali' hy <iihd tle o to gy ,,," , , 70 : N '" . n :( it h\ :H i l 1'S ., ~ ~ ;~ " ~ ; ~ .: :, ,., . .'' 9

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F .

I ? r o m ·f : ' ; O . ! ' T l, (Que r .

14 . ~:F~ol11

Rasnm i t iC:Two and Thna§ . ..'·G. ..•

1 . From 1 3 , I i l , i]OP t'l.R[iII.§1.l~t day ) . .s

tMn .'. . ' (2 r i '6 l 'day) ' " " 482. From T h a r i d t 1 3 . l ' I i to ' INa1i:n ll'fG 1ill: 52

Iii



Index map of va.l leys WE)$t Of Daman~-Koh, a lao showing position ofw e - s t e r n ridge Orl ink trails. '

T he 'o ffi cia l' K hy ab an -e -M a rg ala r un s to the w es t a lo ng the

foot of the h iH s ,fr qm a n in te rs e ct iC l fl with th;¢Khycrp~Q-e-lq!)qr.where s e c t o r E - i· tl )' e gl n s. A()cess to the va r ioU'ss ta r t ing" 'po in tsd rthe hikes i s g iv e n ill the re le va n t d e s c r ip tio n s . '

A SHORTWALKS.

1,~i.ThereIs a t ra UJ r pm It h s. ls lama ba d too Ohe i l o i n t is:~l1edMa:rghzar) t o O am a n -e ~K oh (v ie w po in t) , S e e th e map of hike B 5 ..

The trail starts behind the zo o a n d zlgzagS$teeply uphil l to the

v ie \ypo in t . It.pnly t a ke a bo ut 2 0 m in ute s Ito w a lk IJp. The : l~ i l i l is ,q ult 'e 'po pu la ~"a n d . e c row d~i on IF'r~~s.J ~"'""'(:~" '. .2. From D am a n-e -K oh t he re a re s ev era l h ik e s to the su r-

1r04m:J jng h 0 S."r ileY a re , al l l .weH ml ! rn t a ln e d . ",~ (l ve umq r , e ll a -shaped sh ',' a fihe .picn iC ' : spo ts . ,aM: fare Heavily us i i c l o nF rid a ys . N o s pe cia l e xp la na tio n is needed a s Y O Llm ay se e themf rom the p ar kin g a re a.

- - : : ' ::



o 1. . . . . . 1 N~

ln cle x m ap o f,y alle ,y s e as t 0 1'Daman - a -Koh .

3., "Ther~ Is trail from~he lPir S()ha~arO~d nlar ['~ma~-e-K9h

to the 'Second VieVi\point'. The trail statts f[Qmthe road Q,eartoe: : .- '- . - : : r . . '1 ,ff;:~ Jr . ' ;;~ '.:.,:! . , . ; .. -- :-::.. :.-. .:."::

kiosk (World Wildl ife sign). It Ieads.ln about 20 minutes to a hilltop(wJth shade) frqm where: lIoLl~ave,. anexc~lIent~view. The place

does riot d ra w la rg e croWds., •.~ .. ,""~:;~:..?~ : : i~ , ) : - :. - ' : B . . . . :<}'~:.:: < :~ : . :. . : . :. .

4. Short wa l k s along th e Unk Trail. Drive to the first intersec-tion (60 j fi '; ,Ba~ i) , a :1101 tIQbe Pir Sohaw~ road,a.6 k m f r O m the

Khyaban-e-lqbat ('Margalla road'). Iake"the roadto the lett (which

l eads to tlie vill 'age, T alh ar ] < ;In d go , td'thefirst'fSerid;abOut 1Q O

meter, and cl iml:; l the trail on you~Jeft. In 20 miQu tes , after SOIfl~

zigzags, you will reach the ridge. There ate several nice picnic

20

SQPtsJMrtheralo~g thi~ trail. wijh ~iew$ ~QbC l th s i~ ,e s ~,ute~pecIal- ....ly'lntoihe Nilan Nullah, north ofthe rIdge. See also the Index map

o~;the'area'wes~;Df Daman-e-Kiah.

5.", ~ou,!:,lt HappiQ&ss~r Garatilh!alsa ~call,edMeditationPai~t) ..,...

This hil ltop can be easily reached 'from the P,irSohawa road, S~art

fr0mtlrie first teastal~;(-calledGhaw~i) after Damari~e-K"6han.d walk' .:

along the r idge !o M_ountHa~pine,ss. (Q{lra~ v.tber~,you,v.till ,~~e .••..e l r ! unflhishea p i c n i c spot. There is a weU-main ta . ined tra i l f r o m the .

KQya:ban·e~lqb~tl ('~ilrgalla r ~o ad (J " in F,61~"to,Jhe,,bil i top ~ithsigns erectsd by the CDA (CDA trail 3). There is a good parkingpla ce ju st Off the 'Ma r 'g a l J la r oad ' . Going down f rom the top can

take an hour, but going uphil l, star ting from F-e/3 takes almost :2

21



Hike 9':3: Dara Saniarl-Baoyan Tree valley and Dara Kelinler. Gandhian va l l ey ,

26

a t le'!s t an hQr J r s "wa l k lrornl'fbe B a ny an tre es to the vm~ge ofG he a . A m u ch q U Jo 'k er r et urn is ~hl ' 'OElghhe Quarry va l ley.

3. Banyan Tree Valley-Dara S an i a r i and Gandhian Val~l e y -Da r a Kalinjer.

11 1

Walking: distance 7 km for the circular walk - Walking time 4hours. !'ii, ";"

T he B an ya n J re e val leyis the most beaut i fu l " 19lspoiiJ;val l~y

west of th e Plr Sohawa r o a d . The uppe r reaches o f th e valley a rew id e with a r ich and varied vegeta~ion. On t~ o the r hand th eGandh i a n valley is par tly spoilt by limestone quarries, some of

them dfiep in the valley. "'"". ~

fhe following description is a circular Walk going up the

BaJlyar.J i r ree-l . Ial iey and r e tu r n i ng through t he G a n d h iq n V a lle y .::" "

Follow th e road west of the Faisal mosque ( see also hike S -

: & u n til 'Y o u s e e s e ve ra l la rg e Banyan t r ees justoff th e road' n e a r an umbe r of houses, Pa r k at any convenient po in t and start walking

up the 'valley aJong_lhe ( dr y) s tr e am , crossIng the s t r eambed fre-

quently for the best going. After about 40 ~inutes leave thes t reambed and tum to tfie right c l imb ing a' t raU' \ teeP!Y ziigzaggil'lg

un.UI af te r about twenty minutes, you r each thelunk i r a n ( s e . e h i k eB.J~at enelevatlori of 2526 ' -770m unde ( a sma!11l dgs ' .

Tu rn r igh t a nd f·ollow tJ i lin~trail u p hi ll. ;T h e t ra il s w it ch e s

back and forward through hi9h gras t o a saddle at 3150'·960m.

So fa r ths who l e walk shoUI~ havs, taken just under tw~hOUfS,

From the s a t i a T e ~u can make a f1ice sIde trip (20 minutes one

,way) to the tp p of th e h i~ t o fh ,e s o Y ln at:a h e ig ht o f 3 6 3 : 1 ,', -1 17mw i th a lJ e a u tlfu l v t~ \.t a c ro s s the plain a n d Is lam aba d . .

Back : at the sadd le tum right aJong;a trail whic;h l e ads to a nlnteraectlon at 31U' -9Sam . 10 the leTt( to the east) is the link tra il.

Tg, th e right y G I J !S t a r t zigzag!l11ngdown into the Gandhfan valley.

At a s pr in g (2493'-760m~ y o u follow the s tre am a ll th~ way downthrough a gorge t'01he~ilIaQe'of Gl.'indhian. F rom h e :r e' w a lk ba€lk

to your t ransport at th e B a ny an Tree valley, approx imate ly 2 km.

27



'%~*)" ~x ~~_ _ _ '

Hik~ r J . ! ~ f Qar.a ·Olto.keJeWan'vailey IbeMa1!h Urst nalrpm:Dama"H~=KQhJPi r Sohawa road . .

31



6. Saidpor Valley - Oars Said,p!Jr

Walking distance 7 km - Walking time 4 hours.

This is a ~alghtfQrward walk yphill tllroUgh' the valley.

Leave your car a t Saidpur andwalk through the vil lage along the

s t re a rnbeo , There are several pot; tery shops Where you may buy

some o f th e products (on 'you r W f J . lI baek l ] . lnthe vi lfage Y O L I will .

notice a large fortified noe se and t he r uin s of a Hindu shrine. Con-

t i n u ~ uphill fqllowing the yal ley ~.ut a t t J: l, e head of the valley keep

to ,tile right and c l imb uphill along a fairly steep t ra i l . Eventuallyyou wi l l end up at the teastaJlalong thaPir sohawa road or, as an'

alternative, .cHmban the way up to Mount Ha~pjness,:l'ilhe(1e"'exlst

qults a few tracks which all lead to the Pir Sohawa road. To return

yO!iJhave seve ra l iptions:;:,either the same w~y,~ack o r alooQ,.theIrldge from Mounl',Happlness to the Khyaban-e-lq15al (,Margalla

road') taking anyone of a number of trails.@ '" , '. '

1, OitraJa 'ngfan " " : '

"aJk~ngdistance 8 ,km- Walking time 4 hours"

Drive east along the Khyaban-fr-rqbal ('Margalla road') past

the turnoff at the end of sector F-6, across a bridge till a cu~e int he ; r o ad ' .clQseto the remains o f the liIillage of Jalilg!an. SeVE1l'af

years ago the village was bulldozed and only the mosque Is still

present A large;area ..has been fe~ced.off. and there,...1s a

roadblock Just Defore th e roadblock there is an opening T n the

fence where you can enter the area and park ~our car. Lea\l~ the

Iremnants.lofthe village o rr your right arid walkllpstream. Just~ut-

side the former vi llage there is an abandoned gravel pit . Cont inue

uphilll,.alon.g.the st.ream.p~ u~tJI you ..~~ch 8;!)unctiO",IiI.T4nl teft,~ ..

and almost Immediately you Will reach a large'flg tree (after about'

35 minutes from the beginning o f the walk), He re three trails take"

oft'in dlietent diFection~; Kee~Ingthe ,left traU yall will r;each~'M,oun t Happiness and/or th e teastall along the P ir Sohawa road a t

the head of the ~afdpur vaueyf,.The ,Widdle t~all steepl,y eUrnbs

uphill also to the Pir Sohawa road, while the third trail sharply

turns to the right past a spring (Nara') , crossing a saddle to reach

the'head ~f the Lebpard val ley and final ly ends up aU,he teastall atMurad Galt

In order to return you can go dbwn allY one of the th ree

valleys, The map shows the various possibilities.

34

8. iLeopard V,~lIey - ~$r:a Plata Hotter

Walking distance 6 km •Walking time 3 1f2 ; hours

' I 1 P a r k atdlsthesame s p o t as ; $ t ; l g : g e s t e G l t for the Dara Jan~lf\n,

See hike B·7. Walk past ~he remains of the vi llage (on y~ur fight)

and at the enJi of the ruins there Js a trail to th e r ight which eros-

,ses a 'low sad"dle after wl'\'cl 'l you ~1I!'eacl the Leopardrvalley ~~5

minutes), c lose to a wal led cemetery (a shrine of a pir) .

1 1 is also possible to '@let to the ,cemetery b y car, bU t d.U~to

a broken bridge you have to dri~ around. See the descrlptton

,under pike B'~!!I .

A few minutes walk beyond th e shrine the re are a few

.houses, T.he.ilr13!iltads to ~e left of the fields alqng the..~ill .slope"btl! soon you will be close to the streambed.J~e trail zlgt~9S

uphill along and in the streambed. After about 5 · !'"lnutes ~here ISa

'spring on the left s iGleand after another 5 minutes 'you Wil l pass a

prominent rock bluff on your right. ,

, Contililue along the streambed, at plaees th~. traiUJI,tJ;ls

sligh1y higher along, ' the slope, You should fol low the trai l a long

the ~in v~y lathe north, steeply climbing uphill. Eventually,after naving, walkE;loalong steep and flat portioliiS of ttl 'S trail,'You

wm join the trail from Murad Gali to the west. Turn right t? ~each

-.': tl1le'teast'all 00 ~he~liF Sohawa road (371;3' - H50 m ), ~hlch: you

should reach after approx 1 1/2 hour from the start. As an alter-

. .. .•.oat iNIf, . tum !el t to . :Ql lowthe .trai l a?ross a saddl~ i~t~ ,the Dara.....•JangUm: A uc:liilzigzags down Into this valley (see hike 8-,1).

35



9. R oc k P oo ls V alle y - D ar a N ur pu rJ Sa ra

Wa'iking d i s tance 8 km ~r8fmdtrip)~ Walking t ime 4 h()1.;Jrs

This hike is des c r i b ed as a r o u n d trip, Walking tip through

the v alte y a n d b ac k a lo ng th e c re sr-o t t he h iils w e st o f the va l ley.

tfie hike"arts a t algood park ihg p l ag e n e a r th e Mand i ~ d awater works north o f NWPllr Shahan. It can be reached by follow-

, ll 1 g the . road which passes the Cana d i a n Embassy (Ispahani

Road). J he .ro a d tu rn s le ft a nd ru ns rJ ;la st a number of~Qvernment

a p a r tm e n t buildings. At a j unc t ion c o n n n u e straight o n (t o ther ight the road leads to the vi llage of Nurpur Sh ah a n ) .

Atter c r os s i ng a bridge th e paved l 1oac t~ t l rnsto tt; ie r igh t butat this point you should fO l low a dirt track wh i ch after a few

mjnutes~oins a meta l led road. Foldow this r oad towards the hills

and within 10 m in u te s y o~m r ea c br ::t hew a te t Works.

This is a ls o a good a cc es s ro ad Into tne leopard Val ley _

Dara ,Ra ta Hotter, After dr iv ing for a fe w minutes along the

tmetalled:l{oadth~re~isafl"tlQPavedlt!'8Ck to~he left W~ich 'lead's\jnto this'valley.'" .... .

leave th e ca r and wa l k up the val ley along the wen ma r k e d,; ' track N§1ara sm aU v illa g e .y bu c a n either walk·through i t (be tweE£h

"wa l l s ) orturn right before r,eaching it. Be careful of the local dogsl

In bo th cases yo u must t h en cross th e stream bed. The trail w,jU

f,~go sl ightly uphill .and the st!ream Wil?e on your left. The tracK i~

' ·ma r k ed wit l l b lU e a r ro w s . After ab o u t 3 5 -4 0 m in u te s f rom the s ta r to f th e walk y ou w ill be ab le to se e i n th e s tre am be d b elo w s ev era lrock pools and a, spring (Barooti ..spr ing ) . , ,The plac!'t can be

? ' [ 'xeached 'a , long a n a r r o w p a~h ,An exce l l en t S p a f ' for bathing', espe-'C; ial ly for ch ild re n ' '.

." FO llo w the m a lin ~ra c k ~urthe~.,uphill " " "h ich jsJ : : )ecomingi;~tocky, l eav ing l rhe ' ,s t reambed far o e i " O w . O n ; ~ ! y o u r ' l e f t " " , 'you willhoUce a waterfall. ihe track zigzags t h r ough thick shr'Ub uphill,

skirting a s e c o ng (and l a r ,ger ) wa te r fa l l. Even tuaJ ly y ou w ill r ea ch a

,.,~(Jt a r e a , '. ,W j t hf ie l d s , a f ew ifl~abited~ouses, r .~ in s a n d ~ 'r Fo ld ' fi g>tree. Th i s i ' ! s the vi l lage caned S a r a . Ai"this pla c& a j eepab le- t rack

starts n ea r t he s tr ea m be d. Follow th is track which is z igzagg inguphi ll and, a fte r a fla t s t re tc h , yo u will re a c h the ro a d a t P irSohawa,.

36

H Ik e 8 -9 : O a r a N L lr pu rIS a r a- .R o c k p oo ls v all ey ,

37



Walking ba ck along ~fle cres~iQf the hillis&Simple. Go fn ;~xm

Pir Sohawa along a gradualr~ de,s~l)ding trail off the main road to

the west, towards the highest point of the ridge, turn left and fQt.

lo w the track desoending mainly a lOJ ' lgthe ridge, sometimes COR-

' touring around spurs. The a r e a is fai r ly wooded.

if. fhere are many tralls"so tr y t o keep your !:learing. To mak~i~easy you wHJbe alJle to see the water works from this distance.

tinally, the track zj .sdO¥'l'lhilJand, after crossing ~pen. flat-

'tish country with low rub, you will ,end up close to the car parR:'

The 'Holy Man 's cave' (Sarrf lman's cavet is situated on til;!

~I'ope 0 ' the hill east Of ' thetRock Pools Val ley. The Cave can iSeeasily reached in about 45 minutes from the car pa rk going

,dJrectl)!.across the ~t~ealitl : b e ( ; ; I i . )l.o!J wi'•. notiG~ many: pig rimsgoing up- and downhill, A villt to t i le shrine and the cave is worth

~hi le. F~om the ~alle it sh.0~'d be easy t'lt contl.l lue to. the m~i.!l.wlley Without losing elevation. '" t .II .

10. RumU· Narias,. and highest paint of the Margal las.

"Walkinldistance 8 km - walking t im~ (from Rumti) 61/2 ~urs"

This is it beautiful, but rather streneous walk.t ir iv ,e past the Austr~lian Embassy~to the Quald-e-AZi l~

Wniversity. Inside the arch tum left till you see a sign PASTIC pn

'!.'Yournight Oust:before a red/white antenna)~ A .t tfllspoiAtftmnleft

and follow a dirt track which leads to a metalled road. This road

leads ~ Rumli but illst before the vlllaqe at a kind of school, the

'paved road tur 'ns right fol lowing arstreafnbed uphil l. Ei ther park

your car at the school and walk uphill or follow the metalled road

1 1 1 1 a T-j,UFlctio",and leave yq~r transport a~"thls PQint, Ibe road to

the right enters the valley of Shahdara but you should follow the

paved road walking uphill. A~.a certain point. at ah.elevatron of ap-

. pmximfate.ly 3500' (1065 m)'~'feavetl'ie metalled rmid and:U1!rt1iglltalong a narrow footpath going uphill used by local people. It may

i;le difflcyJt to t i q d this turn-o,tf, LOofWor a point VIlhere tl]r.ee sh~pbends occur before the road ctlmbs fairly steeply along a long

and straight stretch.The footpath climbs along a rocky trail alld

eontlnues on ~fueother side (the eastern !?ide)of lh~ ridge. s'kirtm.g

the valley of Narias. with splendid views across this vaUey. Even-

tually ynu w m reach th e vi llage from where you wUI notice a smal l

school building located high at a saddle. Climb uphill to the

school and then continue tu~ningback (to the west) along a

38

iH ik& a: 1 0; ,R u m 'li a n d N a ria s . a n d h ig he S ct p oin t o f t h e Ma r ,ga ll a s.

39



ieepable track. At the point w h ere th e je ep trail Jgoes down, taka afootpath wh ic h r u t1 .smora or less,.level tl)a grove. Inside the g ro veis' a" holy place with a sprfng. Now plimb uphill along a drys t re ambed untnMydu r ea ch th e s ad dle between th e two main val-

leys. From the saddle i t i s .e a s y to.climb to the highest pointof th e

Margalla Hills (52 64 ' - 1 60 4 m ) on wflich all a~telma linstallation,powe r e d with solaf panels' is erectoo.

Tl,Irn back along the, same steep slope to the saddle andtu rn into th e w e s te rn vallery W h ic h is heavily wqodsd , Foltowany

trail going sotrth byt 1ry' tb remaIn htgll.' If you go down into the

val ley you w ill e ne ou ets r ve ry r o ugh te r ra in with impenetrablesh rub . It i s a ls o pOSs ib le to walk a lo t :1gt8e ve ry c re st o f th e ridge

but also this is not ve ry easy. At a 'Oertain,~oint you will hit the

je~pable, asphalte/road which leads baCKdowohill.to ~um~i.

. "11. Second Ridge

Walking d is tan te 11km- walking t i m e 6 hou r s

Park yo u r c a r a t the end o f the m eta ile d, fG ad ,a t P ir

SO"ha-:,a.Walf along th~ jeepable track (~t}.ichm ay q )S Q on a~~"pha l tE ld ) to tn e northeast and after 25 mmutes (2.2 km) you Wil l

reach a junction. Fol low the main road (tHetrack':to the r ight goes

to Pharllla] and a,ftefianother 35 m i nu t es Y 0 l! 4w i ll be~at a low sad!

die. Sangra Gal ie,wi1:ha few houses and shops. YiQuare ll10viirJ

th e NWF Province: the actual boundary between the ;Islamabad

Capital Terri toI}' and the NWFP runs from P i r SOh:'wa along theridge ·tothe nOl '1 :heas t .

~ Continue along' th e t r ac~a nti 3 5 m in ute s 'aft~r yo u shoard

have r e a e~hed rthevillage c e nc re ts W a fe rw e 'U o f IMakfmlal. At this

road Jy,nction yo u should tun,," sharply to the left and follow a

jeepable track uphill (the ..main road continu~s t~ t~ forest

r e s thou s a MaKhnial). Af te r 4 tJ minu t es from tlie junction there is a

nice 'meadow ancfsome IIme'Stone ro ck s, w ith g0 80 vie w s in to thevalley to the: north. Continue along The Itrack for an 'O t ne r ,;5

m in u te s . T he r.e is a small s l1r !ne r i o o t on the rJdgebm In o rd er tofind it you must l eave ' the~ t rack and g o uphill along a rocl<y m~il.

~ .. ~ast the sh r ine the trail will ~gain i ? l n the jeepa.ple flack

iwhlch goes tof(hanpur). Almost Immediately there I~ a very

sharp curve in~the track an d at tl'1ispoinvyou should leave it andQO downhill,ltowares the hpuses of Kalla.

4l



'* 'H Ik e . B -~ 3: f r.D .m T $J lw ,t o r sl'a m .a ba d ~ ~~ l !a l~w'

44 45



highest point (a smaiL saddle) take ~ trail which runs sharply to'

the right. Fot lew this trail uphil l . EventuaUythe tljlil beco~es a well

'marked footpath which encircles a valley and ends up at the Big

, f3 oul c ; l e r ~ass. IFro91there the easiest, but n o t the most beautiFul

way to go down is through the Quarry valley. The valley is com-pletely spoilt bl{ numerous limestone quarries.

At the entrance of the val ley there are a number ofteastal ls

where yourtranspart should be waiting tor you .. I f you have notransport ¥OLl ea n easilycfind'a taxi or Suzul{ :L

14. r r ; o ~ Cheka Galt to Mqnra Sha~if,'to Kashmir.[B a z a a r r o a d .

Walking distance 6 1/ 2 km - Walking tjmel llj. hours tg MphraSharif; then 1 hour f b the mal l f "l'" " '1Il', ' r

prive to' the road junctiolfl at Cheka GaIL which C an be

reached by fol!awing therQap from Synny; Bank towaros Kohala

and then to the Cheka Gall junction indicated by a signpost: left'Bourbon' and straight o n 'K o b a la ', .

Park Y ou r c ar a t Cheka Gal i and walk along theBourbonroad for a hundred or so meters, first through a curve to the right

and then to a Ileft curve across a nullan. At this point youwiU see

an the left below the road a trail disappeanng into the pine forest.

F() 'Jlowthis trail which is we fJ ma~e d witFi ' flaf!'ston:es alonqits

edges. for aboyt an hour afts! which you'l l l :'eact! the first houses'

of a Village. Go down the tra i l , l'eavin9 these hoase on you r right,

but eventual ly you will l o o s e the trait near the vil lage school. ~al-

lowany footpath Intfle samedirectioh but tr y not to loose eleva-

tlon, from here vou will 'be able to seethe shrine of Mohfa Sharif'

!n the distancaion the other side of a valley which you have to

c r os s s The va'l leyits~lf is seriously erotled without mUch vegeta-

tion ( ,bad land ~l'oslon')~ross thl vaHey and strea[l at"a con-venient point and continue on the other side along a narrow trail

which everntuaU.y Ileadsiyetween a few houses and ~ields to 'theshr ine_

~ . . . .. ~

The shrine consists of' thr~ or four ton,bs and several

mo s q ue s , m e re .8 te " "a number of teastalls af 'the beginning of~he

road Which"goes uphill to the Kashmiri Bazaar road. Walking

,j along t t i rs , road to fhe mafnroadwill take you~about a l1 hour.

There exists also a nice f ( )gtpat'h g9jng~phm, whi.chpasses~> : : : . : :

47 .



through a hamlet halfw~y the climb. It is not easy to find the

beginning O'fthis path (see map) but you m a y follow focal 'people

climbing uphill. Near the top the path crosses the road from the

shri~e andc-ontinues oo"the 2ther side, and probably leads to a

point near the hotel of Bourbon. Now you continue walking along

the road. '" . .' ' . , " > 'At the intersecHon on the main road plenty of Suzuki' vans

pass by which after some bargaining about the fare, will take youback to Cneka Gali,' ...,.\

It is always surprising to observe the density of habitation

in these valleys and on the slopes of the hil ls. liveryw~ere y.o~wm

notice well-kept houses, almost all with glittering corrugated tinroofs (which Y ,? u m ( ;l . Y not like t~

'~.:" < ••.. " W ; " f1'!$

C.' TWO AND THREE DAY HIKES

1.' From G ho ra G aii to Phal"ifI' {1stfa a y " then to PirSohawa (znd day)

Walking distancel'rn (ist da~, 91/2km (2nt! day)~

Walking time 6 1/2 hours (1st day), 21/'l.

hours (2nd day)J : 4. ~ ,

Transport is needed to taKe you 'to 'the.:starting point nearGhmra Gali .and to pick you up the next day atFir Sohawa. .Alter-nativ;ely, y o u may walk dQwfI orre of the val lieY! fromPir S a l : i l a w ato Islamabad.

U yol!!,want an easy walk, JfElveyour earmJfng gear drqp;ped

at:h~ PhariJIaresthouse by a 4-wheel drive vehicle. You need per-

rmssien to stay at th~ resthouse, whic!:!can be,obtained from the

Environment D i r e c to r a te of the CD A ,1 :e le ph d ne 8 5 95 11 in Is-

lamabad. At the resthouse there is a small f ield for tents.

The hike starts at a place IJallei!l Maid t . which can be'reached by driving along the Murree r.oad to Shora Gali where a

road,tUf'ns te the Ieft to LQr l a ,The" ts a sign. Fo l l ow this, road ; for .2 '

km. After a sharp turn in t he road you will nOlioe a green school

bUildi~g on t~1:! slopeab~~e the road, J"ust before t'J.t. school afoot path starts steeply u p l f u l l past a cemetary. Alwater pipe is'llald

......along this path for Some distance. The path joins a jeepable track,

,~,.keepteft, a~d stay o n the ,li Iorths.ide of tQe ridge. Do not fol lpw a...newly c~nstructed asphalt road, but walk along foot pathsthrough Villages located on the ridge.

4$

Continue along these trai ls which descend slowly to the vil-

lage of Gharaga. Follow the trail unt i l yoh reach a junCtion wffere

you should take the trail uphill, a short steep climb, keeping the

x .. vi llage of Kimbi on ¥ C D u r right. Do n ot descend to.a saddle on,¥our

left where a conspicuously red soil occurs. Walk along the'hill

,side and enter a lovely valley, past the village of Kothrian, and

..'desc~nd Intc"anotlier small Valley with a water r~servoir.·,A t the far

end o f this valley yo u must take th e trail uphill through a pine

forest\This jeepable Itoad'fprest ' rOad ,cUlJtbSst~~pty.

At the highest point is a nice picnic spot on your right

~whjcqyou sipuld reach injust under 3 l~f.hours.from~,~e sta~i.'. . :" " ;+ ' .. ':. '. " . ;:0 :,. ':." :,.

Follow the trail to the village of Da r i Rakhala where a bu t -

<) falo pond an d a wa t e r cisterpare locatep on your right near ~,.f lat

:. f ield. "However, turn (eft across ' rne fiela and then fonow a'trail

leading up 410ng the hill. Do not take a newly constructed

lIjeepable road, but keep to:nthe right and stay more or less along

the ridge. Follow any path along this ridge through an open pine

. fore~t, skirt a few villages,. and then after a sharp turn, follow the

paU1along the nort l: 'hide of the rir: :Jgehrough a forest\fter which

you will reach the resthouse.Secori'd day from Pharilla 'resthouse.to Plr Sonawa.

The walk from the resthouse to Pir Sohawa is easy. Follow

"'the trail from Pha'rilfa to the west and soon '\\you win be- on a

jeepable track Which runs all the way to Pir Sohawa, There are a

,f,ewhairpin 0\lrves :it;l,the t~aok wh i ch you can shor tcu t , At a junc-

t ion tllere Isa trail veering o f f to the left, tbwards the saddle above

Narias (see !'l ike 10). but the track toPifSohawa goes slightly to

the rIght and continues along the north sIde of the ridge through apine forest. .

'At Pk Sohawa Y O Q r transportsnould 'meet you. As analternative it is az hours walk down to Islamabad. The best valley

to ta~~Is the Dara Jan91an because you will 'end tAPon the

Khyaban-e~[gbal ('Margalla road') in sector F.,f5,



F ro m th an dia oi to N ath ia G ali....:i~:r

Walking d i s t a n ce 25 - 30 kill" ",,"Walking ~imes: Thandrar:lk~Birar;J Gal i3" " , , :1 /2 o ~ r sBiran G aB ~P ha lk o t 41 /2 ho u rs " "

P l n a tk o t - t v 'l ra n ja l 1i 2 1/ 2 , ,~ol l rsM i rfn ja n i - N a t hi a" ,G a li 2 hou rs

Th is is a s ple n did 2 o r :3 days " hikealong t he r no u nta ln

r id g es b et w ~e n : T ha n dia n i an(f N a t hi a G a li ," "w l th b e a ut ifu l' v ie w s

towards b oth K as hm ir and th e Indus va l l ey , and dJ l ' laddition a

c lim b to Ih~ hlgli'lE;'lste ak o ~th e a re a (Miranjatli: 97ao~- 2981 m ).

T o m ak e th e trip " in 2 d ays is ta th er s tre nu ou s, b ut it c a n be

d o ne If Y O Il le a ve g su ffi ei en tly ea r ly i n the mo rn i ng , ,8ackpa :cke rsw i ll fin d attractive c am pin g s ite s a lo ng the trail. Water is fairly

a b un d an te xc e pt 't or thslast th ir d p or tio n o f t he h ik e." " .. ' ,, ' '£ '

If yo u d o n 't c amp ou t tr y t o. g et reservations fa r the r e s t -

hou se s . T{landianl is be ing : d ev elo pe d a s a tou r i s t hill s ta t ion . B e-

s ide the Forest res tho l1se a n d th e NWFP C o n s tr uc tlo n r es th ou s s(for both yo u n e ed an . advance booking) th er il is aiour ist lodge

C P a I ' Pavi~onslf.ISO s~~eral s imple r~~taurantsare ,pre se nt ,

A t the o the r e n d " lo f the W alk , a t N ath ia G a li, there a re a

number of h~te l t In b ,e tween the se viUage~there, ~iS~ 2JEOl'es~~ra sth ou se s, n lc ~ly s pa ce d fo r a th re e d ay h ik e, o ne at ! B ir a n Ga l l

a n d the o th er o ne at P h a lk o t. H o w e v e r, you n ee d pe rm is sio n to

s t a , y . a t t he se Fo r ~ s l re ~t'~o uS 'e s w hic h. c an l?e o bta in ed fro m the "C o n s e r v a t o r of Forests' o r t he D Iv is ia n al F or es t O ffic e r, b ot h in Ab-

bottabad.·······:.:"r:··· :.\.:::~~/'

\/i The best t ime to make the tr ip Is 'Pro~baly middle

May / June an d la te S eP fe mbe r /O c to be r .. £:luring·tne s umme r

m O fiths the m on go 011 ' ra i n s w i ll o ft e n~ " sp o il~ a c om fO t 1a b l' e. w a l k ,B efo re the m id dle o f May s no w m ay s tU ! co ve r th e r id ge s a nd 'it is

aq~,isable:lOtr y to ffn d a .u t w ha t the,.eather, s i tua t ion is.~ ' l ; Iefoteleav ing, With s no w on the gWUhd th e h ik e may r eq ulr s 5 0 % mo re

t lr n e t ha n indicated. A ft e r O c t o b er it l l l a Y b e co ld . T t:J ~flo ra o f t hea r t i e ' is r ic h and " sv ,en ,d lU~ lng S e p t emB e r th~'re a r e " s t i l l ple nty o ff l owe rs.

52

The ~siest:vay t~' :~etto ~han~ i~ r i isvia Taxlla and Abbo~-tabatl. From Natt l la Ga l l th e q Uic ke st w a y b ac k to Is la ma ba d IS

a lo ng th e M u rr ee road.

; \ " ">Star t 'a t Ui e sO l l t he a s t : s i d e of 1~~h a n di an i 'o r e st r e s t -ho u se w he re a steep t ra il d rops d ow n fro m the r idge , gradually

levelling off>oAftera b o u Lt S r n in w t e s.y o uw l B reach a j e~p t rao~~. '

F ollo w th e tra ck fo r a bo ut 5 0 m ete rs to the le f t, {ill tne first

bend where~eve r i l . t ra i l s can be s ee n o n th~ight ~and s Jq e o f

~hej eep track N ow be ca re fu l :

' tth is po in t y ,o u m ay eas i l y t a ke

the w ro n g tra il. T a ke the o ne to the e xtrem e r igh t a n d fo lto w itth ro ug h tn e"pln e w oo d a nd :uynQ! to lo os e· mych elevation: " C o n -

t inue for a bo ut 2 0 m in ute s a fte r w hic h th e tra il s ta rts going uphill.

Her~ ts a pg tt h , a ~ortclft, to Y O t ;trMIL Af t. e r a whUe, this path w ina ga in J o ln 1 fi e main trall~h the :1 ft y o u will se e a WI~ , d ee p v al-

le y with s eve ra l v illa ge S. D on 't go d ow n bu t stay m ore o r 19$$

le ve l. F ro m a s ho uld er y o u w m . see t h e s c ho dll o f 6 ir an Ga! ! , s ol1ese towards it. Before r e a ch i ng the v illa g e th e re 'is a badly

e ro de d s lo pe , v . e . r Y c la ~~¥ . W h ~h yo u .ihou1d avo i d by pass i nQ

O V e r its ta p, \ "

G o. d ow n to Biran Gal i , . l eave t h " , e s c n o o l o n yo ur r ig ht, a n da f te r about 1 5 m in ute s yo u w ill ireach' th e For e s t r es th ou s e, a ls o

o n the right s i d e . There is a slqn: Thandlanl8 mi les, Phalkot 8

mi les.

Con t i n u e along th ~ m a in tr ac k tilr yo u reach the fa r e nd o f

" . th e .1 !! Ua g ~<W .it h s m a ll bazaar a ll YOl l r , r l ght . 9pposi~; :Jhe snops,o n the le ft o f the track, y ou s ho uld n ow fo llo w a trail u ph il l a lo n g awa t e r pipetFonow t he t ra il a lo n g the pipe whiph s na ke s u ph ill to

. t h e c n e x t ;J lfla g e . A t t J he v illa g e , w h e r e t he p ip e "', hi rn s le ft a ld h gt he

ma i n track, tu rn r ight o n to a fo o t pa th , Th is tra il remains fa i r ly

leve1,it c ro ss es a o ully (g eo d, w a te r poinD anaabouttO minutes

la t·er' the tr ail tu rn s le ft a t a n ic e view point. "Now you ha ve thec ho ic e o f e ith er fo llo win g a lo ng er walk a la ng the rn aln tr~c k, o r

goipg d i ree t l y uphiU;fa i r lysteeply but '~hls l s reco rr l r r1Snded ,Thes h or te r c lim b (about 1/2 h ou r) le ad s to a fla tte r area at an e leva -

t l o d " o f 8 03 S ' - ,2 45 0 m , lnereare soma f i e l ds . and JTQUSe~ ,<Con -t in U ' ~' c u ph in ' a n c l y o u w i ll find a be tte rd efin ed 'tra Uw hic h pa ss es

a cro ss s eye ra l m ea do ws (g oo cl c am pin g sit~s), Cop t i n u e , a l o ng

' . . t h e 'ma i n tF~ck · a nd " " a ; t. aUhct i i on take th~neftt~~jLlt r~~s t h rOugh aforest along a fairly steep moun ta in s k > p e . At a ' small'open space,

W i t h " a go o d v ie w ; the re ' IsanQther jlu n ct io n .. Ta k ~,t he le ft o ne ,. , . : . ~ : ~ ~ \ ~ : : . : ~ . , .. , : V ' . -: . . : ' - ' : : : ' ~ ~ : i . : ·' . , : , ; . , ~...

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hiking around islamabad 1992

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