Naran - Lulusar Lake - Babusar Top - Gilgit

We were warned last night when we checked in to the Northern Retreat Hotel here in Naran to make sure we let the water run for a while in order for it to become hot. They were not joking – it took 15 minutes for it to become warm enough for my shower this morning.

The lift does not seem to be working this morning, but a member of staff who is sitting at a desk on our floor runs down to the ground floor, gets in the lift and brings it up to us. Obviously the lift was still asleep, just trying to have a bit of a lie-in today.

Breakfast

Not long after we sit down (as the only diners again), the power goes out. I hope they cook on gas (most places seem to here in Pakistan, we often see huge gas canisters outside restaurants).

The staff rush over as soon as we walk in to the restaurant

I order channa masala and paratha, which is very tasty – about a 2 on the Grete-scale of 1-10 of spiciness.

The channa and some very pale toast

Paratha bread

Apple jam to give the toast a bit more colour. It sounds nice, but doesn't really taste of apples, just sugar

David's fried egg

After breakfast we set off for the next stage of our road trip.

Asif in his local outfit, ready to go

Haider, our driver, looking cool in his sunglasses

Naran Bazaar

Our itinerary includes a stroll through the local bazaar, but as neither of us are keen on shopping, and my knees are not keen on walking, we settle for a drive-through of the market. The bazaar is not a market as in the strict sense of the word, it is more a road full of small stores selling everything from clothes, to arts and crafts, to food. And lots of things between.

Candy store

Fruit stall

Handicrafts and souvenirs

Fruits, nuts and snacks, plus a drinks stall on the right

A small restaurant serving breakfast

Clothes and toys

This area is known for its nuts (walnuts in particular), and dried fruits (apricots being a speciality)

Butcher

The state of the pavement is a good reason not to do a walking tour for someone like me with limited mobility

Once we leave Naran, the road passes through small villages and rural areas. We see a number of people walking in the opposite direction, accompanied by their livestock, and sometimes heavily laden pack-horses. These are families walking back from the mountains where they have spent the last couple of months escaping the oppressive summer heat in the lowlands, and letting their animals graze on fresh grass.

The ever changing scenery is impressive, and we make many stops to photograph it.

David and Asif admiring the scenery

You don't really appreciate the grand scale of it until you see the tiny people and their yellow raft in the bottom left hand corner

There is not much traffic on the road (it’s the very end of the season), but we do see some of the beautifully painted trucks.

Most people we see are quite happy to have their photo taken.

Working the field

Children looking at us curiously

Carrying animal fodder

Waving and trying to run alongside our car

A partially-sighted old chap at one of viewpoints we stop at

Cyclists - good luck to them on these hills!

Kunhar River

Close to the small village of Jhalkad, we stop to send the drone up. The small pools left behind from the receding water, the different colours and textures of the riverbanks, and the the lovely natural patterns they make fascinate me.

There is even a convenient bench for me to sit on

The grand view of the area (a 7-image panorama), with us next to the red square on the far right-hand side

The meandering river

If you look very closely, you can see a red tractor and a couple of people in the top right hand corner

Patterns in nature

We see a few small waterfalls along the way, but mostly the rivers and streams are very low on water, which surprises me after all the recent floods.

There seems to be a trend to construct restaurants over the top of the cascades so that diners sit with their feet in the water.

In some places the water tumbles across the road, but Asif assures us that it is rarely deep at this time of year.

There is also an area where hot water comes from an underground spring.

Batakundi

With the construction abandoned (at least for this year) after the floods and landslides caused a huge number of tourists to cancel their trips to this region, the new tourist town of Batakundi stands mostly unfinished and unloved. Tourism can be a bit of a double-edged sword, it brings in much needed revenue to the area, but at what environmental cost? “This used to be a stunning scenery” Asif laments, as new-build hotels, restaurants, homes and mosques now crowd the landscape.

Burawi

Another much more established village.

Besan Service Station

We stop at a local service station to use the facilities and stretch our legs (and for Haider to have a break too, of course, he’s the one who is working hard). There is everything any traveller needs here:

Children's playground

Restaurant with a view

Toilet block

I ask Asif if they have a western style toilet here, and he explains what I should be looking out for: a single seat means just one toilet, squat style (so no seat at all), whereas double seat indicates that the cubicle has a hole in the ground local-style toilet, as well as a toilet with a western style seat. I obviously go for the latter, and am not disappointed.

A sign of things to come?

Lulusar Lake

A major tourists attraction, Lulusar Lake is situated at an elevation of 11,200 ft (3,410 m) above sea level, and is 3,400 metres long.

A seven-image panorama

The lake is a gorgeous bluey-green colour that changes depending on which direction you are facing.

Looking north, green is the more prominent hue

It's more of a blue colour facing south

There are plenty of places along the road to stop and take photos.

And of course to send up the drone.

We drive along the shores of this gorgeous lake for a while, with me leaning out of the window doing my usual ‘drive-by shooting’.

I am amused by this sign warning of falling rocks that has been almost knocked down by falling rocks.

Some amazing scenery along the way

Action Camera

As we start our ascent towards the high pass known as Babusar Top, David attaches the action camera to the windscreen wipers of the car in order to catch some of the famous bends that takes us higher into the mountains.

Speeded up video from the action camera

The road to Babusar Top is considered one of the most dangerous routes in Pakistan, with harsh weather conditions, frequent landslides, steep gradients, large potholes and high altitude. As a result of heavy snowfall and treacherous conditions, the road is closed for a large part of the year, usually October to June. Every year, a number of casualties from road accidents are reported, mainly as a result of mechanical (brake) failure and inexperienced drivers. I trust Haider completely!

Some rather concerning info from the internet

Babusar Top

I am sad to say that this place, which I had been particularly keen to see and experience, is somewhat disappointing. My first impression is that it is a dump.

It is extremely commercialised (but next-to-no tourists) with lots of gem stalls, food sellers, and even Zip Lines (they seem to be VERY popular here)

Semi precious stones - although Asif warns us they are unlikely to be real

Coffee shop

More cafés and restaurants, all without a single patron

Empty restaurants, and a Zip line in the background, We don't see anyone using it, though.

Not, one, but TWO zip lines

The name Babusar comes from the fact that the Mughal emperor Babur passed through here in the early 16th century. If it is good enough for Babur, it is good enough for me.

At an elevation of 13,700 ft (4,200 m), the air is thin, and after a short walk leaves me totally out of breath, I leave the running around to David and Asif.

While sitting in the car waiting for them to return, I am approached by a very persistent honey sales person. I tell him I don't like honey. He claims I will like HIS honey, and insists that I try some. I stick my finger in the lid of his jar as offered. I still don’t like honey, but that doesn’t seem to deter him and his relentless sales pitch. It’s only when Asif comes back and admonishes him for not taking “no” for an answer, that he finally gives up. Post note: This was the only high pressure sales person we encountered in the entire three weeks in Pakistan.

To me, the only good thing about this place, is the amazing views.

There is an annoyingly strong – and chilly – wind at the top, making it too risky to send up the drone, which is a great shame, as the road leading down the other side is said to be one of the most hairpinned road in the world (Asif counts 66 sharp turns).

The bends seen from the top (without a drone)

Google maps showing the many sharp turns

We start driving down from the high pass

Asif stops to chat with a couple of chaps grilling corn on the cob at the side of the road.

Lots of smoke from the fire

The are all smiles when I ask if I can take their photo

Sampling their product, a popular snack with passing drivers

Photographically, one of the highlights for me of our road trip through Pakistan, is the people we see alongside the road.

Children begging for drinks and snacks

Carrying animal fodder

More fodder

Roadside café

Fruit seller

New Moon Restaurant

We stop for lunch in a branch of this popular restaurant chain.

New Moon Restaurant

Stuffed Ibex

We initially sit outside, but when a light rain starts to fall, we move under cover.

Open air seating

David and Asif

Haider and David

Asif relaxing on a cot, a popular bed-like seat often found in roadside cafés

I order a Chicken Makhni Handi, which is very, very, VERY good, with lean pieces of chicken and a nice spicy sauce with just the right amount of creaminess.

David opts for a Ginger Chicken which is slightly spicier than mine, with strips of chicken. I prefer mine and he prefers his, so we are both happy.

Thin roti to share

There is a Turkish Ice Cream stall on site, and it would be rude not to, right? They’ve run out of mango, so I have pistachio instead, whereas David chooses chocolate.

Those of you have have read my blog from the start of this trip, will know that there were a number of flash floods in the weeks leading up to us leaving home, resulting in some serious and severe landslides. Today we see evidence of the destruction this caused to the infrastructure.

Workers clearing rocks and gravel

A large bus trying to get through

More serious works - although I see more people relaxing than actually working

There is always a supervisor or two looking on

Manual worker with a wheelbarrow and a large digger behind

The debris causes narrowing of the road

Some areas a digger is employed

A bridge was brought down by the recent landslides

Traffic jams as a result

Chilasi Houses

As we get nearer the town of Chilas, we see many examples of the typical local architecture, clinging to the steep hillsides, and often utilising the large rocks found in this area.

Karakoram Highway

We have now re-joined the Karakoram Highway, affectionately known as the KKH, after a two-day detour via Naran and over Babusar Pass. That is worthy of a celebration.

The ever-changing scenery is magnificent.

We have now been joined by the mighty River Indus, which we will be following for a while.

Nanga Parbat Mountain

The world’s tenth highest mountain, and the second highest in Pakistan (after K2), this peak is a lofty 8,126 m (26,660 ft), and is the westernmost peak of the Himalayas. Also known as the Killer Mountain for its high number of climbing fatalities, it is also the fastest growing mountain in the world at a rate of 7mm per year.

Its beautiful glacier-clad peak towers above the surrounding mountains. On a clear day. Today is not that day – it is hiding somewhere behind that cloud.

With David leaning out of the window to photograph the painted truck go by with my camera, the driver slows right down and flashes his lights. How sweet.

We encounter a number of police check points on our journey. Some of them are more vigilant than others, and we teach Asif a new English expression: “Jobsworth”. This one barely looks up as we pass, and does not seem to be bothered that I am taking a photograph either.

Jaglot

At a dedicated, and rather commercialised, viewpoint we stop to take some pictures.

We have noticed that many places in Pakistan appear to be geared towards not just photographing the stunning natural landscapes, but including huge signs and a selfie, presumably to be uploaded to Instagram. Facebook or TikTok.

I suppose it has to be done...

It is here that three of the greatest mountain ranges on earth converge: Hindu Kush, Karakoram, and the Himalayas.

Meeting of the giants

Rainbow

We encounter a nice rainbow as we make our way towards Gilgit, our home for the next two nights.

Gilgit Serena Hotel

The rainbow is still very visible as we pull up outside the hotel.

The Serena was not on our original itinerary, it is one the local agents has upgraded us to “to make us more comfortable”. It is certainly a posh looking hotel, from the huge reinforced locked gate, to the security checking our car before we are allowed to even enter the compound, and of course, the lobby and public areas.

The lobby

We are offered a welcome drink of apricot juice as soon as we arrive, and in the room there is a tray of dried fruits and nuts.

Dried apricots, apricot kernels (a new one for us), and almonds. I lament that a nice glass of rum would go so well with this.

The view from our balcony is pretty nice too across the manicured lawns to the city of Gilgit and mountains beyond.

Despite a couple of power cuts, we manage to back up the photos from the cameras to the laptop before dinner. We have brought along a couple of portable hard drives for just that reason. It is the drone and the action camera that I am particularly keen to have a second copy of photos from, as these two cameras are more at risk of being lost. If the action camera falls off the car without us noticing, or the drone drops out of the sky (I often read on drone forums about that happening to people), at least we will have the photos up to the previous day.

Room Service

The restaurant is on the next level up, with three flights of stairs to reach it, so we decide to order room service instead.

As I am not particularly hungry, I pick something under the Gilgit Baltistan Cuisine Appitizer (sic) heading: Barikutz. Walnut paste with spring onions, green coriander, fresh dill, mint leaves, and yogurt, stuffed in traditional chapati served with apricot oil.

Served cold, it is very light and fresh, and I like the salsa-like filling inside.

David, also not hungry, just orders the apple pie, which is disappointingly small (more pastry than apple), and quite boring.

Nice presentation, though.

Thank you to Undiscovered Destinations for arranging this incredible tour of Northern Pakistan.