Up in the mountains
Col (r) Ikram Ullah Khan
It was in the splendid afternoon of 23 June 2024 when the sky was cloudy portending pre-monsoon rain and the weather was temperate with cool breeze gently blowing that I along with half of my family embarked up on a long ride from Abbottabad with an intent to visit the other half of the family stationed in Gilgit due to my son’s posting there and also to visit Gilgit-Baltistan’s historical sites falling within the precincts of Gilgit-Baltistan including Skardu, Shigar, Hunza and the strategically important Khunjrab Pass situated at an altitude of 15390 feet above sea level.
The visit was long due, and having remained an intense desire throughout, it always spurred me on to experience something different from the daily grind. Before setting out on the journey, a detailed itinerary was shaped which was religiously adhered to during the entire journey. We had planned to stagger the journey in four legs subject to changes depending on the situation on ground. As planned, after leaving Abbottabad, we made Naran our next destination on the first leg of our journey where we had planned to have a night stay.
After crossing Mansehra, we took diversion towards Balakot leaving Hazara Expressway on the left. The road from Mansehra to Balakot and onward is equally good when compared with Hazara Expressway, the only difference being that it has two lanes. What all the government needs to do is simply widen it and add two more lanes in order to convert it into an Expressway, the feasibility report of which has already been submitted to the authorities concerned but has been put on the backburner. According to the sources, the project is now all set to get off the ground in a couple of months.Having a smooth five-hour joyride while enjoying the picturesque landscape of the lush green valley offering tantalizing view, we reached Naran and had a night stay in a beautiful summer resort owned by an army unit.
Next morning at 10 am we continued our journey towards Gilgit via the picturesque tourist destination Babusar Pass which had been opened for all kinds of traffic only a week before Eid-ul-Azha after having remained closed for almost seven months due to heavy snowfall. This was my maiden journey through this historic Pass.
During the long closure of Babusar Pass, the desire of the potential tourists to travel through this picturesque valley goes into hibernation only to revive in the first week of June when the route is opened for the visitors again. Huge mass of melting snow astride the road at difference places from Naran to the end of Babusar Pass could still be seen.Before ascending the height of Babusar Top, we had a brief stopover at Lulusar lake to view its serene beauty. Situated at an elevation of 13700 feet above sea level, Babusar Pass is famed for its breathtaking view of lush green landscapes, snow-capped peaks and overall sublime beauty of nature it offers to the enchanted visitors, casting a spell on them and sending joyous raptures to their bones. It has long remained a favourite tourist destination with an endless panoramic vistas of snow peaks and shadowed valleys offering a serene and soothing natural environment and ecstatic delight, thus providing an aura of peace and tranquility.
By the way, man (used in generic sense) despite being the prime source and chief agent of environmental disaster, quite ironically claims to be a creature, purest of the pure ever born under the blue canopy, brushing aside the harsh reality that he is the chief agent of environmental disaster and main culprit responsible for spreading different sources of pollution around. For instance, see the havoc wreaked with the environment after the end of any festival held in the country, Shandur Polo Festival being a case in point.
The Kaghan-Babusar highway, connecting Diamer and Mansehra districts remains closed from November to first week of June every year due to harsh weather conditions. The Pass offers a shorter and hassle-free journey of eleven-hour smooth drive compared to the 16-hour nerve-shattering travel on the Karakoram Highway, thus making it a preferred route for tourists visiting Gilgit-Baltistan.
The best part of our journey on this relatively less-frequented route was that we had a smooth ride on this route except for a few patches where we had a bumpy ride due to landslides and avalanches that had made the road uneven and difficult to drive. The weather was temperate due to intermittent rains and being mostly cloudy and the landscape all along was inviting, making the ride more joyful and exciting.
Enjoying the sightseeing, we reached Babusar top at 12 noon, had a brief stopover there, and after taking lunch at GB Scout’s Cafe, resumed our journey onward. After a two-hour drive we reached Chilas, had a brief stay and then left for Gilgit.
At around 7 pm we reached Gilgit where we spent 3 days and enjoyed the company of rest of the family members staying there. During our stay in Gilgit we visited nearby tourist spots… (To be continued)