The Katas Raj temples attributed to Hindu Shahiya (615-950 A.D) are dedicated to Lord Shiva and is an important Hindu pilgrimage site in Pakistan. It is believed by the followers that this particular complex was constructed at a place that was visited by Pandava brothers of the great Indian Epic “Mahabharata” This particular site is also the most significant Hindu temple site salt Range. Here also exists a lake which is labelled as “The lake of tears” and Hindus come there for bath. It’s a Holy Spring. There also are havelis of different periods –Hanuman Haveli with a library and Ram Chandra Temple. Hanuman fought by the side of Shiv when he and Ram Chandar had a spat between them and Shiv successfully won and became the king of Katas. British era’s haveli can also be found in Katas Raj, which is now marked as the building of a police station. Another haveli of Hari Singh Nalwa exists which was constructed in the Sikh period, assembled by the Sikh emperor Raja RanjitSinghain Katas after a long period of 50 years. The archaeology department is planning to make this haveli a Museum in future years.
Nathia Gali is known as the City of Fog for it can get very very very foggy here. The usual definition of fog doesn't stand here. Fog means visibility reduced to 1 km , here fog mean visibility reduced to a few feet. Also, this area recieves the most high rainfall in Pakistan and it always seems to be raining here (which is very good). But the main beauty of this area isnt high mountains, its the greenery. Lush green hills and mountains with wonderful pine trees.
My trip to Skardu in Gilgit Baltistan was beautiful, stunning, chaotic and more than a little adventurous. Here are 7 things you need to be careful about when planning a trip here.
1. Buy a map – do your research
I know we are used to ‘Googling’ everything but in remote places like these a basic map will be far more handy. Go to the places you want to go not where the driver wants to take you! When planning a major journey, there are always little places (like Manthal Buddha) where you can check out a mosque, a ruin, a tapestry. Your map will tell you so stop and ENJOY!
My trip to Skardu was beautiful, chaotic and more than a little adventurous. Here are 7 things you need to be careful about when planning a trip here.
Stopping the car along the ride just to see these golden marmots.
2. Don’t carry designer anything on the trip!
I know we want to look the best for pictures but when your Coach handbag is drenched in rain you will regret carrying a backpack. Something sturdy that will carry all the essentials you need AND make sure your shoulder isn’t titled towards the right (because that’s where you carry your bag)
3. When eating out, try out the local specialties
Hotel menus do have options for continental food and they do serve a mean mushroom & cheese omelette. BUT why try something that you can get in your own city? Be adventurous, ask them what their local dishes and then give it a shot. Order one safe item like chicken karahi, chicken handi, palak paneer or well biryani but otherwise go for local. We loved the creamy walnut gravies at Khaplu. However, the buckwheat pancake & palpu was literally not our piece of cake.
My trip to Skardu was beautiful, chaotic and more than a little adventurous. Here are 7 things you need to be careful about when planning a trip here.
Enjoying a late lunch on our first day at Khaplu Palace in Gilgit. Chicken in a creamy walnut sauce with mamtu (meat dumplings) and garam naan.
4. Make friends – divide your travel cost
We met this German tourist on our trip – she was staying at Serena Khaplu & joined us in the journey to Serena Shigar. When the driver mentioned the Manthoka waterfall trip detour we decided to split the cost making it cheaper for everyone. Similarly, when we went out at Shigar she decided to join us in our Deosai trip. Not only did it decrease our overall cost but it was also company on the really long road trip. Same with our adventurous trip back from Islamabad. Going as a couple is great but even if we divide the cost per head, the cost center remains the same :p
5. Be prepared – switching from plan A to plan B is inevitable
Our original plan was to go by plane from Skardu to Islamabad and then train from Islamabad to Karachi. We ended up taking a 24 hour road trip followed by a plane ride that got delayed by 6 hours. We wanted to go hiking and it started raining. We saw a guest who tripped over the last step on the stairs and sprained their ankle. So yeah, things happen. Focus on the silver lining and enjoy your time! Just be prepared with travel essentials (next point)
6. Make sure all your bags have hand sanitizers
The thing with beauty in a remote area is that you are literally in the middle of nowhere so modern conveniences like supermarkets & clean washrooms are not so nearby. So make sure your bag has toiletries – I carried hand sanitizer, tissue paper AND toilet paper. Towels & bedsheets in your suitcase – you never know where you might have to stay the night (e.g. our night at Naran) 7. Get a good driver
During our time at Skardu we saw only one traffic jam. But what we did see were a lot of roads going up, down and round & round. So it’s essential that you get a good driver – someone who doesn’t brake or accelerate too much and drives at a smooth pace. Make sure the car is in good condition – the fuel tank is full and there’s a working spare tire.
I am Yawer, My home town is Bagh Azad Kashmir, and I live in Islamabad for study, so I frequently to and fro Islamabad and Kashmir. The journey starts from Kashmir Highway to Bahara Kau to Expressway to Jhika Gali to Kashmir.
In winter, this travel becomes especially hard and adventurous, last night I went home and half of the way was snowy, and boy is it hard to drive in snow and the hard part only made it great.
I loved every moment of travel. I left somewhere near 4 PM and reached 9 PM, the time was great. Murree was full of tourists and people enjoying the snowfall but as I left Murree towards Kashmir, snow only grew but the number of people traveling grew thinner. The road grew thinner, the snow wall becomes taller. The drive was only becoming harder but still, it was fun and great. I will attach a video of it down.
