Summer is incomplete without a tour to the northern areas of Pakistan. The beauty of lush green mountains and deep valleys, the green color of rivers, and the serene roads on the mountains are breathing-taking and so refreshing that one forgets the robotic office routine and hustle and bustle of the city.
If your vacations are arriving, do plan a tour to the northern area of Pakistan. It’s not necessary to go abroad, you can explore the beauty of Pakistan and the unique culture that lies within your homeland.
This year, a group of friends, from here onwards referred to as Khan, planned to visit the northern areas of Pakistan so they can unwind and calm their nerves. They went on a 7 days trip to Hunza. They started their tour on a BRV, they were 5 friends and a pet dog in the group. They left from Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan which has been ranked as the second most beautiful city in the world, at 9:00 am. There are two routes to go to Hunza, one via Grand Trunk Road also known as GT Road while another one from a high-speed highway I.e. Motorway of Pakistan which is quite smooth and safe to drive. The motorway is less rushy and very beautiful. They took the motorway to Abbottabad, another beautiful city in Pakistan. Islamabad to Abbottabad motorway is amazing and there are three long tunnels as well. The longest tunnel is of 1 minute after which the Abbottabad motorway ends into the city.
People going to Hunza exit the Abbottabad motorway and while passing through a village’s small road, reach the Balakot city of Pakistan. This is the place from where the river starts being the companion of the tourist till the Naran City of Pakistan.
Khans made their first stop at Balakot City where they had lunch near the river’s bank under the trees. There are many small restaurants there commonly known as Dabbas in Pakistan. Chicken Karahi (Chicken Curry) of Dabbas is quite famous in Pakistan. After staying in Balakot for two-three hours, Khans continued their journey towards Naran. They didn’t make many stops in-between, roads till the Suki Kinari Hydropower Project was quite serene, however from there the construction was in progress so the flow of traffic got slow. The road was rough and it was dusty as well. The most striking and attention-seeking was how China together with Pakistan had changed the entire flow of the river towards the dam. While passing through the dam area, Khans also got a glimpse of the Chinese worker’s residential areas.
After passing the construction area, they stopped near River to take Sirius Black (the pet dog) for a round. After driving for 6-7 hours they reached Naran City where they had planned to stay overnight and leave for Hunza in the morning.
As they hadn’t confirmed booking in advance, they checked hotels/guest houses where they could keep Sirius in the room. The next morning they got up early and left for breakfast so they could reach Hunza timely. They did breakfast in the Naran Bazar, which is quite populated now as compared to the last time when they went there in 2010. At that time, there were only a few shops there but now there is a complete bazaar (market) and there are famous food outlets as well.
Naran is not as beautiful and serene as it used to be a decade ago. They left for Hunza around 11:00 o’clock via Babusar Top. It was cloudy weather. While they were en-route to Babusar top, it started raining and the road got slippery. They stopped at mesmerizing lalusar lake to wait for the rain to stop pouring. They got confused about whether they should or shouldn’t go to Hunza or not in such stormy and rainy weather. So they asked one of the police officers at the cheque post who then advised them to return to Naran as it was save for someone other than a local resident to drive to Hunza City.
Khans got upset but they didn’t let the change in plan destroy their trip and mood. They started clicking pictures and enjoyed it to their extreme. They returned to the same guest house and stayed in Naran for 1 more day.
On the third day, they went to one of the highest lakes in Pakistan i.e. Saiful Malook. It is located at an elevation of more than 10k feet above sea level and has emerald green water. They went there on a jeep, the road is quite jumpy for tourists but for native citizens, it’s their routine to travel to this beautiful lake on daily basis.
Khan stayed there for 2-3 hours. It was scorching hot so they could not stay longer. In addition, they had also forgotten to apply the sunscreen. Sunburn at such a height happens for sure.
Upon returning to their guest house khans sat near the river flowing right in front of their hotel and gossiped and giggle that how plans get changed. They expressed gratitude to each other for having such. Quality time after so long. At night they went to Butt Karahi to have delicious Chicken Karahi which they serve sizzling hot in the Karahi. It’s their specialty and eating a delicious sizzling hot Karahi in such a pleasing weather is another addon to the beauty of naran.
Despite their tour didn’t go as planned, they didn’t think negatively nor did they get upset. They rejoiced to their fullest and returned to their homes after an amazing trip.
This is what life is, sometimes it does go as we plan while others it goes opposite to what we have thought. So during those times, we have to stay positive and act patiently.
Life is beautiful don’t waste it being negative. Stay contended.
