Last summer, my work buddy and I got a bit too tired with our 9 to 6 routine so we decided to explore our country. We ended up making a road trip plan to Neelum Valley Azad Kashmir and it was the best decision we made.
A trip to Switzerland has been on my bucket list longer than I can remember and this road trip satisfied parts of that craving. We started our trip from Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan - but metropolitan cities are of little interest to me.
- Keran
We took our first stop in Keran and I was dumbfounded by its beauty.
The chilly Neelum lake with a picturesque view from our hotel room kept me clinging from the balcony for half an hour.
- Sharda
Our road trip continues to visit the ruins of Sharda but those were not even the main attractions of that day.
- Taobat
Our next stop from Keran was Kel which is a basecamp. There are endless possibilities to where you can go from Kel. There is Chitta Katha lake that would require hours of hiking and Ratti Gali lake. Unfortunately, we did not get a chance to visit those destinations but from what I heard from my tour guide was that it is one of the best experiences you can get in Kashmir if you are an adventurer. So, definitely a part of my next Pak tour.
But the route to Taobat was no easy chore. We had a 4 hour (one way) excruciatingly bumpy jeep ride that we were begging to end and thought that nothing can be worth this agony. But ofcourse we were wrong. We were taken by the deep green valleys and riverside views of Taobat and never wanted to leave that place.
After our heartbreaking departure from Taobat and another 4-hour excruciating jeep ride back, we backpacked for Arang Kel.
There are a couple of options to go there from Kel, one involving a chair lift and a 30-minute mountain hike or a few hours of hike to Arang Kel. We took the first option since some of our travel mates were not up to the hours-long expedition after Taobat sigh.
After Taobat we thought we had seen it all and that’s the most beautiful Kashmir can get but ofcourse we were wrong AGAIN.
Each part of Kashmir that we travelled to found it to be more mesmerizing than the last.
You land in Arang Kel valleys from where the longer you walk, the more breathtaking the view gets. We went on foot from the beautiful green valleys to the flowery meadows where we found small glaciers running down from the mountains. After a few hours, we reached the Arang Kel forest and made our way back to our camps. But a few hours of the forest trail would lead you up to the snowy mountains and peaks.
- Arang Kel
If you ever plan a trip to Neelum Valley
- Bear in mind that you are up to experience the beauty of nature in its raw form. There won’t be many amenities and luxuries are hard to come by at Kashmir.
- Food will be simple but delicious.
- It’s quite cheap to travel to Kashmir so if you manage to find luxuries they won’t cost you an arm and a leg.
- The hotels and lodges will be modest and simple but since I didn’t want to spend much time indoors anyway it was an easy bargain.
- You must add lakeside camping in your itinerary if you plan this visit
I hope this post helps people learn about the beautiful destinations that Pakistan holds and most of them are much more affordable than travellers can imagine. I am yet to visit Gilgit Baltistan and SWAT valleys and will definitely be sharing my experiences in my next post.
