Gilgit Travel Forum

Hello,

I am currently sat in Lahore about to travel north along the KKH but have just heard about the Shia demonstrations in Gilgit including the road blocks that they have made. The British Foreign Office have now upped their warning to all 'non-essential travel' in this area.

Does anyone know what is actually going on, or maybe been there recently. Is it wise to avoid for the time being?

Thanks! Dave

Hey Dave

Welcome to Pakistan. There was some unrest in Gigit so they had to impose curfew. All foreign tourists were sent back to Rawalpindi and Islamabad. It had nothing to do with terrorism. As far as i know, some students of northern areas were not happy with recent changes in their syllabus. So they reacted and there were unrest. Then some people were angry coz of sad incidents in Karachi. But situation is getting better day by day and now they are giving relaxation in curfew. And it would be normal in few days.

I would suggest you to explore lower Himalayan for a while. It has beautiful lush green tourist spots like Murree, Nathiagali, Ayubia, Abbottabad and many others. Have a look at my travel pages to find more about these spots. All these areas are safe to travel.

I really hope that situation in Northern areas would be normal by the time you cover this lower Himalayan region. So instead of facing terrible hot weather in Lahore, i would suggest you to explore thise cool areas.

You can also opt for Naran, Kaghan and Shogran if you like. You can get details about these areas at my travel pages. These areas are also safe to travel.

Have a nice stay in Pakistan and if you need any info plz feel free to e-mail me. And if you are coming to Islamabad then we can have a VT meet here if you like.

Regards

Najam...

hi Dave,

thanx god, najam came with a brilliant post :-)

in addition to exceelent suggestions given above by najam, i suggest that u write to VTer imranthetrekker on possibility of exploring chitral valley instead of gilgit.

chitral valley is lesser known but offers comparable or better alternatives to gilgit in the form of mount trich mir (the tallest peak of hindu kush mountain range), kalash valley, etc. we were there only once for a specific purpose - when the UAE government released peregrine falcons back in its wilderness. these falcons were released exactly at the same spot they were caught and r reportedly doing very fine.

VTer imranthetrekker is always up to some thing creative. e.g. look at his post few posts down urs in this forum.

regardz,

Hi Dave

I agree with what VTer Faiza-Ifrah said about Chitral and VTer imranthetrekker in particular. He is based in Chitral area and i am sure he can suggest you some really nice travel plan. So Imran we are all waiting to have your suggestions for Dave here...

Apart from Chitral you can also go to Swat, Malam Jabba ( winter ski resort) , Kalam and Mahudand. These areas are also safe. Roads from Swat onwards are not in really good condition but scenes and views are simply breath taking.

So now you have so many options to spend your time. Have a nice stay.

Regards

Najam...

Curfew in Gilgit and all other Northern areas has been lifted few days back. Situation is normal now. And now they are celebrating 50th Anniversary of K2 and 51st Anniversary of Nanga Parbat this year. Shandur Polo Matches are planned on 10th July i guess.

Have a nice time in Northern Areas. Happy Travels

Najam...