Fairy Meadows Gilgit Baltistan,Pakistan

Fairy Meadow
Fairy Meadow is a lush green plateau, at 3300 m, offering a breath taking view of Majestic Nanga Parbat (The Killer Mountain). Many people have called it the "Heaven on Earth". These lush, green meadows and forests lie at the base of Nanga Parbat at the western edge of the Himaliyan range in Pakistan. Fairy Meadows is a very peaceful and relaxing place to enjoy the mountain atmosphere and hospitality of the local people. The name Fairy Meadows is part of the legend that Fairies have their heaven on this lush green plateau. Hermann Buhl, the Austrian climber who made the first ascent of Nanga Parbat in 1953, named it Fairy Meadow due to its wonderful scenery.

It is about 540 km drive through Karakorum Highway, from Islamabad to Raikot Bridge (1400 m). Where local Jeeps will take you up to the Tatto village, it is one and half hour exciting drive from Raikot Bridge to the last village of Tatto (2900 m). Crossing through the most impressive view of Karakorum Highway & River Indus. On arrival at Tatto village, it starts trekking on very easy and simple route to Fairy meadows. It is a great experience to have overnight in fixed camping side, or in the traditionally built wood Huts, which offers magnificent view of the North face of the Nanga Parbat. There are several short walks on this plateau, including the full day excursion up to the base camp (3900 m) of Nanga Parbat. It is very easy walk through the forest till then the edge of the plateau call Beyal Camp (3500 m). Whereas the trek from Beyal Camp to base camp is little difficult along the Raikot glacier. Nice hotels and bungalows are available at the meadows, but you may also choose to camp in the grassy sites. After reaching Raikot Bridge one has to take a one and a half hour jeep ride just to get to the hiking point, at this point the track becomes very narrow and jeeps aren't accessible beyond it. Then after an at least two and half hour hike straight up the hill you reach Fairy Meadows.

Since 2010, many new hotels have been built which provide rooms at affordable rates, the food however is a bit expensive compared to what you get in cities but one can't complain when meat, pulses and potatoes are available at this remote place as well. Locals have established a small village at fairy meadows also. Horse riding is also available here. The polo matches that are organized for tourists here are a delight to watch. The lush green meadows also serve as a football or cricket ground for tourists.
The place is closed in the winters due to heavy snowfall and is accessible only in the summers. June-July is the best time to visit this place. The Nanga Parbat base camp is accessible from Fairy Meadows, and if the tourists desires to visit the base camp then hiring a local guide would be good option. It is at least a total of a three and a half hour hike depending on your level of fitness.

BAGROTE VALLEY'S VIRGIN CHARMS

The picturesque Bagrote valley has retained its natural scenic beauty even in these times of change. Barely 40 kilometers from Gilgit, it is sandwiched between Bilchar Dobani and the awesome serenity of the Rakaposhi.

The Diran peak looks on from the snow-covered sierras that surround it and the rugged grandeur of glaciers like the Barche, Gargooh, Yuneh, Rakaposhi and Dodoormal. It is glacier terrain from which a host of streams and rivulets flow converging near ChiraKhama glaciers giving the visual prospect a kaleidoscopic character.

Winters here offer another spectacular panorama when all the water courses get frozen except the Bagrote nullah gushing forth from ChiraKhama glaciers.

But it also shrinks somewhat, its turbulent flow of summer days now calm and quiet. The onset of winter wraps everything in a white sheet and the place becomes unrecognizable from its summer mantle of green velvet.

But now that summer is in full bloom, the steppes of lush green acreage spread back into the hinterland that forks into Gargooh steppe on the left and the Gutoomi pastures on the right inside the valley past Gusonar and Sat. Darejah is the vantage point that offers a panoramic and clear view of the tall heights of Diran, Rakaposhi and Dobani peaks in one sweep of the eye. Barchi, nearby, is yet another hamlet seasonally inhabited by people, that offers enchanting views of mountain scenery.

But only while the summer lasts. Come winter and the shepherds leave the pastures with their cattle retiring to lower slopes of the valley. But for a half century now potato farming has increasingly provided people with livelihood. Not much farther is Silili that offers adventure tourism as far as Skardu.

Now a mega-conservation project, the “Central Karakoram National Park” (CKNP) covering a wide range of area from Rakaposhi view point in Nagar and extending towards Shigar in Baltistan, has been launched with financial assistance of the Italian government.

Feasibility study of this giant project is in progress. Bagrote would assumes centrality in the scheme as it has been accorded the status of ‘model valley’.

Hopefully the implementation of this conservation park would help conserve flora and fauna of the area as well as its cultural heritage.

It will simultaneously throw open environmentfriendly tourism opportunities in the whole of the project area.

Shina Language

Shina (also known as Tshina) is a Dardic language spoken by a plurality of people in Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan and Dras in Ladakh of India. The valleys in which it is spoken include Astore, Chilas, Dareil, Tangeer, Gilgit, Ghizer, and a few parts of Baltistan and Kohistan. It is also spoken in Gurez, Drass, Kargil, Karkit Badgam and Ladakh valleys of Jammu and Kashmir. There were 321,000 speakers of Gilgiti Shina as of 1981, and an estimated total of speakers of all dialects of 550,000. Many Shina speakers are also found in Pakistan's major urban centres of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Abbottabad, Hyderabad and Karachi.

Baltit Fort

Baltit Fort or Balti Fort is an ancient fort inzthe Hunza valley in the Northern Areas of Pakistan.

In former times survival of the feudal regimes of Hunza was ensured by the impressive Baltit fort, that sit on top of Karimabad. The foundations of the fort are said to date back around 700 years, but there have been rebuilds and alterations over the centuries. In the 16th century theThum married a princess from Baltistan who brought master Balti craftsmen to renovate the building as part of her dowry. The architectural style is a clear indication of Tibetan influence in Baltistan at the time.

The Mirs of Hunza abandoned the fort in 1945, and moved to a new palace down the hill. The fort started to decay and there was concern that it might possibly fall into ruin. Following a survey by the Royal Geographical Society of London, a restoration programme was initiated and supported by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture Historic Cities Support Programme. The programme was completed in 1996 and the fort is now a museum run by the Baltit Heritage Trust.

Karakorum Peak (K2)

K2 is the second-highest mountain on Earth after Mount Everest. With a peak elevation of 8,611 metres (28,251 ft), K2 is part of the Karakoram Range, and is located on the border^[2] between the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County of Xinjiang, China, and Gilgit, in Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan.^[3][note]

K2 is known as the Savage Mountain due to the difficulty of ascent and the 2nd highest fatality rate among the "eight thousanders" for those who climb it. For every four people who have reached the summit, one has died trying.^[4] Unlike Annapurna, the mountain with the highest fatality rate, K2 has never been climbed in winter.

Hunza Valley

The Hunza Valley (Burushaski: ہنزہ Urdu: ہنزہ) is a mountainous valley in Gilgit in the Gilgit-Baltistan , Pakistan autonomous region. The Hunza valley is situated to the north of the Hunza River, at an elevation of around 2,500 metres (8,200 ft). The territory of Hunza is about 7,900 square kilometres (3,100 sq mi). Karimabad (formerly called Baltit) is the main town, which is also a very popular tourist destination because of the spectacular scenery of the surrounding mountains like Ultar Sar, Rakaposhi, Bojahagur Duanasir II, Ghenta Peak, Hunza Peak, Passu Peak, Diran Peak and Bublimating (Ladyfinger Peak), all 6,000 metres (19,685 ft) or higher.

Karakorum Highway

KKH Hassan Abad

The Karakoram Highway (KKH) (Urdu: شاہراہ قراقرم śāharāha karākaram; Chinese:喀喇昆仑公路 kè lǎ kūn lún gōng lù) is said to be the highest paved international road in the world, but at its peak at the China-Pakistan border it is only paved on the Chinese side.^[1][2] It connects China and Pakistan across the Karakoram mountain range, through the Khunjerab Pass, at an altitude of 4,693 m/15,397 ft as confirmed by bothSRTM and multiple GPS readings.^[3] It connects China's Xinjiang region with Pakistan'sGilgit-Baltistan and also serves as a popular tourist attraction. Due to its high elevation and the difficult conditions in which it was constructed, it is also referred to as the "Ninth Wonder of the World."^[4]

History

Tibetan Khampa and Dardic tribes came to Baltistan prior to civilisation, and these groups eventually settled down, creating the Balti people. It was believed that the Balti people came under the Sphere of influence from the kingdom of Zhang Zhung. Most of the rich and affluent Balti people are of Arabic descent.^[2]

The modern world Balti people, however, are not all from Tibetan stock. With the passage of time, many other tribes namely, Shins, Yashkuns (Dardic people), Kashmiris (called Khache in local language), Arabs (mostly Sayeds), Persian (Sufis) and Turks (especially Uygurs from central Asia) made their enroads to Baltistan and gradually merged with the local population. After second or third generation they became Baltis. Today, in Skardu(land of Sakas), the capital of Baltistan region of Pakistan, the most hardened Baltis are outsiders namely Kashmiris or Dard tribes.

Baltistan came under the control of the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo in the 7th century. Under Tibetan cultural influence, the Bön and Animist Baltis began to adopt Tibetan Buddhism from Indian Buddhism. Religious artefacts such as the Gompas and Chörtens were erected, and Lamas played an important role in the lives of the Baltis.

History of Islam in Baltistan starts with arrival of Ameer Kabeer Syed Ali Hamadani(A legendary Sufi Saint of the Muslim History) from Iran during 15th Century. He was followed by other Sufi legends afterwards, such asShah Syed Muhammad Noorbaksh & Syed Shansuddin Iraqi. Soon the whole region converted to Noorbakshi order of Islamic Sufism. During the start of 19th century, however, the predominant population converted to other Islamic schools of thought such as Shias and Sunnis. The pure Islamic (Noorkbakhsia)sect is still there. Today, the Baltis are; Shia' denomination (55%), Nurbakhshi (42%), and Sunni-Ahlehadith sect (3%). With the decline of power of Central Tibetduring the 11th century, the Balti people came under the control of the local ruling families namely Maqpon in Skardu, Amacha in Shigar andYabgo in Khaplu. They fostered a close relationship with Ladakh in the east. Similar linguistic and cultural characteristics of Baltiyul and Ladakh helped in forging an administrative unit that existed until 1948 when Balties revolted against the Dogras and joined Pakistan. The Dogra Maharajas of Jammu kept the administrative unit intact and converted it into a province called Ladakh Wazarat (a province composed of Baltistan, central Ladakh, Purik, Zanskar and Changthang areas). Skardo, capital of Baltiyul became the winter capital of province whileLeh, capital of Central Ladakh became the summer capital. The province was divided into three districts namely Skardo, Leh and Kargil.

A quaint little town of scenic beauty nestled at an elevation of 1,454 meters, the Gilgit Valley is a great tourist attraction in the northern region of Pakistan, which is known for its picturesque views and extreme natural beauty. The region is also famous because three major Asian mountain ranges, namely the Himalayas, the Karakoram and the Hindukush meet here. The best time to visit Gilgit Valley is between the months of April to October. Flying in to Gilgit from Islamabad is the most feasible option as it takes only an hour and a half to get there by air. Traveling by road can be very strenuous and can take almost a day to get to the valley from Rawalpindi.

Places of interest in Gilgit Valley include the Kargah Buddha, a beautiful 7th century rock carving of Buddha near the Kargah Nullah, which lies 10 km from Gilgit town. A 700 years old Taj Mughal victory monument 30 km from Gilgit town can be reached by jeep. 38 km from Gilgit is the Sher Qilla Nullah with trekking routes joining the Naltar Valley. At Sher Qilla, you can enjoy trout fishing in the small lake that is located here. If you are interested in trekking then Singal and Gahkuch can be visited. Also at a two hours drive from Gilgit, you arrive at the Naltar Valley where you can indulge in trekking, trout fishing and skiing and rest houses and hotels are available if you wish to stay here.

You can also take a drive over Asia’s largest suspension bridge, the Gilgit Bridge that goes over the Gilgit River with a traditional Gilgit bazaar at one end. For places to stay, you can find well-furnished cottages, motels, inns and rest houses. There are several bazaars and traditional handicraft stores where you can buy souvenirs to take back with you.