We started our journey from Lahore . We left for Rawalpindi on 19 th of July 1997 at midnight. We left for Chilas ( the distance of Chilas from Rawalpindi is about 475 km ) from Pir Wadahi bus stop at 11:30 a.m. by NATCO (Northern Area Transport Company) and reached Chilas at 2:00 a.m. of 21 st July. Chilas, though only a small bazaar town, was ,an important junction on the ancient trade route. From here the jeep track leads over the Babusar Pass to the Kaghan valley . This rough route is passable only in the summer, but until the KKH was opened this was the main route from Pakistan to the Northern Areas. There was no electricity in the hotel where we stayed. It was a hot and humid night. We passed that night on the roof of the hotel. Although the same atmosphere was on the roof but the roar of River Indus and moonlight had a releasing and soothing effect. Since we were very tired so we asleep as soon as we lay down.

The first beam of sunlight compelled us to wake up. After breakfast, we hired a jeep and left for Naran via Babusar Pass ( 50 kilometres from Chilas to Babusar Pass ) . The temperature was 40 o C when we displaced from Chilas. We were travelling on the zigzag hilly road of Chilas towards our destination. The surrounding of Chilas was dry and the mountains were rocky. Greenery was limited. As we left Chilas behind, the greenery welcomed us. Small villages were showing their distinct beauty. Our jeep was moving jerking on the rocky road. High mountains and clear & cool water lanes were flowing alongside us. There were plenty of fruit trees (grape, apple, walnut and pear) in the way and some trees were so spread out that their branches were colliding with the roof of our jeep. It was getting pleasant and coolness was increasing. Natural landscapes were fascinating our hearts. The jeep was passing through water that was flowing on the road. We took water from two or three places on the way. Water was sweet and too cold to keep our hand in it for a long time. The surroundings of the passageway were populated and people were busy in their work. The innocent faces of kids and their activities were reflecting the regional personality. We were on the track, at one spot the driver stopped the jeep because his home was nearby. He fetched a jacket from his home which surprised us because it was not cold, infact the coolness of air was pleasing us. Now the jeep had left behind small villages. There were verdant mountains on both sides of our track. The rocky mountains were hidden here and there among the lush green mountains. But it was a matter of great sorrow that local people had deprived that area from trees. Trees were cut so carelessly that three to four feet high tree trunks were telling their tragic story. Despite this, the natural beauty of this territory was compelling the tourists to praise the Great Creator. Our jeep was climbing the Babusar village slowly. The village was the last residential area before the Babusar top (it is 13,600 feet above the sea level ) . After reaching the village, we stayed for lunch. Now we left the village for Babusar top. Besides two drivers, there were two locals also travelling with us. The track was continuously ascending and the jeep was moving slowly on the track. The cool air was penetrating our bodies and adding to the beauty, it started to rain. We were wearing summer clothes because no one had any idea about this sort of situation that we might need winter clothes near the Babusar top and it was pitiable that there was no roof of the jeep. On the other hand, the gorgeous natural view was attracting us so no one was ready to miss these views by sheltering himself in the front seat. The clouds were moving with us and it happened sometime that we were above the clouds. The entire belt was in fortress of clouds and we were unable to see landscapes for a quite distance. One of the views was of Nanga Parbat peak ( 9 th highest peak of the world at an altitude of 26,656 feet above sea level and the westernmost bastion of the Himalayas. No other mountain within 100 kilometres comes anywhere near its size) . Babusar pass is the most beautiful pass in Pakistan. There were many small colourful flowers were blooming here and there. This section is so gorgeous that one never can explain its beauty in words. It looked like someone had covered the mountains with green velvet sheets and the flowing river was increasing four-fold its glory and dignity. It was the desire of everyone that he had a home here, where he could take pleasure from the natural beauty of this area. Every scene was lovely on its own. There was ice on the Babusar top that was glittering like pearls among the green mountains. It was cold like a December night in Lahore. We were shivering with the cold due to wet clothes. We stayed on Babusar top for sometime and enjoyed the sight and took some photographs. River Kunhar and River Chilas originate from here. It started raining heavily as we were descending from the top and it was looking dangerous driving on the track. The driver took us in a small locality because he knew that we were badly suffering from cold. His friends lived in this locality who welcomed us warmly and served us with hot ‘Qahwa'. We sat near the glowing hearth. Now the rain had stopped and we again started on our journey. Now the track was so narrow that the four wheels of jeep could barely fit on it. There were mountains on one side of the track and many hundred feet deep ditches on the other side of the track and the river was flowing underneath. A spot in the way, namely, Khari was so dangerous to cross by the jeep that we forgot everything except the name of Allah. It was dangerous to cross and adding beauty to this was the thrilling drive, on one occasion we forgot to breathe because of fear. With the help of Allah and by the skill of the driver, we crossed the place easily. Due to the dangerous track, tourists do not prefer this route and they come from the Naran side and return well before the top and they are deprived of the sights near the Babusar top.

We soon reached the Lulusar Lake . This is a beautiful rectangular lake. About half a mile wide with sheer green mountains rising from the opposite side, their gullies a glitter with glaciers. The water was clear but dark green and one of the loveliest sights of my life was the perfect reflection of the white snow in that depth of green. At various points, not far from the water's edge were icebergs, the tips of the glaciers, which had slid into the lake and not yet melted. After spending some time at the lake, we moved towards the Jhalghat . The only wooden bridge on the lake was broken from some spots. We put some slabs on the broken parts and made it crossable by jeep. We reached Jhalghat in the evening. Before arriving at Jhalghat, we saw a beautiful circular hole of green water in the way side track. Many legends are associated with this hole. Some people think that it is the footprint of a demon who hide himself from Prince Saif-ul-Muluk and some think that something has fallen from the sky which made this hole (meteor) . We were shivering in the cold. Tents were installed on the bank of River Kunhar, which were on rent, for spending the night. There was a hotel in front of tents where tea and food were available. We warmed ourselves on the hearth of a hotel and took tea. Jhalghat is a beautiful valley where river and road are almost at the same level. The mountains peak were covered with clouds and were making the place even more exquisite. A new road was being constructed from this place to the valley Neelum in Kashmir. We spent that night in the tent. Due to the rigours of the day, we couldn't sleep properly.

After having breakfast, we left for Lalazar . The beauty on the way and the turnings of the river were forcing us to stop. We took some photographs of the natural scenes on the way. Now the track was getting wider as well as in better condition. The most fascinating thing about Lalazar is its spiral path around a mountain towards its top. Lalazar is a beautiful spot covered with pine and spruce, with meadows full of flowers in spring. There is no doubt that Lalazar is a beautiful place but now it is being contaminated due to the heavy ingress and egress of tourists, which is a matter of great sorrow for our nation. After spending few hours, we left for Naran.

We reached Naran ( 7,963 feet above sea level ) at about 6:00 p.m. in the evening. Naran is the centre of tourism in the Kaghan valley. The river takes a leisurely bend forming islands and pools and bubbles over rocks. The place is a fisherman's dream and the starting point for walks and treks into the surrounding hills. We spent that evening on the bank of the River Kunhar and tried to cavil with the cold water of the river. There were many mosquitoes in the hotel where we spent our night. We had never seen such large sized mosquitoes in Lahore. After breakfast, we took some food with us and left for Lake Saif-ul-Muluk ( 10,537 feet above see level ) on foot. First we had decided to travel on foot but one of our companions did not agree and so hired a jeep and reached the lake. Road to lake had collapsed due to land sliding so we dismounted well before the lake. We reached the lake on foot and were frustrated to see that the water level was very low as compare to our last visit in 1989, the reason was a small dam had broken which kept the water level high. Local legend relates that Prince Saif-ul-Muluk fell in love with a fairy from the mountains. One day he saw her bathing in the stream and crept up and stole her clothes. To preserve her modesty the not-so-reluctant fairy promised to be his wife. The fairy's demon lover appeared in time to see the happy pair together and in a fit of jealous rage flooded the entire valley. Some say that they have left the place, while others insist that in the still of the night they still come to Dane their revels on the grass and bathe themselves in the stream, and woe the mortal who encounters them. We decided to take a round of the lake and walking from the left side of the lake we reached exactly on the other side of the lake where cold water from icy mountains was making many small passages and was entering the lake. The water passage was very swift and we crossed it with dificulty. After crossing, we sighted the Malika Parbat ( a mountain at an altitude of 17,356 feet above sea level is the highest of all the mountains in the Kaghan valley ) and took some photographs. The view of the lake from this side was entirely different. There were many waves that were striking the bank of the lake and were playing beautiful tunes. The reflection of the clouds and mountains were making many shades on the lake in the presence of the sunlight. We took photographs of the lake almost from every angle, which were reflecting the natural beauty of the lake. It was getting dark, so we decided to return from the lake and left for Naran on foot. Travelling through shortcut ways and taking rest at different places we reached Naran in the late evening. Returning from Lake Saif-ul-Muluk was a bitter experience for two of our colleagues due to their improper shoes. They could not walk with the shoes nor without them. We strolled on Naran's roads for an hour at night and returned. We had dinner and slept.

Next morning we were ready to go to our next destination Kawai . We covered our way from Naran to Kawai on Toyota Hilux. The way till Mahandri was difficult due to land sliding. After reaching Kawai we put our luggage in a hotel and hired a Suzuki Carry to reach Shogran ( at 7,500 feet above sea level ). It was a logging track leading off to the right and climbing steeply up to the plateau of Shogran. The track winds up through dense pine forests. In the clear air the distant wall of mountains looks like a painted stage set you could reach out and touch. After spending some time, we left for Pai (a hill station at an altitude of about 10,000 feet ) . The way to Pai was very beautiful and was surrounded by thick forest. Sunlight was hardly reaching the road. The clouds were too low to see anything at a distance of 5 metres and were moving with the air. Pai is a beautiful place and was surrounded by lush green mountains. We were unable to see the surrounding sights due to dense clouds so we could take only a few photographs. It was very cold on Pai. We stopped at Siri (a hill station at an altitude of about 8,000 feet above sea level) after leaving Pai we rambled for some time and left for Kawai.

On the same day we reached Abottabad (at an altitude of 4,000 feet above sea level) at 8:00 p.m. We stayed in a hotel and left for Thandiani (at an altitude of 8,832 feet above sea level) . Thandiani, the prettiest of all the Galis is a tiny, unspoiled hill station on the flat top of a conical hill with views in all directions. You feel on top of the world, and yet it is only 24 kilometres from Abottabad. The road to Thandiani is in good condition and open most of the year. We could take only a few photographs due to dense clouds as in Pai. We stayed there till afternoon, saw its appendages and returned to Abottabad. In the evening we left for Lahore.