What place to visit in northern areas?

[crossfirex]

Assalamualaikum had been to very few places in northern areas and that too without family mostly!!! Visited murree nathia gali abbotabad ayubia and muzaffarabad (peer chanasi)
Now wanted to go to max 2-3places with family just want some advice!!! I prefer to drive myself so thinking of taking my Suzuki swift from Karachi to all the way up!! What u guys suggest which places should i visit? And should i do this journey by road or by air as funds are limited ? We are 5 family members (03kids). I prefer to drive myself

[mumbojumbo]

Salam.

I think Naran (Up to Babusartop), Swat(Kalam, Malamjabba) Kumrat valley are fairly accessible if this is your first trip with family.

There are many destinations in Gilgit Baltistan but that will make your trip a bit too lengthy and cost of travel shall go up.

The best adventure is of course by road but only do it if your car is in good shape. Don't overload or overpack and make sure to have a well formulated plan before you leave. Set up a travel destination and then decide on waypoints taking into account distance and also factor in time for bathroom breaks/lunch/dinner/sightseeing etc. Always try to travel during the day time in the northern areas and avoid night driving. Make sure your tyres are good (including the spare). Change engine oil before setting off since you'll be driving for around 3500 kms if you pick anything beyond Murree or Nathiagali. Look up road conditions on YouTube and if you are planning to go to areas that see landslides then it's good to follow district administrations of those areas on Twitter and Facebook. Look up hotels on Google and make a list. Call on numbers provided on the internet and most good hotels usually send pictures of their rooms/bathrooms/lobbys so get those and decide. You can book hotels in advance but usually you'll find better deals once you reach the spot. But with family it can be hectic. Look up areas to explore at or around the travel destination like there is lake Saiful Malook near Naran.

Due to motorway, travel time has reduced a lot so many families have started traveling via road from Karachi.

These are just general tips. Once you have decided on your destination then we can discuss a travel plan.

Usually people from Karachi break journey at Multan or Faisalabad and then from there reach their intended destinations after setting off early next day.

All in all... I'll encourage you to take your family out on car..it shall be a great memorable trip for you hopefully!!

[crossfirex]

I think u have given very good advice but two important things that make me worried is cost of petrol in suzuki swift as well as very less trunk space

[mumbojumbo]

Let me break it down for you.

The total distance (to and from) you'll cover shall be around 3500 km (assuming Naran is your destination). Considering it's a swift and assuming it's in good shape, the major portion of the journey is on paved motorways where you can easily get a good fuel economy if you drive at 90-100.

So let's assume you get an overall average of around 13km/L (motorway driving + driving in mountainous area)..your total fuel consumption shall be around 250-270 L. So petrol bill shall be between 70k to 75k. Add another 7-8k in terms of toll. So around 80k.

Now for hotel stays and food keep 12k to 15k per day aside and so for a week long trip it shall be around 100k.

Now boot space in swift is a limitation but you can get around it by packing light and smart. The weather in Naran or Swat these days isn't too cool and you don't really need heavy winter clothing.

Keep some cash on top of this for emergency purposes and you can have a good week long tour in under 200k.

If you consider flying then a return ticket for FlyJinnah is around 150k for 2 adults and 3 kids (Karachi to Islamabad). Then you will have to hire a car from Islamabad for 5-6 days which would cost around 40k to 50k...the fuel will be over and above this...hotel stays as well...so this option would take your expenses above 300k.

If you take a train then that would reduce the travel cost by a lot but then again trains seldom follow schedules and that will effect your plan a lot. Green line lower AC for 5 berths would cost you around 80k (return trip). Rest of the expenses would be the same..

So make the best decision for you...but ..but ..but...do the tour! InshaAllah you'll have a wonderful time!!

[sardarg]

Suzuki Swift has low ground clearance to venture into unpaved territories specially with adult load & luggage. Check routing to Gilgit Hunza accessibility via Abbotabad Mansehra.

Best choice will be take train upto Rawalpindi there onward hire a vehicle suitable to your family size negotiate per day charges. Fuel top up as & when needed.

[crossfirex]

U have done excellent work for me JazakAllah but i think I will only go for one side that is swat kalam and not naran because it will heavily increase my mileage and traveling time!!!
So i hope i will save 30-40k if i only visit swat and surrounding areas??
And my Car is in good condition but tyres are around 33000 km driven and 5years old

[farooq05]

Tyres have almost reached to their life now so better change them before your trip.. either you opt Naran or Swat it would be similar mileage.. i will suggest your trip to Naran due to better roads, scenery and weather, nights are always cool in Naran in summer and when you visit uppper places you will find cold as well so you must keep jackets and caps as well..

[mumbojumbo]

Be it Kalam(Swat) or Naran...the distance is the same almost. You will be traveling around 3200-3500 kms.

You can cut costs while managing your stay but it's better to get a comfortable place when you travel with family.

33000 kms is a lot but you can still manage your trip if you drive carefully and take it easy. The roads in both destinations is good. The Naran route may have a few issues since there is a dam being constructed there. I took that route last year on my way to Skardu and it was a bit tricky. But still it was manageable and I got through easily with 4 adults onboard and a boot full of luggage. I went on my Honda Civic 2004 Exi and we did a round trip of Skardu without any issues. I did have new tyres though. Infact I got those a couple of hours before we started off from Lahore.

I understand the predicament when it comes to cost of traveling but InshaAllah it shall be a memorable one. Go for it!

[crossfirex]

How it will be 3200-3500 if I totally omit naran area? I will just go as u suggested to swat kalam malam jabba !! Isn’t it worth going to these places only all the way from Karachi??? My youngest kid is 2.5yrs old so going to many places will become hectic i guess!!!

[mumbojumbo]

Dear sir the route to Swat Kalam is different from that of Naran Kaghan.
For Naran you take the Hazara Expressway from M1 motorway and then the balakot link/bypass.

For Swat you carry on the M1 and then take the Swat motorway which takes you to Chakdara and from there you go to Mingora, Bahrain and then Kalam.

From Karachi, Kalam is around 1700 kms while Naran is 1650. So basically both destinations fall in the 3300-3500 km range (give or take 100 kms).

When I went to Naran back in 2019, I had my 3 year old and 1 year old with me and parents too (both above 65 MashaAllah) and a packed to the brim car but we went all the way up to Babusar top without issues.

Going to Swat is totally worth it and so don't be afraid of the unknown.
Use Google maps for route planing and also check out forum threads for best route between Hyderabad and Sukkur. From Sukkur till Mansehra is motorway if Naran is your destination and if Swat is your destination then from Sukkur till Chakdara is all motorway. So basically you will be traveling on motorways for around 2200 kilometers of your return trip. The rest would be on mountainous roads and also the Hyderabad-Sukkur section.

[crossfirex]

Anyone having experience of windforce tyres? Need to ask this question on some other relevant thread but asking here
As if i need to replace my current Yokohama Advan DB tyres how good are windforce tyres compared to Advan DB?

[ifadey]

Nights are very cold in Naran. You will need winter garments.
Road after Kaghan till Naran is now in worse condition so be prepared for that.

[crossfirex]

Not considering going to Naran

[mumbojumbo]

windforce are probably Chinese tyres. Chinese tyres are generally good. I also have been using Chinese tyres (Warrior and Mirage) in two of my cars and they are working well.

[mohsan87]

Check following.

Road Trip To Khunjarab Pass From Islamabad via Naran, Babusar Top, Chilas, Hunza On Suzuki Swift - July 2017

Asslamoalikum Dear PakWheelers. I planned a road trip with my family (me, wife, 3 year old son and 8 month old daughter) to visit the Khunjarab Pass in 3-7 days estimated. As we have already visited Shogran side and Saif-ul-malook lake so we decided to skip these view points. Car used : Suzuki Swift 1.3 DLX Manual Transmission. Departure from Islamabad 23 July Came back to Islamabad 27 July Total Distance Traveled 1716 Kms Approx Fuel 130 L Approx Fuel Cost 10,000 Rs Engine oil check, T…

[mohsan87]

Dear, If you are planning to visit Swat area then in my opinion and as per my experience you must visit Malam Jabba and chair lift there. There is nothing else to see in Swat, you must go to Kalam Next (Via Bahrain). Road is clear and smooth, just there are some patches where you have to wait in long queue. so make sure to travel early morning to avoid the rush time. in Kalam Book the hotel there, park your car at hotel and hire a Jeep to go to either Kumrat Valley or Mahodand Lake. I followed Mahodand Lake, it can be done on Jeep only. From Kalam to Mahodand Lake and back to Kalam it require 1 day

I personally used my Swift for this trip from Islamabad to Kalam in 2021.