Visiting Fairy Meadows and Nanga Parbat in Pakistan

Visiting Fairy Meadows and Nanga Parbat in Pakistan

adventure travel & photography

Destinations: Pakistan ◦◦ India ◦◦Turkey ◦◦ Egypt ◦◦ Bulgaria ◦◦ Mongolia ◦◦ Bangladesh ◦◦ Jordan ◦◦ Russia ◦◦ Turkmenistan ◦◦ Iran ◦◦ Kazakhstan ◦◦ Japan ◦◦ Hong Kong ◦◦ Greece ◦◦ Ukraine ◦◦ Syria ◦◦ Morocco ◦◦ Italy ◦◦ Mauritania ◦◦ Oman ◦◦ Algeria ◦◦ Faroe Islands ◦◦ Indonesia

About the place

I visited Fairy Meadows, northern Pakistan, with a small group of seven people in July 2022 as part of my third trip to the country. I knew how difficult it would be to reach the place, but I decided to take a group there this time. However, I would not do it again; in 2013, the World Health Organization declared it the second deadliest road in the world.

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We took two jeeps from Raikot Bridge on Karakoram Highway to Tattu (Tato) village. The dirt road became increasingly narrow after a while. After an hour and a half of driving, the jeep track ended about a kilometre before Tattu village.

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The dangerous and narrow dirt road is only accessible to locals who provide transportation for visitors; no other vehicles are allowed. It was built by Brigadier M. Aslam Khan (M.C, H.J, F.K), the first commander of the Gilgit Scouts.

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Some group members continued on foot from Tattu (Tato) village, while others, including me, rented horses (ponies). I would not usually ride an animal to reach a place, but I was too sick and tired that day. Generally, I'm against using animals in such places. If you can't walk, you shouldn't use animals; you should hike. That was the first and last time I did that, and I only did it because I couldn't walk that day.

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After two and a half hours of walking and/or riding, we arrived at Fairyland - as beautiful and serene as you can imagine. The grasslands are located in the Rakhiot Valley, at one end of the Rakhiot Glacier. This glacier originates from Nanga Parbat and feeds a stream that eventually flows into the Indus River.

Most impressive is the view of majestic Nanga Parbat - the ninth highest mountain in the world and one of the 14 eight-thousanders. It is a massive, dramatic peak that rises far above the surrounding terrain and has been nicknamed "Killer Mountain" due to the many deaths among climbers.

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The area offers a range of activities, such as visiting Nanga Parbat Base Camp (a 3-4 hour one-way journey) and Beyal Camp (a 1 hour one-way journey), as well as trekking along the Raikot Glacier.

When visiting Fairy Meadows, make sure to bring the right gear, including shoes (most important), clothing, a first aid kit, and a utility kit. You won't forget this outing for years!

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Travel to Pakistan

I organize and lead small groups to Pakistan through my licensed travel agency "Thousand Voyages" Ltd. You can find out more about the guided tours here. A list of all scheduled tours can be found here.