Nanga Parbat Pakistan is home to the most beautiful spot on this planet: Fairy Meadows. This place is everything in itself—most beautiful, garnished with nature, offering unobstructed views of mountains, and words can’t describe nature’s beauty.
For hiking, this place is popular and beautiful for good reasons. When you hike towards the Fairy Meadows, you’ll see the unobstructed view of Nanga Parbat. Nanga Parbat is the second highest peak in Pakistan, and the first one is K2. The height of Nanga Parbat is 8,000 meters. If you are making a plan to travel to Pakistan, you must add Fairy Meadows to your list. I am here today with complete information about this place and also about getting to the amazing Nanga Parbat base camp.
Let’s start then without any delay!
Best Time to Visit Fairy Meadows
Fairy Meadows is very popular among the locals because tourists find it attractive. Local tourists visit this place, usually in midsummer or on public holidays. It can get very crowded, so I’ll suggest you not visit this place during peak times. The perfect time for visiting and hiking is from April to May or from September to October. I am suggesting this time because the weather in these months is a little cooler than in other months. At this time, you will enjoy the trip very well to Fairy Meadows in Pakistan.
Things to Pack for Hiking in Fairy Meadows
If you love hiking, you need to do some preparations. Here is the list of some things to prepare before you make a list:
If you love hiking, you need to do some preparations. Here is a list of some things to prepare before you make a list:
- Weather-Proof Jackets: The famous proverb is, “Prevention is better than cure.” If you are traveling in this region, where most mountains started crying (rain/snow) or too windy without notification, it is always smart to be prepared for any situation.
- Sturdy Shoes: There are just a few steep places; otherwise, there are well-leveled and simple trails. So having shoes with grip with you is a nice option. It depends on the time period in which you are visiting Fairy Meadows. If you are visiting Fairy Meadows in snow, so you have to prepare yourself accordingly for the snow-covered trail. Ordinary shoes are good enough in early October.
- Get Maps.Me: This app is a gift for you when you are hiking. So be quick and install this app on your cell. You can easily install it on both iOS and Android because this app is equally beneficial if there is any network issue. It provides you with hiking trails and lists offline.
- Get Some Snacks: Food items are a bit expensive (150-500 PKR) here, so buying some snacks beforehand is a wise trick to save the budget. You can also take lunch with you if you are hiking in Nanga Parbat. You could get free water if you stay at the Greenland Resort. Otherwise, you can buy water from huts or shops in Fairy Meadows.
- If you want free water, then you can use a water stream to refill your water bottles. I always carry the hydration pack that I recommend, so you don’t have to stop to stay hydrated.
- A Daypack: A daypack to carry all your stuff while you are out and about in Fairy Meadows Pakistan.
How to Get to Fairy Meadows
You have to cross a lot of stages, and after that, you will reach your destination at Fairy Meadows.
Firstly, you will reach Gilgit, which is the capital city in Gilgit Baltistan. This is a beautiful province present on the north side of Pakistan. After that, travel to the Raikot Bridge, and then you can travel via a jeep to reach the trailhead, and finally, the hiking to Fairy Meadows will start.
1.5 Hours by Jeep
Getting a jeep for rent would be expensive for independent tourists like me. For a round trip, from this Raikot Bridge, you have to rent a general jeep, which would be costly at 8,000 PKR, almost 50 USD.
You can share the jeep with local travelers or other backpackers. Jeeps carry up to 5 passengers. If you have time, then you can wait for some more backpackers to reach the bridge. On the other hand, if you don’t want to save time and are not willing to hike in the dark, then, my friend, you will have to pay for the entire jeep.
When the payment is confirmed, you will go through the bumpiest, narrowest, and scariest tracks that you wouldn’t have experienced while living in Pakistan. That was one of the scariest roads I have ever experienced in my life. After spending 1.5 hours on a deadly and zigzag road, I arrived at the place where the trail to Fairy Meadows begins.
When you arrive at the village where your jeep driver drops you off, he’ll ask about the date of your return and the exact time when you have to arrive back. Make sure to give the right time to your driver and stick to that. This will help your driver to be punctual and arrive on time. Don’t forget to remember your driver’s face.
Two Hours by Walk
The trail starts from the village, and you have to walk for about 2 hours, including a 30-minute steep track until you arrive at Fairy Meadows Pakistan.
Where you should have to stay in Fairy Meadows
Greenland Resort – 12 USD/Night (Double Room)
I chose this place for one reason: this resort offers an amazing view with an unobstructed look over the Glacier and Mountains. The place was tidy and beautiful. The food costs just 150 – 500 PKR. The owner of this resort was also humble and friendly. He helped me with booking, transportation, and food. If you are looking for a place with a fantastic view of Fairy Meadows, I assure you that this place is perfect.
The point to be noted here, the prices of accommodation change depending on the season.
The view of Nanga Parbat at night from the Greenland Resort.
Hiking to Beyal Camp
The hiking time to Beyal Camp is almost 2 hours. The hiking trails are not challenging; I mean to say the trail is easy, and anyone can hike. That was our very first trail that starts from a well-leveled route through dense and dark woodland. The trail is on easy terrain for about 55 minutes through this forest. You will pass several streams until you get yourself out of the forest. When the forest ends, you will observe a village area that Nanga Parbat dominates from a long distance.
Congrats and give a pat on the back to yourself—you have reached the Beyal Camp. Take a breath, get some rest, take a cup of coffee or tea, then continue your journey for almost half an hour. You will arrive at a viewpoint where you can enjoy a close view of Raikot Glacier and Nanga Parbat.
This is an easy hiking trail. It is simply a stroll, so it will be good for tourists who don’t want to hike a lot. On the other hand, if you enjoy hiking, you can go on an adventure to the Nanga Parbat Base Camp trail.
Nanga Parbat Base Camp
The hiking time to Nanga Parbat Base Camp is almost 3 hours. The hiking to Nanga Parbat is challenging.
I managed to travel to the base camp with two or three folks, but the weather was not good. There was heavy snowfall, and we had to get back just after a short glimpse. Maybe you will have good luck.
In the end…
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I have covered almost everything related to Fairy Meadows. Now it’s time to plan your trip to Fairy Meadows, Pakistan!
Cheers
What to pack for Lahore’s visit, to Pakistan?
As I am a light traveler and I like light packing for a trip, this is an art in itself. Here are few tips for packing for the Lahore trip, Pakistan:
- Hiking Shoes: I love to explore cities or go on a small hike, so I prefer to take comfortable shoes with you on this trip. I wore mostly shoes of Timberland shoes, in most situations.
- Breathable shirts & outer shell jacket: You have to take multiple breathable shirts with you when the sun is out it is quite hot. If you go to the north, you need some hoodies to cover yourself.
- Microfibre Towel: This is the perfect towel you have in your Backpack as its light, easy to dry and can be easy to compress to save place.
- Fleece jacket: You have to take a fleece jacket with you when it’s cold there. I prefer layers which you should have a fleece jacket I recommend Bata jackets.
- Camera: The camera is one of the most important items when you go out with your Backpack. The camera is one thing that captures your memorable and amazes moments. I recommend the Sony a6600 camera with the Sony 16-55mm F2.8 lens.
- Power bank: I recommend taking a 20,000+ mAh power bank with you t keep your electronic charge.
- Water Bottle: As water is the necessity of life, you need to take a life straw bottle with you, as you are not sure how much water is clean during hiking trails and running around different cities.
- Universal adapter: The universal adapter is the most important thing while you travel, you always need to plug in your electronics wherever you are in the world.
- Packing cubes: Packing cubes are helpful in space savior and it also makes your belongings organized.
- Daypack: Herschel Little America Backpack is one of my favorite go-to daypacks. It’s large enough to carry all your belongings in an organized way. The thing I like about this daypack it comes in many colors and it’s damn stylish!
- Large Backpack: you will need a large backpack to carry all your belongings while you are traveling. I recommend the Osprey Atmos AG 65L backpack is lightweight and has a lifetime guarantee you will always find perfection in osprey.
