Introduction
Fairy Meadows is one of the most well-known and excellent spots to climb in Pakistan and for valid justifications. With the unhindered perspective on the 8,125 m high monster that is Nanga Parbat, probably the most noteworthy mountain in Pakistan, simply second to K2.
It is viewed as one of the most available climbs that will permit you to observe an 8,000 m high mountain without doing a multi-day journey. If you are going to Pakistan, a visit to Fairy Meadows is an absolute necessity however like everything identified with exploring in Pakistan, refreshed data isn’t anything but difficult to get a hold of. Therefore, I am here today with a total guide on the most proficient method to climb the Fairy Meadows and get to the Nanga Parbat headquarters.
When to go to Fairy Meadows?
The ideal time to go to Fairy Meadows is either April – May or September – October, ideally on workdays, as these are viewed as the shoulder seasons and even though the climate may be somewhat colder than during the midsummer months, you are bound to have the spot to yourself. Pixie Meadows is a mainstream vacation destination among local people and it can get extremely swarmed so evade top circumstances such as the midsummer months or during public occasions.
Geographical location of Fairy Meadows
Pixie Meadows is the starting point for travelers who need to ascend the Nanga Parbat, the ninth most elevated mountain on the planet and second in Pakistan after K2. The initial segment of the street can be driven by a 4×4 vehicle. However, the finishing up segments, right to Fairy Meadows, should be crossed by foot or by a bike inferable from the blocked limited path.
This street is shut down in winter and is available just in summer. Whenever can be shut when the entrance isn’t freed from a day off. June and July are the greatest months to visit this spot. This drive is just suggested for individuals who are not kidding mountain sweethearts and have solid nerves.
In 2013 the street was positioned as the second deadliest thruway on the planet since it’s a ‘tricky high height, shaky and restricted mountain street’. Torrential slides and substantial snowfalls can now and then obstruct a few segments of the street and can be very risky because of continuous patches of ice. It’s a life-changing encounter.
Beginning high in the Himalayas close to the Indus stream, the precarious and uneven rough street whirls up just about 8000 feet on its appalling 10 km way which definitely can be known as the “Street of Death”. One unobtrusive misstep can lead you to a terrible result.
The street is an extraordinary encounter. It’s twisting, in certain spots just wide enough for one vehicle, and numerous spots flanked by a drop of several meters (a huge number of feet) unprotected by guardrails. Words can’t portray the street and pictures don’t do it equity.
This drive is just suggested for individuals who are not kidding mountain sweethearts and have solid nerves. This is a shocking spot for picture takers and nature sweethearts. However, this street is certainly not for weak-willed, along these lines, on the off chance that you need to go there – carry a great deal of mental fortitude with you!
Culture
Mornings at Fairy Meadows are lovely. One can simply sit under a tree and appreciate the excellent landscape for quite a while. If you will be there for a couple of days, make certain to take with you some understanding material.
If not, at that point you can swim in an unmistakable water lake only a couple hundred meters away. Different alternatives incorporate an exquisite calm stroll through the green woods to Bill Camp. This journey is very of the trip to the headquarters of Nanga Parbat.
1. Bial’s Camp
The walk is simple and invigorating and one arrives at Bial camp in around one and a half-hour. Outdoors at Bial camp is a suggested choice as it is substantially more quiet than somewhat packed Fairy knolls.
On the off chance that you have at long last arrived at Bial camp, Drexel’s Monument is an unquestionable requirement spot to visit which is very nearly an hour away. Drexel’s Monument was worked at 3967 meters in the honor of the individuals who lost their lives while climbing the considerable Nanga Parbat.
2. Raikot and Ganolo
Sitting inactively at any of these spots, regardless of whether in the knolls or under a pine tree, appreciating the perspective on the snow-covered Raikot and Ganalo tops or the Siver Saddle (Diamer Gap) at the highest point of Nanga Parbat while crunching your bites, is something that you don’t will do each day.
Visiting Fairy Meadows implies at any rate five days of get-away, beginning and completing in Islamabad. If you are setting out toward Fairy Meadows, the ideal break is to remain the night at PTDC Bardeen, around ten hours drive from Islamabad.
This would make your following day less riotous with just four hours of driving and three hours of traveling up to Fairy Meadows. One can take individual outdoors stuff or it tends to be employed from Fairy Meadows at sensible rates. The best ideal opportunity to visit Fairy Meadows is from June to August. Pixie Meadows is tranquil and clean. If it’s not too much trouble let it be so for our people in the future.
What to take with you en route to Fairy Meadows?
1. The Shoes
The path is pretty straightforward and all-around leveled with a couple of steep spots so a standard shoe with a great grasp should be fine. Contingent upon when you are venturing out to Fairy Meadows, you may need to stroll on a snow-shrouded trail so get ready appropriately. You approve of typical shoes toward the beginning of October. These Timberland shoes are my go-to climbing boots by and large.
2. Jackets
Best to be as cautious as possible. Like most mountains in this locale, it can rain/day off amazingly blustery whenever so it is consistently savvy to be ready for the most noticeably awful climate. Here are the coats I suggest you get for the outing: a wool coat and the excellent orange Columbia external shell coat.
3. Maps
A map is the best application you can have on your telephone, particularly when climbing. The application is accessible on both Android and iOS and with their disconnected abilities and their extensive rundown of accessible climbing trails, you will never get lost here.
4. Snacks
The food at Fairy Meadows can be very costly (150 – 500 PKR) so if you need to set aside cash, get a few snacks already. Bites are additionally extraordinary for the path particularly on the off chance that you intend to climb right to Nanga Parbat in one day since you should take lunch with you.
Water can be topped off for nothing at the Greenland resort on the off chance that you chose to remain there, something else, all the facilities sell water or you can generally top off it from the water stream. I generally convey my 2 liters hydration pack which I prescribe so you don’t need to stop to remain hydrated.
5. Daypack
You will require a daypack to convey all your stuff with you when you are making the rounds. During this excursion, I utilize the exemplary Herschel Supply’s Little America Backpack to convey everything with me. It is light with an acceptable limit and up-to-date as damnation.
Places to visit
To begin with, you should get to Gilgit, the capital city of the Gilgit-Baltistan region in the north of Pakistan. From that point, get to the Raikot Bridge and afterward, you should lease a jeep to get to the trailhead, and afterward, you should climb up to Fairy Meadows.
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1. Enroute to Gilgit
There are a few different ways you can get to Gilgit from Islamabad. You can travel to Gilgit through Pakistan International Airways. They run two times every day from Islamabad for around 113 USD. You may have the option to think that it is less expensive through Expedia or Skyscanner as they may have some outsider rebate for you.
You can likewise take overnight transport to Gilgit from Islamabad which will cost you around 2,500 PKR and it will take you 18 hours. The beneficial thing about taking transport is that you have the choice to drop off straightforwardly at the Raikot Bridge before the transport shows up in Gilgit, given you don’t have a great deal of stuff to convey.
If you might want to shed some weight off your rucksack and leave some stuff before the climb, I would recommend you go straightforwardly to Gilgit, remain one night there and take off from your stuff at your visitor’s house. I had no issue leaving half of my stuff at the Medina Hotel 2.
2. Enroute to Raikot Bridge
Raikot Bridge is found 80km south of Gilgit and it will take you around an hour to arrive. You can either get a taxi to drop you off at the scaffold or take a transport making a beeline for Chilas from the NATCO transport terminal.
By and by, it is quicker to either take a taxi yourself or catch a ride your way to the extension. For the taxi, don’t pay more than 1,000 PKR for the outing.
3. Enroute to Fairy Meadows
This is the place where it will get costly particularly for autonomous voyagers like us. From the Raikot Bridge, you should take a nearby jeep up the mountains and it will cost you 7,600 PKR per jeep for a full circle.
The jeep can be imparted to local people or different voyagers of up to 5 travelers. You can trust that some different voyagers will appear at the scaffold on the off chance that you have the opportunity however on the off chance that you show up later than expected, and you would prefer not to climb in obscurity, you should take care of business and pay for the whole jeep yourself.
Not long before you leave, your driver will get some information about the date of your return and the specific time you will show up back. Ensure you give your driver the right detail and make certain to adhere to it. This is basic for the driver as they should return and get you. Likewise, recollect your driver’s face!
From the town, the path step by step moves for around 2 hours, and afterward, it goes up steep for around 30 minutes until you show up in Fairy Meadows.
Recommended places to stay at Fairy Meadows
1. Greenland Resort
Greenland Resort by a wide margin offers the best perspective on Nanga Parbat with an away from of the ice sheet towards the mountain. The room is spotless and very much fabricated. The food costs around 150 – 500 PKR. The proprietor is likewise inviting helping me with all the booking, transportation, and food while letting my companions camp for nothing. On the off chance that you need a spot with the best view in Fairy Meadows, this is the one.
2. Fairy Meadows Inn
One of the biggest qualities of Fairy Meadows inn is that it can offer a great geographical location to stay when at Fairy Meadows. The rates are also incredibly cheap.
3. Fairy Meadows Cottages
The Fairy Meadows cottages play the role of an apartment. If you have spent time there, you can connect with numerous people in the same route as you and share your time with them. The environment-friendly atmosphere makes it likable for you to stay there.
The Hiking Trails in Fairy Meadows
Our first path starts with an all-around leveled way through thick timberland out of Fairy Meadows and along the edge with the perspective on Nanga Parbat and Raikot icy mass to your left side.
The path proceeds on a level scene for about an hour through the backwoods, passing a few streams, until you arrive at an initial where you will see a town being eclipsed by Nanga Parbat in good ways.
Congrats, you have arrived at the Beyal camp. You can get some espresso or proceed for around 30 minutes further along the path and you will show up at a perspective at 3,667m where you will have the option to see the Raikot Glacier and Nanga Parbat very close.
This piece of the path is only a straightforward walk thus it is ideal for individuals who are not hoping to climb a great deal. However, if you need to climb further, you can proceed with the path to Nanga Parbat Base Camp.
Conclusion
From Fairy Meadows, the person can proceed to Bayal camp and draw nearer to Nanga Parbat. From that point, they can go to the Pakistan perspective and afterward to the German perspective. Or on the other hand, you can remain at the knolls and capitalize on the quietness, the main association with the rest of the world being the PCOs set up by local people.