Trip to Fairy Meadows
Mr. Adnan Sadiq
Mr. Adnan Sadiq graduated from IBA in 2012. Experience of working in international and local organizations in shipping, aviation and financial industries. Working for a cause of creating awareness among people by education i. e. regularly volunteer for Rahber and Baghban program of TCF. Interested in topics of International relations finance and economics with special interests in sports and fitness.
I met one of my undergraduate class mates on my visit to Islamabad in a search of job after completing my MBA from IBA in 2012. After completing his Masters from abroad, rather than doing job he decided to convert one of his hobbies into business. He formed a tour operator company which not only provides trekking and hiking equipment but also takes people from different backgrounds, in the form of groups, to various places in northern areas of Pakistan. This meeting had end in a discussion on the kind of business he was doing and challenges he was facing at that time. After two years of starting my job I was one of the high performers in the company, I was working so I decided to celebrate my success by travelling. I started working on searching for different places and options to travel as I had not seen the northern areas of Pakistan, I decided to visit fairy meadows for my traveling experience.
I was looking for an economical and feasible option to travel I came to know about a group tour operator who was taking a tour to fairy meadows and Nanga Parbat base camp. My journey started from Lahore in a coaster towards Chillas. It was 21 hours' continuous journey with stops at various places where the tour leader stopped and showed well-known places. Although journey was hectic but mountainous scenery and temperature was very pleasant. Some of the worth mentioning places during the journey were three mountainous ranges i.e. Karakorum, Himalaya and Hindu Kush and various places in these ranges. It was a 5-day tour with first stay at Chillas. On second day, it was informed to all the travelers in the group that due to rain and land-sliding our journey had been delayed. After a delay of 4 hours, we reached Rai Kot Bridge from where our journey for Jeep started, we reached Fairy Meadows after a hike of 4 hours and a jeep ride of one and half hour.
Nights at Fairy Meadows were very beautiful, Milky Way of stars is clearly visible from the meadows and small yellow flowers everywhere on the ground made the scenery more beautiful. Mornings start early in Fairy Meadows, with sun rising from one side of Nanga Parbat and setting in on the other side, making its all three peaks golden by crimson rays of sun. Temperature was very cold even in the hottest months of years, which are July and August in Pakistan. A stream of water can be found flowing on the ground with green grass in meadow, at few places a little more quantity of water was gathered and giving a view of small lake in meadows with image of Nanga Parbat clearly visible in these small lakes.
Stream of water, different color flowers on ground, Glacier coming out of Nanga Parbat and extending to the bottom of Fairy's Meadows Mountain makes it more worth watching and wonderful experience. Travel to Meadow is only possible from end of April to September as after these months, the whole meadow was covered with snow and local people migrate to downside of mountains. In travelling months, the whole meadow is divided into two areas in one are there are lot of local hotels for tourist and on other side local people have their village. A small pine tree forest adjacent to meadow is also increasing its beauty by many folds. Meadow's ground is covered with grass and is full of pint trees and its cones, the smell of it increased overall wonderful experience of meadow.
Local people were very helpful, one of the best things I tasted over there was a special kind of lassi made from the local cow's milk. Over all, the experience of going and staying at the Fairy Meadows was wonderful with lots and lots of beautiful mountainous scenery.