A Phander Valley travel guide, for those looking for an off the beaten track place to relax in Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan.
The winding road from Gilgit to Chitral is cut short by many, but few are favored. Poplar roads, sparkling green waters, Ismailians are hospitable; these are just a few reasons why you should take your time along the way.
Many villages extend from Shandur Pass to Gilgit, but none are as beautiful as Phander (pronounced “fun-der”), a small village located in the Phander Valley.
I was planning a visit to Pander for two or three days… and what started as two days turned into five nights! Every day, there was another reason to stay: young people who came to greet me and talk to me for hours, fishing trips along Phander's famous tropical streets, motorcycle trips to nearby places. I could easily have gone another few days if my time was not limited, and I know I will be back someday.
If you are looking for a peaceful place to park your feet in Gilgit Baltistan, Pander is the place. Here's a quick guide to Phander Valley to make your trip as smooth as possible.
satisfactory time to go to Phander
Your window of opportunity for travelling Phander is constrained to April – October. accommodations will now not be open outside of that window of time.
I visited in mid-may in the course of Ramadan, which meant i was the simplest traveler in the valley for maximum of the days i was there. (not that meaning much, as maximum travelers handiest live in the future besides.) The climate became surprisingly horrific, and temperatures hovered round freezing on cloudy days, dipping well underneath at night.
If you need to experience Phander with out losing a few arms, July/August is the great time to go to. Cherries, apricots, and mulberries might be in season, and the fishing season might be in full swing.
The disadvantage: June-August is high season for home vacationers. Although Phander isn’t as famous as different places in Gilgit Baltistan, the reach of Pakistani vacationers grows with every passing yr, and Phander will simplest emerge as extra famous with time.
Must fall colorings or peace and quiet be a priority, September/October is an excellent time to visit. The summer time holiday season will calm down by way of then, and trees ought to be converting coloration by the quit of September. Cold is the largest disadvantage right here, with common highs of round 10-15°C (50-60°F) in September.
A way to get to Phander Valley
Phander Valley sits alongside the “motorway” running from Chitral to Gilgit. If you’re traveling the Chitral-Gilgit avenue, you’ll be passing via Phander Valley.
From Gilgit to Phander
The NATCO bus from Gilgit to Mastuj is your most dependable bet… although it leaves at a painfully early 6:00 inside the morning. I bought my price ticket instant, however all through excessive season (summer season, after Ramadan) you would possibly want to ebook your seat an afternoon earlier on the NATCO bus stand tucked away at the nook of River View road and Punyal link avenue in Gilgit. A price ticket charges four hundred Rs—don’t forget about to tell the ticketing guy you’re getting off at Phander, not Mastuj.
After you’re at the bus, the journey need to take round 6 hours. You’ll be in Phander by way of 12 for lunch.
Instead, a hello-Ace minivan runs from the same NATCO stand at a extra palatable eleven:00 in the morning, or every time it’s full. A price ticket to Phander is 450 Rs. Make sure to arrive round 10:30 to ensure you get a seat.
The winding road from Gilgit to Chitral is cut short by many, but few are favored. Poplar roads, sparkling green waters, Ismailians are hospitable; these are just a few reasons why you should take your time along the way.
Many villages extend from Shandur Pass to Gilgit, but none are as beautiful as Phander (pronounced “fun-der”), a small village located in the Phander Valley.
I was planning a visit to Pander for two or three days… and what started as two days turned into five nights! Every day, there was another reason to stay: young people who came to greet me and talk to me for hours, fishing trips along Phander's famous tropical streets, motorcycle trips to nearby places. I could easily have gone another few days if my time was not limited, and I know I will be back someday.
If you are looking for a peaceful place to park your feet in Gilgit Baltistan, Pander is the place. Here's a quick guide to Phander Valley to make your trip as smooth as possible.
satisfactory time to go to Phander
Your window of opportunity for travelling Phander is constrained to April – October. accommodations will now not be open outside of that window of time.
I visited in mid-may in the course of Ramadan, which meant i was the simplest traveler in the valley for maximum of the days i was there. (not that meaning much, as maximum travelers handiest live in the future besides.) The climate became surprisingly horrific, and temperatures hovered round freezing on cloudy days, dipping well underneath at night.
If you need to experience Phander with out losing a few arms, July/August is the great time to go to. Cherries, apricots, and mulberries might be in season, and the fishing season might be in full swing.
The disadvantage: June-August is high season for home vacationers. Although Phander isn’t as famous as different places in Gilgit Baltistan, the reach of Pakistani vacationers grows with every passing yr, and Phander will simplest emerge as extra famous with time.
Must fall colorings or peace and quiet be a priority, September/October is an excellent time to visit. The summer time holiday season will calm down by way of then, and trees ought to be converting coloration by the quit of September. Cold is the largest disadvantage right here, with common highs of round 10-15°C (50-60°F) in September.
A way to get to Phander Valley
Phander Valley sits alongside the “motorway” running from Chitral to Gilgit. If you’re traveling the Chitral-Gilgit avenue, you’ll be passing via Phander Valley.
From Gilgit to Phander
The NATCO bus from Gilgit to Mastuj is your most dependable bet… although it leaves at a painfully early 6:00 inside the morning. I bought my price ticket instant, however all through excessive season (summer season, after Ramadan) you would possibly want to ebook your seat an afternoon earlier on the NATCO bus stand tucked away at the nook of River View road and Punyal link avenue in Gilgit. A price ticket charges four hundred Rs—don’t forget about to tell the ticketing guy you’re getting off at Phander, not Mastuj.
After you’re at the bus, the journey need to take round 6 hours. You’ll be in Phander by way of 12 for lunch.
Instead, a hello-Ace minivan runs from the same NATCO stand at a extra palatable eleven:00 in the morning, or every time it’s full. A price ticket to Phander is 450 Rs. Make sure to arrive round 10:30 to ensure you get a seat.
From Chitral/Mastuj
The procedure is comparable in the different course. You’ll need to get at the NATCO bus from Mastuj that leaves the station at (an excellent extra painful) five:00, and allow the driving force recognise you’re getting off at Phander.
Know that the Chitral-Gilgit road isn't open from approximately November to may also each yr, as Shandur pass closes due to snow.
Where to stay in Phander Valley
There are a small variety of places to live with confined facilities in Phander—where you stay depends
on your price range. Keep in mind that costs might also rise in high season because of demand.
Language, way of life, and faith in Phander
Phander’s citizens are broadly speaking Khwar-speaking Ismaili Muslims, followers of the Aga Khan.
Ismailis as a whole are commonly pretty educated and liberal. You’ll see lots of ladies strolling around as compared to other elements of Pakistan, boys and girls regularly visit mixed gender schools, and literacy costs are enormously high.
This changed into especially vital to me as I traveled to Phander at some stage in Ramadan. Fortuitously, Ismailis aren't liable to fasting, so ingesting at some stage in the day wasn’t too tough or offensive to others.
However, in spite of the liberal atmosphere, take the same old measures. Get dressed modestly, and ensure to continually ask earlier than taking someone’s picture. The enormous majority of the girls I met in Phander did no longer want to be photographed.
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