Description of
the new roundtrek along the rivers Barai Gah and Bijei Gah over the Samandar Pass |
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9-days-trekking-roundcourse along the creeks BARAI GAH and BIJEI GAH, the tributaries of
the river BUNAR GAH, forming the western border area of the NANGA PARBAT massive. The route condition and the not so strenous daily distances offer possibilities of interesting side-steps, that make this trek very nice, and a good choice for trekkers, who are not so experienced with acting at high-altitude. This old trail was in former years the main route from the South-West leading to the Nanga Parbat. Heavily used in earlier days by local merchants travelling between KASHMIR and the CHILAS-GILGIT-region, afterwards used by expedition to reach Nanga Parbat, this trail lost his significance after completion of the KARAKORAM HIGHWAY, with now providing transportation to the former isolated areas by vehicle. The round-course is a very fine 'relax-route' for trekkers who search remote areas with green meadows, trees and hidden settlements - where peoples from the west are seldom, rare species. The charme of this trail are the forsaken, forgotten places and valleys, the seldom mixture of meadows, glacier, creeks. |
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Starting at BUNAR JAL (1982m), the start and end of the roundtrek with road-access to the Karakoram Highway, the trail winds up for 4 days in a modest way 29km along the river BARAI GAH to the glacial sources. Finally reaching high-alpine glacial regions, the trail leads to the SAMANDAR PASS (4878m) and after crossing to the glacial sources of the BIJEI GAH. Returning towards the trail-start the route follows for 3 days and 23km in a modest descent this river, finally reaching BUNAR JAL, the location where both rivers meet and form the 15km long BUNAR GAH, which meet at BUNAR DAS the Indus-river. |
Day 1 From the settlement BUNAR DAS (1143m), located in eastern direction from CHILAS on the KARAKORAM HIGHWAY, one can reach by jeep-transport after 11km along the river BUNAR GAH the famous HALALA BRIDGE (1829m), the key-entry to the DIAMAR VALLEY leading to the westface of NANGA PARBAT. Crossing the bridge the jeep-route leads after 4km to BUNAR JAL (1982m), a village with about 100 people from the family of Samandar Khan, a wellknown mountain guide and Liaison officer to the Nanga Parbat. BUNAR JAL was founded on historical site with remains from ancient buddhist settlements at the meeting point of the rivers BARAI GAH and BIJEI GAH, which form the river BUNAR GAH. One can reach BUNAR JAL either by a 1,5 hours jeep-ride or by walking after about 5-6 hours. Directly located at the meeting-point of the rivers there is a fine meadows which provides superb spring water and a good place to relax under walnut trees and stay overnight. Day 2 Crossing the BARAI GAH on a small log-bridge just in front of the neighbor village KALABAI, one leaves BUNAR JAL (1982m) and follows from now on the BARAI GAH. After 2km one can see the village NASHKIN (2134m) just above the river. Another 1,3km away the trail crosses the river to his eastern side with the small village SHARODAT on the hill above. After 2,5km one reaches a turning point of the river to the south-west and followes the river for 1,5km on the west side towards the south. Finally, after another 1,5km one reaches the meadows around the small settlement PALOI (2896m), a nice place to pick up the tents on the westside of the river. |
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Day 3 From the camp at Paloi (2896m) one stays at the western side of the river and march steadily upwards high over the riverbed for 4km towards South-East, on the route lies the small shepherds settlement POSUS. After reaching the turning point of the river towards South-West, at an altitude of 3354m, the route follows now very plain the river and reaches after 2km the camp-place just opposite the shepherd settlement BISAIBEK (3506m) on the other side, the south-side, of the river. The camp-place is located at a sandy place near the river-bed, surrounded with lot of bushes. |
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Day 4 Leaving BISAIBEK one follows the river for 3km in south-western direction over plain bushy landscape until one reaches a point were the river forms a broad riverbed. In the maps this lake is called HAITEHARAI LAKE (3658m), locally named NADERJAN LAKE. From here the route follows for another 5km the river towards the South, reaching finally a plain green spot with shepherds huts, MASINO PATERO (3711m). |
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After this place the trail winds up for some minutes to the camp-place HOLLA (3811m), a very flat green area located just in front of the glaciers, near the small creeks comming out of the glaciers. This spot was in former days a big settlement, because from here the trails reach to the BABUSAR PASS or towards KASHMIR. |
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Day 5 Short after the nice campspot at HOLLA, one crosses the creek comming from the glaciers in the South on a piece of log, reaching a flat mouraine area. Here, about 1km after HOLLA, the trail divides: In the southern direction, one can follow the route on very good ways, formerly used by merchants, steadily going upward to the pass to Kashmir. Reaching this pass, called KAL GHALI in the maps, locally named KASHGAR PASS (4.250m) on clear days one has a very good view down to the valleys and forrests at Kashmir. |
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Returning from here to the camp-spot one can either walk the way back down to the trail start, or one can keep the altitude and walk high above the river through high-alpine area directly to the camp-place. Doing this walk, on some places one has to use hands to get a save stand. Although the local people like to keep the altitude, this way back should not be used in bad weather because of the slippery parts over the big rocks. If one does not like to make this side-step to KASHGAR PASS, one can reach the camp-place on the other of the two ways, following a not so easily detectable path over rocks steadily upwards along the melting waters from the glacier high above. The camp-place is located at an rare flat site surrounded by big rocks, at an altitude of 4.200m. It are this possibilities of interesting side-steps, that make this trek very nice, and a good choice for trekkers, who are not so experienced with acting at high-altitude. |
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Day 6 After leaving the campspot one has to find a way through the moraine to get slowly higher in altitude. About 2 hours after start the route divides: To the right one can reach to the glacier and make the ascent to the Pass walking on snowcovered glacier, to the left one keeps on the moraine and reach the Pass more directly with the last part going up for a short time in moderate steepness. From both routes one has excellent views in backwards direction, with a big glacier on the left and deep down the green valley. During about 3-4 hours ascent, sometimes steep over flat rocks, one reaches the upper part just below the pass. There the trail becomes more flat and on one location there is a good opportunity to pick up tents in the case that one doesnt like to stay with the tent in the moraine. |
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From both routes one has excellent views in backwards direction, with a big glacier on the left and deep down the green valley. After a total of about 3-4hours ascent one reaches the SAMANDAR PASS (4878m), locally named SHONO SHULU. The pass is a small flat area and offers a very good view in both directions. Over this pass in former days the people did cross with their animals, including cows. |
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Looking down the steep descent one cannot believe that cows and horses have made this traverse, but the local peole asure you about that. From the pass it is about 1 hour descent-walk through loose gravel and stones to reach green areas which offer a good place for lunch. |
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From there the trail descents to the moraine which is reached after about 30 minutes. One has to follow the moraine for about one hour over big loose rocks mostly by jumping from each rock to the other. This becomes very strenous and is risky. Finally the trail leads down to a big plain green area, KOLIAP (12500ft) where one picks up the tents on soft green ground. |
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Day 7 Leaving KOLIAP along the small river BIJEI NALA which comes out of the glacier one reaches after 40 minutes the small shepherd settlement KINEGIRI (xxxxm) which is used from the people of Buner Jal as an summer settlement with the sheeps. From this flat green area the trail descents very pleasent along the river reaching the shepherd settlements of LALOT, BIJOBAN, BISHPO, RUPIKAI and NURHANBAJ. Short after the the last settlements the valley becomes very narrow and one reaches to an alpine area like the alpine forrest in the European alps: Big trees and bushes. After about 2 hours from Kinegiri one reaches a pleasent flat green area with small shepherd huts called NAGARTON. From there the trail winds down over green area called ROLO and reaches after one hour a place where the river Bijei Nala falls down as a waterfall. This place is called DIJONGE that means the place where two rivers meet, the Bijei Nala comming from Koliap and the other river comming from the Jalhari glacier. Here one has a very good view to the snow and ice covered mountain GESHOT PEAK (20750ft) and it is a very nice place for lunch near a waterfall under big old trees. From the lunch place it is a short walk down to the river BIJEI NALA which is crossed on a small bridge. |
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trail goes up very steep for about 30 minutes to reach the green area of the village GAROL
(2780-2960m) where one picks up the tents surrounded by green fields, some of them with
potatoes. |
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Day 8 The next day you can walk up for about 2hours until you reach a shepheards-settlement called SAGAR (3450m). From this nice spot with a spring it is about 2h ascent to a very nice, flat and hidden area at an altitude of 3940m. Here you will find the small LAKE LUISE, with the impressive view of GASHOT PEAK (6325m) behind. From the lake it is an half hours walk to the south-end of the flat area, where you have the Gashot Peak directly in front of you, and the village GASHOT below you. The way back to GAROL takes about 3hours. |
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Day 9 The next day it is a very easy and pleasent walk down towards the village Buner Jal, the starting- and end-point of this trek. It takes about 3-4hours to reach the river, and from there about 2 more hours to reach the village Buner Jal. On the way down to Bunar Jal the trails leeds in the first upper part over many local bridges, that makes this trail a little bit exposed to accidental sliding in the eyes of unexperienced trekkers. |
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