Guide to Visit Neelum Valley, Kashmir

Visit Neelum Valley, Kashmir

Sharda, Neelum (P.C: Anonymous Photographer <www.facebook.com/anonymousphotographer.LHR>)

Lets start by a little introduction of Kashmir. Kashmir as a whole is an independent state. It has been divided into 3 parts, Azad Kashmir, Jammu Kashmir & a little portion been given to China by Pakistan as a friendly gesture. The Azad kashmir has self-governing jurisdiction administered by Pakistan.

Neelam Valley is a District of Azad Kashmir in Muzzafarabad Division and it has different valleys which you can visit during your trip to Kashmir and see the beauty of Kashmir and get to know why Kashmir is called Heaven on Earth.

Lets start by listing down the points regarding this whole trip to Neelam Valley.

Best Time to Visit 

Stuff to take with you 

Travelling routes & plans 

Places to Stay

Where to Eat

Things to Take care of

Best time to visit:

Good things always require time following that the best time to visit Neelam valley is from Mid- July to Mid September. This is the time when you can see and enjoy the real beauty of Neelam Valley. This is the time when all the greenery of Kashmir is at its peak the beautiful views gives relaxation to your soul and peace to your mind. 

However you can visit Neelam Valley Kashmir from March - October. From October to February there will heavy snowfall and there are chances of getting stuck due to snowfall and land sliding.

The duration of trip to Kashmir should be minimum of 1 week to enjoy the beautiful views and scenery of Neelam Valley, Kashmir but you can visit the major valleys of neelam valley within 4 Nights and 5 Days trip.

Stuff to Take with you:

    Running through airports with pounds of luggage - that's a good workout. You are visiting the Neelam valley for enjoying the scenery not to carry the luggage like a coolie. You have to pack light and easy to carry baggage not to put burden on yourself for that backpacks are best option specially when you are travelling on local transport where you have change the transport on every stop.

   Lets jump to the list of things you should carry with yourself during Neelam valley trip.

1. A small Secondary Bag (To carry your Cellphone, Power bank, wallet, Glasses, Handsets, Cigarettes etc.) should be easy to access.

2.  2-3 Pair of Jeans

3.  2-3 T-Shirts or Shirts (T shirts are preferred as there will no need to iron them)

4.  2 Pair of Shoes (Joggers or sneakers with good sole or you should carry anti slip shoe grips to walk in snow easily) 

5.  1 Sunglasses (Optional)

6.  1 inner liner

7.  1 Jacket (During Winter Season) (leather or parachute preferred)

8.  2 Upper or Hoodies

9.  4-5 pairs of socks 

10.3 to 4 Empty shopping bags

11.Basic First Aid Kit (Bandages, Pain killers)

12.An Emergency flash light (Optional)

13.Water bottle (Optional)

14.Muffler and winter cap (Face mask if you are allergic to dust)

15.A few snacks (Peanuts, chips, biscuits etc.)

Further the packing technique is already shared with you in the previous blog so that will be very useful in packing smartly without consuming much space.

Travelling routes & plans:

A goal without a plan is just a wish. The trip to Neelam valley has to be properly planned if you don't want to waste your time and money and want to fully enjoy your trip.

By starting from Islamabad you can find local buses from Faizabad Bus station or you can book your personal car direct to Muzzafarabad.
It will take 4 to 4.5 Hrs from Islamabad to Muzzafarabad.

Cost will be: (Islamabad - Muzzafarabad)
By Personal Car  : 3000/- PKR (Max 6 persons) (Suzuki Bolan)
By Bus or VAN : 350 - 400/- PKR (Per person)

Best time to leave for Muzzafarabad is in early morning  around 6 o Clock so by 10 o clock you can reach there.

From Muzzafarabad you have 2 options to visit Neelam valley,

1.       Hire a jeep for the whole tour (Muzzafarabad - Keran - Sharda - Kel - Arang Kel - Taobat -Upper Neelam - Muzzafarabad)
2.       Travel on local transport

In case of Jeep Cost will be: 30,000 PKR - 35,000 PKR (for 6 - 7 persons) 

In case of local transport the cost breakup will be as follows,

•      Muzzafarabad - Keran : 250 - 300 PKR (Per person)
•      Keran - Sharda: 200 - 250 PKR (Per person)
•      Sharda - Taobat : 400 - 450 PKR (per person)
•      Taobat - Kel : 250-300 PKR
•      Kel - Arang Kel - Kel: 50 - 100 PKR (Chairlift)(after that 40-45 mins hike)
•     Kel - Keran: 400 - 450 PKR (No local transport to upper neelum) (40 - 45 minutes track from keran checkpost)
•      Keran - Muzzafarabad : 250 - 300 PKR (Per person)

Following is a travel plan that i have made after visiting whole Neelam Valley. You can make your own but the places where i suggest to stay are purely awesome & relaxing.

Day 1:

Reach Muzzafarabad by 10:00 AM

Visit Red fort and old Bazar in Muzzafarabad

Leave for Keran at around 02:00 PM

Night stay at Keran

Day 2:

Leave Keran around 10:00 AM

Reach Sharda around 12:30 PM

Visit Sharda market & Sharda university

Leave for Taobat around 2:30 PM

Night Stay at Taobat

Day 3:

Visit Taobat 

Leave for Kel at 12:00PM

Reach Arang Kel by 3:00PM

Visit Arang Kel

Night stay at Arang Kel

Day 4:

Leave arang Kel at 1:00 PM

Reach Upper Neelum by 6:00PM

Night Stay at Upper Neelum

Day 5:

Visit Upper Neleum

Leave for Muzzafarabad at 12:00PM

Reach Muzzafarabad by 5:00 PM

Leave for Islamabad

Reach Islamabad by 10:00 PM

Places to Stay 

Restless feet walk into snake pit. Without rest you cannot enjoy your trip. Restlessness can ruin your trip so it better suggested that you must take good rest during your trip and for good rest you must a have good place to rest. 

So, following are the Hotels where i stayed and loved my stay there but they are a little expensive as compared to other hotels but there location and rooms are worth it.

Keran Valley - (P.C: Anonymous photographer <www.facebook.com/anonymousphotographer.LHR>)

• Valley Trackers (Keran Valley) : Cost 2000/- PKR per Night (3-4 persons)
• Valley Trackers (Sharda): Cost 2000/- PKR per Night (3-4 persons)
• PM Forest Lodge (Taobat) : Cost 2000/- PKR per Night (3-4 persons)
• Musk Deer Resort (Arang Kel): Cost 1500 - 2000/- PKR Per Night (3-4 persons)(Note: Musk Deer is not that good as compared to valley trackers and PM forest lodge but it is better than other resorts in Arang Kel)
• Upper Neelam Resort (Upper Neelum): 2000-2500/- PKR per Night (3-4 persons)(Note: Upper Neelam Resort also have huts with 2 double bed rooms & Kitchen but they have to be booked in advance and they will cost 4500/- PKR per hut

Upper Neelum-(P.C: Anonymous Photographer <www.Facebook.com/anonymousphotographer.LHR>)

All the above mentioned hotels have beautiful views of Neelam Valley, quiet Night and clean and tidy rooms and all are govt. operated hotels so they have to follow the govt. decided rates so before leaving Muzzafarabad try to get the updated rates information of hotels in these valleys from AJK Tourism Department.

Where to eat: 

A Hungry man is an Angry man. Food is very important in trips as it gives you energy and strength to complete your trip. Food is a very important part of your trip as it can make your trip special and memorable or it can also ruin your trip. 

In Neelam valley there are no individual restaurants available so you must eat where you are staying as it will be economical and the hotels I have mentioned above also have good food to offer.

In complete Neelam Valley the cost of food in hotels is considerably same. The food will cost you as follows:

•      Breakfast: 200-250 PKR (per day)
•      Lunch: 300-350 PKR (per day)
•      Dinner: 300-350 PKR (per day)

Just a few tips regarding food and eating routine.

• The serving portions are big so there dish with 2 persons serving are enough for 3-4 persons.
• Don't eat too heavy it will create problem in travelling.
• Drink a lot of water
• Carry Chips, Biscuits with you as there are very few shops where you can find these and they also get closed before sunset so you cannot find anything to eat if you were hungry at night.
• The food took minimum 1 to 2 hours to cook so place your order according to that.
• Carry mineral water with you if your stomach is sensitive.
• If you have any kind of digestive problem you must carry the medicine with you

So, this the few things you should take care of regarding your eating routines.

Things to take care: 

Put on your thinking Cap. Since Kashmir is an independent state & also a disputed territory so anything can be happen anytime but its not that bad that you have to get afraid of you just have to take care of few things during you trip in Neelum Valley.

The biggest difference in travelling in different hill station and travelling in Azad Kashmir is in Neelam valley you are travelling along the LOC which means on left side you have Pakistan and on Right side Indian occupied Kashmir the only border in between is Neelam River. So following are a few tips and advices that will help you in your trip to Neelam Valley.

1. Must carry your NIC with you during your trip to Neelam Valley or Passport in case of foreigners.
2. Must carry Cash with you as there will be no banks or atms will be available after you cross Muzzafarabad. (i have seen only one bank in Sharda but not confirm if it is operational or not)
3. While travelling you are along the LOC so try not to stay on the road for long time.
4. Arang kel is on the top of a mountain if you cannot walk or have any problem in knee problem its preferred to carry knee grips with you.
5. Drink water with ORS in it because it will save you from dehydration. The sun rays are very warm there and temperature is very low due to which you don't sweat but your body dehydrate so it very important to keep you hydrated.
6. Try not to take pics from the border of roads as it will be very dangerous because you are travelling on LOC.
7. Sleep early and wake up early because there is nothing to do much at night in Neelum Valley but the morning there is very beautiful and peaceful.
8. There is mobile network available in Kashmir and also due to situation internet is also not available there so it is very good place to leave the problems behind and just enjoy the nature and spend your time with nature, however there is a local network available SCOM you can get the sim from Muzzafarabad and use it keep you loved ones updated.
9. If you are travelling local keep your things safe and carry backpack as there won't be any place you can put your suit case so it will create problem in travelling
10. Cleanliness is very important in Azad Kashmir. Once you get there you will observe how clean is Azad kashmir than other hill stations so take care of that if you don't want to get any type of penalty by Army.

And thats All guys hope this will be help you in planning your tour to Kashmir.

If you want to add anything, any tip, any place that I haven't mentioned or want to share your experience please comment below,