Shogran is an underrated tourist destination. I’m not saying nobody goes here it’s just that people don’t come here as often as Naran or other nearby places. That’s a good thing maybe because all the nature is preserved this way. Don’t get me wrong there is a lot visitors here after Eid and in summers but off Season, you can find yourself at peace.
The best thing about shogran is the bedroom views, shogran has some of the best views around, I happen to found a room with a view of Malka parbat, the highest peak in kaghan valley, Yup shogran has a clear view.
The reason why i think people skip shogran on their tour is because of the tough road to get there. A driver who is not from a hilly area is not recommended to even take 4×4 here. The road has some dangerous turns, I recommend going on a jeep or in a local van (daba) they’re used to the road, much safer that way.
Directions.
You can park your car at kiwai, a small town on kaghan road, from where the road to shogran goes. it’s about 30 km before Naran. You basically have to go up the hill next to the road. A walk is possible, it’ll take 4 hours, people do it but usually people hike upto siri paye from shogran we’ll talk about it in giffe.
From kiwai jeeps charge around 1500 to 3000 varying on the season. Vans charge even less. The good part is that one jeep or van can accommodate 7 people, if you have seven people then you can divide the cash, if in summers, you can easily find locals or tourist, to join you, I was there in may, I had to wait some time for locals wanting to go shogran, eventually whenever 5 to 6 people gather they pay the driver, each man around 300 RS. It’s awesome how these guys go to market every day isn’t it? some of them use motorbikes though, the regulars.
Shogran.
This is the best place to just chill, hotels and resorts have big lawns, people lay around, cook and enjoy the views. It’s exactly like in a movie or something, when they show people on vacations. Also there are some of the best barbecue spots. If your lucky, you’ll find the hotels extremely cheap. By luck, I mean if you go during off season.
Shogran is not the real deal, the real beauty is up from shogran, The locals call it siri paye.
Going to siri Paye.
siri paye is a famous trekking route, I also had made up my mind to start early morning after sehri, but i was told by a local to not go alone as there are some animals. I was told this in Naran too when i was going to saif ul malook but here it looked way more serious as shogran is deep forest. The trees make it unique. The whole trek was through magnificent alpine trees. I think if you go with friends or when it’s summers then your fine because then there will be people around, In my case it was ramadan and nobody was at the top or at the way.
jeep drivers asked me around 3000 (round trip), there was no one else to go up, I had to wait for an hour or two and then another local came, we paid 700 each,(for a return ride) (the driver was not happy with 1400 rs but he took us) .
One more thing that you need to ask drivers is how long will they stay up there, usually they don’t stay more then 2 hours. Ask nicely and maybe they will but some of them are stubborn. my driver agreed for 3 hours.
The road is not less then an adventure, it’s not a road actually only 4×4’s go on this off road mud track. it’s super bumpy, be sure to hold on to something. it’ll be a ride of a lifetime i asure you.
It’s heaven.
First comes the siri top and then the paye top, siri means the water at the top or something like this in local language, there’s a pond here around the year so that’s why it’s called siri. you get a nice view of the forest down below, there’s a couple of restaurants.
moving on to paye it has the whole view of kaghan valley, Malka parbat look enormous, it’s straight in front of you, it seems as if we’re equal to it in height. people with asthma or something even get oxygen problems here.
what makes it different than other peak is the greenery, the pond and the green land stretching beside with enormous mountains in the background, what else do you want?
Riding a horse at paye top was the best experience I’ve had in a while, it’s so peaceful , the wind smashing at your face, the views, the views are crazy. Talking about a horse people charge around 1000 rs + for a ride, that’s insane i know, i managed to lower it as the owner did not had to come with me, I knew how to ride, otherwise he’d charge more as he’d have to walk with me till the end.
you can also camp at paye top or siri, be sure to be near some local hut or something in case of an animal or something be prepared, I don’t think there are any dangerous animals but still, It would be nice to wake up with the view of the whole kaghan valley.
If your like my and don’t stop until there’s a dead end, you can go all the way to makra peak, I didn’t get there as it was snow covered but it will be awesome to go again in summers, the view from paye was crazy, what would be on the top of makra peak, maybe i’ll write a blog when I go again. so follow me on Instagram to get update on where I’m at, or join me on an adventure.
Originally published at http://sazsays.home.blog on June 7, 2019.