In March 2018, my friend Ali and I were feeling a bit restless. We’d often head to Murree for a quick getaway, so we decided to do just that, without much planning. We were dressed casually, not expecting to venture too far.
After a night in Murree, a spontaneous idea struck us: why not explore Kashmir? We set off for Muzzafarabad, a two-hour drive away. From there, we headed to Peer Chinasi, a stunning mountain peak offering panoramic views of Muzzafarabad. On a clear day, with a keen eye, you might even spot parts of Abottabad in the distance.
We spent the morning exploring Peer Chinasi, but it didn’t take long to see everything. So, we decided to continue our journey. Along the way to Arang Kel, we stopped at a place called Dera. As we traveled further, we were surprised to see a forest fire near the Neelam River. Our route had several water crossings and streams, and we also got a glimpse of the iconic Human Face Mountain. We finally arrived in Kel late at night.
This is the entire route that we followed. Around 350 km of driving that normally takes more than ten hours.
Kel and Arang Kel are two neighboring villages separated by the Neelam River. To reach Arang Kel, we had to cross the river via a military cable car and then embark on a challenging hike. Since we didn’t have proper hiking boots, we borrowed some from a local and added extra socks (outside) for better grip on the snowy trail. Finally we reached Arang Kel, where a spectacular view was awaiting us.
