Written by: Waseem Abbas
Posted on: December 07, 2021 | 
| 中文
Gosonar and Satt Valleys of Bagrote. Mighty Rakaposhi (7788m) can be seen in the photo
When tourists land in the Gilgit airport, they get perplexed by the multitude of valleys they can explore. Hunza valley’s lakes and rich cultural history attracts voyagers while Naltar Valley, with its green pastures, lakes, and an international Ski resort, lures travelers. Haramosh valley also attracts travelers due to its’ lofty mountains, which are covered with snow, blue steep lakes, and vast green pastures. Besides these famous tourist destinations, which are frequently visited by Pakistani voyagers and foreigners alike, there are numerous scintillating valleys in Gilgit which remain unexplored till this date.
Bagrote Valley (Credits to Alam Khan)
One of these valleys is Bagrote, a Shina speaking village located in the Karakoram Mountain range in district Gilgit. Bagrote Valley is known for its picturesque beauty, high-altitude mountains, vast glaciers, livestock, forests, meadows, and rich cultural heritage. It is situated just thirty-four kilometers from Gilgit city, which makes it the closet valley to the city.
An old man weaving a traditional rope in Bagrote Valley (Credits to Lens & Moment)
When we headed towards Bagrote from Gilgit, most of our fellows were unaware of the exquisiteness that they were about to witness, since the valley is less famous than its counterparts in Gilgit. I was the only one who had had visited the valley before, so I acted as their guide. The road to the valley was metaled up to the first valley, Sinakar, and from there on the road was rough but not dangerous.
Our first stop was Farfu valley, the biggest of the nine valleys, where we stayed for a night. Farfu is a picturesque plain valley with lush green fields as well as an abundance of apricots, apples, and other fruits. The mighty Diran Peak (7266m), which is famous for fairies and Djinns in local culture, represents a mesmerizing sight in this valley.
A mesmerizing view of Farfu Valley. Diran Peak (7266m) can be seen in the front.
On day two, we headed towards our intended destination, Gargo pastures—on feet, despite that there was road. Our purpose was to explore the valley and its’ surroundings to the fullest. On the way to Chirah Valley lies the Farfu waterfall, the longest waterfall in Pakistan, which is also known as the Alam Channa of Pakistani waterfalls.
The Farfu Waterfall, the Alam Channa of Pakistani waterfalls
When we were passing by the glacier after Chirah valley, the mighty Rakaposhi (7788m), situated on our left, presented a spellbinding view but was covered with dark clouds, as always.
We reached Gosonar valley after walking for an hour, which was a good beginning for the amateur trekkers. Since the ascent was sloppy and strenuous, we thought it would be a good idea to rejuvenate ourselves. We decided to take a breather in a newly built ‘Chills and Hills Hotel and Restaurant,’ which is one of the three hotels located in the valley.
Gosonar Valley
With a cup of tea and chips in hand, which were made with delicious local potatoes, we began to roam around the valley. The valley was flooded with green fields where potatoes, wheat, and vegetables were cultivated. Alpine trees joined the valley with the mountains. Satt valley, which was across the river, was also a soothing sight. Majestic Diran Peak and Rakaposhi were blanketed with snow and were visible from here.
The road ended at Gosonar Valley and we had to trek our way from there onwards. A small but dangerous looking river passed at the end of Gosonar Valley —and to our bad luck, there was no bridge over there. After roaming around for half an hour searching for a way to cross the river, we finally found a trunk of a gigantic tree that lay over the river. That trunk acted like a conduit for the group to cross the river. A jungle started after the stream and the perils of deforestations could be observed here. A sloppy ascension began after the forest, which then merged with the Gargo glacier. The thudding sound of the melting glacier frightened the novices in the trek.
Frightening Bagrote glacier
While we scarcely moved on the glacier with a rudimentary amount of luggage, a local, who was laden with a 40-kilogram wheat bag on his back, quickly moved by as if he was running a marathon. The vicissitudes of the glacier, the drumming noise of glacial outbursts and the mountain ahead frightened everyone.
We felt relieved when we crossed the glacier and entered the Gargo forest. As we approached Gargo, our team members were astounded by the mesmerizing sight they witnessed; the vast Gargo pasture in front, with lanky alpine trees on the right as well as a vast glacier on the left and snow-capped mountains, that merged with the Bilchar Dobani (6138m), on the backside.
Gargoo meadows
We reached Gargo just before 5 pm. We camped close to the homes of shepherds since a light drizzle had started when we were about to reach our destination. As the drizzle got more intense, a shepherd invited us to his home and offered us to stay there but we politely refused. He offered milk and Lassi to us as well, which we readily accepted.
Boys playing cricket in the Gargoo meadows of Bagrot Valley, Gilgit
At night, we headed to the nearby ground in the Gargo meadows to play cricket. It would have been naïve to not play sports when we had a 600 meter long and 200–300-meter-wide ground in front of us. The ground was so vast that two football games could be played in it at a time, with some vacant place still remaining. We initially planned on summiting the 5400m long Rakhan Pass, which connects Bagrote valley to the adjacent Haramosh valley. However, our team members refused to move an inch since they did not have the energy to scale the pass. We played cricket and football the entire day, and took occasional breaks in between.
On that night that we stayed at Farfu, on our way back home, all of our team members unanimously agreed that if the quality of roads and restaurants is increased, and adequate publicity is provided, the pass has the potential to become one of the sought-after tourist destinations in Gilgit Baltistan.
Tourists on their way to Rakhaan Pass
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