Hike to Jahaz Banda: How Four Friends Spent Their Vacation?

The following article/blog has been revised for errors and other mistakes.

It's been almost four months since our trip to Kumrat Valley, Swat. It was so sudden that it felt like ages since we went somewhere other than some random area in Lahore. To catch up with the story, this is how it went down,  my close friend Hamza wanted to go somewhere for a trip. Often he would go with his classmates from National College of Arts or with his family. He asked me and another guy about a trip to Kumrat Valley in Khyber-Pakhtunkwa(KPK) that some traveling agency that planned out the locations to visit. Talha, the other friend declined to come due to his existing job commitments. 

Naturally, I was the only one left so he kept asking me. During that conversation I was more with Talha, he suggested to rather travel in a personal group then to be part of caravan full of strangers. 

Eventually, in span of one week we planned out everything from party members, equipment and tour destination. Aside from me and Hamza we got Fiaz, who was a close friend and perhaps bigger influence on Hamza in various decisions. Next was Hassan Zaidi, the original 3 member before I met them Gujuranwala Cantt. He was asked to come to Lahore so all of us including our final party member, Umair. After, that all of us packed our things and we left of to Kumrat Valley.  

Interestingly though Hamza finalized the spots from that instagram post. Plus, I was there for few occasion where he figured out the details.

After almost 16 hours we made it to Thal. We  left our car and booked a jeep ride all the way to Kumrat Valley for two night stay. There were some notable areas to visit but due to our schedule we trekked towards one area- Kala Chashma. After that we came back to the hotel and  deposited extra luggage into the car. 

Here are two videos by Hamza on our arrival and trekking on Kala Chashma.

Now from this point on, it was on route to Jahaz Banda. I sat at the back as we drove in the crude and bumpy road. From our opposite end was a beautiful side filled with the green mountains that looked like mint ice cream with some chocolate chips or candy scattered. 

As soon as we reached the pull(bridge) that connected to Taki Top, the driver stopped and told us that the vehicle was not good enough to go further and so we took our bags and went straight towards Taki Top. It was at this point my physical limitation were being tested. Long Story short while I have slim frame, I don't have strong stamina and during my time in university, I've experience backpains (resulted from school days) due to carrying heavy stuff. Personally I felt comfortable without having any load to carry.  

Honestly, I am not that good in hiking. If I walked up for 2 minutes, I would stop to catch my breath. So, my body was not ready for this thing. Eventually, we took a break at two stopped near two chashmas(water stream inlets) as we went upwards with uncertainty in our minds. Luckily, some locals pointed out first stop it is just a few meters up ahead. Things got serious as clouds were starting to crack hard and, water droplets were making a presence on the ground. We raced up but, as we moved on, those droplets were now with some small icy white hail. I put my hands on my head as we finally reached Taki Top and stopped by the local hotel to regain our energy.

There was another band of travelers that just so happens to enjoy hiking a lot. Our interactions with them revealed that they went to various areas and how often do they engage in these adventurous activities. Everyone would take some pictures, eat lunch and, take a nap before we moved up ahead.  Shortly after an hour, they began to trek up towards Jahaz Banda, despite the rain and slippery path being an obstacle. Surprisingly, this was not the last time we see again as, throughout our hike, we would encounter them three more times. The second time they returned back as the rain made the path worse along with the constant roar of clouds and lightning bolts becoming a looming threat. Then as we made it nearly to the top they came back and actually managed to reach there before us. No Surprise here.

Meanwhile, we used the restroom to freshen up while I nearly slipped down if Fiaz was not holding my hand. I was starting to get nervous but, Hamza and Umair were adamant about going to Jahaz Banda. Zaidi and I were against it but, we lost out by three votes. So I wore back my dirty pants and shoes, and, with Grace of Almighty Allah, we moved up ahead. Hamza, Fiaz & I had to be together as we had to hike among the slippery mountain. I broke a branch to use as a hiking stick as I tried to keep my pace with others. Shortly as we reached the first checkpoint, the other group came back.

Soon after we, met Zaidi and Umair as trekked toward the second checkpoint. We took several breaks in between until we passed a village and came across another hotel. After drinking tea to get refreshed, we moved on. The sky was now getting darker as the moonlight dwindled across the path. Large trees made it even worse as we used our phones to light up the route, avoiding muddy areas. Zaidi and I were exhausted, our energy below 100%, as we took some further breaks to recover a tiny amount of strength. Both of us later get Fiaz midway, but clearly all three of us needed to stop. 

Hamza and Umair reached first and, after the tedious hike, we made it to Jahaz Banda. Dirty shoes, aching back and shoulders and, barely an ounce of energy, we found a cheap hotel to rest. But I had to change up and accompany others to find dinner. Exausted and Frustrated,  I slept back in the booked room. 

I did wake up to eat rice as it was the only meal we got in the end. 

The next morning we started to wake up and use the toilet. There was no hot water, so the intensely cold water was our only resort. After using it, I finally gazed upon the view. Mountains looked even massive than the ones in Kumrat. What looked like an uneasy atmosphere was now calm and blissful in daylight. One by one, everyone woke up and explored to their heart's content.

Kotora Lake was going to be our next stop as Hamza was eager to see that area, but snowfall at that side put an end to it. So, from there onward, we packed up and hiked down to Taki Top. This time the patch of land we came from looked magnificent. We did take some breaks and continued hiking down to the hotel we stopped yesterday. 

As we waited for lunch, Hamza placed his phone for shooting a timelapse, Umair and Fiaz took a nap, Zaidi used the toilet, and I trolled around wondering if this was the best experience I had in years. Things got a bit awkward, but we now found a ride back to Thal there, so it saved us a lot of time and energy. As the afternoon came, we prepared to return to Lahore. And so we left Thal. Traversing through all sorts of the road we came from and, after such a long ride, we came back and dropped Umair, then me as the boys went home to their families.

Funny that I still remember this trip like it was just yesterday. Given we went there when Covid was still going on there was no sight of masks being used everywhere. 

As far as Hamza goes, he is still itching for one more trip. But as for me, I think I might give it a shot after few years maybe.