I am ecstatic to bring to you the great Mushkpuri [9400+ ft] on Mini Travel Series today. It is the second highest mountain peak in Galiyat region after Miranjani [9872 ft] and is located within Ayubia National Park. We hiked up to the top from Dunga gali (2.5 km) with my favourite tour company Discover Pakistan in Winters 2015.
It was full of snow which added to the fun. You can trek to Mushkpuri from Nathia Gali also (4 km). Takes about 3 hours on both trails. The drive from Islamabad to Donga Gali is roughly 3 hours too. KPK tourist police is available for help and information around the track.
From the summit point where you trek up to, you can see Bagh district of AJK and Murree. The views are pretty amazing especially if you plan in the snow. The only downside is that snow can turn into ice on the way back down and gets slippery and dangerous.
A funny incident
Something interesting happened when Haaris and I were making our way down the track. By this time the snow had turned into ice and it was extra slippery and dangerous. So local volunteer guides from villages came to help get tourists down. A bearded local was helping both of us come down. Haaris was giving me his hand, before I could hold his hand, the local guide said to me ‘Koi baat nahi beta, ye apka bhai hai. Ap iska hath pakar lo’. (Don’t worry, he is your brother! You can hold his hand). We both laughed and I said ‘Chacha jee, ye mera bhai nahi hai, miyaan hai’. (Uncle, he’s not my brother, he’s my husband). The look on his face was worth 2 lac Rupees!
I fully recommend you to take up this track if you’re like us (no-nakhra trekkers). It is really beautiful and so worth it. Check out this photo slide show below:
