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Hunza/Gilgit Valley(s)

Skardu and Shiger Valley(s)

Swat, Kalash, and Chitral Valley

The most perfect thing about the Murree and Nathia Gali area is the ease in which you can get there going from Islamabad. It takes two hours or less to get to Murree and four hours or less to Nathia Gali with many beautiful towns and lookout points along the way.

This mountain area during colonial times was a favorite of the British to escape the intense heat of the lower areas of Pakistan. A lot of the architecture in this area still represent element of British rule including the churches in the area and the way towns are designed. The cleanliness of every town in this area surprises me as they are huge on recycling with rubbish bins everywhere.

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Lets not forget the Macaque Monkeys on the side of the road which are rather plump from eating anything they can steal from unsuspecting people, including climbing into our car to take our nuts and fruit…

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The mountain areas up here offer some of the best scenery you will find anywhere in Pakistan if not the world. From every direction you can see rolling areas of green pine followed by snow-capped mountains in the distance!!! I would like to say these are just a few areas with this look but it was every road we drove down and every place we went!!!

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Street food is something that has been talked about up in the Murree area. Being I was there during Eid, I knew it would be packed, but I have never seen cars backed up 14 KM outside of town to get in. Luckily my hotel was close and we could walk. Street food and the Murree Mall area was an amazing walk, although I ate too much!!

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Of course not so much of a highlight for anyone but it has been a dream to visit the Murree Brewery ruins. Anyone that lives in Pakistan is familiar with one of Pakistan’s only Brewery- Murree Brewery. Built in the 1860s by Britain, it has withstood the test of time. Now a village has popped up around the lovely rolling hills but remnants remain of a time of occupied Pakistan. The Brewery is now located closer to Islamabad and is currently one of only 2 officially licensed breweries in Pakistan with the other being Hui Coastal brewery. The pictures are an eerie reminder of the British Colonization and the size of land this brewery is on is huge, probably getting mountain water to brew the beer. This is a must stop for any traveler and is located around 15 minutes from Murree. The sign to enter it reads Brewery (بروری) in Urdu).

Here is the sign to look for off the road:

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Like all photographers and travelers, I love people watching and seeing what they do about their daily lives. Murree/Nathia Gali was no different. People like in all of Pakistan were very friendly and in many instances invited us into their homes or shops for some tea or biscuits. This hospitality is an art that has been lost with many places in the western traveled worlds and this area of the world still keeps up with it. I was happy to meet and have conversations with many people in different areas- Cafe’s, houses, streets, and sides of road. It gives me hope for humanity that there is still some great and humble people left in the world despite living with less than what most people take for granted. Watching people just go about their everyday lives is what drives me to go up to these rural areas as much as I can!!

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There is no trip up to the mountains without enjoying the beautiful clouds, skies, sunrises and sunsets. The Roomy hotel chain usually sets up their locations around where you can see sunrises or sunsets and offer stunning views. Waking up at 5 AM was never so easy while watching these sipping a nice cup of coffee or tea.

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As it is so close to Islamabad and Islamabad is a very modern and beautiful capital, it never hurts to stop for a night or two there to go up and see the lovely panorama at the Monal restaurant. A few visits to some little towns offer a glimpse to what life is like just outside of the outskirts of Islamabad and it is simply stunning.

Some random pics of Islamabad area

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شاندار شمالی پاکستان

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Islamabad to Skardu 2025 (minus the Chitral and Kalash Valley Roads due to Restrictions

From Islamabad to Kalash to Chitral over Shandur Pass to Gilgit/Hunza to Deosai National Park to Skardu in two weeks ہماری    پاکستان  کی  سیر:۔  شمالی  علاقوں  کا  سفر  دارالحکومت  اسلام  آباد  سے  شروع  ہوا،  وہاں  سے  چترال،  پھر    شندور  پاس  

سے  گلگت/  ہنزہ  اور  وہاں  سے  دیوسایٴ  نیشنل  پارک  سے  ہوتے  ہوےٴ  سکردو  پے  جا  کر دو  ہفتے  میں اختتام  پزیر  ہویٴ۔

Hunza/Gilgit Valley(s) ہنزہ

Skardu and Shiger Valley(s) چگار سکردو

Swat, Kalash, and Chitral Valley(s)   چترال کالاش سوات

Murree and Surrounding areas and Valley’s مری

My past two years of living and working in Pakistan has been one of the better experiences of my life.  I have immensely enjoyed the people here as they are some of the most helpful, friendly, and courteous people I have ever met.  Everyone is always willing to give a helping hand and make you feel like one of them.  While living in Karachi has its challenges, I have found it to be a very interesting city with more history than you can imagine.  Like any other big city, it has its issues with pollution and traffic, but I have never in my whole time here felt threatened or my life is in danger.  I feel safer here than I do in most cities in the United States.  The photography in the city is amazing and the abundance of birds in the green part of the city I live in is great.  With only an hour drive to the beach, you can pretty much get away anytime you need.  The availability of most foods here makes it a very attractive destination. 

However, I want to focus on the beauty of the northern areas in Pakistan.  Namely, Hunza, Gilgit, Skardu, Swat, Chitral, Kalash, and Murree areas. ہنزہ، گلگت، سکردو، سوات، چترال، وادی کیلاش، اور مری).

The north of Pakistan is probably my favorite part of the country and in my honest opinion one of the most scenic and beautiful landscapes on the entire earth.  Where else can you find three of the biggest mountain ranges in the world all intersecting at the same place (قراقرم، ہمالیہ، ہندو کش)? (Karakorum, Himalayas, Hindu Kush)?  Where else can you find some of the better food in the world, cooked traditionally like it was centuries ago?  Where else can you find some of the friendliest people that wonder why westerners would want to come to their area?  Where else can you find so many glaciers that are frozen year-round?  Where else can you drive the length of the Karakorum highway (one of the highest in the world) all the way to the China border in Xinjiang?  Where else can you see water so blue that if you wanted to, you could dip your head in there to have a drink?  Where else can you get lost in your thoughts and just stare at the scenery and have no worries?  Where else can you see an ethnic group (the Kalash people) that have their own ancient religion and have been isolated from most of Pakistan?  Where else can you get up in the morning with a fresh cup of coffee and enjoy the sunrises OR sit on a balcony in the evening sipping on a drink and enjoy the mixtures of colors the sun has to offer as it sets behind some beautiful snow-capped peaks? 

The only place you can do all of these is of course in the northern mountain areas of Pakistan!!!!  I have been up there four times and I keep wanting to go back to explore more and also see the same places!!!!  There are so many different types of accommodations- guesthouses, old hotels opened seasonally, five-star resorts like Serena Hotels which you can find all over the world (especially in Kenyan Safari Parks), and boutique hotels just to name a few.  Three great places that I have stayed that have websites are.

Luxus Hotel in Hunza that sits on the banks of the crystal clear blue glacial water of (عطاآباد جھیل).  Try the Fish and Yak here as they are to die for.

Eagles Nest Hunza– Offer some stunning views of the towns and mountains.  Rooms and older and quite quaint and walking distance to the YAK CAFÉ.

Roomy Boutique Hotel– My goal is to stay at all the Roomy’s in Pakistan!!!!  They have at least 20 different hotels in Islamabad, Hunza, Gilgit, Murree, Chitral, Batakundi, Peshawar, Nathia Gali, Kalam, and Thandiana. Most of them are in the north part of Pakistan and offer lovely quaint rooms with a great restaurant menu, and usually stunning views wherever they are located..

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Skardu and Shiger Valley(s)

Swat, Kalash, and Chitral Valley(s)

Murree and Surrounding areas and Valley’s

A few adjectives to describe this area- majestic, awe-inspiring, attractive, exotic, and simple.  I could keep writing paragraphs and paragraphs of adjectives, but the photos will speak for themselves as they say a picture is worth a thousand words or a few thousand words. To me parts of it look a bit like Southeastern US/El Paso/West Texas.

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Just in the event you didn’t see enough beauty, here is some more in this wonderful area:

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Khunjerab Pass/National Park is the tail end of the Karakorum Highway on the Pakistan side which actually goes right into the China border. The Park has heaps of wildlife despite the inhospitable conditions of the climate and these animals have adapted to it over the years. Snow Leopards, Marco Polo Sheep, Ibex, and Marmots are just a few of the animals. Before the China border, there is also what claims to be the highest ATM in the world, however I did not check to see if my card worked.

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Food in this region is to die for. If you can imagine the best mountain food you have tasted, combined with local ingredients, this would be it. I never had a bad meal here including yak, homemade cheese on paratha, and Trout!!!! The mixture of Pakistani, American, Indian, and Chinese makes for some exquisite mixtures on the palate.

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کیلاش کے لوگ

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Hunza/Gilgit Valley(s)

Skardu and Shiger Valley(s)

Murree and Surrounding areas and Valley’s

Swat Valley is a few hour drives from Islamabad and offers some of the best agriculture in Pakistan. Driving through there you can notice fields of every fruit or vegetable you can imagine because of the climate. As i did not fly into Kalash or Chitral, I took the drive from Islamabad which was probably a smart idea with the landscape

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If you have a place to visit in Pakistan, it should be the Kalash Valley (although on the road there you will close your eyes more times than a roller coaster). This is why:

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Kalash Valley is one of those once in a lifetime experiences that you will not get in any other place in the world. The Kalash people are an Indo-Aryan community residing in the Kalash valley on the border of Afghanistan. Their worship has forms of animism but also elements of Pre-Hindu beliefs which make them unique not only in this part of the world, but any part of the world. They are said to be descendants of the armies of Alexander the Great which swept through this area in the 320’s BC, as well as the Ghandari people mentioned in Indic Religions. But there is no evidence to know if these claims are accurate. The people of Nuristan in Afghanistan once had the same culture, however most of them have probably converted to Islam over the years. Their folklore has elements of Ancient Greece inscribed but very close to Vedic mythology (which has a few degrees of separation. While I can sit here at write about commonalities about their religion to other religions, the easiest way to understand it is just going here. Wikipedia. I got some of my info from here, but also talking to some of the elders and people around there. Their temples are what you would see in a mythology movie along with their cemeteries, very simple, but ornate in their own way!

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The Houses here are built much like they have been for many years and I found the architecture to be completely brilliant. Most are made of wood, perched on hills somewhat like terrace farming with stones from the local environment, some probably decades if not centuries old. However as outside influence comes in, things are changing.

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The People

When going here I have always seen pictures of the people. I have thought that they all look like this dressed very ornately for tourism, but I was wrong. It seems that from an early age, a lot of the women when leaving the house are dressed in these beautiful outfits for every day life- working, walking, going to school. I was amazed at some of the outfits which are all handmade. I was also amazed at how friendly everyone was despite their apparent lack of tourism except for their yearly festivals (which I plan to get to one day)!!!

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After leaving the Kalash valley which I could have spent weeks in, I went up and down Chitral Valley which is the biggest town in the region and the capital of the region. It was extremely beautiful and we took the road all the way through winding mountains to some hot springs and then a night in Chitral City with trips through the market and a nice place on the river!!! The trout and food in this area is amazing!!! Accompany that with the fresh produce and some other side dishes and you will have an amazing meal with an area not to be missed.

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Hunza/Gilgit Valley(s)

Swat, Kalash, and Chitral Valley(s)

Murree and Surrounding areas and Valley’s

The Storm is coming and the Go Pro is Gone Video (Time Lapse)

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The people like I have mentioned before were quite friendly and very curious about visitors in this area. They really enjoyed getting to know you with the little English they can speak, but always invited you in for a cup of tea or some pastries. I took a lot of photos on the road between places to get action shots of people.

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You can even find some hidden sites with Buddhist Carvings from eons ago

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Shigar is a valley that is right next to Skardu and has some amazing features as it is typically called “The gateway to the Karakorum Mountains. I got to spend some time here going from extremely river run areas with beautiful waterfalls (although the ones i went to were not in Shigar) to dry desert and then again to very fertile oasis areas, which made for great photography and great scenery.

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Small Islands off the coast of Africa that is a hidden gem.

First and foremost, this country does not have a significant established tourism industry.  A company that I used for all my bookings and the rough itinerary was Adore Comoros. 

Jon, who is the owner, is a great man who is from the United States but grew up working in Kenya.  He was pretty knowledgeable of the island and worked to put the tourism industry on the map.  I can tell you that he has done a great job as all the suggestions he gave me were very accurate, and I was happy with the accommodation on the Grande Comoroe (the main island) and Moheli (a bio reserve island). He can put together long or short trips for you, and is very good about responding and understanding certain people’s budgets. To get in touch with him please email- Jon Hildebrandt- jon@adorecomores.com.

The island is a former French colony that has a very interesting language- Comorian.  If you can speak some French, Swahili, and Arabic, then you can most likely at least communicate a little in this language.  French, of course, is the language of business that most people use, but I found that when I moved around to different parts of the islands, some people would speak some of the languages by themselves vs. others.  

Living in cities most of my life (for work), it is hard to appreciate or get good sunrises and sunsets, either because of the buildings or just lack of time.  Even though I am not a beach or ocean person, there is nothing that I love more than a sunrise and sunset out at a beach or overlooking mountains.  They may be some of my favorite types of landscapes to photograph.  Comoros was no exception to this rule as no matter where I was on either of the islands, I always got a spectacular sunrise and sunset and even started experimenting with black and white photographing on these.  Sometimes that beautiful orange-red sun beaming off the water is just what you need to start off or end a perfect day. 

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As one of my favorite activities to do in countries is go to rural villages and take cooking classes.  My guide gave me an opportunity to do both as he took me to his village and introduced me to his family, and I cooked with him and his mom.  I have a newfound respect for how hard it is to prepare Comorian food as it is a time-consuming process, but they are usually trying to feed large families. 

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Walking around the village was a great experience as I got to meet some of the locals and scare some of the kids who took one look at me and ran!!!!  Nearby we went to some mangroves to see some of the nesting birds!!!

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Even outside in my beautiful accommodation in Moroni (insert https://grande-comore-moroni.goldentulip.com/en-us/), I came out on the first evening on my way to dinner to this huge turtle just moving slowly, eating the grass outside my door.  I named him Yertle and saw him around several times on the property over the next week, so I believe this was his residence.

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Through the week on both islands, I was introduced to different types of architecture, from French colonial to stone houses reminiscent of Stone Town in Zanzibar.  Many of the islands in the region were, of course, colonized by the French, but even before the French arrived, the Muslim traders set up outposts in the region and combined their architecture with that of the local architecture. 

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The landscapes on both islands were terrific.  On the island of Moroni, you can be on top of the highest peak overlooking the Indian Ocean for one minute, then hike down to what looks like a jungle area and go north to what resembles parts of savannah grasslands.  On Moheli, the whole island is a biosphere reserve, and it resembles more of a tropical jungle with some of the most pristine, untouched beaches you will find anywhere. 

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One of these places with a wonderful beach is Laka Lodge which is one of the most beautiful accommodations on Moheli Island.  Walking out of your bungalow, you are met with some of the most spectacular landscapes you will ever see, and if you are lucky, the family of Lemurs will come out to greet you.  This is where I spent New Year’s, and as it was my first New Year’s in recent memory, it definitely did not disappoint, especially with the oversized meal we ate with the local staff. 

For Laka Lodge- Click Here

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Everywhere in the world you go, you can see children and adults playing soccer. It is one of those sports that require just a bit of ingenuity in order to have a great game. I found these kids on Moheli Island playing a pick up game…

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The Cheeky Lemurs that live in the Bamboo at Laka Lodge- No one knows how they got there, some say it was from trading ships, others say they have always been there (even though Madagascar is the only country with an indigenous Lemur population).

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Different Bats are also native to the islands, and some can have massive wingspans.  While most of them come out at dusk, it is hard to get photos of them with the sun going down.  Many of them roost in trees, and I was lucky enough to have a few roosts in the tree next to one of my accommodations, but they were somewhat too hidden to take good photos of.

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As I sat having breakfast one day, I noticed a hummingbird buzzing around, trying to get photos of these guys are difficult, but I tried my best.

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The capital of Moroni is not a huge capital at all by any standards.  The population rests between 150,000 to 200,000 inhabitants, and most of them are Sunni Muslims (as is the whole country).  The Bazaar/Medina/Souk area has been around for centuries and has a very similar feel to the shopping area of Tunis in Tunisia.  It was not a busy day while I was there, so I was able to get a lot of photos of the winding streets and all the old architecture, which also had a tincture of French influence from colonial times.

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As I left the main island of Moroni for a few days to go to the reserve island of Moheli, I was highly excited as they have a massive population of nesting Green Sea Turtles that come up on the beach to lay eggs.   It also has a sizeable population of the Hawksbill Turtle as well as Dugongs that inhabit the waters around the island because of its pleasant climate.  I was lucky enough to stay in a bio shelter right near the beach where the turtles lay their eggs. 

At night I was woken at about 11:30 night as we had to wait in the dark of night in order to see if any would come up to the beach.  We had no light; we didn’t peep a word and just waited and listened in hopes of one of them moving up to lay eggs.  Sure, enough, after about an hour, we heard one start digging (I did not take photos because of the flash); however, we used a soft white light and listened to her lay eggs, and she struggled to dig, breathing hard and furiously in order to dig a hole as deep as she could.  We finally left her alone, although we never got too close or made any noise. Only approved lights should be used with animals at night and they should never be shined at their eyes or face.

The following day, I woke up to get sunrise photos, and in the distance, a friend told me that there was another turtle laying her eggs in the bushes.  Sure, enough, it came out slowly, and I followed her (never to impede her path) through the beach, leaving her prints in the mud and into the ocean.  It took her about 30 minutes or so as she was quite tired, but the pictures came out tremendous. 

The local villages here strive to keep the beaches as clean as they can and respect the wildlife, which I find great as they know that tourism will bring benefits and these turtles, with all the pollution in the world as well as humans impeding on their territories are suffering as much as other sea life.

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To put another rarity in wildlife into my resume, as I went out to do some snorkeling by Laka Lodge (insert website), I noticed what looked like a soccer ball in the water, but as we got closer in the boat, we turned off the engine, and it was a mating pair of turtles!!!!  This is something that some people go their whole lives without seeing, as it is very rare.  We were careful not to get too close, so we were not to disturb them, but it was a sight that I was extremely happy to see!!!

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The Snorkeling of Moheli Island

As my time on Moheli came to an end, I went back to the main island to see my favorite spinner dolphins in action again one morning before I left on a plane out.  I tried to catch as many of them in the air as I could, but they are extremely fast and extremely unpredictable out of the water, especially when they are swimming in their pod….

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In the end, I had a blast on this island as my itinerary was perfect- it mixed up a little bit of city, a little bit of water, a little bit of jungle, a little bit of snorkeling, and a lot of food! Even though it is a small island, there is plenty more to see as it is still being developed….and maybe that is what makes it so special!!!!

As I booked a trip to Mauritius, I was not sure what to expect, aside from a few blogs I have read and YouTube videos I have watched about their cuisine. When I got there, I can honestly say I was extremely impressed with how good the food was as well as the landscape of the country.

For a great experience of whale and/or dolphin watching, please contact Captain Vic at the following website:  https://www.whalewatchingmauritius.com/

The highlight of the island, of course, was the whale and dolphin watching. We had some fantastic views of the Sperm whales getting very close to us on the small boat. There seemed to be a family with a small baby, and I was able to get some fantastic photos.

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The Spinner dolphins are always so much fun to see, especially when they’re close to the bay in their pods and are swimming in sync. They sometimes jump without any warning and with the boat shaking because of the waves, it is hard to get a great photo of them…but I tried.

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  The people on this island are extremely multicultural and from different ethnicities, which makes for an interesting mix of religion and food.

• You have a huge population from Europe who live and vacation here, along with the Franco Mauritians who are of French descent. Mixed in with these are a lot of people from South Africa who have started coming to the island.
•  The Indo Mauritians, which are descendants of Indian laborers, make up a big part of the island’s inhabitants. These people are Muslim, Hindu, and Christian.
• The Creoles, people of African descent that are sometimes mixed with the European or Indian people, make up another part of the population.
• The last major group is the Sino Mauritians. They make up a smaller percentage of the population and usually have some of the best foods.

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The landscapes on the islands are stunning. It is hard sometimes to find a place that has flatland’s, pristine and clean beaches, and mountains just a few hours’ drive from each other. If, however, you land in Mauritius, you can see all of these within an hour of each other. Despite them mass developing and taking over some of the beautiful landscapes with homes, I believe they will still leave the beautiful parts intact because that is what people come to this lovely island to see.

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The buildings in Mauritius – as you guessed with so many ethnicities and religions – are absolutely stunning. It would not be uncommon to see a traditional Chinese restaurant, then next door to that a mosque, then walk down a few paces and see an Indian food restaurant. To top any of that off, there is a lot of colonial architecture still prevalent in the capital, as it looks like you are walking down a main street a hundred plus years ago.

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A trip to such a foodie heaven country would not be complete without a creole cooking class!!!!  I talked to a lady about her cooking classes before I came. She has been doing these for a long time and has so much experience. Sandy Daswani runs Feast of Mauritius, and has a published book with all the recipes. I spent a few hours with her, learning all the ins and outs of Creole cooking, all the while sipping beer. The final lunch was something to die for!!!!!

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If you do a trip around the island you will run into some of these cheeky little macaque monkeys. I believe they were introduced here as they are only indigenous to South and East Asia. You will often find them in or near tourist attractions or picnic spots because they love to steal food. Rumor has it that the US and other countries buy a bunch of them up to do animal testing on, which I find quite sad, but again, that is only rumor. I got to spend some time with these monkeys among a picturesque background of mountains and a vivid looking sky.

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The Central Bazaar in Port Louis was one of the best stops during my days on this island. They had different sections, each like most markets having items like clothes, perfumes, fruits and vegetables, and meat. This place was wonderful. The old building with sunlight barely coming in made for some memorable and fascinating photos.

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How can you even travel here without sampling all of the food they have to offer?  As mentioned above, with all the different ethnic groups living here, it is a melting pot haven for many interesting flavors of food. Some restaurants use a combination of French, Chinese, Indian, and Creole. The cooking class taught me a lot about how they mix their flavors and all the spices they use.

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As I am a fan of seafood, I decided to go on a lobster eating binge here. I went to a restaurant that I had heard about having the best lobster called https://www.amigo-restaurant.com/, and it did not disappoint. The owners were great people. They have a wide selection of tapas as well as different seafood, and their bar is extremely beautiful.

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I also had the chance to get one of the biggest lobsters I have ever had in my life. It was about 2.8 kgs and it was worth every cent of it, along with all the side dishes.

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I stayed at two different hotels as one was in Grand Baie and extremely close to everything you would want to do. After three nights I went to a hotel that had its own private beach and some great food. It was somewhat of a resort without having the resort name and the views were amazing, as was the food. I even did a lobster dinner by the sea!!!!

Hotel in Grand Baie- Azure Beach Boutique Hotel (Great Breakfast, Bar, and Restaurant)

Resort Style hotel with great food- Recife Attitude Hotel (Great beach, bar, and food) and Lobster by the Sea Dinner!!!!

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As you can see, this lovely island pretty much has it all!!!  While it is being gentrified like other parts of the world, especially with beaches as good as this, it keeps its cultural charm of cheap restaurants where the locals go to eat. I would definitely return here in the future as it was just a relaxing time.  You can choose if you want an upbeat holiday or just a lounge holiday, and sit and look at the endless ocean of blue……