Angling and photography go hand-in-hand on a journey that takes one to the most unforgettable places in the North
FOR those who are interested in extreme mountaineering, the choices offered by the Northern Areas are infinite. However, for those harbouring a passion for some adventure and outdoor life, these areas offer endless opportunities.
From leisure hill-walking to tougher trekking, the region caters to all outdoor possibilities, including landscape photography and fishing.
Since both these activities are essentially outdoor activities, one needs to plan a bit to identify proper places and timing for optimum enjoyment. There’s a lot in common in both these sports. For example, a good landscape photographer and an experienced fisherman would know that early morning or late evening is the best time to photo or fish. This very commonality makes a landscapist and a fisherman the best of buddies. Thus the moment I got an invitation from my fishing friend, to join him on fishing safari to exotic locales such as Gupis and Phunder Lake, I visualized the potential of capturing some stunning landscapes and readily accepted.
We started our fishing and photo safari from Gilgit city. The adjoining areas of Gilgit are full of photo opportunities. On our way to a very nice little fish hatchery along the Kargah Nullah, we came across a rock carving called the Kargah Buddha. Kargah Nullah, which is six kilometres west of Gilgit along the old road to Punial, is the most popular short-outing from Gilgit.
Landscape photographers and especially those who love making waterscapes will be pleasantly surprised to discover the dazzling patterns of waterfalls and unique rock formations dotting the whole stretch of Kargah Nullah.
Our next destination was Gupis for which we took the famous road to Chitral which is cut along the cliff-face on the south bank of Gilgit River. Passing through the former kingdoms of Punial and Gupis, with Ishkoman and Yasin up side valleys to the north, the road connects Gilgit town with all the tiny village oasis of the upper Gilgit Valley, which is also known as Ghizer. The landscape along this route is remarkably different from Hunza valley. Here the river is quite wide at most of the places. After passing the Yasin river confluence, the colour of the water becomes deeply blue. This crystal clear blue water attracts fishermen from all over the country. Undoubtedly, this river boasts the highest number of fresh water trout in the country, if not in the world. We stopped at numerous places to fish. In fact, the moment we turned into a newer valley, one of the team members would spot at a place and shout to stop for a while. And invariably, the decision seemed flawless as within a short period of two hours, we had hooked about sixty odd trout. After about a journey of five hours, dotted with rather prolonged spells of fishing and photography, we reached our destination for the night; Gupis valley.
The most stunning discovery of the valley was an exceptionally beautiful lake called Khalti. Although the North of Pakistan boasts of a world renowned domicile for such famous lakes as Cheuaser, Satpara, Kachura, Karumbar, Rama and Phunder; yet the little known Khalti can vie for a place of honour among the top. Situated in the backdrop of sharply rising mountains with a relatively open space on the other side, its blue water cascades down through a narrow mouth creating a stunning panorama of nature, sand, stones and greenery. Our motel was right on the brink of the lake with a beautiful view overlooking the whole valley.
After hurriedly unpacking our luggage, we ran towards the lake for two different reasons. I wanted to make some waterscapes and the fishing team wanted to fish in the serene waters of the lake and the adjoining river. Both of us were fighting against the time as the light was rapidly dwindling. Yet before the evening set in we had netted a good number of fish as well as photos to cherish. Later in the night, I learned to my pleasant surprise how good the fishing team was in cooking its catch. We enjoyed our drink and fried trout with a sprinkling of French fries in the very ethereal company of the lake, with the sound of its waterfalls providing most delectable of symphonies. Undoubtedly, this was one of the most memorable rendezvous with nature. No amount of vocabulary can even partially account for the mood of the night and the lake.
We said good bye to Khalti early next morning and set off to our ultimate destination, Phunder lake. I could easily read the excitement in the eyes of my fishing colleagues on the prospects of enjoying the life at Phunder. They narrated many stories of how this lake is teeming with highest number of trout. I was amazed to know that world’s biggest trout, measuring twenty five kilograms was fished from the waters of this very lake. But for my colleague, Joudat, this journey had a familial touch as he was retracing his father’s footstep who had fished here in the decade of 60s.
After fishing and photographing our way through the whole stretch of our journey, we reached our destination; a PWD rest house. This old little place sits on a very high ridge overlooking on one side the Gilgit River, as it meanders along its flat, stony bed and on the other a steep slope into the deep blue of Phunder Lake. Both these vistas compete for onlookers’ time. Both are so very different — one of a dark blue lagoon with all its serenity and unruffled existence and the other of a very wide stretch of river exotically lined by towering trees on the one side and steeply rising barren mountains on the other.
We had reached the pinnacle of our dream journey. Mother Nature seems to have taken pains to create the Lake and its adjoining valleys in terms of fishing and photo opportunities scattered everywhere. But on a closer look, one cannot help realizing the potential for such other outdoor activities like hill-walking, trekking, painting, reading, bird-watching, mountain-biking and last but not the least, swimming. At least two nights stay is warranted in this valley. The rest house can be booked in Gilgit. While a newly built PTDC motel is all set to welcome its guests, provided a sensitive agency agrees to vacate its premises on an urgent basis.
So whether you are an outdoor person or not, or whether you love reading a cherished novel or just want an escape from the madding crowd, your best bet this summer is a few days with these twin Lakes. I bet these few days would be most memorable ones. Try it. But do not forget to preserve the natural environment of the valleys and the lakes as we need to pass them onto our children as well.
Angling and photography go hand-in-hand on a journey that takes one to the most unforgettable places in the North 
