Trek to Forest Rest House Dagri aka Dagri Bangla

When it comes to Mountains, no place on the planet can beat Pakistan’s North. Nature has bestowed Pakistan with countless exotic locations that attract millions of tourists each year. The 3 highest mountain ranges of the world are located in Pakistan’s north and you can actually spend a lifetime exploring them. However, if you are short on time and budget, yet want to enjoy a serene yet exotic picnic spot in the mountains that offers pleasant weather in summers and live snowfall in winter, then one place that will come to your rescue is Galiyat. Galiyat is a series of Valleys between Murree and Abbotabad with abundance of pine forests and orchards of apples & walnuts. Galiyat receive a great amount of Rainfall / Snowfall and weather in Summers stays quite pleasant making this region a perfect respite from the heat of the plain areas southward.

Nathiagali is situated at an elevation of 8,000 feet above sea level and is the most visited and famous town of galiyat. It is located on Murree - Abbotabad Road and gets all its fame from its thick pine forests, cold weather, lot of snowfall and a scrumptious cuisine, Patakha Chicken. Nathiagali is a decent enough town that offers some wonderful staying options, nice restaurants and other basic amenities. Nathiagali is well suited for a 4/5-day family vacation in a pleasant and pristine natural environment.

Apart from its fame among tourists and road-trippers, Nathiagali is quiet famous among trekkers and hikers as well, because it offers plenty of easy to moderate hiking options in its vicinity. A couple of treks in and around Nathiagali are good enough to get your muscles running at the start of the trekking season. Similarly, for newbies wishing to take up hiking, treks around Nathiagali are good enough to help them test their temperament and give them some hands-on practice.

Among the treks in and around Nathiagali, one of my favourite treks is Dagri Bangla trek that connects Thandiani with Nathiagali. Dagri Bangla is a forest rest house, built in 1850s by the British and is located approximately mid-way between Nathiagali and Thandiani. Total length of trek between Nathiagali and Thandiani is approximately 43 Kilometres. Dagri is located at about 18 km from Nathiagali and 25 km from Thandiani, in the midst of a dense pine forest. If you are fond of hiking, backpacking and camping and are looking to spend some time close to nature, then this trek is a must try.

From Nathiagali side, Trek starts near Namli Maira. First leg of the trek takes you to Miranjani top, however instead of going all the way to the top of Miranjani – the highest mountain of Galiyat region, you will climb up to it’s right shoulder and then have to descent on the other side of Miranjani. Once you have descended on the other side, continue for another 10 odd KM and you will get to Dagri Bangla. First 15-20 minutes on the trek are a bit tough for relatively less experienced trekkers because of ascent and rocky terrain. Just get through these 15-20 minutes by taking it slow, enjoy the thick pine forest around you as you get acquainted with the trek. The place instils freshness with every breath that you take. The fragrance of the pine trees is perhaps better than any perfume available in the market. Most part of the trek is covered with thick forest above and around you, while on the ground, trek itself is covered in a layer of dried pine straw. After trekking for about 2 hours in this wonderful forest, you finally approach the final ascent to climb Miranjani. The forest at this point has got much thinner. Once you have climbed up to the shoulder, you can take a 10 min de-route and enjoy the view from Miranjani top before continuing ahead for Dagri, or you can simply continue ahead on the trek and descent on the other side of Miranjani.

Another 20 minutes of descent will get you to a rather flat trail (without much of ascent or descent) alongside of the mountain taking you through the twists and turns in one of the deepest pine forests of Pakistan. There are places on the trek, that get quiet dark even in the day, thanks to the thick forest overhead. Keep walking for another couple of hours and the forest will once again start getting a bit thin. The Pine trees will be replaced by oat trees. Once you get close to those trees, you need to relax as you are not too far from your destination. Another 10 minutes of walking in these oat trees you will find pine trees appearing again among the oats and forest once again getting thicker. It is then you will finally, come across a board on a tree saying: Thandiani 16 miles (to your right), Nathiagali, 12 Miles (to your left). Take the third mid trail and brace yourself for the first glimpse of the famous Dagri Bangla.

Autumn Sun shines over Dagri Bangla

An old 1850s mansion built out of stones with a sloping roof and a covered balcony with Wooden pillars is a scene to behold. Add to that it’s lush green lawns and the pine covered mountains in the surroundings, and it appears out of the world. However, it is just one angle that gives this picture, the other side of the building was damaged by 2005 earthquake and since then Bangla has not been inhabitable. People who visit the place, camp in its lush green yard. There is a small kitchen behind the main building, that can provide a nice fireplace in rainy and windy weather to cook your foods. Needless to say, there is plenty of forest around and hence you can gather plenty of burning wood from the surroundings.

Veiw of Dagri Bangla with it's lush green lawns in summer

Water supply however is short and a bit far. It takes a 10 minutes downhill trek from the Bangla in a dense rather scary forest (especially if you are looking for water after sunset it gets really scary) to fetch water from a fresh-water spring. There are no operational washrooms at the facility either, so you must do it the way our ancestors from stone-age used to do it – outdoors, behind a tree / shrub. Make sure you get off the trail, dig a hole in the ground and are at-least 100 metres from any water source while you relieve yourself.

If you are planning to do this trek from Thandiani side, which is my personal recommendation for so many reasons. Firstly, views from this side of the trek are so wonderful that you should not miss out on those. Secondly, there are plenty of water sources on this side of the trek between Thandiani and Dagri Bangla. Thirdly, you come across a village on the trek, and if you have missed out on any of your essential supplies you can at-least improvise from that village. Third, the forest on this side is even thicker and beautiful. Last and the most important reason is that the trek from Thandiani side is much more challenging than the trek from Nathiagali side.

You start on an un-ending downhill trek from Thandiani and after descending for good 3 hours, you get to the village of Beiren Gali. As you cross the village and enter the forest once again, the trek slowly starts rising. Another half hour and you come across a freshwater spring. Take a break, drink up and replenish your water resources as you are about to hit one daunting ascent that will last for good 2-3 hours in a thick pine forests. The scenes are indeed wonderful, that keep you interested while the trek keeps testing your mettle. After about 2-3 hours of tough ascent, the slope starts to ease up a bit, and the forest begins to thin. Another hour and a half and you will come across the same board, saying Nathiagali 12 Miles and thandiani 16 miles.

A small kitchen right next to the main building, a life saver in rainy weather

Best season to take up this trek is between May & October. Ideally your can start from Thandiani, stay the night at Dagri bangla and then end the trek at Nathiagali. Horses / Porters are easily available at both Thandiani and Nathiagali but you will need to utilize your bargaining skills to the fullest as they tend to quote very high prices initially but can settle for about 40%/50% of what they initially demand. Important Advice: Never leave this bargaining / rate fixing for later, agree on the charges first up to avoid any problems later.

Trip Details:

A long weekend (3 days) is more than enough if you are travelling from Islamabad / Lahore. If you can drive in the night and trek in the day, you can do this trip even in 2 days.

Drive:

Islamabad – Abbotabad – Nathiagali (5 Hours)

Alternatively: Islamabad – Murree – Nathiagali (4 hours)

Trekking: (Trekking level: Moderate)

Trek from Nathiagali to Dagri: 5-7 Hours

Trek from Thandiani to Dagri: 7-9 Hours

Max Elevation: Miranjani Top, 2900 meters

Best time to Visit:

June to October

Weather: Slightly Warm to Mild in Days and cold at nights.

Equipment Required:

· Trekking / Hiking Boots

· Warm Socks

· A warm Jacket

· Hat / Cap

· Sunblock / sunscreen

· Sunshades

· Search light / torch

· Raincoat / rain suit

· Trekking poles

· Camps with rain covers

· Sleeping bags with comfort level temperatures of 0 degrees or lower

· Sleeping mats

· Food

· Gasoline / LPG stove

· Cooking utensils