4-Day Trekking from Booni to Terichmir Basecamp and Down the Terich Valley Returning to Booni Via Werkup, Torkhow Valley, Chitral, Pakistan
Day—1: Wednesday, July 21, 2021: Trekking from Booni to Othool in the Mulkho Valley
I trek from Booni (2061m/6765ft) to Othool (Mulkho), the last settlement for night stay, and get to Zani Pass by the morning. Foreign tourists trekked this route to reach Shagrom, the last village in the Terich valley, to trek up to the four basecamps of Terich Mir peak (7,708m/25,289ft).
We left Lajward at 6:30 am to travel down to Zongrangram, the biggest village of the Terich valley with a total population of 4000. This is the village of Mr. Maula Nigah Nigah (late), the prominent literati of Kho culture, poet, reformer, and educationist, who hugely contributed to Khowar literature and poetry during his lifetime. Translation of Baba Syar’s Persian poems into Urdu has been his invaluable contribution. His untimely passing away has been a huge loss for Khowar culture.
Booni is the administrative headquarter of the newly established district Upper Chitral. It is undergoing a rapid transition from typical village life to become a sprawling business town, where tourism-related infrastructures have improved, markets opened, and communication facilities put in place. With its cold orchards, varieties of fruits, peaceful environment, and hospitable people, plus the village guesthouses, internet, and access to public transportation for all the regions/valleys, Booni has become a must-visit destination for tourists in recent years.
To get to Warinjun, I had to walk across the Qaqlasht plain. Scorched by the summer heat, it has turned into a desolated landscape covered by yellow-colored dried grasses. The land is alive with grasshoppers and ants. From the air, sparrow hawks scan the ground for the tiny creatures–the favorite food of the bird in the ecological chain. It has a fascination for those studying acridology, entomology, and ecology to see the grasshoppers so perfectly camouflaged to the color of the grass that the birds do not find them. However, they have adapted themselves to a new ‘hunting strategy’. They settle amidst the prey, chase, and catch them on the ground.
Crossed the pedestrian bridge to Warijun, the administrative headquarter of tehsil Mulkho, and continued traveling to the south along the riverbank to get to Khoragol and trekked up the villages of Dokoot and Istaboon to reach Phargram by 06:00 pm. Mr. Abid Ali Muluk was kind enough to facilitate accommodation at the residence of Mr. Waqar, his university fellow. The family warmly welcomed us to their home and took care of us. We are thankful for the hospitality and care they showed us during our stay. Mr. Ali Muluk of Morder is a young trekker with a passion for exploring new places.
Here we visited the camping site of foreign tourists. They come here overnight before trekking up to Zani Pass (3,890m/ 12762). Othool is a beautiful green hamlet with grasses and a variety of fruit-bearing trees. The towering poplars make it most prominent than the rest of the settlements in the valley.
Researchers and writers consider Mulkho as a cradle of Kho culture, traditions, and language. The suffix of the very word ‘Mulkho’ is the prefix of ‘Khowar’, the language of the Kho people. This shows the region is where the Khowar language and culture have had flourished over many hundred years without interference from outside. Hence, from a cultural, and linguistic perspective, the region has an attraction for linguists, ethnologists, and researchers. The people here are simple, hospitable, generous, peaceful, and friendly. They are always ready to facilitate tourists visiting the area.
Day—2: Thursday, July 22, 2021: Trekking from Othool to Zani Pass (3,890m/ 12762)
Launched trekking at 03:00am the next morning for the Zani Pass (3,890m/ 12762).
It was pitch-dark, and there was no sound except the screech of an owl, which was warmly reciprocated by another owl somewhere in a distance. After we walked about two and half an hour, torrential rain started along with the wind. We were chilled to the bone. When daylight spread, we saw the sky to the west was heavily overcast. In consideration of the altitude that the trek involved further exacerbated by the torrential rain, wind, and the heavily overcast sky, we decided to postpone trekking and return to the safety of our homes. Mr. Ali Muluk traveled to Morder, and I came down to the roadside through village Nogram, went to Mr. Farid Uddin’s residence at Shotar. Here I change into dry clothes and further continued traveling to Booni in the personal car of Mr. Farid. I thank him for this facilitation.
Day—3: Friday, July 23, 2021: Driving from Booni to Zani Pass and Trekking Through Athahk Channel to Terich Valley, Stay at Lajward
The next day, we traveled to Zani Pass in a hired car by 05:00 am. This time I had the company of Mr. Muhammad Hassan of my village. We reached Zani Pass at 07:00 am, and it took us two hours to get there. We saw two more vehicles driving up in front of us. The road to the Pass is well-beaten, and it is not hard driving up the jeep track. Later, it transpired it is the shortest road to transport passengers to the Pass from where it takes two hours to walk down to village Shosht of the Terich Valley Upper.
After bidding goodbye to the driver, we started trekking southward along the Athahk Channel. We reached Shordonik Lake (4043m/ 13264ft) by 08:30 am after traveling for an hour. Here we met young boys from Warijun. They had camped here for two days and playing cricket. They served us tea, and we departed for the next stage of our journey.
The direction, amount, and heat of sunshine determine the growth of a wide-ranging flora and fauna in the Hindukush region. The more a landscape is exposed, the lower is the rate to retain moisture. For instance, the sloping ridge of the Mulkhow valley is fully exposed to the early morning sun and remains so till the late afternoon and is unlikely to retain moisture caused either by rain or overnight dew. Even the glaciers, which were once the source of spring to nourish agriculture around a generation ago, have disappeared. The patterned piles of the glaciated black rocks around the Shordonik Lake (4043m/13264ft)—which I may better term skeleton of the glaciers—show once there were glaciers all around to feed the lake, which in turn, nourished the springs in the low valley. As the glaciers disappeared, the lake dried up, and most of the streams and springs were also exhausted.
Trekking along the Athahk Channel, we made it to Koshtgolo Tek (4110m/ 13484ft) in three and half an hour. It is a pass that allows one to enter the Terich valley. It is the site of the construction of a tunnel for Athahk Channel. On the top, we saw two small glaciers, which are unlikely to weather it to winter. After descending a short slope on the Terich side, we traveled to the south along the channel leading to the watershed. We again trekked down a zigzagging route on a slop to Bandok, a forested area a little below the first basecamp of Terich Mir Peak. We came across varieties of flowers along the trek here.
Terich Valley is the land of towering mountains and glaciers. Terich Mir Peak (7,708m/25,289ft), the world’s 33rd, and Pakistan’s 12th highest peak besides many of the 7-thousanders are located here. Adventure tourism in Chitral started with the mapping of mountains by Mr. Cockerill, a British explorer who visited Roshgol in 1892/93. But the formal mountaineering to the valley came after the 1950s when the Italian expedition summitted the Terich Mir Peak for the first time. Noshaq (7492m/24580ft), Istoro Nal (7,000m/22965ft), and Saraghrar (7,349m/24110ft) are also some of the mightiest peaks in the valleys, and many of these peaks are still virgin and invite adventurists and mountaineers.
We took pictures of the route leading to the Terich Mir basecamps. Bandok is a forested location just below the Sheniak (3540m/11614ft), the first basecamp, where you will find a forest of willow and birch trees. It takes one full day to reach here from Shagrom, the last settlement of the valley. The second basecamp is Shughur Baisun (4038m/13248ft), and it takes one day to get there from Sheniak. Nal basecamp (4700m/15419ft) is the third one before traveling to Babu Camp, the fourth and the last basecamp before assaulting the peak.
After reaching the base of the valley, traveled to the northeast towards Shagrom, the first village of the valley. Around two kilometers below, Udren Gol opens to the west. A location, namely Laghshoor, is the launching point of 3-day trekking through Udren Gol that connects with Roshgol. It is the least explored route. Udren pass has an altitude of 5300m/17388ft.
At Shagrom (2892m/9488ft), we visited the guesthouse of Mr. Abdur Razaq (late), the proprietor of the Terichmir Travels. He passed away in a car crash two years ago on July 28, 2019. His contribution to promoting tourism in the valley is highly valued. We had late lunch here thanks to the hospitality of Abdul Malik, the elder brother of Mr. Razaq. We also had a meeting with Mr. Faliat Shah, 85, a high-altitude porter from the village. He shared his experience of working with foreign expeditions in the past.
As we trekked down the valley, we came across the villages of Shosht (2764m/9068ft) and Warimoon to get to village Lajward by 07;30pm to stay with Mr. Ali Akber Jan, the son of Mr. Maulai Jan (late), the pioneer tour operator in the Chitral Valley back in the 1950s. Mr. Akber Jan extended warm reception. We introduced ourselves and highlighted the reason for our traveling to the valley. He has a slim stature with chiseled-nose, and handsome face-cut topped by greying hair. He speaks soft and deliberate well before speaking. He is an employee of the Wildlife Department. He served us caper soup and many other traditional delicacies for dinner. After the meal, we discussed the contribution of Mr. Maulai Jan (late) to the promotion of tourism in the valley. He informed that he has hazy memories of his father as he was a child of 4-5 years when his father passed away in a plane crash at Lowari in 1965. “However, foreign tourists used to visit our home to stay for months even after my father”, he told us. He was also kind enough to provide us some rare pictures of his father, with permission to use.
Mr. Maulai Jan (late) was born in 1923. He was an educated person. Initially, he joined Chitral Scout before starting operating tours. He promoted tourism in the Terich Valley and Chitral back in the 1950s when people hardly knew about the industry. In 1958, he operated the tour of the Oxford Expedition to Saraghar Peak. The British team was led by Ted Norrish made the first try on the northeast summit (7,349 m (24,111 ft)). However, the expedition got halted by the unfortunate death of P. S. Nelson, one of the expedition members by falling from the mountain. He was buried in Lasht Terich, but his grave was heavily flooded and disappeared a few years ago. In one of the pictures, Mr. Maulai Jan recovers the body of Mr. P.S Nelson.
By 1968, he operated another expedition to summit Sarghrar Peak. The group members included the reputed Panely and others. This expedition used a unique route to climb the peak. They came from the Washich side of the Torkhow valley, and successfully summitted the Saraghrar Peak (7,340 m (24,080 ft).
Day—4: Saturday, July 24, 2021: Trekking Down to Zondrangram, visiting village Lasht and Deh and Continuing Traveling to Booni via Madak-Nishko and Werkup side.
We left Lajward at 6:30 am to travel down to Zongrangram, the biggest village of the Terich valley with a total population of 4000. On the way, we relished mountain berries (Prunus prostrata) (میکین), which is a hardy alpine shrub found about 2000m/6561ft up to 4000m/13123ft. Along the main road in the Terich valley, they are found in abundance. They bear tiny red berries, sweet and juicy. We took considerable time eating these fruits.
At Zondrangram, crossed the bridge to Lasht on the Roshgol side to visit Professor Rehmat Karim Baig, a retired professor of English literature, and a writer having considerable knowledge about the routes and mountains in the Terich valley. He lamented the fact that the new generation does not take interest in the promotion of tourism in the valley, which has been bread and butter for them from time immemorial. Their fathers and forefathers have been associated with the tourism industry and they have no issue in welcoming and serving tourists to the valley. After chit-chatting and refreshment with Mr. Baig, we headed down through the village of Parsing, Simthich, and Murghasht, a beautiful village across the river. We took a rest at the residence of Mr. Saeed Ahmed of village Deh. It is a beautiful settlement near the riverbank with sprawling grassy fields and a newly built guesthouse of Mr. Ahmed. His family members received us well, served us lunch and fruits. To my understanding, this village is one of the ideal camping sites for tourists.
We crossed Lone Koh, a big village across the river, and reached Soorwaht, the settlement at the beginning of the Terich valley. We took it to the southeast and trekked across Madak and Nishko, crossed the bridge to get to Werkup, a very beautiful village of the Torkho valley, an ideal tourist destination known for beautiful treks from Shah Jinali to Shosht in the Yarkhun valley and from Khot to Lower Yarkhun.
We visited the residence of Mr. Sardar Ahmed Khan, the principal of Chitral College of Education. He cordially welcomed us to his residence, presented us with delicious food. We are thankful to him for the care and hospitality he showed us. He informed that a government-designated camping site still exists near his house and that in the past foreign tourists came to camp there on the way to both Terich and Rech valley.
Torkho valley has equal potential for the promotion of tourism to ensure sustainable livelihood for the communities and alleviate poverty. Our next trekking will be in this valley.
From Werkup to Booni, we availed the facility of general transportation and reached Booni by 04:00 pm.
I must thank all the people who were kind enough to provide us lodging and food during our travel. Thank you all!
