army rest/guest houses

[Naeemuk]

salaam to all
i am visiting pakistan in april and would like to know the
procedure to book an army rest house somewhere nice for few days.
can someone help me to find some nice place preferably not very far from islamabad.
somewhere in salt range, murree, abotabad or kagan region.
someone who know the procedure or from where i can start?
your help will be highly appriciated
waslaam
naeem

 

[krash]

salaam to all
i am visiting pakistan in april and would like to know the
procedure to book an army rest house somewhere nice for few days.
can someone help me to find some nice place preferably not very far from islamabad.
somewhere in salt range, murree, abotabad or kagan region.
someone who know the procedure or from where i can start?
your help will be highly appriciated
waslaam
naeem

You need somebody in the armed forces. They will book the place for you and then you just go there and pay the rent. For a normal room in the officers' mess the rent for service men is around Rs.600 and for civi guests is around Rs.1400. You can get a suite too by paying more.

PAF's Kalabagh base has some nice suites, pretty place, a small ski slope above inside the base and its a 20 minute drive from Nathiagali. Its a nice, quiet, small town and doesn't have the tourist hordes that the other towns to the east have. At the same time all the other towns in the Galliyat and Murree (belgh!) are easily and quickly accessible from here.

Then there is a small army hut in Thandiani hilltop resort. This is an even prettier place, an hour or so away from Abottabad. You get gorgeous views of the Kashmiri mountains on one side of the town and the Kaghan mountains on the other. This, however, is a remote area with no other towns of note nearby. But you can get to Nathiagali or Abottabada form here within an hour and a half.

For the rest of the Galiyat I would recommend ditching the army rest house and going for the PTDC motels. But you would have to make reservations way in advance. Contact the people there to know what's the latest you can book a place. The places I would recommend would be Nathiagali or Ayubiya. Nathiagali will be more peaceful than Ayubiya, cleaner too. Murree, I don't even like going to, let alone staying at. Its been pretty much trashed for quite some while now.

There's a PTDC motel in Bhesham too. Its a couple hours or so further from Mansehra on the KKH. Pretty enough and very peaceful.

In Kaghan/Naran, again I would strongly recommend the PTDC motel in Naran. It's built right on the banks of the Kunhar river, across a small bridge over the stream coming from the Saifulmaluk, beyond the north north-east edge of the town of Naran. This place I would recommend you over all the others near Islamabad (Galliyat, Murree, Abottabad, Bhesham, etc.). The town of Naran has recently been inundated with tourists but they keep themselves between Shogran and the town of Naran and then up to the Saifulmaluk. Starting from the PTDC motel up till the Babusar Pass the places are virtually untouched from annoying tourists and spectacularly beautiful. The road beyond Naran itself is something to be experienced and enjoyed. There are quite a few lakes beyond Naran too, e.g. Lulusar, Dudipat, etc. Gorgeous places. Plenty of angling opportunities for rainbow trout (you'll need an inexpensive permit which you can get in 15 minutes from Naran), small islands in the middle of the Kunhar river with tea huts, tens of easy trekking routes which you can explore, and much more.

But if you decide that you wouldn't mind going further up north, let me know. I have a brilliant little hut in mind. Ranjit Singh used to spend his summers there. The place was restored by the army but can be booked by a civi as well.

 

[pak-marine]

salaam to all
i am visiting pakistan in april and would like to know the
procedure to book an army rest house somewhere nice for few days.
can someone help me to find some nice place preferably not very far from islamabad.
somewhere in salt range, murree, abotabad or kagan region.
someone who know the procedure or from where i can start?
your help will be highly appriciated
waslaam
naeem

I will suggest Khanaspur an hour drive from murree up on the hills , its a military guest house & the place is awsome
No heating though

 

[Naeemuk]

You need somebody in the armed forces. They will book the place for you and then you just go there and pay the rent. For a normal room in the officers' mess the rent for service men is around Rs.600 and for civi guests is around Rs.1400. You can get a suite too by paying more.

PAF's Kalabagh base has some nice suites, pretty place, a small ski slope above inside the base and its a 20 minute drive from Nathiagali. Its a nice, quiet, small town and doesn't have the tourist hordes that the other towns to the east have. At the same time all the other towns in the Galliyat and Murree (belgh!) are easily and quickly accessible from here.

Then there is a small army hut in Thandiani hilltop resort. This is an even prettier place, an hour or so away from Abottabad. You get gorgeous views of the Kashmiri mountains on one side of the town and the Kaghan mountains on the other. This, however, is a remote area with no other towns of note nearby. But you can get to Nathiagali or Abottabada form here within an hour and a half.

For the rest of the Galiyat I would recommend ditching the army rest house and going for the PTDC motels. But you would have to make reservations way in advance. Contact the people there to know what's the latest you can book a place. The places I would recommend would be Nathiagali or Ayubiya. Nathiagali will be more peaceful than Ayubiya, cleaner too. Murree, I don't even like going to, let alone staying at. Its been pretty much trashed for quite some while now.

There's a PTDC motel in Bhesham too. Its a couple hours or so further from Mansehra on the KKH. Pretty enough and very peaceful.

In Kaghan/Naran, again I would strongly recommend the PTDC motel in Naran. It's built right on the banks of the Kunhar river, across a small bridge over the stream coming from the Saifulmaluk, beyond the north north-east edge of the town of Naran. This place I would recommend you over all the others near Islamabad (Galliyat, Murree, Abottabad, Bhesham, etc.). The town of Naran has recently been inundated with tourists but they keep themselves between Shogran and the town of Naran and then up to the Saifulmaluk. Starting from the PTDC motel up till the Babusar Pass the places are virtually untouched from annoying tourists and spectacularly beautiful. The road beyond Naran itself is something to be experienced and enjoyed. There are quite a few lakes beyond Naran too, e.g. Lulusar, Dudipat, etc. Gorgeous places. Plenty of angling opportunities for rainbow trout (you'll need an inexpensive permit which you can get in 15 minutes from Naran), small islands in the middle of the Kunhar river with tea huts, tens of easy trekking routes which you can explore, and much more.

But if you decide that you wouldn't mind going further up north, let me know. I have a brilliant little hut in mind. Ranjit Singh used to spend his summers there. The place was restored by the army but can be booked by a civi as well.

Thanks for your detailed reply
sadly i am travelling with two young adventures children and one very worried wife who is not very keen to take children that far up north.
i have been to skardu naran etc quite few times before.but this time as time is very short.just want to take kids some where near to show them real beaut of pakistan outside cities.
that's why my options are very limited so probely stick to few day trips around isb or salt range.

I will suggest Khanaspur an hour drive from murree up on the hills , its a military guest house & the place is awsome
No heating though

thanks mate for your reply could you tell me more about this place?
do you mean khanpur? or khanpur dam?
or its something else?

 

[krash]

Thanks for your detailed reply
sadly i am travelling with two young adventures children and one very worried wife who is not very keen to take children that far up north.
i have been to skardu naran etc quite few times before.but this time as time is very short.just want to take kids some where near to show them real beaut of pakistan outside cities.
that's why my options are very limited so probely stick to few day trips around isb or salt range.

Ah, then it's the Galiyat or Naran. I'd still say Naran. After the quake the road from Balakot to Naran was remade and its pretty nice. You can get there within 8-10 hrs from Islamabad. Only an hour further from Kaghan. And since you want to show them the beauty of Pakistan, it would be unjust to take them to the Galiyat. But of course the decision is yours and if you want to keep it easy for the kids then go for Nathiagali and after that Kalabagh.

thanks mate for your reply could you tell me more about this place?
do you mean khanpur? or khanpur dam?
or its something else?

Nope different places. Khanpur isn't much unless you want to go cliff diving, rock climbing, paragliding and stuff.

The road to Khanaspur goes right down from the fork to Ayubia. Tonnes of monkeys there. A good quiet and beautiful place. It falls within the protected Ayubia national park.

 

[Naeemuk]

Ah, then it's the Galiyat or Naran. I'd still say Naran. After the quake the road from Balakot to Naran was remade and its pretty nice. You can get there within 8-10 hrs from Islamabad. Only an hour further from Kaghan. And since you want to show them the beauty of Pakistan, it would be unjust to take them to the Galiyat. But of course the decision is yours and if you want to keep it easy for the kids then go for Nathiagali and after that Kalabagh.



Nope different places. Khanpur isn't much unless you want to go cliff diving, rock climbing, paragliding and stuff.

The road to Khanaspur goes right down from the fork to Ayubia. Tonnes of monkeys there. A good quiet and beautiful place. It falls within the protected Ayubia national park.

will it be ok to travel to naran in april?
i mean road conditions,snow etc
as i am travlling in normal family and also whats this other place you mention where mahraja rajnjit stays?
i never hard about him travlling in northren area of pakistan i thought i was around punjab only,

 

[pak-marine]

thanks mate for your reply could you tell me more about this place?
do you mean khanpur? or khanpur dam?
or its something else?[/quote]

From what I remember the place is about 1 hour drive from murree the name was definatly khanaspur. It's was some kind of military place now turned into a guest house very scenic , surrounded by thick trees , rooms have nice views over looking the mountains , much less crowded than murree .. When I went they never had any heating facility we were told they are installing soon. Good service and food I will ask the friend who took us there will u know the exact name of the place as soon as I hear from him. U may need a referal to book a space there

 

[Naeemuk]

thanks mate for your reply could you tell me more about this place?
do you mean khanpur? or khanpur dam?
or its something else?

From what I remember the place is about 1 hour drive from murree the name was definatly khanaspur. It's was some kind of military place now turned into a guest house very scenic , surrounded by thick trees , rooms have nice views over looking the mountains , much less crowded than murree .. When I went they never had any heating facility we were told they are installing soon. Good service and food I will ask the friend who took us there will u know the exact name of the place as soon as I hear from him. U may need a referal to book a space there[/quote]
i just googled and found that place.seems nice and quite
will love to know the contact details if its possible.
i got few freinds in pak army who can book this place for me.
i really appricated your effort and time
thanks again

 

[krash]

will it be ok to travel to naran in april?
i mean road conditions,snow etc
as i am travlling in normal family and also whats this other place you mention where mahraja rajnjit stays?
i never hard about him travlling in northren area of pakistan i thought i was around punjab only,

What time in April are you planning to go? Mid to late April there are little to no chances of snowing there enough to cause any problem. A little flurry at the most but even that is very rare. Snows usually stop there in late March. In all probability the road should be clear. It used to open in may when there was only a dirt track from Balakot to Naran. Now there's a proper road. But small "glaciers" can at times block the road. Best way is to contact any local hotel and check if there's a problem.

One of Ranjit Singh's favourite summer retreats was a hut just beyond Rattu in the Astore valley. The army has its High Altitude Training School in Rattu and a few years ago fixed up the old hut that was in ruins. I have a picture of it somewhere, lemme try to find it.

From what I remember the place is about 1 hour drive from murree the name was definatly khanaspur. It's was some kind of military place now turned into a guest house very scenic , surrounded by thick trees , rooms have nice views over looking the mountains , much less crowded than murree .. When I went they never had any heating facility we were told they are installing soon. Good service and food I will ask the friend who took us there will u know the exact name of the place as soon as I hear from him. U may need a referal to book a space there

The place you tell off is below Ayubia. Its written as Khanspur but pronounced as Khanaspur. You take a right down from the fork which on the left takes you up to Ayubia

 

[waqas550]

please tell me the cell number of khanaspur rest house

 

[Mudassar Hassan Atif]

Sir.AA.what can I do if want to book a family room at army guest house murree

 

[krash]

Sir.AA.what can I do if want to book a family room at army guest house murree

Find someone in the forces. They will check if there is any vacancy and then book the place for you. Never stayed at the army guest house in Murree but spent some days a week ago at the naval huts in Jheeka Gali (like a 15 min walk from Murree) . Nice enough place if you don't mind the hordes of tourists.

 

[hasan bhatti]

Hi please can anyone guide me about the army messes or army guest houses available in or near naran . i will really appreciate precise information about it thanks

You need somebody in the armed forces. They will book the place for you and then you just go there and pay the rent. For a normal room in the officers' mess the rent for service men is around Rs.600 and for civi guests is around Rs.1400. You can get a suite too by paying more.

PAF's Kalabagh base has some nice suites, pretty place, a small ski slope above inside the base and its a 20 minute drive from Nathiagali. Its a nice, quiet, small town and doesn't have the tourist hordes that the other towns to the east have. At the same time all the other towns in the Galliyat and Murree (belgh!) are easily and quickly accessible from here.

Then there is a small army hut in Thandiani hilltop resort. This is an even prettier place, an hour or so away from Abottabad. You get gorgeous views of the Kashmiri mountains on one side of the town and the Kaghan mountains on the other. This, however, is a remote area with no other towns of note nearby. But you can get to Nathiagali or Abottabada form here within an hour and a half.

For the rest of the Galiyat I would recommend ditching the army rest house and going for the PTDC motels. But you would have to make reservations way in advance. Contact the people there to know what's the latest you can book a place. The places I would recommend would be Nathiagali or Ayubiya. Nathiagali will be more peaceful than Ayubiya, cleaner too. Murree, I don't even like going to, let alone staying at. Its been pretty much trashed for quite some while now.

There's a PTDC motel in Bhesham too. Its a couple hours or so further from Mansehra on the KKH. Pretty enough and very peaceful.

In Kaghan/Naran, again I would strongly recommend the PTDC motel in Naran. It's built right on the banks of the Kunhar river, across a small bridge over the stream coming from the Saifulmaluk, beyond the north north-east edge of the town of Naran. This place I would recommend you over all the others near Islamabad (Galliyat, Murree, Abottabad, Bhesham, etc.). The town of Naran has recently been inundated with tourists but they keep themselves between Shogran and the town of Naran and then up to the Saifulmaluk. Starting from the PTDC motel up till the Babusar Pass the places are virtually untouched from annoying tourists and spectacularly beautiful. The road beyond Naran itself is something to be experienced and enjoyed. There are quite a few lakes beyond Naran too, e.g. Lulusar, Dudipat, etc. Gorgeous places. Plenty of angling opportunities for rainbow trout (you'll need an inexpensive permit which you can get in 15 minutes from Naran), small islands in the middle of the Kunhar river with tea huts, tens of easy trekking routes which you can explore, and much more.

But if you decide that you wouldn't mind going further up north, let me know. I have a brilliant little hut in mind. Ranjit Singh used to spend his summers there. The place was restored by the army but can be booked by a civi as well.

Hi please can you guide me about the army rest houses or messes near or in naran will highly appreciate . just want to know what my options are regarding army guest houses near or in naran thanks

 

[krash]

Hi please can anyone guide me about the army messes or army guest houses available in or near naran . i will really appreciate precise information about it thanks



Hi please can you guide me about the army rest houses or messes near or in naran will highly appreciate . just want to know what my options are regarding army guest houses near or in naran thanks

There are PMA huts in Naran. Pretty good. Ask someone in the forces to check for vacancy and then book it for you.

 

[Athar Masood]

Salam,
Planning a trip with family to a nice, quiet, cold place past Naran. Any contact numbers for an advance booking of any such place.