Hiking to Ganga Choti

30^th August 2016

Kashmir is famous for its green landscapes and blissful weather. The 3,044 m high hilltop of Ganga Choti in Azad Kashmir is a perfect example of the raw beauty of kashmir.

I visited Ganga Choti in July 2016 as part of a 2 day group tour.

Hike Overview

Hike Difficulty: Easy
Typical Hike Duration (One-way): 45 - 60 mins
Ganga Choti Height: 3,044 m (9,987 ft)
Hike Season: All year around (Snow hiking in winter)
Ganga Choti Location: Near Bagh City and Sudhan Gali

Note: Preserving nature is the responsibility of every tourist / hiker. Please DO NOT LITTER, DO NOT DRAW GRAFFITI, DO NOT CUT TREES.

Trip Overview & Itinerary

Day	Time	Journey	Duration
Day 1	10:00am to 04:00pm	Islamabad to Sudhan Gali	6 hours
Day 2	08:00am to 08:30am	Sudhan Gali to Trail Head	30 mins
	09:00am to 10:00am	Trail Head to Ganga Choti	60 mins
	11:00am to 11:45pm	Ganga Choti to Trail Head	45 mins
	12:00pm to 12:30pm	Trail Head to Sudhan Gali	30 mins
	02:00pm to 08:00pm	Sudhan Gali to Islamabad	6 hours

How to Reach Ganga Choti?

Ganga Choti is a hilltop in Sudhan Gali which is located 174 km from Islamabad.

We started our journey from Islamabad at 10am, heading towards Lehtrar, past Kotli Sattiyan and eventually into Bagh city.

We stopped at Bagh for lunch. Later we continued our journey towards Sudhan Gali which is about 23 km from Bagh City. At the base on Ganga Choti there was a hotel called Benazir Palace where we stopped for the night. Back in 2016, you had to park your car here and proceed forward on a jeep. But now, a paved road has been built till further up the hill.

Hike to Ganga Choti

At the end of the jeep track, we disembarked from the jeeps and started our short 45min long hike. We started off by crossing the flat ground and moved towards its right side. From there we hiked up the lush green hill. Reaching the top was fairly straightforward.

Ganga Choti's weather was stunning. At the top of the hill we were immersed within the clouds. From time to time the clouds would clear and we were able to gaze upon the amazing views of the green Kashmiri valleys down below. The cattle on the hills and little houses seen down below made the views something out of a fairly tale. These views make Ganga Choti an incredibly picturesque location which must be visited at least once.

Equipment