Fairy Meadows in Winter: Snow Trek Guide

Fairy Meadows in winter is a snow trek, not a holiday visit. From about December to March the meadow lies under deep snow, nights fall to around −10°C or lower, most lodges are shut, and the walk up from Tato that takes two to three hours in summer takes four to six. It can be done, and a small number of guided groups do it each winter, but only with a lodge that has agreed to open, a local guide, and proper winter kit.

This guide covers how you get there when Babusar is closed, what the jeep and the walk are like in snow, which cottages open, what to bring, and who should not go.

Can you visit Fairy Meadows in winter?

Yes, but not in the way most people visit in summer. The lodges close for the season from around October, and the meadow is left to the snow. Nobody is waiting with a room, a meal or a horse, so every part of a winter trip has to be arranged before you leave home.

What makes it possible is that a few lodge owners will open for a group that books ahead, and local jeep drivers and guides will make the trip when the weather allows. Several Pakistani trekking groups run winter trips around New Year and in February on exactly this basis. The view is the reward: Nanga Parbat, the forest and the whole meadow under snow, with almost nobody else there.

Getting there when Babusar is closed

The Babusar Pass closes with the first heavy snow, usually in November, and does not reopen until late May or June. In winter the only road from Islamabad to Raikot Bridge is the Karakoram Highway through Thakot, Besham, Dasu and Chilas, a long two days with a night on the way. Our route guide from Islamabad covers the KKH stage by stage, including the security advice for the Kohistan and Diamer stretch.

Winter adds its own delays:

• Short days. Sunset is around 5 pm in December and January. Don't drive the KKH after dark.
• Ice and rockfall on the shaded bends, especially in the gorges.
• Flights to Gilgit are cancelled more often in winter than at any other time. If you fly, keep two spare days, and be ready to drive home.

Spend the last night before the jeep in Chilas or at Raikot Bridge, so you can start the jeep ride early in the morning.

The jeep and the walk in snow

The jeep

The track from Raikot Bridge is not kept open as a winter road. When it is clear of snow, local jeeps still make the trip to Tato, and winter groups have used them around New Year and in February. Snow, ice or a landslide can close it for days or longer. Your driver decides whether it is safe, and if he says no, the answer is to wait or turn round. Travel only in daylight, and agree the return day as you would in summer, with extra slack for weather. The rules of the track are in our guide to the Fairy Meadows jeep track.

The walk from Tato

The summer path becomes a trail through the snow in the forest. Recent accounts from February put the walk at four and a half hours for a fit group, and winter trek operators allow five to six. Deep, fresh snow makes it slower still.

What changes in winter:

1. The path disappears. Under fresh snow it can be hard to follow, especially on the switchbacks near the top. This is the main reason to have a local guide.
2. Ice on the steep sections. Microspikes or crampons make a real difference, and trekking poles help with balance.
3. No stalls, no horses. There is little or nothing open between Tato and the meadow. Carry water, food and a flask.
4. It gets dark early. Leave Tato by late morning. Arriving in the dark on a snow-covered path is the thing to avoid most.

Our guide to the Fairy Meadows hike describes the summer path, which gives you a sense of the ground under the snow.

Which cottages stay open in winter?

Most lodges on the meadow close for the winter. A few open on request for groups that book in advance, and at least one of the long-established lodges, Fairy Meadows Cottages, advertises a winter season on its website. Visitors who have gone in February describe a lodge being opened especially for their group rather than running as normal.

Before you commit to any dates:

• Call the lodge and confirm it will open for your dates, how many rooms are ready and how they are heated.
• Ask what food there will be. Supplies are carried up by the people who open the lodge, so the menu is short.
• Ask about power and water. Pipes freeze, and electricity may be limited to a few hours.
• Agree the price in full before you set off from Islamabad, including heating.

If a lodge will not confirm, don't go. Arriving on a winter evening to find nothing open, at −10°C, is dangerous.

What to wear and carry

Pack for the Karakoram in winter, not for a cold weekend in Murree:

• Insulated, waterproof boots that fit over thick socks, and gaiters to keep snow out
• Microspikes or crampons, and trekking poles
• A thermal base layer, a fleece, and a down jacket rated for well below freezing
• Waterproof trousers and jacket
• Warm gloves and mittens, a warm hat and a buff or neck warmer
• Sunglasses and sunscreen, because sun on snow burns and can cause snow blindness
• A sleeping bag rated to around −15°C, even if the lodge promises blankets
• A head torch, a power bank and spare batteries, kept warm inside your jacket
• Several pairs of woollen socks, so you always have a dry pair
• A flask for hot drinks on the trail

Our Fairy Meadows weather guide gives the monthly temperatures.

Why go with a guide

For a winter trip, a local guide is not an extra. A guide from the valley knows where the path runs under the snow, can judge whether the slopes above it are safe after heavy snowfall, and can arrange the jeep, the lodge and porters through people they know. If someone in your group is hurt or ill, they know who to call and how to get them down.

You can arrange a guide through the lodge that is opening for you, or join one of the organised winter groups that go from Islamabad and Lahore. Either way, ask how many winters they have done the route, what they carry for emergencies, and what happens if the weather closes in.

Cold and altitude: staying safe

The main risks in winter are cold and exhaustion rather than the altitude itself, though 3,300 metres still slows everyone down.

• Watch for hypothermia: shivering that won't stop, clumsiness, confusion. Get the person warm, dry and fed, and don't push on.
• Protect fingers, toes and faces from frostbite. Numb, white skin needs warming slowly, not rubbing.
• Eat and drink more than you think you need. Cold and effort burn energy fast, and thirst is easy to ignore.
• Turn back if the weather turns. There is no rescue service waiting at the top, and help from Chilas is hours away.

Is a winter trip worth it?

For fit, experienced adults who want the snow and the silence, and who are happy to pay for a guide and a specially opened lodge, it can be the most memorable way to see Nanga Parbat. You get the mountain almost to yourself.

For families, children, first-time trekkers or anyone who just wants to see snow, it is the wrong trip. Skardu, Hunza and Naltar all give you snow and mountains on roads you can drive, and our guide to Gilgit-Baltistan in winter covers them. For how Fairy Meadows fits into the rest of the year, see our seasonal guide.

Frequently asked questions