Gittidas Meadows: Nomad Pastures Near Babusar

Gittidas meadows are a stretch of open, treeless pasture at 3,678 metres on the N-15, in the upper Kaghan valley between Lulusar Lake and the final climb to Babusar Top. In summer Gujar herders camp here with their livestock, and for people driving to the pass it is the widest and quietest stopping place on the road. You can only reach it when the Babusar road is open, which in most years means from late May or June to October.

This guide covers where Gittidas is, when you can get there, who the herders are, and what a stop involves at this height.

Where is Gittidas?

Gittidas is on the Naran to Babusar road, in Mansehra district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Driving up from Naran you pass Batakundi, Burawai, Jalkhad (about 39 km from Naran) and Besal, then Lulusar Lake at about 50 km. Beyond the lake the valley opens into broad, gently sloping grassland. That is Gittidas. The road then steepens for the last stretch to Babusar Top, which is about 66 km from Naran at 4,173 metres.

We could not find a surveyed road distance for the meadows themselves. Sources that give one say roughly 48 km, which looks too short given that Lulusar comes first. Expect it somewhere around 55 to 60 km from Naran.

By this point you are well above the tree line. The pine and deodar of the lower valley have gone, and what is left is grass, low scrub, boulders and streams. The meadows lie inside Lulusar-Dudipatsar National Park, created in 2003, whose wildlife list includes marmots, snowcock, black bear and snow leopard. Marmots are the ones you may see from the car.

When can you get there?

Only in summer. Snow closes the road above Naran for about half the year, and the top section is the last to open.

Recent years show how much the date moves. In 2025 the route to Babusar Top reopened on 22 May after a closure of about six months. In 2026 the road to Naran itself reopened on 21 April, but fresh snow fell on the pass at the end of May, tourists were advised to stay away on 1 June, and the Babusar Top road was closed again on 5 June. So even in early June you may reach Lulusar and find a barrier.

In practice:

• Late May and June: the road may be open, with walls of snow beside it and meltwater across the tarmac. The meadows are brown or patchy, and closures are possible.
• July and August: the grass is green, the herders are in residence and the road is at its most reliable, though monsoon rain brings landslides lower down the valley.
• September: clear and cold, with the herds starting to leave.
• October: the first snow can close the pass at any time.

Check whether Babusar Top is open before you set out from Naran.

The Gujar herders

Gujars are one of the main communities of the Kaghan valley, and many still move with their animals: up to the high pastures as the snow melts and back down to the lower valley and the plains before winter. Gittidas is one of their summer grounds. Through the warm months you will see their tents, with the animals spread across the slopes.

That makes this a working landscape, not an empty one. Treat it as someone's summer home:

• Ask before photographing people, and do not photograph women without clear permission.
• Do not walk through a camp or a flock uninvited. Herding dogs guard the animals and can be aggressive.
• If you are offered milk or lassi, it is polite to pay.
• Take your litter back to Naran. Nothing is collected up here, and animals eat plastic.

What a stop involves

There is nothing built at Gittidas to rely on: no fuel, no proper shops, no hotel. A tea stall may be open by the road in high season. People stop for the space itself, which is rare on a road that is mostly hemmed in by slopes, and for photographs of the meadows with the herds and the snow peaks behind.

Two alpine lakes lie off the road here. Dharamsar, at about 3,690 metres, and the larger Sambaksar sit near the border with Azad Kashmir. We could not confirm the state of the track to them, so ask a local guide in Naran before planning it; treat them as a separate outing and not a roadside stop.

The weather changes quickly. Cloud can come over the pass and drop the temperature to near freezing in the middle of a July afternoon. Keep a jacket in the car, not in the boot under the luggage.

Altitude and the drive

Gittidas is nearly 3,700 metres up, and you reach it in under two hours from Naran, which is itself above 2,400 metres. Most people feel only a little breathless. Walk slowly, drink water, and if anyone gets a bad headache, nausea or dizziness, drive back down; our altitude sickness guide explains what to watch for. Small children and older relatives with heart or lung conditions need particular care.

The road is paved and an ordinary car can manage it in season; see can a car go to Babusar Top. The danger is the descent. Babusar has a long record of accidents caused by overheated brakes, so come down in low gear and stop to let the brakes cool. Fill the tank in Naran.

On safety more broadly: the Babusar road is the summer alternative to the stretch of the Karakoram Highway between Mansehra and Chilas, which the UK government advises against. The Babusar route itself is not named in that advice. Check local news and the road status before you go.

Is it worth stopping at Gittidas?

Yes, briefly, if you are already driving to Babusar Top or over it to Chilas. Ten or twenty minutes here costs nothing, and the meadows are a calmer place to get out than the crowded car park at the top of the pass.

It is not a destination to plan a trip around. If the Babusar road is closed at Lulusar, as it often is in early June, you have lost very little: the lake is the better-known sight. Our Babusar Pass guide covers the full drive stop by stop, our Lulusar Lake guide covers the lake, and our trip planning page can help fit the day into a Kaghan itinerary.

Frequently asked questions