Shogran Valley: Things to Do, Stays and Views

Shogran is a meadow hill resort at 2,362 metres, on a forested shelf above Kiwai in the lower Kaghan Valley. It is about 212 km from Islamabad and 34 km from Balakot, which makes it the closest proper mountain meadow to the capital in the valley. Most people leave the car at Kiwai and take a local jeep 7 to 8 km up a steep road, spend a night among the pines, and ride on to the Siri Paye meadows at about 3,000 metres the next morning.

People often call it the Shogran valley, though it is really a clearing on the mountainside rather than a valley of its own. This guide covers getting up there, what to do once you arrive, the views, where to stay, and whether it suits your trip better than Naran.

Where is Shogran, and how do you get up?

Shogran sits on the mountainside well above the Kunhar River, below the ridge that separates the Kaghan Valley from Azad Kashmir. You reach it from Kiwai, a roadside village 24 km above Balakot on the main Naran road, where a side road turns off and climbs through pine forest.

From Islamabad the drive to Kiwai follows the Hazara Motorway to Mansehra and the N-15 through Balakot. At Kiwai you have a choice:

• Take a local jeep. This is what most visitors do. In 2026 the Balakot assistant commissioner fixed the fare at PKR 4,500 return per jeep from Kiwai to Shogran. Fares change each season, so agree the price, and whether the driver waits or comes back for you, before you set off.
• Drive your own car. Some people do, in dry weather. The road is steep, narrow and full of hairpins, and after rain or during the snowmelt it is blocked by landslides or turns to mud. If you are not used to mountain roads, or the car is low and heavily loaded, park at Kiwai.

The drive takes about an hour by jeep, a little more if the road is busy. The difference in temperature between Kiwai and the top is noticeable, so keep a warm layer to hand.

Things to do in Shogran

Shogran is a place to slow down rather than a list of sights. Most of what there is to do is walking, sitting in the meadow and looking at the mountains, and it rewards an unhurried stay.

Walk the meadow and the forest

The open meadow at the centre of Shogran, with hotels round its edge, is where everyone ends up: children running about, families on rugs, tea in the afternoon. The forest of pine and spruce comes right down to it, and paths lead off into the trees in several directions. The best times are early morning, before the day visitors come up from Kiwai, and the evening, when they have gone back down.

Siri Paye

Siri Paye is the reason many people come. It is a pair of high meadows, Siri and Paye, about 6 km above Shogran by a rough jeep track, at around 3,000 metres. The views open out, the grass runs up to the ridges, and on a clear day the high peaks are right in front of you.

There are two ways up:

1. By jeep, about 45 minutes to an hour each way from Shogran on a bumpy, steep track. The 2026 fare was PKR 5,500 return per jeep from Shogran, or PKR 8,000 if you go straight from Kiwai.
2. On foot, about two and a half to three hours up from Shogran for a reasonably fit walker. Many people ride up and walk down, which is easier on the lungs and gives you the views in front of you.

At about 3,000 metres, Siri Paye is higher than Naran. Walk slowly at first, drink water, and take children's warm clothes up with you even on a sunny day.

Siri and Paye lakes

Each meadow has a small lake. The one at Siri is on the way up; Paye Lake sits in the middle of the upper meadow at about 2,895 metres, with Makra Peak above it. They are ponds rather than the great glacial lakes of the upper valley, and early in the season they can still be frozen, but in good light the reflections of the peaks are the classic Siri Paye photograph.

Makra Peak, for fit walkers

Makra Peak, at 3,885 metres, rises above Paye on the ridge between the Kaghan Valley and Azad Kashmir. From the end of the jeep track at Paye it is about four hours to the top, a straightforward but steep climb with wide views across Hazara and Kashmir.

Take it seriously. People have died on Makra in storms and thick fog, when the ridge becomes hard to navigate. Go only in settled weather, start early, turn back if cloud comes down, and take someone who knows the way.

Kiwai waterfall

At the bottom of the Shogran road, the waterfall at Kiwai tumbles down beside the main road, with restaurants alongside serving tea and trout. It is a pleasant stop while you arrange the jeep, or on the way back down.

The views from Shogran and Siri Paye

The view is what people remember. From Shogran and, more widely, from Siri Paye, you look across to Malika Parbat, at around 5,290 metres the highest peak in the Kaghan Valley, and to Makra Peak and Musa ka Musalla along the ridges. The snow on the high peaks lasts well into summer.

Mountain weather is fickle here. Cloud can sit on the peaks for a whole afternoon, then lift at sunset or first thing in the morning. If you are staying the night, get up early: the clearest views of the day are often the first ones.

Where to stay in Shogran

Shogran has a small number of hotels, most of them grouped around the meadow or on the slope above it, from simple guesthouses to comfortable resorts.

• Pine Park Hotel is the long-established name, set among the pines at Shogran, with rooms, suites and cottages.
• Arcadian Sprucewoods is another established resort in Shogran.
• Smaller hotels and guesthouses fill the rest, generally simpler and cheaper.

What to ask before booking:

• Heating. Nights drop to single figures even in summer. Ask how the room is heated and what happens when the power goes.
• The view. Many rooms face the meadow or the peaks; some face the back of another building. Ask for photographs from the room itself.
• Jeep arrangements. Some hotels arrange jeeps from Kiwai. Confirm the price and pick-up time in advance.
• Weekend and Eid demand. Shogran has far fewer rooms than Naran, and on summer weekends and Eid holidays they fill quickly. Book ahead.

For the upper valley, our guide to hotels in Naran compares the bazaar, the riverside and the lake road.

When to visit Shogran

June to September is the main season, when Siri Paye is green, the track is open and the days are mild. July and August are the busiest months and also the rainiest: monsoon showers and thunderstorms make the roads slippery, and landslides can close the road from Kiwai for a while.

May and October are quieter and cooler, with snow on the high ground. The track to Siri Paye may still be blocked early in May or muddy after autumn rain.

Winter brings heavy snow. Shogran is one of the few parts of the Kaghan Valley still reachable when Naran has shut, and it draws people who want snow near Islamabad. It also catches them out: in December 2024 tourists were stranded by snowfall on the Siri Paye road and had to be rescued down to Kiwai. In winter, go only with a local jeep and a flexible return date.

Shogran or Naran? Who Shogran suits

Shogran suits:

• Families with young children or older parents, who want mountains and forest a shorter drive from Islamabad, without the traffic and crowds of Naran.
• Couples and small groups looking for a quiet night or two.
• A short break from Islamabad or Lahore, with an easy first day on the way up the valley.
• Anyone who likes walking, with Siri Paye and Makra above the door.

It is not the right choice if you want to see the high lakes, Lulusar and Babusar Pass: those are all above Naran, two or three hours further up the valley. Nor is it a place for a lively evening; after dark there is very little to do but look at the stars. And if nobody in your group wants to ride a jeep on a steep hillside, Shogran asks more of you than a hotel in Naran does.

The best answer for most first trips is both: one night in Shogran on the way up, then Naran for the upper valley. Our five-day Naran and Kaghan itinerary is built that way, our Kaghan Valley guide shows where Shogran sits in the valley as a whole, and our trip planning page can help you fit it into a longer journey.

Frequently asked questions