High mountain slopes in northern Pakistan

Meadow · Gilgit-Baltistan

Fairy Meadows

Fairy Meadows is an alpine grassland at about 3,300 metres in Diamer district, Gilgit-Baltistan, facing the 8,126 metre north face of Nanga Parbat. German climbers named it Märchenwiese in the 1930s. It is the standard approach to Nanga Parbat base camp, roughly a four-hour walk further up the ridge.

Read the story Photos of Fairy Meadows

The story of Fairy Meadows

Access is from Raikot Bridge on the Karakoram Highway: a jeep track climbs about 15 kilometres to Tato village, followed by a walk of two to three hours. The meadow is a designated national park area, snowbound from roughly November to April, and served by simple wooden huts and camps. Nanga Parbat's Rupal face on the far side is the highest mountain face on earth at about 4,600 metres of vertical relief.

What to see in Fairy Meadows

Nanga Parbat viewpoint
The clearest unobstructed view of the mountain's north side.
Beyal camp
An hour further up, on the way to base camp.
Nanga Parbat base camp
About 4 hours from the meadow at roughly 3,900 m.
Raikot glacier
The glacier tongue below the north face.

Landscape of Fairy Meadows

Nanga Parbat

The 8,126 m Killer Mountain fills the southern horizon.

Raikot glacier

The ice tongue below the meadow, crossed on the base-camp walk.

Beyal camp

A higher meadow an hour beyond Fairy Meadows.

Rivers and lakes of Fairy Meadows

Raikot river

Glacier melt that joins the Indus at Raikot bridge.

Food of Fairy Meadows

Apricots

Dried on rooftops through August; the oil is pressed for cooking and skin care.

Chapshuro

Baltistan's meat-filled flatbread, cooked on an iron griddle.

Salt tea

Namkeen chai churned with butter, drunk all day in Skardu and Khaplu.

Heritage of Fairy Meadows

Baltit Fort

700 years old above Karimabad, restored in 1996 and open as a museum.

Altit Fort

Roughly 1,100 years old, with a royal garden below it.

Rock carvings

Thousands of Buddhist-era petroglyphs along the Indus near Chilas.

Culture and crafts of Fairy Meadows

Truck art

Hand-painted trucks and rickshaws, a craft trade worth millions of rupees a year.

Bazaars

Copper, cloth, spice and book markets in every old city.

Festivals

Basant, Urs gatherings, Shandur polo and the Kalash calendar.

Wildlife of Fairy Meadows

Ibex

Seen on the ridges above Beyal in early morning.

Snow leopard

Recorded on camera traps around the Raikot valley.

Best time to visit

May to October; June to September for reliable weather.

Getting there

Roughly 8 to 10 hours by road from Islamabad to Raikot Bridge, then jeep and a 2 to 3 hour walk.

Nearby places

Questions about Fairy Meadows

How long is the walk to Fairy Meadows?+

Two to three hours uphill from Tato village, after a jeep ride of about 15 kilometres from Raikot Bridge.

Can you see Nanga Parbat from Fairy Meadows?+

Yes. The meadow directly faces the 8,126 metre north face, weather permitting.

Photographs of Fairy Meadows

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