Hiking season kicks off on 29th of October October 29, 2006

For all the hiking enthusiasts out there the season will kick off with our first hike right after Eid. To get more information about all the good social, recreational, and sports acvities in Islamabad, including hikes register with the Asian Study Group. You will receive a montly newsletter describing all activities for that month.

Office Location:
Mezzanine Floor,
Malik Complex, 80 West (adjacent to Redco Plaza),Jinnah Avenue, Blue Area (middle of F-7 & G-7), Islamabad

Phone/Fax:
(051) 287 5891

Office Timings:
Monday~Saturday, 2:30pm~5:00pm.

The ASG Hiking subgroup arranges hikes in and around Islamabad. Margalla hills, adjacent to the city offer a great opportunity to hiker, nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts to get out of urban landscape and be close to the nature. These hills have a complex network of paths used by villagers and locals where one can spend hours walking these trails.

In addition to Margalla, several other areas around Islamabad offer similar opportunities. Most notable are areas near Murree and Nathiagali which are within couple of hours from Islamabad. If one is willing to drive for few hours, one can get to Kaghan and areas in the northern Pakistan for unlimited hiking and trekking opportunities.

The ASG Hiking season starts in October and goes till advent of summer heat in April. During this time most hikes are day hikes in areas around Islamabad. After that, hiking activities shifts to higher elevations in Murree and Kaghan. Hikes usually take place on the first and third Sunday of every month. The level and duration of hikes varies and generally gets strenuous as season progresses. Easy hikes may be as short as one hour over flat trails while the longer hikes can take 6 to 7 hours over tough terrain. The longest hike of the season starts early before dawn and ends around dusk. Hikes conducted by the ASG and their tentative schedule for this season can be available from the monthly newsletter available on registration

Families and children are encouraged to participate in family hikes, which are short and over easy terrain. Family hikes are scheduled usually once a month and is usually combined with a more strenuous hike. Families and small children break for picnic and snacks after a short (30 to 40 minutes) walk before returning whereas other hikers can continue on to the more strenuous part of the hike. These hikes are great opportunity for children to enjoy the hills and the outdoors.

Meeting time and location is given in the monthly ASG newsletter. Unless stated otherwise, you do not need to pre register for hikes. Simply show up at the meeting location before the departure time. We drive in our own cars or carpool to the trail head, which is usually within 15 to 20 minutes from the meeting point. Hikes are arranged such that we return to our parked cars at end of the hike. Make sure you bring your own snacks, lunch and water. For certain hikes, ASG will arrange for transport and lunch. For such events, there is a charge which covers the cost of these services. Incidentally, these tend to be our most popular hikes. Other than the traditional BBQ lunch at the end, these hikes go over some of the most spectacular sights of the area. For multi day hikes, night stay is arranged by the ASG on cost sharing basis. All other hikes are free of charge.

Once a month, the hiking group will arrange presentations and talks about treks in the region. The presentations are given by individuals who have conducted these treks and will tell about their personal experience. This is a great way to find out first hand about the trekking opportunities in the region, conditions and logistics of the trek and watch the beautiful images from the trek. From time to time, films on related topics may be presented instead of the talk. Presentations will be announced in the ASG newsletter and are usually scheduled in the evenings during a weekday. If you have would like to share your own trekking experience with us, please contact coordinators.

See you on a trail soon!

Official Website: http://www.asianstudygroup.org