Siri Paye Meadows—A Hidden Gem of Shogran Valley
When visiting Shogran Valley, it is mandatory to head up to the Siri Paye Meadows. Only 235km away from Islamabad, Siri Paye Meadows make for one of the best weekend getaways from Islamabad. Besides majestic views, Siri Paye Meadows offers two petite yet stunning lakes, a bumpy jeep ride, stunning treks, camping under the starry skies, and a chance to summit Makra Peak.
So, what are waiting for? Convince your family or friends and visit the Siri Paye Meadows the coming weekend or the next. And give this comprehensive guide a read so that you know all you need to plan your trip to Siri Paye Meadows in Shogran Valley.
So, let’s get started!
Siri Paye Meadows Location
Bordered by Makra Peak, Malika Parbat, and Musa ka Musalla, Siri Paye Meadows sits amongst the clouds at an altitude of 10,032 feet (3,058 m) above sea level. Siri Paye Meadows is 235km away from Islamabad, 35 km away from Balakot, and only 15 km from Kewai Waterfall. From Shogran Valley, Siri Paye Meadows are only at a distance of 7 km.
How to Get There
When coming from Islamabad, it is best to travel to Siri Paye Shogran in your private car, but you can also use the bus service. The bus will drop you at Balakot, and you can get your ride to Shogran from there.
From Islamabad, you will come via Hazara Motorway, and passing Abbottabad and Mansehra, you will reach Balakot Interchange, and the next stop will be Kewai. From Kewai, it will only take around 30 to 45 minutes to reach Shogran Valley. And from Shogran, you can either rent a jeep to take you to Siri Paye Meadows, or you can consider hiking, which will take about 3 hours.
Jeep Ride From Shogran to Siri Paye Meadows
The road from Shogran to Siri Paye Meadows is in very bad shape—you can think of it as off-roading. The terrain is very muddy, featuring big stones and frequent sharp turns. So, you cannot take your car up to the top, unless you have a 4×4 car and you are a skilled driver with experience of riding in mountains.
Otherwise, you can consider renting a jeep either from Shogran or Kewai. If you are staying in a hotel in Shogran, you can ask your hotel’s front desk to arrange a jeep for you.
The jeep usually takes around 45 minutes to reach Siri Ridge, where you can take a quick stop to enjoy the views and appreciate the crystal-clear water of the petite Siri Lake. And then from Siri, the jeep will take another 15 minutes to reach your ultimate destination, the Paye Meadows.
The jeep ride from Shogran to Siri Paye Meadows is very bumpy and adventurous. The way is quite narrow at certain places with rocks on one side and a cliff on the other, making the jeep ride dangerous. But you do not need to worry, as local drivers are quite good.
| Don’t Eat Heavy Before Jeep Ride! Heavy bumps and jolts on your jeep ride from Shogran to Siri Paye meadows can shake you up badly, leaving you throwing up and running the ride. |
The jeep charges from Shogran to Siri Paye Meadows roundtrip is about five thousand, but you can always bargain. Usually, jeep drivers give you about an hour to roam around in Siri Paye Meadows, but while bargaining fare, you can also bargain and get them to stay for a little longer—there might be extra charges for extended delay (around one thousand per hour).
Hiking From Shogran to Siri Paye Meadows
If you are a hiking enthusiast, you must skip the jeep ride and trek to Siri Paye Meadows from Shogran. It is an easy to medium track and takes only about 3 to 4 hours.
If you decide to hike to Siri Paye Meadows, I suggest that you skip the main track as it is crowded with jeeps and is very muddy. Things get worse when it rains and you start to slip. Therefore, it is best that you take some other track to reach the top. One such beautiful hidden track starts right in front of the Pine Park Hotel.
This hidden track is calm, clean, serene, and comparatively easy. This track is so quiet that you can hear spring waters flowing from afar and birds chirping.
Also, do not forget to put on your best hiking boots as it tends to get slippery when it rains. And for protection again rains (which often come unannounced) you must bring along a raincoat or umbrella.
When to Go
If you want to see the Siri Paye Meadows with lush green cover all over, the best time to visit will be during mid-summer. During this time, the snow from the Siri Paye Meadows recedes completely, allowing it to grow back its lush green cover. However, the surrounding mountaintops will still be covered with snow, offering majestic views.
However, you can visit Siri Paye Meadows both in summer and winter.
However, note that during winter months (December to April) there is heavy snow everywhere in the Siri Paye Meadows. Both the Siri and Paye lakes are frozen and you can walk on them. And given that the road from Shogran to Siri Paye Meadows is also covered by snow, you cannot reach Siri Paye by jeep. Due to the heavy snowfall, some hotels also shut down.
So, if a winter survival expedition is not your cup of tea, summer would be the best time to visit Siri Paye Meadows. If you visit in early summer, you will get to see some snow in the Siri Paye Meadows, while the surrounding mountains will be snow-covered. There will be some greenery but Siri Paye Meadows won’t be lush green during this time.
What to Do at Sirr Paye Meadows
Besides wandering around in the expansive lush green meadows and immersing yourself in the stunning views all around, Siri Paye Meadows has a lot more to offer.
1. Siri Lake
In the Siri Paye Meadows, there is not one but two lakes: Siri Lake and Paye Lake.
Siri Lake is about 5 km away from Shogran, situated at a height of 8572 feet (2612 meters) above sea level. Via jeep from Shogran, it takes around 45 minutes to reach Siri Lake.
Siri is a small lake and it gathers the water of the melting snow. Though petite, Siri Lake never fails to bewitch onlookers with its crystal-clear water—offering a perfect reflection of surrounding mountains and clear skies.
There are many vendors at the Siri Ridge, you can take a quick stop here to enjoy the picturesque views and also get some snacks to replenish your energy. You might want to eat ‘chai pakora while sitting by the lake.
You might be forgetting that you are on a clock, but your Jeep driver will honk you to tell you that we need to get moving.
2. Horse Rides
Riding a horse in Siri Paye meadows is an adventure of its own.
Imagine feeling that chilly breeze against your face, making your heart race as the path gets steeper. And whoa, there’s that moment when your heart skips a beat as you glance down while cruising past a cliff.
Now, to get this cool horse ride experience, you’ve got a couple of options.
You can either get a horse ride from either Siri Ridge or park your jeep there. Or you can take your jeep to the top and rent a horse from there to explore the expansive Paye Meadows.
The charge for a horse ride from Siri to Paye roundtrip is around two thousand. It will take you from Siri to Paye meadows, let you wander around, and then bring you back to Siri.
3. Paye Lake
When you get to the top, you will find another lake—the Paya Lake. Paya Lake is even smaller than the Siri Lake but situated at the front of the Paya clearing it offers breathtaking reflections.
On our visit to Siri Paye Meadows, one of our friends was so disappointed by the petiteness of the Paya Lake that he put it this way: “Lake? It’s more like a puddle!”
4. Iconic Swing Ride
At the top of the Paya meadows, you will find a swing. The swing is over 10,000ft above sea level when you ride it going forth and back, the whole Shogran and Naran Valley seems to be lying at your feet.
If you have got the courage and heart for it, you have got to hop on it and swing into action!
Dangling in the air over 10,000 ft above sea level, with your heart throbbing and experiencing the adrenaline rush, this swing ride will be one of the most thrilling moments of your life.
5. Camping at Siri Paye
Siri Paye Meadows is a great place to set up your camp and spend the night under the stars. If you did not bring your camping gear but want to spend the night in the Meadows, you can consider the option of renting a tent there. The charges for the tent can be anywhere between 2,000 to 5,000.
If you have brought your camping gear, you can either set up your camp at Siri or the Paya meadows.
When camping at Siri Paye Meadows, you can get wood from vendors to make yourself a bonfire, if you did not bring any wood with you from Shogran in the jeep. You can enjoy a live BBQ with a bonfire and have gup-shup sessions with your friends.
If the weather is clear, you can just sit outside and do some stargazing. Siri Paye Meadows is far away from city lights and offer a perfect spot for stargazing.
6. Paye to Makra Peak
If you have another day to spare and are a hiking enthusiast, you can consider summiting Makra Peak, aka Spider Peak, from Siri Paye Meadows. Situated at a height of 12,746 ft (3,885 meters), Makra Peak does not boast the towering heights of the other mountains of Naran Kagan, which is a blessing in disguise—allowing amateur trekkers to summit it easily in summer.
Makra Peak only rises about 2,200 ft (670 meters) above Paye Meadows. The trek is medium to hard and takes around 2 to 3 hours to summit the Makra Peak from Paye.
During Spring/Autumn, there is knee-deep snow cover on the mountain, which makes the summit a bit more strenuous. But it is often successfully climbed by amateur trekkers.
| When Hiking the Makra Peak, start early. So, that you could return before the sun goes down. Oftentimes, trekkers get lost in the dark on their way down, which can have serious implications for them. |
Where to Stay in Siri Paye?
There are no hotels at Siri Paye Meadows. So, if you want to stay at Siri Paye Meadows, you will either have to set up a camp or rent a tent.
But if camping or spending the night in a tent does not interest you, you can find many hotels in Shogran Valley.
