“Good news. Travel with us from Rawalpindi to Gilgit via Kaghan Valley and vice versa on our luxury Toyota Corolla 2D cars. Enjoy the breathtaking sceneries on your way and make your stops wherever you want. Our well-mannered drivers will make sure it is the best journey of your life.”

This is a familiar message on banners posted near Committee Chowk in Rawalpindi. It comes as good news for those who plan to travel north to Kaghan and farther to Gilgit. The drive promises to be comfortable and reliable.

Those who have availed this “best journey of your life” have already written off the tricky air travel to Gilgit, where flight schedule remains disturbed throughout the year due to inclement weather.

The journey by these luxury Toyota Corollas takes around 12 hours, which is bearable, keeping in view that flights may not take off for weeks.

Buses ply this route too but they do not make frequent stops and take much longer to complete the journey.

These new, exclusive car service providers pick passengers from their home. “The charges are quite reasonable,” says Manzar Shigri, a resident of Gilgit, who regularly travels down-country to attend different events and meetings.

He paid Rs5,500 for a front seat on the Gilgit-Islamabad journey. The charge for a back seat is Rs5,000 per person.

“Apart from having more leg space, the person sitting in the front seat can view the spectacular scenery in a much better way than those sitting in the rear seat. So, the differential is more than justified,” says Shigri.

Sometimes drivers agree to take passengers for Rs 4,000 or Rs4,500 in case the model of the car is old or they do not switch the air-conditioner on.

The road mostly used in summers is the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad-Chilas (MNJC) road, which meets Karakoram Highway (KKH) at Chilas. This route built by the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) is shorter by 120 kms compared to the KKH route.

“Taking this route saves four to five hours of a passenger’s travel time,” says Husain Qazi, FWO spokesman while talking to TNS, adding that this is a more scenic road compared to the KKH, which mostly is rocky and barren.

KKH is busier in winters when Babusar Pass is closed due to heavy snow.

After crossing the Babusar, the MNJC road leads to the world’s largest glaciers, including Minapin Glacier, Passu Glacier, Ghulkin Glacier and Khunjerab Glacier. The 166-km long River Kunhar runs along the road.

Also read: ‘Book now’ or call an agent

Ikramullah, an owner of a Toyota Corolla 2D car, which he drives himself on this route, says the number of passengers using this service is increasing by the day. And one major reason for this, he says, is that most of the service providers strictly observe their timings and leave exactly on time. “This is important, as we have to cross some areas in the daylight. We plan accordingly and do not wait even if one seat remains empty.”

He is quite hopeful the number of people using this service will increase considerably next year. “A lot of people, who were stuck in Murree last eid, contacted us. They are seeking information regarding trips next year to new destinations along this route.”

Athar Hasan Awan, an official in Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) media wing, says weather is used as an excuse to cancel flights on this subsidised route. “These are the extremely strong winds along Islamabad-Gilgit and Islamabad-Skardu air route that make flying difficult. These flights are operated early in the morning for the reason that winds are not so strong then and start blowing when temperatures get high later in the day."

The fact of the matter is, flights to Gilgit are troublesome since they are often cancelled and rarely leave on time. In such a scenario the Toyota Corolla 2D car service provides a welcome alternative – for the unaccustomed tourist and veteran traveller.