Musa Ka Musala is a mountain at the junction of Siran and Kagan Valleys in northern Pakistan. The summit stands at 4080 meters. The name translates to “Moses’ Mat” which has different stories associated with it. Some believe it to be named after a local shepherd with the name of Musa who used to pray at the peak. Local guide told me that the shepherd ultimately died while he was on the peak, and was ultimately buried there for good. At the top, there is a Shrine made up of different stones and marked with color full flags (supposedly the grave of the shepherd "Musa" ).
Musa Ka Musala is a great trek, that takes you through a variety of terrains. It is not monotonous. The trek starts off dry, eventually hitting the water, bushes, and thicker forest. You will walk through meadows, camp in a meadow and eventually end up in snow on the summit day. Musa ka Musala peak can be attempted using many routes. We used the conventional Munda Gucha Route as it is more established and its easier to arrange logistics on this route.
We first need to reach Shinkiyari ( a town up in the north of Manshera), and from there further head to Munda Gucha.
Munda Gucha village is where our journey actually begins. We can hire a guide + donkey here who will guide us up to the mountain and also carry logistics like food, tents etc. We can take a van from Manshera or Shinkiyari all the way to Munda Gucha.
The trek details:
(The trekking time might vary. The following is the time I took to complete this trek on an above average pace. Faster trekkers might takes less time and slower individuals might take longer.)
DAY 1:
➖Manda Gucha → Jachha
( 3.2 Kilometers ) ( 34 Minutes Jeep ) Manda Gucha (Elevation 1614 meters) is a small village. The melted road ends here in the market. There are small restaurants and tea houses. You can have a decent breakfast here before starting your trek.
From Manda Gucha, you can either hire a 4x4 Jeep which will take you to Jachha, or otherwise walk the jeep path. A walk on this jeep trek takes around 1 hour. Jeep ride will take approx. 30 minutes.
➖Jachha → Dhor Camp Site
( A.K.A Dhor Bridge ) ( 4.8 Kilometers) ( 1 Hour 43 Minutes on foot ) Once you reach Jachha, either by walking or in a jeep, this is where you actually get on your feet and get ready for moving uphill. Jachha is at 1823 meters elevation. There is nothing interesting here. You just need to cross a small water stream and start the trek.
➖Dhor → Jabbad Meadow
( 4.5 Kilometers) ( 4 Hours on foot ) Dhor is a bigger village, and just after the village that you will be able to see on your left along the river, you will reach the Dhor camp site, which is a little flat land, and a bridge that you can't miss. Its a good place to rest for a while. Dhor Bridge is at 1989 meters elevation. Jabbad is a small and nice meadow. Definitely a place to take a break and some photos. Elevation is 2683 meters.
➖Jabbad Meadow → Khodi Meadow
( 2.1 Kilometers) ( 1 Hour on foot ) Jabbad to Khodi is a nice scenic trek of 2.1 kilometers. You get a mesmerizing view of Khanda Peak ( also known as Khanda K2 ) on your left almost all the time. Your pass through small meadows and grass fields and finally reach the beautiful Khodi village / Khodi Meadow at 2935 meters above sea level. This is where you will end your Day 1 and camp for the night. This is also the place where your donkey will be parked and unloaded.
DAY 2:
➖Khodi Meadow → Gali
( 1.3 Kilometers ) ( 45 Minutes on foot ) Early next morning, you will leave your camp after a breakfast, and head towards Gali. It is a steep 17% grade slope. It will be covered with ice during winters till late April. For us, the weather was clear and it took us 38 minutes to reach Gali. In colder weather it might take twice or thrice the time. Gali is the saddle of the mountain and the summit push starts from here. Gali is at 3175 meters above sea level. From here onwards you will be able to see the Thandi Gali Ridge on your right all the time, upto the summit.
➖Gali → Pehli Ziyarat
( "The first shrine") ( 3.8 Kilometers ) ( 4 Hours on foot ) From Gali the steep starts, so does the snow even in the summers. Remember there are two "Ziyarats" ( Shrines ). Both are stacked up stones, and look similar. The one of the summit is called the Ziyarat itself, and the one 600 meters before the summit is called the "Pehli Ziyarat". From Gali, while moving up, you will obviously first bump into the Pehli Ziyarat, which is a good place to take a longer rest and photos. It took us 3 hrs 38 minutes to reach it. The elevation of Pehli Ziyarat is 3935 meters.
➖Pehli Ziyarat → Summit
( 0.61 Kilometers ) ( 45 Minutes on foot ) From Pehli Ziyarat starts the final push to the summit against a steep 22% grade slope, mostly snow covered. In winters its completely snow packed. Reaching the summit opens up an awe striking view of the neigh boring snow covered mountains. You can see the Makda Peak in the distance.
