Nanga Pir and Ganga Choti

from Sudhan Gali, Bagh (Azad Kashmir)Sep 27 – 28, 2025Azad KashmirHiked in autumn

Field notes

Location: Ganga Choti is a peak in Bagh District, Azad Kashmir, part of the Pir Panjal Range, between the union councils of Birpani and Sudhan Gali (coordinates 34°04′30″N 73°47′20″E). Nanga Pir is listed as one of nine peaks around the Kotla Valley in Bagh District.¹³
Start: Sudhan Gali, on the Bagh to Muzaffarabad road, is the usual base for Ganga Choti; a road now runs part of the way up towards the base camp.¹⁵⁸
Finish: Ganga Choti summit and Nanga Pir top. How the two were combined on the club's trip is not documented online.¹³
Distance: Ganga Choti: Wikipedia describes an eight-kilometre uphill hike from Sudhan Gali to the summit; a local blog says Sudhan Gali to the Ganga Choti base camp is about 10 km, including 3 km of hiking trail. No published distance was found for the Nanga Pir hike.¹⁸
Highest point: Ganga Choti summit 3,045 m (9,990 ft) per Wikipedia; Hikers Junction gives 3,044 m; one blog gives a much higher 3,650 m, which conflicts with the other sources. Nanga Pir peak: 2,611 m (8,576 ft) per the Wikipedia Kotla page.¹³⁷⁸
Elevation gain: Not yet recorded
Duration: Ganga Choti: sources differ widely: 3 to 4 hours (Wikipedia, Kotla page); 2 to 4 hours to the summit (Traveler Trails); 45 to 60 minutes one way after driving up to the base camp (Hikers Junction). No published time was found for Nanga Pir.³⁶⁷
Difficulty: Ganga Choti is rated easy to moderate: Hikers Junction says 'Easy', Traveler Trails says 'Moderate', and a local blog calls it one of the easier treks in Azad Kashmir.⁶⁷⁸
Best season: Traveler Trails recommends April to June; a local blog suggests May-August for greenery and October-February for snow; Hikers Junction says all year round with snow hiking in winter. Sudhan Gali gets heavy winter snow (about 12 ft a year per Wikipedia).²⁶⁷⁸

Region: Pir Panjal Range (Lower Himalayas), Bagh District, Azad Jammu & Kashmir. Map: Ganga Choti.

Overview

Ganga Choti is a 3,045 m peak in the Pir Panjal Range of Bagh District, Azad Kashmir, often called the 'Crown of Bagh'. Its top gives wide views over the surrounding valleys.¹³

Nanga Pir is one of the peaks ringing the Kotla Valley near Sudhan Gali (about 2,611 m), and has hosted a local 'Nanga Pir festival'.³¹¹

A little history

Local accounts say Ganga Choti's name comes from Hindu residents who lived in the area before 1947; before partition the peak marked the boundary between Kashmir and Jammu districts.¹

The area around Sudhan Gali and Ganga Choti was badly hit by the 2005 Kashmir earthquake.²

The AJK Winter Sports Association has started winter sports activities at Ganga Choti to support tourism.¹

How to get there

Abbottabad to Muzaffarabad: about 73 km by road (distance calculator site).¹³

Bagh District is linked to Muzaffarabad by two roads: via Sudhan Gali (80 km) and via Kohala (97 km). A local blog gives Muzaffarabad to Sudhan Gali as about 60 km.⁴⁹

Sudhan Gali lies on the main road between Bagh and Muzaffarabad.²

A local blog says Sudhan Gali to the Ganga Choti base camp is about 10 km, including 3 km on foot.⁸

Highlights

360-degree panoramic view from the Ganga Choti summit³
Snow hiking possible in winter⁷⁸
Option to extend to Pir Kanthi on a longer, hard multi-day route¹⁰

Points along the way

Point	Figure
Ganga Choti summit elevation (point)	3,045 m (9,990 ft)¹⁶
Nanga Pir peak elevation (point)	2,611 m (8,576 ft)³
Sudhan Gali elevation (point)	2,100 m (7,000 ft) per Wikipedia; 2,143 m per AJK Tours; about 2,135 m per a local blog; Traveler Trails gives the trek start as 2,200 m²⁵⁹⁶
Pir Kanthi distance from Ganga Choti	About 10 km (higher peak nearby, per Wikipedia); a tour operator lists the Ganga Choti to Pir Kanthi hike at 22 km with 1,400 m gain³¹⁰
Ganga Choti to Sudhan Gali	Sudhan Gali is about 4 km away (Wikipedia)¹

Before you go

Sudhan Gali has a basic guest house, a tourist rest house and a PWD rest house; book ahead in season.⁵⁶
Horses or mules can be hired for the climb.⁶⁸
Road conditions to Nanga Pir have been reported as poor.¹¹
Carry water and warm layers, check the weather and tell someone your plan.

Still to record Elevation gain, Nanga Pir distance and time, how the club combined the two hikes. We only publish figures we can source.

From the club album