Fairy Meadows
is approachable by a fifteen kilometer-long jeepable trek starting from Raikhot
bridge on Karakoram Highway to the village Tato. Further from Tato,
it takes about three to four hours hiking by a five kilometer trek to Fairy
Meadows. The grassland is located in the Raikhot valley, at one end of the
Raikhot glacier which originates from the Nanga Parbat and feeds a stream that
finally falls in the River Indus.
The six-month
tourist season at Fairy Meadows starts in April and continues until the end of
September. Tourists lodge at the camping site spread over 800 hectares (2,000 acres),
known as Raikot Serai. The site
of Fairy Meadows, though partially developed, generates about PKR 17
million revenue from tourism, mainly by providing food, transportation and
accommodation services. The road to Fairy Meadows was built by Brigadier
M. Aslam Khan, First Commander Gilgit Scouts, which today employs the locals.
The local community stopped the extraction of timber to conserve the forest and
promote tourism in the area. The main attraction of this place other than the
meadows itself is the view of Nanga Parbat Mountain. Tourists usually hike to
the base camp of the mountain from Fairy Meadows.
