Eden of the East- Kaghan Valley in the Himalayas

Feb 22, 2012
Arshad Munir

Saiful Muluk during June - Almazi

Of the many popular summer tourist resorts in the lower Himalayan region of south Asia, Kaghan Valley stands out for its unique features and attractions.

Kaghan Valley, with a length of about 160 km, is an epitome of scenic beauty, serenity and potential for a variety of activities for tourists. Apart from the Kunhar River, which is the main river flowing through the valley, it abounds in snow-capped mountains, sprawling glaciers, cool blue lakes, lush green meadows, pine forests and other natural features. No wonder thousands of tourists visit this valley every year in the summer and enjoy the cool weather as well as the gifts of nature and the outdoor activities.

Access

Kaghan Valley lies to the north of Islamabad in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK ) province( formerly known as NWFP ) of Pakistan. It is approachable from Islamabad via the Karakoram Highway (KKH) through a metalled road off-taking from Mansehra, some distance after KKH passes through Abbottabad. The first town of the Kaghan Valley is Balakot, which falls right on this road. It is followed by the small towns of Kawai, Kaghan and Naran along the road. Naran is the main destination of the majority of the tourists, both local and foreign, and can be reached from Islamabad in about 7.5 hours.

However, the road continues through the Kaghan Valley beyond Naran, and after passing through the town of Batakundi and traversing some more distance, it crosses the Babusar Pass and rejoins the KKH at Chilas.

Journey through the Valley

The journey through the Kaghan Valley is both a great treat and adventure as the winding road in the mountains passes through the valley along the Kunhar River. One comes across the beauty of the river, forests, green crop fields and pastures, The road is rather narrow and cuts through the steep mountain sides causing frequent local landslides, which are promptly repaired. Sometimes the steel truss bridges on the local streams get washed away due to flash floods, which are then repaired or replaced leading to temporary suspension of traffic on the road.

Maximum damage to the road and its structures occurred near Balakot during the earthquake of October 2005, when the town itself was severely damaged and thousands lost their lives. However, the earthquake damages to the infrastructure have been repaired and it is the now the seasonal damages to the road due to the landslides or floods in summer, which block the road occasionally and cause suspension of traffic. There being no air link to the valley from anywhere in the country, this road is practically the only means of transportation to and from the resort.

Facilities and Attractions

The main tourist season for visiting the valley is from May to September when the temperatures here range between a max. of 11deg.C(52 F) and a min. of 03 deg. C(37 F). The valley has Alpine geography and climate.

The small towns that one comes across on the road through the valley have the basic needs of the tourists like food and general stores, fruit shops and small local restaurants.

Some tourist sites en route to Naran on or off the main road in the valley are Shogran, Sri Paya, Lalazar, Sharan etc.

Near Kaghan, and then onwards to Naran and other places of the valley, one encounters glaciers lying on the road, which the vehicles have to cross carefully. There are some hotels at Kaghan but since the main tourist center is Naran (height 2400m / 7874ft ), most of the hotels and motels are located here. In addition, there is a local market or bazaar with small restaurants and various kinds of other shops including local handicrafts.

From Naran, one can make a short trip through a 10 km long jeep able track to the famous Saiful Muluk Lake situated at a height of 3224m (10,578ft ). This large awe inspiring lake is surrounded by tall snow covered mountains. In addition to enjoying the scenic beauty, one can also go trout fishing and boating in the lake, and horse riding around the lake area.

The activities in and around Naran, apart from fishing in Kunhar River and excursion trips include, jeep safari, camping, hiking, trekking, river rafting, etc.

Another famous lake, called Lulusar Lake with a height of 3330m (10,910ft. ), also lies within a few hours distance from Naran and can be visited through a full day trip by going beyond Batakundi towards Babusar Pass on the road to Chilas. The lake is located on a jeep able track off-taking from the metalled road.

Babusar Pass with a height of 13,690 (4170 ft) is the the highest point of the valley, while Malika

Parbat near Saiful Muluk Lake with a height of 5190 m (17,030 ft) is the highest mountain peak in the area.

There are several other lakes, streams, waterfalls, glaciers, mountains peaks, and spots of scenic beauty in the valley for the enthusiastic and adventurous visitors.

Yet another peculiar tourist attraction of the valley is the local nomad herder families, who live in tents and move around with their goats, sheep and pack animals. They move to higher altitudes in summer and come down to lower altitudes in winter.

Conclusion

When all is said and done, Kaghan Valley in the lower Himalayas, is a unique and worth-seeing site for nature lovers. The likes of it would rarely be found elsewhere in the world.