A glimpse of Swat valley, Pakistan
On my latest trip to Pakistan, I had decided that I would not waste a single day sitting at home or tread Pakistani shops buying beautiful local products.
I told my family that there would be no more going to the posh food restaurants, and neither would be fancy department visits. I wanted to immerse myself in the actual cultural colors this time around.
Without much fuss, everyone agreed to visit the Swat valley. Firstly because it is only 3 hours from Islamabad( the capital city), and secondly, my niece is married into a Swati family and owns a house in one of the little towns in Swat.
Swat valley is also known as the Switzerland of Pakistan; the valley is a favorite tourist resort for locals and foreigners alike. This area gets a lot of snowfall in winters, but the best months to visit the valley are between March and August.
Pushto and Kohistani are spoken all over the area, along with Urdu and some English. The locals are extremely friendly and helpful, always respectful towards others.
Swat valley has one of the oldest civilizations' histories and one of the most beautiful picturesque views. Located between the foothills of the Hindukush mountain range, Swat valley is part of Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province (KPK). Swat valley’s location has significant strategic importance as it lies in the region where South Asia, Central Asia, and China meet.
And the Journey Begins.
The convoy of 4 jeeps started towards the hills on the bright morning of April 22nd. About 20 people in our group, all from different age groups with different tastes and choices, started on the road to Swat valley.
I chose to sit with my sister's family, avoiding families with little kids to save myself from screaming matches. It was a 270 kilometers journey from Islamabad to Charbagh in Swat valley, where we had to stay for the rest of our trip.
I was pleasantly surprised at how smooth the road(motorway)was for most of the journey because the road I remembered from 35 years back was a bone-breaking 9 hours roller coaster ride.
Charbagh
Charbagh is an administrative subdivision (tehsil) of Swat District in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The population of Charbagh is 39,605 and is home to the best schools, colleges, and universities in that area.
This town holds a central location in the Sawat district, connecting the famous resorts like Kalaam, Malam Jabba, Ushu, and Bluewater to the leading community known as Saidu Shareef.
Kalam Valley
Since we wanted to visit a place with a water body, Kalaam was decided upon as the first destination.
Kalam Valley is located in upper Swat at a distance of 96km (59 miles) from Mingora and 326 km (202 miles) from Islamabad in Pakistan. The Kalam valley town and hill station are situated at about 2,000m (6,600 ft), yet its other tourist attractions rise to approximately 6,096m (20,000 ft)
You can reach Kalam by road is to taking the N95 route (also known as Kalam Road) from Mingora in Swat. This route along the bank of Swat River will take you to Kalam, passing through Manglor, Charbagh, Khwazakhela, Madyan, Bahrain, to your final destination Kalam Valley.
Since we commenced our journey from Charbagh, it took us around two hours to reach Kalam. The road is smooth until Madyan, but get ready for a bumpy ride.
The journey is like a trip to heaven, with snow-capped mountains, milk froth white gushing river, and lush green valleys.
All way long, we were awestruck because of the tremendous beauty of Kalam valley. This tourist resort has restaurants, hotels, and shops selling traditional handicrafts, making the old bazaar a busy shopping hub.
Want to enjoy the mouth-watering delicacies? Try the yummiest chapli kebabs, chicken tikkas, or charsi tikkas with fluffy naans, which is what we did.
The restaurant where we had our food was located right next to swat river. Never would I forget the lovely location and delicious meal catered by the eatery!
