Saturday, January 22, 2011

KAGHAN : THE VALLEY OF LAKES


INTRODUCTION:
BEAUTIFUL VALLEY OF KAGHAN

One of the places I have never been to but so much want to visit is the Kaghan Valley ..why ? because I want to see the Saiful Muluk lake in full moon, they say that the rays of the full moon give the feeling as if fairies are descending on the lake from the sky…now that would be a sight worth seeing..
p.s I always thought that Naran and Kaghan were names of a single place:P because who so ever went to visit anyone of the places also visited the other and when asked they would say “we went to Naran Kaghan” not entirely my fault is it:P

FACTS ABOUT KAGHAN VALLEY:

Going upwards from Abbottabad and north east of Mansehra District you will reach Kaghan Valley.
Most of the valleys are named after the rivers which flow or the people who discovered them but this valley is named after the town Kaghan, instead of the river that flows throughout the valley the Kunhar river.
Babusar pass is the highest point in the valley and is at the height of 13,690 ft, whereas the valley has a premises of 155 km.
The languages locally spoken are Gojri and Hindko and no worries if you don’t know them both because Urdu(the national language) is also commonly understood.
The people of the valley are basically the herders and you will find them every where along the road side, in pastures, moving their herds according to season.

HOW TO REACH KAGHAN:

If you choose to visit Kaghan between the months of May to September, you have made the right choice. Summers are the best season to visit the valley.
Kaghan can be reached via road from Abbottabad, Mansehra and Balakot. You will be travelling on the road beyond Naran valley which will open onto the Babusar Pass. Also consider the monsoon season while planning to visit because the roads are blocked and movement is restricted during that time due to the heavy rainfall.
Again buses and taxis will take you there but going by your own vehicle is much preferred.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN KAGHAN:

Glaciers, dales, mountains, lakes, streams, waterfalls, forests, villages…you name it. Everything beautiful is there and what makes it more attractive is that it is still not polluted by humans..i suggest one should plan a visit before it does.
Among the various places some which friends and family highly recommend of visiting include:

SHOGRAN VILLAGE:
SHOGRAN


A village surrounded by mountain peaks covered in forests and the river Kunhar flowing through it…seems like a wonderland. The famous Siri paye lake is found there.

LAKES:

Dudipatsar Lake, Saiful Muluk Lake and Lulusar lake are most famous among the dozens found the valley.

THE DUDIPATSAR LAKE:is hard to reach and involves a hiking of tough 7
hours but the effort is worth the green pastures and blue green water of the lake that welcome you.
DUDIPATSAR LAKE


THE LULUSAR LAKE offers the most breath taking view with its snow capped mountains, its L shaped lake in which the blue green water stands still reflecting those mountains and imagine flowers everywhere in all most every possible color …..simply wow..
LULUSAR LAKE


THE SAIFUL MULUK LAKE:
SAIFUL MULUK LAKE


Now that’s where Naran comes in..a 3 hour drive from Shogran village will take you to Naran from where you can go to visit the famous Lake Saiful Muluk.
Its your own choise wether you want to walk to the lake or hire a jeep.
The lake is famous for a folktale “Qissa Saiful Muluk”, a folktale about a Persian price and a fairy and the lake being their meeting spot.
The lake is an oval in of one mile diameter 10,587ft above sea level and has the clearest water with a greenish tone.

CAMPING: while you are there in Naran visiting the lakes you can also go and do camping on the Babusar Top.

FISHING: the chief sport of the valley, you can enjoy fishing in the river or can just visit the fishing farms as there are many local fish farms there offer the best quality of fish. Trout and Mahasher are the yummy types which are famous and are stocked in silvery waters.

WHERE TO STAY:
PTDC NARAN


Apart from the local rest houses and hotels available, there is a PTDC (Pakistan tourism) motel complex at naran and Balakot so suit yourselfJ

SHOPPING :D

My favourite part..now in Kaghan one of the handicrafts you should buy are the artistically carved Walnuts,I have seen some of them..my friend brought them and they were awesome…and another famous thing are the Namdas, the woolen felt rugs while woolen shawls, embroidered shawls and shirts are also avalibale.
These places have cottage industries running and you can find yourself having excellent bargains.

MY RECOMMENDATIONS:

DUDIPATSAR LAKE


It is a must must must place to visit and my friends and family have highly recommended it and I will make sure that I do visit it asap:) and so should you.

23 comments:

  1. Very very very beautiful. Cannot visa for Pak but now I can see it here.
    Awesome blog

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  2. Great Asma!!

    Very well written and very informative. Though i have visited Kaghan but still I haven't seen all those Places. Thanks for enlightening me :-D

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  3. :) lucky you talha..i soo want to go there..

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  4. thankyou A..m glad you like it and i will keep showing you more of pakiz beauty:)

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  5. I am always on the quest for patriotic blogs like these which portray the real Pakistan.

    This post is a wonderful and detailed article about Pakistan and here's my BiG thumps up to u.

    And you definitely have a new follower.



    http://www.youngpakistan1.blogspot.com/

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  6. thankyou hamza:) thumbsup accepted:D

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  7. Lovely to see so many beautiful places through your blog. I have seen a lake in Sikkim where it never ripples,the lake is such a tranquil spot that there was not a sound and one could almost hear one’s heartbeat. Khesheopalari, surrounded by a dense rhododendron forest, is a sacred place for the Sikkimese people and it is believed that this lake possesses the power of wish-fulfillment. As legend goes, there is never a ripple on the lake and even if a stray leaf of a tree falls, birds don’t let them fall on the lake. As a matter of fact, I didn’t see any ripple on the lake. It is as if the people who came to see it also respected and there was absolutely no litter anywhere around it. It has to be seen to be believed. I was really amazed to see such a lake.
    Our earth is filled with so many wonderful things, all created by the almighty, everyday I thank this almighty for the wonderful gifts bestowed upon us.
    Thank you for sharing such wonders with us.

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  8. wooww rama i wan see this lake tooo....and yup beauty is there in everything ..depends if you are willing and your mind is open enough to see it :)

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  9. Very nice blog and great insight of places we never been to :)

    Keep up the good work.

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  10. very impressive, great blog and nicely ilustrated

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  11. Incredible. anything and anyone who is introducing to the beuty of Pakistan is commendable. I am adding a link to this in my travel blog JahoJalal (http://jahojalal.blogspot.com/)so that my audiance also gets to see the beauty of Pakistan.

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  12. @ umair ...next tym you visit paki lets make planz and visit kaghan:D

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  13. Incredible beauty. Your post shows your love of Pakistan and you have provided such helpful information. You have me convinced that I should visit the Valley of the Lakes ASAP. Now I have to convince my husband - I am sure when he reads your post he'll be convinced too.

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  14. @hooked...those are my planz too:D m gona convince me hubby tooo asap:D

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  15. @Mr.jalal ...thankyou:D so sweet of you.

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  16. very nice information .. thanks for the sharing..
    velly of lakes is really very beautiful..
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  17. Did you click the photos? The pictures are amazing, and it is always good to know about beautiful places. You have described it beautifully.

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  18. @ali and manpreet . m glad you liked it.i sure will:)
    @ rachna ...unfortunately noo..i havent been there yet:(

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  19. nice article , Thanks for sharing , checkout my work on lakes in Pakistan .

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