Assalam u Alaikum All Pakwheel Members,
Time to hit the road again this year. As you all knew that there are already so many threads on Pakwheels about SWAT. But my effort to post this thread is to provide the latest information and to share my experience that might be useful for future visitors. We had a family trip from Lahore to all the way up to Mahodand Lake from 22nd to 26th of August 2015.
SWAT (Bird Eye View)
Swat (Pashto: سوات pronounced ˈswaːt̪) is a river valley and an administrative district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. It is the upper valley of the Swat River, which rises in the Hindu Kush range. The capital of Swat is Saidu Sharif, but the main town in the Swat valley is Mingora. It was a princely state (see The Yusafzai State of Swat) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa until it was dissolved in 1969 along with many other princely states like Dir state and Chitral state. The valley is populated mostly by ethnic Pashtuns and Gujjar and Kohistani communities. The languages spoken in the valley are Pashto , Gojri, Torwali and Kohistani with high mountains, green meadows, and clear lakes, it is a place of great natural beauty and is popular with tourists. Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to the The Yusafzai State of Swat called it "the Switzerland of the east. Swat is surrounded by Chitral, Upper Dir and Lower Dir in the West, Gilgit-Baltistan in North And Kohistan, Buner and Shangla in the East and south East.
Our Rides/Members:
Suzuki Cultus 2003
Myself, Wife 3 Kids (Aged 4-10 yrs) & Younger Bro Arsalan
Suzuki Mehran 2007
Elder Bro Dr. Faheem, Wife & 3 Kids (Aged 6-15 yrs)
Toyota Surf
Ponies
Total Distance covered on Personal Vehicles:
1400 KMs Approx.
Petrol Consumed:
115 liters Approx. with AC and half the tank left at rest.
Itinerary:
Day1 (Saturday)
Left Lahore at about 04:00 PM. Our route was via Motorway (M2) & (M1) to Mardan Interchange exit. Then to Takhtbai, Dargi & Mingora. Reached Fiza Ghat at about 02:00 AM. Night stayed.
Day2 (Sunday)
Left for Malam Jabba from Fiza Ghat at 10:00 AM reached there at about 04:00 PM. Big disappointed to see the PTDC hotel to turn into rebel, but then second thought came that it was necessary for the sake of our Nation so vanity. Enjoy the lovely lunch and tea in a fairy tale weather. Started descend at about 07:00 PM at reached Fiza Ghat by 10:00 PM.
Day3 (Monday)
Left for Kalam at 10:00 AM from Fiza Ghat. Enjoyed the beauty and majestic scenery of Miandam, Madyan, Kot, Charbagh, Khwazakhela, Tekdarai, Shin, Bahrain and so on. Had lunch in Bahrain and finally reached Kalam at 09:00 PM.
Day4 (Tuesday)
Hired Toyota Surf for Lake Mohudand and left at 09:00 AM. Covering Matitan, Ushu Pine forest, Ushu, Gabral, Mighty 22 Water Fall, Chasma-e-Shifa, View of Breath taking Falk Sher and Might Huge water fall at lake, Had lunch with a rejoicing trout feast along with pakoras while kids having fun ridding ponies and finally had a round boat trip. Weather was awesome with chilling breeze. Finally we decided to to leave back for kalam as its getting freezing chilly and dark, had a cup of tea on the way back from some daba in a village and reached back at kalam hotel at 09:00 PM.
Day5 (Wednesday)
Left Kalam at about 07:00 AM and the idea was to complete the journey back home in on go with little stop overs. So we tied by the laces and sat behind the wheels for an exhausting yet thrilling ride. Finally by the Grace of Almighty Allah we reached Lahore safe and sound at 9:00 PM.
Distances, Road Conditions & Key Factors:
Lahore to Mardan:
480 KMs
Approximate Travel Time 7 hours.
Excellent Road M2 & M1
Mardan to Mingora:
110 KMs
Approximate Travel Time 3 hours 30 mins.
Over All Good Road except the last 30 Kms ride which were bit bumpy.
Mingora to Malam Jabba:
48 KMs
Approximate Travel Time 3 hours 50 mins.
Good Road condition.
Mingora to Kalam:
90 KMs
Approximate Travel Time 5 hours 30 mins.
Good Road will only leads you till Bahrain after that no road only hip hops
Kalam to Mahodand Lake:
42 KMs
Approximate Travel Time 4 hours 30 mins.
Hardcore 4 x 4 Jeep Track even last hitch near lake was even tough for jeeps too.
Key Factors:
Keep your CNIC along with you all the time especially during driving. Due to the the security concern and various military check posts after Mardan.
Keep our environment clean.
Go Green
Note: Soon will going to share some of the Glimpses captured mainly by myself with my buddy Nikon D3200.