Tour duration
3- 9 july 10, 2009
I have visited almost all the northern areas of Pakistan which includes Chitral, Kafiristan, Gilgit, Hunza, Sust, Skardu, Siachin ( during my army attachment in year 2002) , Naran etc. I was planning for the last couple of years to visit Kashmir but the plan got delayed as last year i availed my leaves to perform Umra and year previous i visited Quetta and Ziarat, on the invitation of my cousin who was posted as brigadier there. This year i planned to go ahead with my Azad kasmir tour. I had heard a lot about the charming beauty of the beautiful valleys of Azad kashmir. After lot of careful planning seven days tour was finalized. I have compiled a brief outline of the tour so that it may guide others who want to visit the valley.
mirpur, kotli, banjosa, rawalakot, bagh, sudden gali, muzaffarad, kutten (in lower neelum), sharda, kel, hamlet, nikron, and tou butt.
First night:
banjosa
Second night
suddhen galley
Third night
muzaffarabad
Fouth night
kutton
Fifth night
kel
Sixth night
kel
Seventh night
were on the way back and reached lahore at around 2 am.
Till muzaffarabad;
Corolla
From muzaffarabad onwards
Pajero 5 door jeep. (rented)
Started the jouney on 3suprd/sup july 10, 2009 from lahore to banjosa. At around 9 p:m. Following route was taken for the intendend journey.
Lahore- sarai almagir- mirpur- new kakratown- islamgarh – chakswari- gari- naar- gulpur- kotli – tatapani- hajira- khaigala- banjosa
The reason to take this route was that this raod passes though the southern disticts of azad kasmir and you get a good sightseeing opportunity. The districts includes bhimber, mirpur , kotli
and poonch .
We had our breakfast of halva puri from Gujranwala cantt. It was friday and majoirty of the markets was closed in Azad kashmir. At Sarai- alamgir there is a big sign board at GT.
road which points towards Mirpur. We mistakenly took this route. But it transpired that it was the old route and no longer in use. People now go to Mirpur through Mangla. The road condition at this old route was quite bad. We had to cross many bridges on different barrages that were in miserable condition and it looked that no money has been spent on it for the 50 years or so. Only one vehicle could pass at a time from these bridges. It is advised that those going to Mirpur
should avoid this route at all cost.
Mirpur is the disrtict head quarter and situated at an elevation of 459 meters. The construction of Mangla dam has converted the old Mirpur town in a big artificial lake .the new mirpur is sutuated at the banks of the lake. The Mangla lake has the perimeter of 100 kms. The lake remained on our left side and it spreads through whole of Mirpur district. It is so big that one gets the feeling of sea as huge waves were also present due to perhaps gushing winds.
Spend the night at
Koyain Tourist Rest House
, maintained by the AJK Government. Koyain is approximately 5 kms from Banjosa lake . The room rent was Rs 850 per night. The room condition was Ok. Koyain has a nice weather and the surrounding area is just like Galliat. The October 2005 earthquake has damaged the Guest house and one can see cracks on its walls.
For booking of the rest house situated at Banjosa and Koyain
Contact person
Mr Tahir
05824-920123 ( Rawalakot)
Rawalakot Inquiry number
05824-920123 ( in case some other numbers are required)
The AJK Government rest house at Banjosa and Koyain are not situated on the lake. Therefore it is advisable that booking of PWD rest house may be sought. This rest house has an ideal location and situated right above the lake. For the booking of this rest house :
Mr Zaheer
05824-920138
We left the rest house in morning and had our breakfast beside the lake. The weather was awesome and it stated raining cats and dogs. Had crispy pakoras from a nearby stall and really enjoyed the beautiful morning.
We left Banjosa around 12 pm
and headed towards Sudden Ghalli situated in Bagh district. Reached Rawalokot
in
half an hour . Took some eatables from the main bazaar rawalakot. The road from Rawalakot to Bagh is under construction and it took us more than 3 hours to reach Bagh. From Bagh to Suddhen Gali
it took us more than two hours. The road is damaged at various points and high road clearance vehicle is recommended.
Suddhen Galli rest house is situated at the top of the hill . The earth quake has badly damaged the rest house and one portion of the rest house has fallen down.
FOR BOOKING AR SUDDHEN GALLI REST HOUSE
Mr . Khalid Mehmood
0300-9809042
05823-920067( Bagh Tourist Information Center)
Bagh Inquiry
05823-920005
We headed towards Muzaffarabad .
The route was Chikar- Hattian-Garhi Dupatta-Muzaffarabad. The road condition was terrible as road is being re-constructed. Travel time is approximately 5 hours. Near Chikar one can see the newly formed Zilzaal Lake formed due to the October 2005 earthquake. Three villages have been buried beneath the waters of the lake.
We stayed at Oraish Guest house in upper chatter. Room rent was Rs 3000/- for the double bed. The rest house is perfectly maintained and is neat and clean. The room condition was excellent. In evening we visited the main bazaar of Muzaffarabad and Muzaffarabad fort. The fort was closed due to renovations.
DAY 4
We hired Pajero five door jeep for four days to visit neelum valley. We left Muzaffarabad art around 12 pm and headed towards Kutton in Lower neelum valley. The road from Muzaffarabad to Athmuqam is under construction and in worst condition. The traffic was stopped at various points due to road construction. We reached Kutton in around 6 hours and stayed at Hydro-electric board‘s complex. There are around 30 beautifully maintained huts . Each hut consist of two rooms ( Bed room & dining room) , kitchen and bathroom. Kutton is a very beautiful place and is highly recommended. Jagran Nallah passes through this Valley. The place is surrounded by lush green mountains . The area is highly forested and full of conifer trees.
One can visit Jagran
dam . It takes around one and half to reach that place. It is recommended that one should stay for two days at this enchanting place.
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