Potential of Tourism in Kumrat Valley

Dir Upper is a district in the Malakand Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. At the time of independence, Dir was a princely state ruled by Nawab Shah Jehan Khan. In 1969, it was merged with Pakistan and later on declared as a district in 1970. The most important which attracts everyone is the natural beauty of Dir Upper is “Kumrat Valley”.

Kumrat valley is located in the foothills of Hindu Kush mountains range about 8,100 feet above sea level. In 2016, after the visit of Prime Minister Imran to Kumrat valley, this valley got the attention of thousands of tourists.

Kumrat valley offers a variety of attractions to visitors such as mountaineering, trekking and rock climbing. The weather of Kumrat valley is alpine climatic in nature and mild cools summers are common throughout the area. Kumrat valley has more moderate climate but weather conditions are unpredictable in monsoon season and in winter due to which movement is restricted to Kumrat valley.

Kumrat valley is covered with grasslands, snow-covered mountains, the river Panjkora, vague mounds, and forests are attractions of Kumrat valley which serve as habitats for a variety of flora and fauna. Kumrat valley has various types of fruits tree such as walnuts (Juglans Regia), Amluke (Diosphyeslotus), Mulberries, Chalghoza, Cherry (Prunus Padus).

The most visited spots in Kumrat valley is Kumrat waterfall, Kala Chashma, Dojanga, and Jahaz Banda. Jahaz Banda is a large meadow in the upper reaches of Lamoti village (Jandrai village) Kumrat valley. It is located at an altitude of 3,100 m above sea level.

The river Panjkora originates in the Hindu Kush mountains flows through Kumrat valleys adds a lot of beauty to this valley. The beautiful forests are quickly disappearing due to use in cooking and warmth by local peoples. There is a door built on the road which is known as “Door to Kumrat”. There are various hotels on the roadside which give basic facilities to tourists.                  

Kumrat valley is full of natural beauty but there is a need for infrastructure. The natural beauty of Kumrat Valley invites everyone to visit this beautiful place once in their life. The government should implement a comprehensive tourism policy for improving road infrastructure; introduce incentives for investors to make investment tourism industry such as building hotels, restaurants, huts, etc. The banking sector is a good source for making an investment in the tourism industry. A proper advertisement is needed to attract not only local tourists but also foreigners.