Exploring Swat

Swat is a valley and an administrative district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. Swat valley is famous for its outstanding natural beauty. The capital of Swat is Saidu Sharif, but the main town is Mingora.

It was a princely state until it was dissolved in 1969. Swat valley was a major center of early Buddhist thought as part of the Gandhara kingdom.

There are at least over 100 archaeological sites in the valley. The valley is almost completely populated by ethnic Afghans/Pashtuns. The main language spoken in the valley is Pashto/Pakhto.

With high mountains, green meadows, and clear lakes, it is a place of great natural beauty and known as the Switzerland of Pakistan. The river Swat starts from the Ushu range of mountains and spread in the valley of Swat. The valley of Swat is located in the middle of the foothills of the Hindukush mountain range.

In the West, it is surrounded by Chitral, Upper Dir and Lower Dir, in North with Gilgit-Baltistan, and in the East and Southeast with Kohistan, Buner and Shangla.

The length of the valley from Landakay to Gabriel is 91 miles. The average width is 5 miles, it varies from place to place. The economy of Swat depends on Tourism (38%) and Agriculture (31%).

The population of Swat District is 2,309,570 as per the 2017 census, making it the third-largest district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after Peshawar and Mardan. The location of Swat valley has major strategic importance as it lies in the region where South Asia, Central Asia and China meet.

Swat is famous for peach production mostly grown in the valley bottom plains and accounts for about 80% of the peach production of the country.

The most popular places to visit in Swat valley are Mingora and Saidu Sharif, Marghuzar, Malam Jabba, Swat Museum, Miandam, Madyan, Behrain, Kalam (Usho, Utror), Gabral, Mahodand Lake, Pari (Khapiro) Lake, Bashigram Lake, Spin Khwar (White Stream) Lake and Daral Lake.

In the Mingora and Saidu Sharif, the famous places for tourists to visit are the shrine of the Akhund of Swat, Residence of former Wali of Swat, Swat Museum, Swat Serena Hotel, archaeological remains of the Butkara, Jahanzeb College (1952).

A tourist visiting Swat Valley first reaches Saidu Sharif, the capital city and its twin city Mingora. Saidu Sharif is the capital city of Swat. It is situated near the swat river is between the villages of Kanju and Dherai of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The capital city is the center of the administration control and all the regional government affairs are managed in the government buildings. It is located 2 km from the capital city of Saidu Sharif.

Fizaghat Park is a favourite tourist point where they can enjoy the mouthwatering food along with the pleasant climate. While visiting the Swat Valley it is the very first tourist destination. It is located in the town of Mingora, almost 3.6 km away from the town.

Malam Jabba is a Hill Station in the Karakoram mountain range nearly 40 km from Saidu Sharif in Swat Valley. Malam Jabba is home to the largest ski resort in Pakistan. The Malam Jabba Ski Resort had a ski slope of about 800m with the highest point of the slope 2804 m (9200 feet) above sea level.

The resort was equipped with modern facilities including roller/ice-skating rinks, chair lifts, skiing platforms, telephones and snow clearing equipment.

Swat Museum is on the east side of the street, halfway between Mingora and Saidu. Japanese aid has given a facelift to its seven galleries which now contain an excellent collection of Gandhara sculptures taken from some of the Buddhist sites in Swat, rearranged and labelled to illustrate the Buddha’s life story.

Terracotta figurines and utensils, beads, precious stones, coins, weapons and various metal objects illustrate daily life in Gandhara.

Marghuzar, a small village of Swat. Marghuzar owns a strong historical significance because of White Marble Palace, a residence of the Royal family of Swat. In the early 1940s, Wali-e-Swat Jahanzeb built this palace. For some time, the residence was the summer resort of Wali-e-Swat later the palace serves as a hotel till today.

Miandam is a small summer resort 10 km up a steep side valley and 56 km from Saidu Sharif, making it an hour’s drive. Miandam is a good place for walkers.

Shingardar a town of Swat holds its significance because of different Buddhist Stupas and monuments in town. One of the most important is the Ghalegay Stupa, the immense Stupa is located alongside the Swat River. Moreover, almost 3 km away from Barrikot village and 14 km away from Mingora.

Madyan a small town at 1320 m and about 60 km from Mingora. At 1,321 m (4,335 feet) above sea level, but it is a larger town and has many hotels in all price ranges and some good tourist shopping. The famous places in Madyan are the wooden mosque and Madyan Guest House.

Behrain, Swat valley a quarter of an hour past Madyan, the road squeezes through Behrain.  Behrain is 10 km north of Madyan and only slightly higher, at about 1,400 m (4,500 feet). It is another popular riverside tourist resort, with bazaars worth exploring for their handicrafts.

Kalam, Swat valley is 2070m above sea level and 100 km from Mingora, it was the centre of an independent state in the 19th century. Kalam, 29 km from Bahrain and about 2,000 m above sea level.

In Kalam, the Ushu and Utrot rivers join to form the Swat River. Here, the metalled road ends and shingle road leads to the Ushu and Utrot valleys. From Matiltan one gets a breath-taking view of the snow-capped Mount Falaksir 5918 m (19,415 ft).

Usho, Swat valley 3 km from Kalam Valley and 117 km from Saidu Sharif. Utror, Swat valley 16 km from Kalam Valley and 120 km from Saidu Sharif. In the east, Utror valley is surrounded by Gabral and Bhan valleys, Upper Dir district on the west, Kalam valley on the south and Gabral valley on the north. The best time to visit Kalam valley is from April to September and winters can be harsh here.

Gabral, Swat Valley is 5 km distance from Utror proper and 20 km from Kalam. Gabral, is surrounded by Chitral District in the north, Utror valley in the south and south-west, upper Dir district in the west and Bhan and Mahodand valleys in the east. The altitude of the valley ranges from 2580 m at Baila to 5160 m at Karkaray Lake top.

In Utror and Gabral, 44 medicinal plants are collected during May to August. Only 14 of them are traded to National and International markets while the rest are used locally. A survey by Pakistan Forest Institute concludes that 75 crude herbal drugs are extensively exported and more than 200 are locally traded in Pakistan.

Mahodand Lake (Lake of Fishes) is a lake about 40 km from Kalam, in the Usho Valley of Swat District. It is accessible with a four-wheel-drive vehicle and is a good resort for fishing, boating and camping.

The lake is surrounded by the lush green meadows, snow-covered mountains and dense forests, the banks of the Mahodand Lake serve as the camping site during the summer’s season for the visitors.

The Mahodand Lake is fed by melting glaciers and springs of the Mount Hindu Kush. It gives rise to Ushu Khwar, the major left tributary of the Swat River.

Pari (Khapiro) Lake is located to North-east of Utror valley and can be accessed only by trekking. It is one of the lakes in Swat region which is located at a very high altitude. The name Pari or Khapiro is given to the lake due to the widespread belief that the lake is the habitat of fairies where they live and bathe in the cool, pure and clear water of the lake.

The lake is accessible from both Izmis and Kundal lakes. Two ascending tracks lead to this lake from Kundal and Izmis lakes taking almost five hours to reach this rooftop of Swat. The trail is very steep from both sides but the surrounding beauty and eye-cooling green meadows and unusual flowers not only boost the tourist’s stamina but compel him to explore further.

Kundol Lake Kundal Lake is situated in the north of Utror valley. One can easily access it from Kalam via Utror from where a link road ends in a green valley called Ladu in the foothills of the lake.

You can either hike to Ladu from Utror or take a four-wheeler to ease and minimize your journey. It consumes almost two hours to reach the beautiful valley of Ladu.

The people who take temporary residency over here during summer plough the open land and harvest potatoes and turnips, which are famous all over the country for its exotic taste. There is also a small hut in Ladu where you can take tea and get something for eating.

From Ladu, it takes almost four hours to reach the lake. Some locals can guide you and even take your luggage if properly paid. The mountains around this small valley are covered with tall cedar and pine trees and meandered by different streams. The people are friendly and provide you with guidance if required.

Bashigram Lake is situated to the east of Bashigram valley near Madyan. The road to this valley is partly metaled and can be plied by a four by four or any ordinary vehicle. It takes almost forty to fifty minutes to reach. From here, trekking of four to five hours lands you in the land of a peaceful and charming lake of Bashigram.

Spin Khwar (White Stream) Lake is a beautiful lake hidden in the lap of mountains towards the north of Kundal Lake and east of Utror valley. The name Spin Khwar has a clear significance as a small white stream in the east flows down to the lake from the surrounding mountains and is a major source of water for the lake.

The lake is accessible through two tracks, one from Kundal and the other from Ladu valley. The track from Ladu is comparatively easy to walk and less tiring while the track from Kundal is not only difficult but alarmingly dangerous although it is short and links Kundal and Spin Khwar. The grazers in the area have built small huts and a mosque where one can stay but a personal tent is more recommendable as these huts are in a poor condition due to lack of maintenance.

Daral Lake is situated to the northeast of Sidgai Lake and can be accessed through Saidgai after two-three hours of rigorous trekking. The trail to Daral is full of fun and amusement because it runs over the sky touching heights of the mountains.

A close look towards the south will reveal the long and winding sellouts of river Swat on the horizon. After walking and trekking for about two and a half hours on bare and naked mountains, the trail starts descending towards the East where Daral Lake is located.

Swat Valley, especially lower Swat, is a year-round tourist destination. However, the main tourist season for Swat begins in spring and lasts till autumn (April to October). April to May is the best time to visit Swat when the fresh green grass carpet covers the slopes.

June to August is the period when most domestic tourists from the hot plains of Punjab and Sindh escape the scorching summer heat and find refuge in the cool areas of Upper Swat.

October–November is the fall season when yellow and golden are the most dominating colors on the backdrop of a clear blue sky. December–March is the winter months; the road beyond Bahrain is snowbound during this time.

People traveling on their vehicles can take the Motorway (M-1) and reach Mardan interchange from Islamabad in about 1½ hours after covering a distance of 131 km.

From Mardan onwards they can travel via Takh-e-Bai, Dargai, Malakand Pass, Batkhella and Chakdara and finally reach Mingora/Saidu Sharif after covering a distance of 112 km in an additional two and a half hours.

The total distance from Islamabad to Mingora/Saidu Sharif is 247 km, around 5 hours with one stop for lunch and refreshments. This route is open for all kinds of traffic throughout the year.

Using the above-mentioned route from Mardan onwards, the distance from Peshawar to Mingora/Saidu Sharif is 151 km. The total driving time from Peshawar is around 4 hours.

Nowadays, you can travel via swat motorway which is connected with the M-1 (Peshawar-Islamabad) motorway. This new route gives you a more pleasant journey as it avoids the traffic Jams which you can experience near Malakand Pass & also saves about a 1-hour journey.

People also travel by public transport to the Swat valley from the rest part of the country. Saidu Sharif Airport is also an option for those who prefer air travel. The national airline PIA has three weekly flights from Islamabad which take 30 minutes to reach Saidu Sharif.

The natural beauty of Swat 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 invest in the tourism industry such as building hotels, restaurants, huts etc.

The banking sector should also play its part in the development of the tourism industry. A proper advertisement is needed to attract not only local tourists but also foreigners.