Touring Kumrat Valley

Time wasted with friends is well-wasted

I don’t know which luminary said this, but I find no reason to not agreeing to it. Our friend, partner-in-debate, charming and ever young, the Ultimate Habib Watto, came up with an idea of exploring Kumrat Valley in Upper Dir KPK, in August 14-19 before his leaving to China for PhD. A gang of 9, with our guide Usman, and our air-conditioned Hi-roof driver, we journeyed towards Kumrat Valley.

It went great till Khawaza Khela Swaat, however, the last part of the travelling, particularly in Upper Dir district, was tiring. We reached Thal in Kumrat around 8.00 pm. We accompanied a local guide, Abdul-Raheem, from Thal, and went deep into camping sites along the river Panjkora in the valley. Tourists poured in because of peak time, and it took us few hours to get proper Pods for two-days stay at valley. After a late-night dinner, kind of rice pulao, we got into sleep.

When I woke up in the early morning in tin-and-wood Pod, the river sound mesmerized me completely. It rained at night and atmosphere was a bit foggy. Our Pod was in the heart of the valley along the river Panjkora, and on both sides of us were majestic peaks, studded with long green pines trees.

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This whole day was to explore the Kumrat Valley on jeep with our driver Abd-ul-Rahim. First point was Aabshar(Waterfall), and then we have to go towards Kala Chashma, where our mango party was planned.

At Aabshar Point

Driving through valley, in the midst of majestic peaks, snowy at the top, studded with long green pine trees at the bottom, and river Panjkora at our left, with loud music, we journeyed toward Aabshar point.

The dense pine forest, Pods arrangements, potato plantation, and small flowery bushes cover the whole valley and give its own character. You feel the purity, the elegance, and the magnanimity of Nature at every step you move deep into the heart of the valley.

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Aabshar point is at small upward steep where a sizable body of water gushes down from hills. If you are fortunate to reach at the mouth of Aabshar, then it is not less than treat to your eyes. The majestic peaks around, the sweet music of the waterfall, and lush green atmosphere, that all makes one forget everything.

At Aabshar, one feels the power of beauty of Nature on the human heart. The water of Aabshar is sweet, cold and pure.

At Kala Chashma Point

Then, we journeyed towards Kala Chasma point- a small tourist point along the Pankjora river. Jeeping through muddy road was a thrill in itself. As we kept moving towards Kala Chasma, the river got more ferocious; its music got louder and louder as it drifted away from green pine peaks at our left and came closer along the muddy road beside peaks at our right.

Here, Kumrat Valley appears to be a narrow river stream between two green, pine-studded, snowy peaks.

We arranged our mango party at less shallow but running, and chilled water of river. It was a feat that attracted the attention of other tourists, and we had to give few mangoes to them too :).

Soon black clouds covered the peaks, and it started drizzling. We sheltered ourselves in our jeep and put jackets and rain coats. The sight of black clouds covering dark green peaks, circling around large pine trees, and thunder- this was the dread of Nature we happen to feel. The sound of drizzling mixed with the musical undertones of river Panjkora created a new composition, and this all has an unspeakable effect on us.

Rain restrained us to journey forward and we decided to go back to our camps.

A Walk through Jungle

While coming back, we enjoyed a milk-tea with special red-potato pakoras at Aabshar point, listening to the music of river Panjkora. Few of our friends were interested in the enquiries of trout fish in the river as some fishermen were trying to hunt for trout with their nets. But one of our friend pointed out crossing, made of the wood, to the jungle at the other side of the river Panjkora. We decided to walk through the jungle. It was a dense pine tree forest. Some pine trees were old, majestic and long.

As we trod deep into the forest, we came to know that tranquility is the language of the jungle. A walking track went zigzagging through the thicket, somewhere watered with tiny streams of fresh, transparent and chilled water drifted down to the river from snowy peaks.

We met with horses grazing leisurely, cattle scattered in the vast potato fields along the river, thick dark clouds threatening to rain on us, and stone-built winter-abode with wood-roofing of native people.   

I rarely found birds in the quiet valley of Kumrat. A strange thing, perhaps.

We tried a humanely effort to photograph this Nature world; forced out of the Nature-capturing instinct of our human lot. We want to see Nature captured, photographed, and static not free, dynamic and growing in its own course.

Trekking to Jahaz Banda

Our next day plan was to do trekking to the Jahaz Banda, a place on different side of Kumrat Valley. We came back to Thal, the main point of Kumrat Valley, and went to Jahaz Banda on jeep for our next two-days tour.

Jahaz Banda is a must-go point for trekkers and thrill-lovers. Its twin attraction- the beautiful mountain-top view of Jahaz Banda and Katora lake-are the best memories of the whole trip. Our Ultimate Habib Watto made a strategic mistake by underestimating the trek, and overestimating our strengths. We did not take horse guides along with us for luggage. Soon, we realized our mistake, and many of our friends broke a deal with horse guides for their luggage. It is a different story that luggage also included our few friends who could not stand before the dread of steep trekking.

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The trekking journey was full of twists: a steep followed by thick forest, then there was a depression, then again a muddy steep, then again straight trek along the peak. This makes even horse-riding difficult. But I loved it in all its difficulties and complexities. Along this difficult and long track, almost more than five-hour track for average trekkers, trekkers found some beautiful spots, snowy peaks in the distant, thick pine tree forests, silence and streams.

The night at Jahaz Banda, and the early morning walk, largely because of threat by Rasheed as he needed to reach Islamabad at 9.00 pm at any cost, were also different experience. Many of our friend got into height-sickness and could not enjoy the full-moon night barbecue.

We got up as early as 4:30 am and did a morning walk towards our base point, where our jeep driver-cum-guide, Abdul-Raheem, were waiting for us, to take us to Thal.

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The company of fine friends and delicate world of Nature made this trekking experience memorable.

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