“Wadi Kumrat”, a paradise located at the foothills of the Hindu Kush in Apardir District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is a paradise for tourists due to its snow-capped mountains, green fields, dense forests, waterfalls, springs and clear water of the Panjkora River.
It has become an important tourist center of attraction. Covered with thick forests and located between high mountains, the route of this valley starts from Taimargarh, which leads to this beautiful and charming valley through Farid Khan Shaheed (Bab-e-Kumrat).
After about an hour’s journey from Shringal to Patrak, Bayar, Brikot to Kalkot comes the village called “Darwazon”, where a bridge over the river takes the tourists from Kumrat to Kalam via Attur and Badger pass.
The entire area is a jeep track and also a means of access for locals and tourists from Kamrat Valley to Kalam Valley and Swat. Through Kalam and Attur, this difficult route passes through dense forests covered with high mountains. The journey to Kumrat through this route is a very interesting and unique journey of its kind.
A small jeep and an experienced, trained driver are essential for this trip. The distance from Apardir to the gates is 79 kms and from here the second route leads to the right side of the foothills of the snow-capped mountains, a beautiful green field and pastures through Jandrai village towards Banda.
The distance from the gates to Jindrai village is about 12 km, which is usually covered by jeep. There is also a nice museum here. In which there are various antiquities and items of historical importance related to Kumrat Valley, Kohistan. From Jindrai, one has to walk 7.5 km to reach Banda.
This journey can be completed in about 6 to 7 hours. The vast, lush green plains of Jhajalbanda are situated at an altitude of 8900 feet above sea level. There are also temporary hotels and restaurants for tourists to stay and eat here.
On one side of the beautiful plains of Jajal Banda, a waterfall flows, while on the other side, more than 15 beautiful and beautiful lakes are inviting to see.
The most beautiful of these lakes is “Katura Lake” situated at an altitude of 11500 feet above sea level. The mountains surrounding this lake with its turquoise waters of glaciers resemble the mountains of the Ratigali Lake in Wada Neelam.
The walking and trekking to Katura Lake from Jajp Banda is 4.7 km, covered in 3 to 4 hours. The Katura Lake trek also introduces the new colors of nature and beautiful scenery.
Since then, a large number of tourists are seen visiting Kumrat including Banda and Katura Lake. The beautiful natural scenery here, including the Panjkora River, Kala Chashma, Dujunga, Dara Badugai, Chirot Banda, Jajal Banda and surrounding waterfalls, Jindrai village, Katura Lake and snow-capped mountains,
Thul village is about half an hour’s drive from the gates. After traveling about 5 km, tourists enter the forest of Wadi Kumrat, from here the 20 km long Wadi Kumrat begins. On the way there are dense forests, at the end of which are high and tall snow-capped mountains.
After Thalgaon, the high mountain range begins through the beautiful forest of Kumrat, the area reserved for tents and temporary hotels, the waterfall, Kala Pani, Dojunga, Kundal Shahi Banda, Chirot Banda, Azgalu Banda and Shahzoor Banda. At the end of which Chitral begins.
Since there is no local transport available from Thal to Kumrat, the onward journey can only be done by the available four-by-four jeeps or private vehicles. Local jeep drivers here charge Rs 4,000 to 5,000. There are two ways out from the hill.
One leads to the Kamrat Valley, where you can see breathtaking views at every step, while on the other side, the ship is Banda Ka Banal (Banal is the name of the place in Kohistani language, where there are 5 to 10 houses on the mountain and people in summer). I live with my cattle).
From the beginning of summer, the local people here take their livestock to these pastures for about 6 months and then with the onset of winter, they migrate to Thal and other sub-regions, bringing with them butter, desi ghee and cheese. They carry large quantities, with which they meet their nutritional needs during the winter season.
The road leading to Kamrat Valley is paved and often rough along the river from Thal. After traveling for some time in the forest, the sound of water is heard at a little height on the right side. The waterfall, also known as Siraj Falls, is the famous waterfall of the Kamrat Valley, which looks like a river cascading down.
This waterfall is very high and wide. The sound of falling leaves can be heard far and wide. Similar to the Mantokha of Skardu and the famous Juargo waterfall of Swat, this water also has its own example in Shar Hussan. Its height is about 100 to 120 feet.
The forests of Kamrat are also inhabited by wildlife. Markhor, deer and leopards are found here. Wild sheep and monkeys are also usually easily seen. Among the birds, a large number of grouse are seen in these forests, while trout fish are also found in abundance in the Panjkora river that flows through the forest.
Tourists are seen camping here along with bird and fish hunting. On the other side of the forest are vast rocky plains, at the end of which is a long range of very high vertical mountains.
The mountains here resemble the mountains of Gilgit-Baltistan. Kala Chashma is located at a distance of about 10 km. It is a very attractive tourist destination full of beautiful scenery. This spring is called “Tore Oba” in the local language.
The water of the black spring is very clear. Here the stones in the river are also clearly visible, on the opposite side of the river there is a fertile carpet like Dojunga. Where the two rivers join together form the Panjkora River.
Beyond Dujunga, the jeep track ends. But from there one or two days’ trek can reach Shahzor Banda and the highest lake of the valley, Shahzor Lake. The road condition up to Thal is relatively good, but beyond that one has to use four-wheel vehicles. Along with hut-like hotels, good hotels have also been built in Wadi Kumrat.
This is a very suitable area for camping. There is also a Tent Village in Kumrat Valley, where tourists can get tents at a very reasonable price. After the arrival of tourists in Kumrat has increased the employment of the local people and the development of the area, the people living here wish to further promote the tourism of this valley.
Due to the increasing number of tourists, the awareness of the tourism industry is gradually increasing among the local people here and now people are increasing their employment by providing tents, warm blankets and other equipment for camping on reasonable rent.
Tourists say that they come here because of the natural beauty of Kamrat. Despite the lack of modern facilities in the area, a trip to this valley is no less than a blessing for camping enthusiasts and adventurous tourists.
On the other side of this beautiful valley, Japan Bhanda is located at an altitude of 11,500 feet above sea level. The journey from Jajp Bhanda to Katura Lake covers a distance of six kilometers, and it takes 4 to 6 hours to reach there.
The floating pieces of ice in this lake look like white lotus flowers floating several feet long. The water from the lake flows down into the valley like a waterfall.
Although it is a difficult and difficult stage to reach Katura Lake or Jajabhanda, after reaching there, a person forgets his fatigue and gets lost in the breathtaking views of nature. Most of the people living in Wadi Kumrat depend on the income from forest timber for their livelihood.
Agriculture in Kamrat Valley is also a source of income for the local population. This area is very famous for potato cultivation, the potato here is also sold in vegetable markets of Rawalpindi and Islamabad besides Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Apart from this, millet, cabbage, turnip, peas and salad leaves are also important crops here, from which the people here earn a small amount of capital.
According to local people, the government needs to improve the communication system in Kumrat Valley to promote tourism. Some time ago, various events were organized by the district administration to attract tourists to the Jannat Nazir valley under the help of Aap And Aap, but due to the Corona epidemic, this series is currently suspended.
Tourism department and provincial government need to take more steps to promote tourism in Wadi Kumrat. In this way, not only will the foreign exchange increase, but also the economic condition of the local people will improve.
Latifur Rehman, Spokesperson of Department of Tourism, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said in this regard, “We intend to run the world’s highest and longest cable car in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.” The cable car will cover a distance of 14 km from Updardir to Lower Chitral and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has done all the homework to start this project.”
