Khanpur Lake

Khanpur Lake

Posted by Akbar Ali on October 23, 2017 in Asia, Haripur, Hazara Division, Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Lake, Pakistan, Taxila,

Khanpur Lake is about 40 kilometres (25 miles) away from Islamabad (the capital of Pakistan) in Hazara Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The lake is sighted near the town Khanpur, on the road between Taxila and Haripur. The lake was constructed along with the construction of Khanpur Dam in 1983. The dam is 51 meters (167.33 feet) high and has a total capacity of 140,000,000 cubic meters.

History

Khanpur Lake was constructed in 1953 along with the construction of Khanpur Dam which is 51 meters (167 feet) high and can store up to 110,000-acre-feet of water. Khanpur Dam was constructed during the period of president Ayub Khan.

Importance

The lake is fed by waters of River Haro. It is an important water source for both agricultural and consumption needs in the region. Khanpur Lake is also a reservoir that supplies drinking water to some areas of Hazara Division. The lake along with the view of Margla hills has become a popular tourist destination where families and individuals can enjoy boating, picnicking, speed boating and fishing. There is an island in the middle of the lake that is good for spending a picnic and enjoying the landscape. Boats are available for pick and drop to the island. An adventure club named Hawk Adventure Club has recently created its camp near the lakeshore. They provide facilities for adventure sports like rowing, diving and speed boating.

Khanpur Lake is an ideal place for a day trip. It will be a more interesting trip if you take time to visit historical places of Taxila nearby and also the famous Taxila Museum.

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Pir Sohawa

Pir Sohawa

Posted by Akbar Ali on October 22, 2017 in Asia, Haripur, hill station, Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan,

Pir Sohawa is a highland picturesque rural sight, at an altitude of 5000 feet (1524 meters), located near Islamabad (the capital of Pakistan). Many people think its part of Islamabad but geographically it is located in  Haripur District, KPK. The scenic place is praised for trips and holiday picnics in Islamabad and is sighted near Monal Village, which exists on the incline against Islamabad city. The place is linked to Islamabad by a winding road on which Daman-e-Koh (a viewing point and hilltop garden) is located and it takes 35 minutes to drive to reach it from the city. It is about 13 kilometers from Marghzar. The sight presents a fantastic and picturesque view of Islamabad city during day and night.

A sight is an ideal place for enjoying picnics in the forest while listening to singing birds and watching wildlife. After rains of monsoon forest in the hills of Pir Sohawa turns green. The sight is the endpoint for hiking trips from the foot of Margla Hills, rising 3000 feet (914 meters) almost vertically upward from the Saidpur Village, Islamabad.

A restaurant called “Monal Resturant” is located at Pir Sohawa. Completed in 2006, the restaurant presents a breathtaking view of the city of Islamabad in the day and amazingly beautiful show of the city lights during the night. One can adore fragrance and breeze, especially in hot days of summer, with thick forest present all around. The place also attracts tourist during winter, as being a place sufficient for occasional snowfall due to an altitude of 5000 feet.

Quick facts about Pir Sohawa:

• Height of Pir Sohawa is 1524 meters (5000 feet) above seal level.
• The famous Monal restaurant at Pir Sohawa is named after Monal Village located nearby.
• It takes approximately 35 minutes to drive on the windy road of Pir Sohawa to reach the top.

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Makra Peak

Makra Peak

Posted by Akbar Ali on October 20, 2017 in Asia, Balakot, hill station, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mansehra, Mountain, Pakistan,

Makra Peak is a 3586 meters (11765.feet) high Himalayan mountain located in Tehsil Balakot of Mansehra District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Makra is a word of Urdu which means spider. According to local people, they named it Makra Peak because snow formation over the peak resembles the shape of a spider. The iconic Makra Peak of Shogran Valley is located in the south-east of Kiwai and south of Paye Meadow. A moderate 4-6 hours trek (depending on trekker fitness) from Paye leads to Makra Top. From Makra Top the visitors can enjoy the picturesque views of the Kaghan Valley on one side and mesmerizing Kashmir on another. Many other famous mountains like Malika Parbat, Chambre, Musa Ka Musalla and Shingri are also visible from the top.

Makra is a simple peak to climb with a moderate level of trekking difficulty and doesn’t require any technical climbing skills or knowledge to climb it. Still, deaths are reported by the local people, which I think must be due to carelessness of trekkers or severe weather.

How to reach:

About 62 km (38 miles) from the city of Mansehra on Kaghan Road comes to Kiwai. From Kiwai, a single road (about 7 km) leads upward to Shogran. It is a famous tourist resort and has some motels for tourists to stay. Now comes trekking part of the trip. From Shogran you can hire jeeps, horses or ponies for the trek if you don’t prefer backpacking. A jeep can take you up to Siri. Onward from Siri foot trek starts. You can also hire ponies or horses for the rest of trek up to Makra Peak base camp if you wish. It is about 4 hours trek depending on the fitness of a trekker.

Tourist Guide & Safety Precautions:

Although Makra is a simple peak to climb but it is highly suggested to avoid climbing if weather conditions are unfavourable. Especially in stormy or foggy weather, it is very dangerous to climb the mountain.

People with respiratory problems should avoid the trek and ascent.

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Ansoo Lake

Ansoo Lake

Posted by Akbar Ali on October 20, 2017 in Asia, Himalayas, Kaghan Valley, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Lake, Mansehra, Mountain, Pakistan,

Ansoo Lake is located in Kaghan Valley of District Mansehra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is located at an altitude of 13,927 feet (4245 meters) above sea level and considered among one of the highest lakes of Himalayas. The lake is situated near Malika Parbat, the highest mountain of Kaghan Valley.

According to a resident of Naran Valley, M. Tahir, Ansoo Lake is his discovery and he named this Lake as Ansoo Jheel (transformation in English: “Tear Lake”). The lake (Jheel) is shaped like a tear (Ansoo) that why it is named Ansoo Lake. The lake has become very popular attractions for tourists in a very short time.




It is said that one needs to be lucky to behold the beautiful Ansoo Lake. Because sometimes when you reach the lake after hours difficult trekking, the lake does not viewable due to fog or rain. Track to the lake itself presents several breathtaking and picturesque views to the visitors. After 5 hours of the trek a hill comes, and when you look down to the other side from the summit of the hill, Ansoo Lake is there saying behold I am what brings you here, away from the crowds and communities of human. Travelling a little more will take you closer to the bank of the lake. The lake stays covered in snow whole year except July to August. It is said that the best time for this trek is between July 10 to August 15 and one can see the mirroring waters of a lake during this period of time.

Aansoo Lake can be reached using two treks;

1. From Lake Saif-ul-Malook
2. From Mahandri through Manoor Village

From Lake Saif-ul-Malook:

It takes seven to nine hours of a trek for a round trip from Lake Saif-ul-Malook to Ansoo Lake. It is recommended to set off early in the morning. It would be better if you spend the night at Lake Saif-ul-Malook and start travelling as early as possible in the morning. This trek can be separated into two halves. The first part is through a valley alongside river to the base camp of Malika Parbat. The second steeper part is from the base camp of Malika Parbat to Ansoo Lake.

From Mahandri through Manoor Village:

The second trek to set off for Ansoo Lake is a village named Mahandri, located about 40 kilometres (25 miles) to the south of Naran. Turning left from Mahandri Bazar, a jeep track leads to Village Manoor. This valley is great gift for nature lovers and full heart touching picturesque views. You can reach here on jeep but you need to walk from here. After 6-7 hours of the trek, a lush green meadow called “Dher” comes. From here trek starts to incline. After 3-4 hours of trek from Dher at a height of about 14,000 feet you can see the Ansoo Lake.

Preparations for Trek:

• Bring tents and sleeping bags and food with you for in case you need to camps somewhere due to rough weather conditions like snow fall, heavy rain or land slide.
• Hire a guide and horses for the trek. (This can be arranged from the Lake Saif-ul-Malook).
• Keep enough food and water with you. Better to take sandwiches or burgers for food because you don’t need to take any crockery stuff for them.
• Use comfortable shoes, warm clothes and especially keep a rain coat with you for rain and snowfall.

Cautions for trekkers:

• Avoid trekking to Ansoo Lake in a bad weather. Wait for a fair day.
• Diabetes patients and people with respiratory problems should avoid to trek for the lake.

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Lake Saif ul Malook

Lake Saif ul Malook

Posted by Akbar Ali on October 20, 2017 in Asia, Kaghan Valley, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Lake, Malika Parbat, Mansehra, Pakistan,

Lake Saif ul Malook is a famous tourist resort, well known for the associated story of a Persian prince Saif ul Malook. It is located about 8 kilometres (5 miles) north from the town of Naran in the northern end of Kaghan Valley, in District Mansehra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The lake with its majestic and mesmerizing natural beauty, pleasant the atmosphere and associated tale and history, attracts thousands of tourists each year from all around the country during the summer.
The lake is also famous for being the habitat of large size Brown Trout fish, which weigh up to 7 kilograms. Lake Saif ul Malook also provides a marvellous view of Malika Parbat, which is the highest peak of Kaghan Valley.

The best time to visit Lake Saif ul Malook is between May and the end July. It remains covered in snow during winter, and the road to the lake stays closed due to heavy snowfall.

Lake Saif ul Malook is one of the highest alpine lakes of Pakistan. It is located at an altitude of 3,224 meters (10, 578 feet) above sea level.

There are lots of controversies about the depth of Lake Saif ul Malook. In fact, there is no authentic source to tell the exact depth of the lake. The local people of the valley say Lake Saif ul Malook is 1 kilometer deep, some of them says it is 1.7 kilometres. However, a team which recently conducted a survey on all alpine lakes of Northern Areas of Pakistan told that the depth of Lake Saif ul Malook is 50 feet.
If we take a look at figures given above, the one (50 feet) provided by the team which conducted survey seems to be more realistic as if we consider the geography of the area surrounding the lake, it would be a marvel of nature for a lake to be 1-1.7 kilometres deep at an altitude of 3 kilometres above sea level.

The classic story of Lake Saif ul Malook is written by Sufi poet Mian Muhammad Bakhsh. It is written in the form of poetic verses.
The story is about a Persian prince named Saif ul Malook who fell in love with a fairy named Badi ul Jamal (transformation in English: Glory of the moon), whom he saw in his dreams. The prince thus started his journey to find his beloved fairy Badi ul, Jamal. He was clueless in his restless journey until he met a Devish (holy man), who told him how he can find her. Devish also told him that he had to go through many exams before he could find and marry Badi ul Jamal because she was a fairy and prince was human.
The prince then starts his journey for the impossible in the name of his love. The rest of the story chronicles the challenges he faced during his journey and the spiritual lessons he learned on the way.

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