Navigating down a dark highway in the mountains, the road seemed to disappear all of a sudden and I had to swerve hard to avoid the steep fall, I later found out that that section of the road had been washed out due to flooding and the drop was quite scary!
It was well past sunset and we were still 30 min away from Saidu Sharif our destination in Swat. Swat valley and surrounds are one of the most scenic and beautiful areas in Northern Pakistan, sometimes called the Switzerland of Pakistan. This was the somewhat inauspicious beginning of a road trip to the Swat valley in December 2023.
This beautiful area was marred by violence from 2007 to 2010, and it was after a lot of sacrifice that the area was liberated from the control of extremist forces. The tourist infrastructure was badly damaged and it took a few years to build it back and restore the confidence of tourists to revive the industry. It seems that the area has completely recovered, although the once tree covered mountains have been shorn of their tree cover (either as a security measure or due to unbridled logging). It takes around 8 hours of driving to get from Lahore to Saidu Sharif the capital city of Swat. We had booked rooms at the Swat Serena Hotel, this was a former residence of the ‘Wali’ (ruler) of Swat, the suites are just amazing and I would highly recommend splurging a little here, the grounds are very well maintained and make for some lovely walks. THe on site restaurant serves some superb fare and I would definitely recommend it. As a side note, throughout the violence and during COVID, the hotel management kept the staff employed despite there being no guests, something more employers need to emulate. The renovated Swat museum and the Saidu Sharif Stupa should definitely be on the agenda when visiting Saidu Sharif. The twin city of Mingora has a lots of shopping opportunities including some lovely Swat handicrafts. After a relaxing couple of days we made day trip to the Kalam Valley and the Ski resort of Malam Jabba.
Kalam Valley is perhaps the most scenic area of Swat, it takes around 3 hours to drive form Saidu Sharif to Kalam, however the last hour is a really tough drive due to the poor quality of the road. The drive itself is lovely as well, as a lot of the drive is along the Swat river, it is worth stopping in either Madyan or Bahrain for some freshly caught fish, with riverside seating. From Bahrain an hour or so of bone rattling drive gets one to Kalam, but the beauty of the area is worth the hassle. Ushu forest and Mahodand lake are some must see places around here. Although not ideal one can do a day trip to the area form Saidu Sharif, with a super early start.
Another side trip we did was to Malam Jabba, perhaps the most famous ski resort in Pakistan. The area was severely affected by violence and has only recently returned to its former glory, with many hotels, including the newly built Pearl Continental Hotel. While there wasn’t much snow when we visited, snow season truly starting in January in the area, we had a lovely time just exploring the area. There is lots to do in the area, form bungee jumping and ziplining to some amazing hiking trails. It is quite worth spending at least a couple of days here.
The Swat Valley has returned to much of its past glory and we will be back visiting soon!
The Open Roads 