Kalam Valley Swat

Kalam Valley Swat

Kalam (کالام‎) is a refreshing place in Swat and a heaven of tourists. It is located at the distance of 99 km (62 mi) from Mingora, in the Northern Upper part of Swat valley, on the bank of Suvastu River in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan.

Kalam is encircled by green hills, thick forests and blessed with mesmerizing Lakes, lively meadows and waterfalls, which make the Valley a must wandering place. It is the birth place of Swat River, which is conflux of two major tributaries; Gabral River and Ushu River.

It is a vast sub-valley of Swat; is located at an elevation of about 2,000 meters (6, 562 feet) above sea level, and providing a room for a small but fertile plateau above Swat River, making it ideal for farming. A metalled road ends here in Kalam and a shingled road leads to the Ushu and Utror valleys. Visitors can see the snowy mountains from Matiltan, including Falak Sair Mountain, with the height of 5, 918 meters (19,416 feet) and an unnamed peak of 6,096 meters (20, 000 feet) height.

Ushu Valley constitutes some of the beautiful parts of Swat Valley. It is in the North-East of Kalam Valley. It is situated at a distance of 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from Kalam and 123 kilometers (76 mi) from Saidu Sharif. It is at the height of 2, 300 metres (7, 546 feet). As metalled road ends at Kalam; therefore it is accessible only by jeep.
Matiltan lies next to Ushu Valley and it is located about 11 km away from Kalam. It is famous for its huge glaciers, thick forests and sky-high mountain peaks. The tallest peak is Falak Sair can be seen from this Valley.
Gabral is an alluring hill station, and at a distance of 20 kilometres (12 mi) from Kalam. It is famous for its brown trout (fish), thick lush green forests, musical springs, home of highest snow-capped peaks and beautiful Lakes.

Lakes in Kalam:

Kalam has a number of alpine glacial lakes, among them Mahodand Lake and Kundol Lake are famous because of their scenic beauty and accessibility. Other lakes like Izmis Lake, located near Kundol Lake are among the most popular with their wonderful landscape. These are accessible through trekking.

Mahodand Lake (Lake of Fish) is one of the largest and fascinating Lake of Swat Valley. It is located at a distance of about 40 km from Kalam, in the Ushu Valley. It is accessible with a four-wheel drive vehicle, and is a good fishing resort; ideal for boating and camping. It is surrounded by snowy mountains, lush green meadows and thick forests.

Kundol Lake is another charismatic Lake in Kalam valley. It is located in the North of Utror region at a distance of 19 km from Kalam. It also lies in the foothills of Hindu Kush mountains and accessible via the valley of Ladu through a trekking of 4 to 6 hours.

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Ten Tourist Attractions of Swat Valley

Swat Valley:

Tourist attractions of Swat

Swat Valley is an administrative district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. Its upper part rises from the Hindu Kush Mountain Range. It is called “mini Switzerland” of Pakistan.

Sufaid Mahal, Marghazar:

Marghzar is better known for its White Palace (Sufaid Mahal), which is built in 1940, by first King of Swat (Wali-e-Swat), Miangul Abdul Wadud. It is called Sufaid Mahal because white marble is used in its construction. It is located at the distance of 13 kilometers from Saidu Sharif.

Malam Jabba:
Malam Jabba is situated in the Hindu Kush mountain range and it is 40 kilometers away from Saidu Sharif, Swat Valley, Khyber, Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is at the distance 314 km from Islamabad and only 51 km away from the Airport of Saidu Sharif.
Malam Jabba is the first skiing resort of Pakistan. Malam Jabba Skiing Resort is the joint venture of the Government of Pakistan and Government of Austria. The resort is equipped with all the modernized and latest technology for the tourists and Skiing lovers.

Swat Museum:

Swat Museum is located between Mingora and Saidu Sharif. The Museum is funded by Japan. It galleries consist of the sculptures other antique belongings of Buddha, taken from the Buddhist sites scatters here and there in the Swat Valley.

Kalam:

Kalam is a beautiful tourist resort in the Swat Valley. Its distance from Mingora is 99 kilometres (61.52 mi). It is on the height of about 2,000 meters, (6,561.68 ft.) above sea level. The valley is birth place of Swat River, where two tributaries Ushu river and Gabral river to join it. A shingled road leads to Usho and Utror Valleys, the metalled road ends in Kalam. From Matiltan, one can see the mesmerizing beauty of the snow-capped Mount Falaksir 5918 meters (19,415 ft.), and another unnamed peak 6,096 meters (20,000 ft.) high.

Pari/Khapiro Lake:

Pari/Khapiro (fairy) lake exists in the North-East of Utror Valley. The natives have a belief that the lake is the home of fairies, they live here and take a bath in the pure and clean water of it. It is accessed only by trekking. Only nature lovers opt for Trekking to reach to the lake, because the track is very dangerous.
Daral lake:

Daral lake, also called Daral Dand Lake, is situated in the North-East of Sidgai Lake and could be accessed through Sidgai after two to three hours of rigorous trekking. After walking and trekking for about two and a half hours, on the mountaineous trail, which starts descending, towards Daral Lake in East.
Bashigram Lake:
Bashigram Lake, also Bashigram Danda, is situated in the East of Bashigram Valley near Madyan. The road to this Valley is semi-metalled. It is forty to fifty minutes journey for reaching to the valley. A trek of four to five hours, leads to the serene and enchanting lake of Bashigram.

Mateltan:

It is 2 km from Usho Valley, 5 km from Kalam and 117 km away from Saidu Sharif. Mateltan is a lush green village. It is on the way from Kalam to Mahodand, 5 km of distance. There is a beautiful and well organized Masjid in the village. Most of the homes of the Village have two stories, because of heavy snow fall each year.

Utror:

Utror Valley is located at 16 km from Kalam and 120 km from Saidu Sharif. Utror valley is surrounded by Bhan valley in the East, Upper Dir District in the West, Kalam in the South and Gabral Valley in the North. The altitude of the valley at Utror is 2300 meters and reaches to 2900 meters at Kandol Lake.

Spin Khwar:

Spin Khwar Lake or White Stream Lake is a beautiful lake hidden in the mountains in the North of Kundal Lake and in the East of Utror Valley. The significance of the lake is, because of a small white stream flowing in the East from the surrounding mountains and it is a major source of the lake. The lake is reachable through two tracks, one from Kundal and the other from the Ladu valley.

Author: Fehmeeda Farid Khan

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