MINGORA: With lush green fields, encircled by birch trees and clear water streams running about it the Shahi Bagh valley in Gabral area of Swat is pulling tourists from across the country.

Located amid high mountains at a distance of about 14km from Utror and 30km from Kalam valley, Shahi Bagh offers unique landscape to the visitors.

“It left me mesmerised when I entered the valley after traveling two and half hours of hard road journey in the mountains of Gabral. Believe me there is no such spot in Swat than this valley,” said Faisal Saeed, a tourist, who along with his friends was enjoying the natural beauty of the valley.

The tourists said the spot was completely different from other resorts in Pakistan as the valley was located at a height of about 10,000 feet amid high mountains

surrounding it and clean water streams running around it.

“This place is a paradise on earth with calm streams running around it making it a small island where one can enter through a wooden bridge. It is a calm and serene place providing peace and satisfaction,” said Hayatullah, a tourist from Peshawar.

The tourists said the valley was a perfect place for spending nights to enjoy all its colours and beauty.

“This is a perfect place for camping because the small valley offers multiple pleasures. Its day time beauty is different and matchless while its mysteriousness in the darkness of night is worth enjoyable. I would send a message to all the natural beauty lovers to visit this place,” said Ikram Khan, another visitor.

“This place is worth visiting but road leading to it is dangerous and narrow on which only jeeps and four-by-four vehicles can travel.

“I am wondering why the government does not develop proper roads to such places,” said Mohammad Masood, a tourist from Peshawar, adding that everyone must visit the place.

The tourists, however, stressed that the visitors should not pollute the beautiful spot as they spotted a large number of plastic bags littering the valley.

Mohammad Qasim, a resident of Utror, said Shahi Bagh valley remained open for tourists from mid-June till August end or the beginning of September.

“From September to June the valley remains covered with snow. The main problem is the bad shape of access road on which only specific vehicles can move,” he said.

Published in Dawn, September 10th, 2018