Bab-E-Dir Toward … Kumrat Valley…
Travelling to scenic places has always been our passion as a family and we have been travelling far and wide inland to explore natural beauty. One of such places which had been on the cards for quite some time but could not be attempted on one pretext or other was Kumrat valley. This place has recently got fame due to some high profile visits. In 2018 we got opportunity to fulfill our dream in shape of few vacations and we did not hesitate to grab it. After some initial research it was found that hotels are available in Kumrat in shape of camping pods and tents only and no cemented construction has taken place so far in hoteling industry. We took this also as an opportunity and decided to fulfill our yet another dream of camping. We had purchased our camping gear recently and Kumrat offered an opportunity to test our skills in camping.
Another question was about road condition and we were not sure whether our sedan is suitable for this journey. Few friends advised to take a 4 x 4 vehicle. We decided to take our car along as far as possible and than to switch to 4x4 wherever road does not allow our car ahead.
We left from Haripur early in morning and reached Panakot in upper dir around 5 o clock. Journey was via M-2 uptill Rashakai interchange than on to Mardan, Shergarh, Takht bhai, Dargai, Batkhela, Chakdara, Timergara, Chakiatan and Upper dir. (Now route is further simplified and become easier due to Swat expressway. From M-2 one can take swat expy and reach Chakdara). From Chakiatan road to Kumrat via Sheringal separates from main road towards right hand. We did not proceed towards Kumrat form Chakiatan and decided to break our journey to Kumrat in two phases and on day 1 we planned to stay at Panakot which is few kilometers ahead of Chakiatan. Weather of Panakot was not very cold in month of may. Panakot is a small town few kilometers ahead of upper dir and along bank of river chitral. Lowari tunnel is not far from here. Residence of ex Nawab of Dir is in Panakot on top of hill. A PTDC motel is also located here. After having a sound sleep and rest we started our journey towards Kumrat expecting unexpected things ahead on next morning.
On next day we reached back at Chakiatan and took road leading to Kumrat via Sheringel. Thanks to Google maps which is always our guide. It saves from repeated asking of directions from people. Road up til Sheringel was in very good shape. This roads run along Pankora river on right bank travelling towards Kumrat. There is another road which runs along left bank was under construction. We reached Seringel in approximately 2 hours. Sheringel is a relatively large sized town and Shaheed Banazir bhuto university is a famous landmark of this town. Road all along the way was scenic and beautiful. We proceeded ahead of Sheringel expecting same quality of road. We were told by friends to take a 4x4 vehicle ahead of Sheringel but we decided to test our luck by not listening to them. Road condition remained relatively ok with some bad patches till Thal. We reached Thal at around 12 pm. Had our lunch here in a restaurant where we sat on floor as per local customs. Distance from this place to Kumrat is in single digits of kilometers but road condition from this place onwards was reportedly not suitable for sedan. We once again decided to make adventure and started moving ahead on own car. Options are available to park cars here and hire 4 x 4 vehicles ahead of this place which usually cost 4-5 thousands. A very beautiful wooden mosque is located in this place with is worth visiting. Track to famous Katora lake via Jahaz banda commence from here.
Track ahead of thal was really nerve testing for us as there was no road and track was very rough. It is not recommended to take sedans ahead of this point. May be road conditions have improved now, however it is better to check before moving ahead on sedan. After a slow and steady journey of 1 hour we reached our Destination. It was as beautiful as expected with a surprisingly pleasant weather. River Panjkora runs through Kumart valley adding beauty to its landscape. River bed expands at places and water flows through valley amazingly. It curves through trees gently and splashily from places to places. Thick forests and lush green meadows add to scenic value. Aroma of forests is matchless. Weather was not cold and absolutely pleasant.
As planned we proceed to start with camp setting so that we can leave our belongings and move out to see the surroundings. We pitched our tent a little away from camping pods which hotel owners have placed for their customers. We did this in order to get some privacy but later we realized that it was not a wise decision. Small kids from neighboring village flocked around our tents as they were curious about what is happening and did not allow privacy to us altogether. After camp setting and placing our luggage we moved around and did ample of photo shoots. Lot of tourists were there enjoying the natural beauty. There are two spots where camp hotels and camping sites are available in Kumrat. One is just besides village Kumrat and second one is few kilometers ahead of first one and near water fall. It is recommended to find a place near waterfall as it is more attractive for tourists otherwise one has to take a hike or hire a jeep to reach waterfall. At night it started raining with windstorm, however our tent proved effective against rain and windstorm with some reinforcements of stones around the flaps of tent.
Next day we reached waterfall. It was very scenic and beautiful. Water fall has impressive beauty of falling water which is terrific for tourists. This is a medium size waterfall where water bounces from the rocks swiftly and drops aggressively. Gushing water over the rocks lands in a small and serene pool at the bottom. People can climb up along waterfall up to some distance and enjoy the beauty from height. Few restaurants and tuck shops were under construction here. These will offer refreshments to tourists coming here. After enjoying this place for few hours we moved to another place which was just breathtaking. We crossed river Panjkora on a small pedestrian wooden bridge and reached on other side. It was unexplored beauty. There was lush green grass under our feet while sky scrapping trees above us. Smell of forest was fresh and organic. Wind has spread the perfume all around and it was spirit refreshing. Pine cones were spread all around. It was so comforting to walk on fallen crispy leaves making spectacular sound. Our local driver told us that it is his favorite location. He informed us that this place is replica of Kala pani which is yet few kilometers away and requires few hours drive on jeep on rough track. River expands at this place quite wide and we able to hop over the rocks beside river. Speed of water is tremendous and it is better to stay safe. We spent few hours here and enjoyed to our fullest. We went back to camp for night stay as day was approaching to end.
Lot of restaurants and camp hotels have mushroomed up in Kumrat. People come here in groups and enjoy their camping experience. Make shift washrooms are available for campers. Grocery shops are available in case you need groceries. In short this place is camper’s heaven. Next morning we packed our camp and left early. It was an amazing experience to visit Kumrat and enjoy the unexplored beauty of this place.