A pristine tourist hub at the edge of the Himalayas (PHOTOS)
A view of Makkar (“spider'”) mountain at the Paya plateau near Shogran. Home to one of the most popular hikes in the valley, the mountain resembles a spider, locals say.
KAGHAN VALLEY, Pakistan — Pakistan's lush, green Kaghan Valley is one of the most beautiful parts of the world I've seen.
The valley is nestled along the western edge of the Himalayan mountain range.
(Mariya Karimjee/GlobalPost)
Miles away from industrial output, far from any large metropolis, the valley is still the most popular tourist destination in the country, according to Pakistan's Tourism Development Corporation.
(Mariya Karimjee/GlobalPost via Instagram)
I found it gut-wrenchingly stunning when I visited this past October. Fresh snow covered many of the mountain peaks, and the weather would turn on a dime: sunny and bright in the morning, blisteringly cold in the afternoon. After dark, wind whistled through the mountains and the temperature dipped below freezing.
(Mariya Karimjee/GlobalPost via Instagram)
Makkar or "spider'" mountain, at the Paya plateau near Shogran, is home to one of the most popular hikes in the valley. Locals think the mountain resembles an arachnid.
(Mariya Karimjee/GlobalPost)
Fresh snow covers the peaks surrounding Lake Saiful Muluk, which lies in the north of Kaghan Valley near the town of Naran.
(Mariya Karimjee/GlobalPost via Instagram)
At Lake Saiful Muluk, two storytellers sat together drinking chai.
(Mariya Karimjee/GlobalPost)
This is the river Kunhar, which runs through the Kaghan Valley.
(Mariya Karimjee/GlobalPost)
Members of the Gujjar tribe camped alongside this river in the fall. Considered Pakistan's gypsies, the Gujjar people are entirely nomadic, moving through the valley all year long.
(Mariya Karimjee/GlobalPost)
Most valleys in Pakistan are named for their rivers. The Kaghan Valley is an exception, named instead after nearby Kaghan town.
(Mariya Karimjee/GlobalPost)
Most families in the valley work as farmers and herders who make weekly trips to sell their crops and animals in the cities. Here, a tractor sits on the Kaghan-Naran road, the area's major "highway."
(Mariya Karimjee/GlobalPost)
Locals say the valley's stunning glaciers are shrinking. They're seen here from the Lalazar plateau, which sits 10,499 feet above sea level. On summer mornings the sun's reflection makes the glaciers almost blindingly bright.
(Mariya Karimjee/GlobalPost)
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