Kumrat is a newly explored valley in Upper Dir, KPK becoming famous after PTI Stalwart Imran Khan showed up there to boost tourism in the province. As we were chalking out a plan to explore the northern areas of the country, especially KPK, we made our mind to visit Kumrat to cherish the beauty of nature. Our journey started from Mansehra and we roamed through Buttgram and Shangla to reach Swat. Having tough itinerary because of the time spent in Mansehra, Malam Jabba and Kalam we had only one day left to seek serenity in nature of Kumrat. Yet the lads agreed to experience the wonders Kumrat had to offer even for few hours. Next day early in the morning, we left for Kumraat to reach there before evening. After leaving kalam, we passed through Utror experiencing its alluring views and crossed a mammoth mountain to summit bargoi top. Despite of the breathtaking landscapes all along the journey while moving on the dangerous let alone adventurous steep curvy route lying at the reasonable height, my fear compelled me to contend veteran nature-freak, John Keats, by stating: "a thing of beauty is a cloy forever." After taking tea at the bargoi summit to revitalize, we whisked through Bargoi pass, which lies at an altitude of more than 11000fts, to culminate magnificient Lamooti. What came to our surprise while moving on this majestic pass that it gave the reflection of beautiful Deosai plains in addition with its richness of green forests, colorful flowers, lovely furred horses and parched black stones. The green color was dominant as far as I could see, grasping the mind and appealing the heart. Besides, the glaciers covering the mountains made the scenery more seducing. At last we were nearing a village, Thall in Upper Dir, known as the starting point of Kumrat.
As our Jeep crossed
the checkpost at Thall, I was left spellbound and enthralled, witnessing the
most beautiful village I had ever seen in my life. The mesmerizing scenery of
this village was inundated with lush green fields on the hillside along with
the sparsely settled houses. Adding life to the village was a river flowing
through it, making an attraction not only for the denizens but also for the
tourists. Besides nature, the craftiness of natives was depicting in the wooden
canals coming off the river to irrigate their potato and maize crops. All these
delightful scenes were an indication of some unrivalling beauty that was yet to
be seen and that i could sense of. Beyond the village there appeared a unique,
distinct and heart-throbbing landscape with the forest comprising of pine and
deodar trees. The eyes could only see greenery all along the road nourished by
a blue river streaming through the valley gracefully and making a delicate
torrential sound to dilute all our woes into nature. The mountains appeared to
be lying their arms on both sides as they seem to gaurd the valley of Kumrat.
After the hectic drive of all the day, we stopped at a suitable place having
hotels around. As the Sun was about to set we could not take our chances to
lose more time without cherishing diversity, dynamicity and colors of nature.
So I wasted no time to lay down in the river to flirt with glacial water and
romance with nature whole heartedly. If only the temperature of the water had
been few centrigrades high, I would have taken a full bath like it was my last
one. Luckily, the river wasnt deep and I could walk in easily to be deluged by
its exquisiteness and delicacy. Meanwhile, my friends kept themselves enchanted
with what suited them best. Some went to take a long stroll of the site;
few(especially the young ones) went missing in their thoughts to come next time
with their wives and others could not find any better option than capturing the
faces of nature. What stirred my dreams were the tents beside the river
Pinjgora setup to facilitate tourists for a night stay. What more one could ask
in such an ideal place and in an ideal weather other than the night stay at
river-side camps. This was like a fantasy come true that most of us visualize
in our minds. As the Sun left us with a dark night, few amateurs cheered up to
the moment and guess what, they ignited a bonfire, played the trance music and
rocked the valley with the dance to surpass all ecstasies. The weather was
getting colder and colder as the stars started to show up. Considering this,
the fishing came handy as we had had trout fish in the dinner. Moreover, the
delicious dinner and the cold weather worked as an impetus to have a good deep
sleep. Next day I woke up early to witness the crack of dawn. The feeling of
peace, serenity, and calmness overwhelmed me as I came out of my tent. The sky
was tranquil and free of all chaos. The mountains and the trees were engulfed
in plethora of fog. Infact, it(fog) was flowing on the surface of river water,
making the scene certainly magical and breathtaking.
Coming to Kumrat was an
improbable decision until we took up the opportunity on the final days of our
trip. Indeed, this journey left indelible scars on my mind and it was hard for
me to leave this place. The only thing that we could do was to vow to leave
this heaven to come again. And we did that exactly. -Shehroz Ahmed
