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| Badghoi Top Connecting Kalam Swat and Kumrat Dir Valleys |
Above Video (June 30, 2018): crossed High altitude Badhgoi Pass connecting Upper Swat and Upper Dir Districts (Kalam to Kumrat) in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Route Map:
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| Loop: Islamabad-Bahrain-Gabral-Badghoi-Kumrat-Dir-Peshawar |
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| Close-up: Gabral Valley to Kumrat Valley |
June 22, 2018:
Reached Swat, overnight stay at Bahrain, a scenic town and the end of metal top road.
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| Bahrain: Last Town in Swat with Metalled Road |
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| Sunset Somewhere Between Kalam and Gabral |
June 23 - June 30, 2018:
Stayed at Gabral Village, right at the heart of nature, for a week. Zeeshan Mansoor with wife and 3 kids (in their Toyota Corolla) left on June 26 for lower Swat, so did Zeeshan Hussain, wife and 3 years daughter on June 28. Asif Bhai joined us in Gabral from Faisalabad on June 28-29 with his and brother's family in Toyota Corolla and Honda City respectively.
We stayed till June 30, before descending from Kumrat side to complete the loop.
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| Gabral Valley Swat: June 23 - June 30, 2018 |
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| Gabral River |
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| Kharkhari Lake Gabral |
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| On the Way to Kharkhari Lake Gabral |
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| From Left: Zeeshan Mansoor, Siraj our host, Zeeshan Hussain, Myself |
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| Wilderness in Gabral Valley Swat |
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| Natural Meadows around Gabral Valley |
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| Freezing Cold Furious Stream Emanating from Kharkhari Lake Gabral Valley |
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| Snacks Vendor on the Way to Kharkhari Lake |
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| Water is not a Scarce Resource around Gabral Valley |
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| Omnipresent Naturally Grown Yellow Flowers of Gabral Valley |
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| Clouds Gathering at Gabral Valley Mountain Top |
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| Typical Gujjar House in Gabral Valley |
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| From Left: Nisar Eldest Brother, Zeeshan Mansoor, Aqal Zada, Myself, Zeeshan Hussain and Daughter, Siraj our Host |
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| Colours of Sunset in Gabral Valley |
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| A Natural Waterfall Feeding to a Small Local Hydro Power Generator in Gabral Valley |
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| Tiger: Sirajs Dog! |
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| Wilderness Around Gabral Valley Swat |
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| Another Fast Stream Coming from Shahi Bagh Gabral |
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| Shahi Bagh: a Stunning Meadow in Gabral, Tough Access |
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| Divine Botanical Gardens: Shahi Bagh, Gabral Valley |
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| Nature's Art: Shahi Bagh Gabral |
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| Shahi Bagh Gabral |
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| Absolute Wilderness: on the Way to Shahi Bagh Gabral |
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| Paper Trees around Shahi Bagh Gabral |
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| Natural Paper from the Jungle: Shahi Bagh Gabral |
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| These Scented Pink Flowers are Hard to Ignore on the Tough Shahi Bagh 4x4 Track |
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| Getting Overcast: Clouds Coming Down to Gabral Valley |
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| Sunrise in Gabral Valley Swat |
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| Waterfall Right Behind Our Gabral Residence |
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| Nature's Art in Gabral Valley |
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| Asif Bhai also Made it from Faisalabad with his Family |
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| Backpacks Ready for the Return Journey Through a Different Route |
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| Good Bye Gabral Valley |
June 30 - July 1:
Gabral - Badgho Top - Kumrat Waterfall - Peshawar
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| Hired 4x4 from Utror Village to Cross Over the Tough and Dangerous Badghoi Pass |
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| After an Hour of Steep Ride Utror Village is Hardly Visible Alongside the River |
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| Approaching Badhgoi Top: Contentious Desan Meadows can be Seen |
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| A Motorbike on Tough Badhgoi Pass |
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| These Yellowish Stones are Actually a Sheep Herd: Badhgoi Top |
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| Nature's Bouquet |
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| Green Flag Flying High in Strong Chilling Wind |
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| Descending from Badghoi Top Towards Kumrat Dir Side |
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| Remote Village on Badghoi Slope |
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| Reached Thal Village, Kumrat Valley, After a 4 Hours of Bone Breaking Ride |
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| Local Hospitality in Thal, Kumrat: Tandoori Paratha, Maize Flour Bread and Pancake, Free Range Eggs, Cow Milk Cream, and Honey Served with Goat Milk Tea! |
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| The Mighty Kumrat Waterfall |
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| Dense Kumrat Jungle Surviving Human Onslaught |
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| Some Trees in the Jungle Even Touch the Sky :-P |
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| Wild Wild Kumrat: Toadstool |
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| Saying Goodbye to Our Host in Thal Kumrat |
Peshawar to Karachi PIA. 2 hours late, bad quality customer service, but still more reliable than lousy private local carriers.
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| Our Host Dr. Imran in Peshawar treated us with sumptuous Chappal Kabab! |
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| Boarding for the Return Journey |
