A Valley. A heaven.
Gujar (herder) families you'll see along the way bringing their animals up to the summer pastures.
Alpine in geography and climate, with streams and meadows dominating the landscape below peaks that reach over 5,500 meters. The valley is about 160 kilometers long, and the valley floor has an elevations of approximately 1000 meters.
In May the temperature ranges between a maximum of 11 °C (52 °F) and a minimum of 3 °C (37 °F). From the middle of July up to the end of September the road beyond this Valley is open right up to Babusar Pass. Movement is restricted during the monsoon and winter seasons. The best time to visit is in summer months (May to September). From the mid – July up to the end of September, the road beyond, snow-bound throughout the winter, is open right up to Babusar Pass. Movement may be restricted during the monsoon season due to heavy rains and landslides.
The peoples of the valley speak Hindko as their main language but some other languages like, Pashto, Kohistani and Gojri are spoken as well. Urdu is used as the lingua franca due to the presence of the tourist industry. People of the valley have diverse ethnic origins, although the Majority of Hindko speakers are ethnically Pathans. Swati(Pathan) tribe along with Syed Family, have always had strong cultural, economic and political dominance across the valley. Historically oppressed Gujar tribe in valley also emerged as political reality due to their vast Vote Bank.One of the most interesting features of the valley is the Gujar (herder) families you'll see along the way bringing their animals up to the summer pastures. The valley is one of their most popular destinations in Pakistan. You will find them camped along the road in their tents or moving up the valley with their goats, sheep and pack animals around the start of summer and on their way back to lower altitudes around the beginning of winter.
Main image by Kamran Paracha from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
Gujar (herder) families you'll see along the way bringing their animals up to the summer pastures.
Alpine in geography and climate, with streams and meadows dominating the landscape below peaks that reach over 5,500 meters. The valley is about 160 kilometers long, and the valley floor has an elevations of approximately 1000 meters.
In May the temperature ranges between a maximum of 11 °C (52 °F) and a minimum of 3 °C (37 °F). From the middle of July up to the end of September the road beyond this Valley is open right up to Babusar Pass. Movement is restricted during the monsoon and winter seasons. The best time to visit is in summer months (May to September). From the mid – July up to the end of September, the road beyond, snow-bound throughout the winter, is open right up to Babusar Pass. Movement may be restricted during the monsoon season due to heavy rains and landslides.
The peoples of the valley speak Hindko as their main language but some other languages like, Pashto, Kohistani and Gojri are spoken as well. Urdu is used as the lingua franca due to the presence of the tourist industry. People of the valley have diverse ethnic origins, although the Majority of Hindko speakers are ethnically Pathans. Swati(Pathan) tribe along with Syed Family, have always had strong cultural, economic and political dominance across the valley. Historically oppressed Gujar tribe in valley also emerged as political reality due to their vast Vote Bank.One of the most interesting features of the valley is the Gujar (herder) families you'll see along the way bringing their animals up to the summer pastures. The valley is one of their most popular destinations in Pakistan. You will find them camped along the road in their tents or moving up the valley with their goats, sheep and pack animals around the start of summer and on their way back to lower altitudes around the beginning of winter.
Main image by Kamran Paracha from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
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