ghazi52
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Trekking to Siran Valley is a dream come true for adventure junkies and photo enthusiasts alike
We got to see some of the most glorious landscapes any traveller’s eyes can have the fortune of beholding.
FAYSAL KHAN ELAHI
Siran Valley, a lesser-known valley in Mansehra District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is one of my favourites in Pakistan. Not because I hail from there, but because I have seen and explored some of the most magnificent landscapes in the valley that are seldom visited.
Last year, my cousin insisted on taking me to the Pleja Meadows, a part of the Siran Valley, which is by far one of the best places I have ever seen. This was in July of 2016.
After that visit, we made plans to go again the following year. But this time, we wanted to explore the other side of Siran Valley — the villages of Mandagucha and Jacha — travelling through forests and then taking the snow line all the way to the Khanda Gali peak and Neeli Nadi.
Whenever I plan for a trip, my friends get excited and almost always want to tag along. But this time, none of my friends from my usual posse could join me, most likely because the trip was very physically demanding, involving hiking all the way up into the forest.
However, three of my cousins from Jabori and two friends, Adeel and Babar, all the way from Karachi, joined me in my adventurous undertaking.
One of my cousins Hammad, a guard for the forest of Mandagucha — which was to be our first stop — had invited us.
An hour after I left Mansehra, I had travelled 40 kilometres and reached Jabori where my cousins were getting ready to accompany me.
From Jabori, we hired a minivan for Mandagucha which was 19 kilometres away. The driver said that he was pressed for time and had to reach somewhere else in a short while, so he drove at a very brisk pace.
The way he drove, like a man possessed, literally had us on the edge of our seats. Half an hour later, we had reached our destination. It’s fortunate that none of us get travel sickness or that could have been a very messy journey.
Upon our arrival, we were greeted by the sight of a beautiful house that belonged to a friend of Hammad’s. This is where we were to spend the next three hours.
One of the many waterfalls in Dhor, Mandagucha. - All photos by the author
It was here that Hammad called upon the assistance of a babajias we had plenty of luggage. Babaji arrived a short while later with his donkey, and soon he was off with all our luggage, making his way to Dhor, a village located 10 kilometres away alongside the Siran River, and the place where we would be spending our first night.
All our luggage went except my camera bag; I prefer to keep this little treasure with me at all times.
While there, we made an astounding discovery: walnuts. We found walnuts everywhere!
The walnut is a common fruit in Siran Valley but I learnt that the best walnuts can be found in Mandagucha. We ate plenty of these and then hit the road, eager to continue our adventure.
From Mandagucha to Jacha is a distance of five kilometres. And another five from Jacha to Dhor, a nice parallel track to the Siran River. Although this was a pleasant walk, when we reached Jacha it began to rain, which made the journey forward somewhat harder.
By early evening, we reached Dhor, but by then the temperature had dropped. When we got there, we met Shah Hussain, our host for the night. He took us to a tea shop where they make tea for travellers.
After thoroughly enjoying the hot beverage, we went to Shah Hussain’s guest room. My cousin Hammad and his fellow guards often use this room when they are visiting the fields. After resting for some time, we went to the river to try our luck at fishing.
As I tried to document the adventure through photography, my cousins attempted to catch some fish, while a local played a tune on his flute. By then, the weather had begun to get cold.
Having had no luck with fishing but some luck with photography, we headed back to our guest room. We lit a fire to warm our cold bones from the chill we’d felt outside, and sat down for dinner.
A pond right in front of Musa Ka Musallah peak.
A curious, friendly boy at Araam Gali.
Dinner was a simple affair: all organic vegetables washed down with buttermilk, with yoghurt and cream on the side. It was still raining as we lay down to rest for the long day ahead of us.
The next morning, after having a nice breakfast with Shah Hussain, we began walking. We were determined to to reach Araam Gali and spend the night there.
As the donkey was struggling to climb uphill, we were left with no choice but to take our luggage on our backs. Shah Hussain arranged a guide for us, Shafi, a resident of Thanda near Araam Gali.
After a two-hour walk we reached Kaalu Aala Kalaas (a name given to the place by its residents in the Gojri language), which was a pleasant meadow in the middle of the forest, five kilometres away from Dhor. We spent plenty of time there and I even joined some children there to play gilli danda.
We were served some delectable cookies with tea to fuel up for the hike ahead; the journey was going to be tough and we had to be prepared for it. We had to climb for the next five hours.
A beautiful view of Kunaali from Khanda Gali.
Hammad and Babar walked with ease, unperturbed by the terrain. Hammad is no different from a resident of the area we were traversing, because it was his own territory of inspection and he was used to it.
Babar, is a great hiker having explored most of the places by foot and has the stamina to hike all day.
Adeel and I, on the other hand, are not good hikers. Many a time we lost our way whilst hiking.
The ascent was an extremely trying experience. But shortly after crossing the snow line, the glorious sight in front of our eyes was enough for us to forget the ordeal of getting there.
Kunaali, the site we had reached, is almost 15-20 kilometres from Dhor, and is far steeper than Kaalu Aala Kalaas. There we had to cross the forest line to enter the snow line.
After spending an age just taking in the fresh air of Kunaali, it was time to start taking some photographs. By now we were also feeling the pangs of hunger, so Shafi went to get some food.
Would you believe that they had run out of rice and vegetables, but were kind enough to make some fresh roti for us? This was accompanied by a glass of yoghurt with salt for seasoning.
It was not a culinary delight by any means but being ravenous meant we didn’t have a choice. We still had to hike for two hours to reach Thanda, two kilometres away, where we stayed overnight. We thought it best to buy a chicken from Kunaali and take it with us for our dinner.
Somewhere near Manna in the forest of Jacha.
The next couple of hours were very rough, but before nightfall descended, we reached Thanda. We rested in a guest room at Shafi’s house, where he served us some tea.
We were right in front of the Moosa ka Musallah peak. From Dhor, we had to reach Khori and then travel on to Musallah summit.
But we wanted to explore the meadows ahead of Moosa ka Musallah first. There is a place there called Panj Nadi, a sight of five big glaciers that originate from the Siran River.
After finishing our tea, we headed toward a mosque. The houses people there live in are called taara in Hindko. A taarais made of stone, and usually three are built: one for the family, one for livestock, usually sheep and goats, and a third for the mosque where travellers can stay for the night.
The mosque where we stayed had no doors or windows. We built a fire indoors as the weather was becoming very chilly. As evening turned to night, even colder weather enveloped the little taara, which felt like a loving mother, protecting us from the horrible, icy tendrils of the invisible cold.
A masjid without a door or windows where we spent our second night.
A taara made of stones in the middle of nowhere.
In a few moments, our taara was lashed with heavy rainfall accompanied with loud thunder. That night, Shafi cooked some highly flavourful rice with kidney beans along with the chicken we had brought from Kunaali. We had some butter and cream as well.
The tempest outside, coupled with the fact that our taaradidn’t have any doors or windows, was ample encouragement that we should slip into our sleeping bags as soon as possible. We were spent from the day’s hike anyway, and soon fell asleep.
The next morning we were greeted by an amazing, rejuvenating sunrise over the Moosa Ka Musallah peak, a far cry from the previous night’s doom and gloom. After having a hearty breakfast, we had to say goodbye to Shafi and set off in order to reach Aram Gali, where we were going to meet our next guide.
We got to see some of the most glorious landscapes any traveller’s eyes can have the fortune of beholding.
FAYSAL KHAN ELAHI
Siran Valley, a lesser-known valley in Mansehra District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is one of my favourites in Pakistan. Not because I hail from there, but because I have seen and explored some of the most magnificent landscapes in the valley that are seldom visited.
Last year, my cousin insisted on taking me to the Pleja Meadows, a part of the Siran Valley, which is by far one of the best places I have ever seen. This was in July of 2016.
After that visit, we made plans to go again the following year. But this time, we wanted to explore the other side of Siran Valley — the villages of Mandagucha and Jacha — travelling through forests and then taking the snow line all the way to the Khanda Gali peak and Neeli Nadi.
Whenever I plan for a trip, my friends get excited and almost always want to tag along. But this time, none of my friends from my usual posse could join me, most likely because the trip was very physically demanding, involving hiking all the way up into the forest.
However, three of my cousins from Jabori and two friends, Adeel and Babar, all the way from Karachi, joined me in my adventurous undertaking.
One of my cousins Hammad, a guard for the forest of Mandagucha — which was to be our first stop — had invited us.
An hour after I left Mansehra, I had travelled 40 kilometres and reached Jabori where my cousins were getting ready to accompany me.
From Jabori, we hired a minivan for Mandagucha which was 19 kilometres away. The driver said that he was pressed for time and had to reach somewhere else in a short while, so he drove at a very brisk pace.
The way he drove, like a man possessed, literally had us on the edge of our seats. Half an hour later, we had reached our destination. It’s fortunate that none of us get travel sickness or that could have been a very messy journey.
Upon our arrival, we were greeted by the sight of a beautiful house that belonged to a friend of Hammad’s. This is where we were to spend the next three hours.
One of the many waterfalls in Dhor, Mandagucha. - All photos by the author
It was here that Hammad called upon the assistance of a babajias we had plenty of luggage. Babaji arrived a short while later with his donkey, and soon he was off with all our luggage, making his way to Dhor, a village located 10 kilometres away alongside the Siran River, and the place where we would be spending our first night.
All our luggage went except my camera bag; I prefer to keep this little treasure with me at all times.
While there, we made an astounding discovery: walnuts. We found walnuts everywhere!
The walnut is a common fruit in Siran Valley but I learnt that the best walnuts can be found in Mandagucha. We ate plenty of these and then hit the road, eager to continue our adventure.
From Mandagucha to Jacha is a distance of five kilometres. And another five from Jacha to Dhor, a nice parallel track to the Siran River. Although this was a pleasant walk, when we reached Jacha it began to rain, which made the journey forward somewhat harder.
By early evening, we reached Dhor, but by then the temperature had dropped. When we got there, we met Shah Hussain, our host for the night. He took us to a tea shop where they make tea for travellers.
After thoroughly enjoying the hot beverage, we went to Shah Hussain’s guest room. My cousin Hammad and his fellow guards often use this room when they are visiting the fields. After resting for some time, we went to the river to try our luck at fishing.
As I tried to document the adventure through photography, my cousins attempted to catch some fish, while a local played a tune on his flute. By then, the weather had begun to get cold.
Having had no luck with fishing but some luck with photography, we headed back to our guest room. We lit a fire to warm our cold bones from the chill we’d felt outside, and sat down for dinner.
A pond right in front of Musa Ka Musallah peak.
A curious, friendly boy at Araam Gali.
Dinner was a simple affair: all organic vegetables washed down with buttermilk, with yoghurt and cream on the side. It was still raining as we lay down to rest for the long day ahead of us.
The next morning, after having a nice breakfast with Shah Hussain, we began walking. We were determined to to reach Araam Gali and spend the night there.
As the donkey was struggling to climb uphill, we were left with no choice but to take our luggage on our backs. Shah Hussain arranged a guide for us, Shafi, a resident of Thanda near Araam Gali.
After a two-hour walk we reached Kaalu Aala Kalaas (a name given to the place by its residents in the Gojri language), which was a pleasant meadow in the middle of the forest, five kilometres away from Dhor. We spent plenty of time there and I even joined some children there to play gilli danda.
We were served some delectable cookies with tea to fuel up for the hike ahead; the journey was going to be tough and we had to be prepared for it. We had to climb for the next five hours.
A beautiful view of Kunaali from Khanda Gali.
Hammad and Babar walked with ease, unperturbed by the terrain. Hammad is no different from a resident of the area we were traversing, because it was his own territory of inspection and he was used to it.
Babar, is a great hiker having explored most of the places by foot and has the stamina to hike all day.
Adeel and I, on the other hand, are not good hikers. Many a time we lost our way whilst hiking.
The ascent was an extremely trying experience. But shortly after crossing the snow line, the glorious sight in front of our eyes was enough for us to forget the ordeal of getting there.
Kunaali, the site we had reached, is almost 15-20 kilometres from Dhor, and is far steeper than Kaalu Aala Kalaas. There we had to cross the forest line to enter the snow line.
After spending an age just taking in the fresh air of Kunaali, it was time to start taking some photographs. By now we were also feeling the pangs of hunger, so Shafi went to get some food.
Would you believe that they had run out of rice and vegetables, but were kind enough to make some fresh roti for us? This was accompanied by a glass of yoghurt with salt for seasoning.
It was not a culinary delight by any means but being ravenous meant we didn’t have a choice. We still had to hike for two hours to reach Thanda, two kilometres away, where we stayed overnight. We thought it best to buy a chicken from Kunaali and take it with us for our dinner.
Somewhere near Manna in the forest of Jacha.
The next couple of hours were very rough, but before nightfall descended, we reached Thanda. We rested in a guest room at Shafi’s house, where he served us some tea.
We were right in front of the Moosa ka Musallah peak. From Dhor, we had to reach Khori and then travel on to Musallah summit.
But we wanted to explore the meadows ahead of Moosa ka Musallah first. There is a place there called Panj Nadi, a sight of five big glaciers that originate from the Siran River.
After finishing our tea, we headed toward a mosque. The houses people there live in are called taara in Hindko. A taarais made of stone, and usually three are built: one for the family, one for livestock, usually sheep and goats, and a third for the mosque where travellers can stay for the night.
The mosque where we stayed had no doors or windows. We built a fire indoors as the weather was becoming very chilly. As evening turned to night, even colder weather enveloped the little taara, which felt like a loving mother, protecting us from the horrible, icy tendrils of the invisible cold.
A masjid without a door or windows where we spent our second night.
A taara made of stones in the middle of nowhere.
In a few moments, our taara was lashed with heavy rainfall accompanied with loud thunder. That night, Shafi cooked some highly flavourful rice with kidney beans along with the chicken we had brought from Kunaali. We had some butter and cream as well.
The tempest outside, coupled with the fact that our taaradidn’t have any doors or windows, was ample encouragement that we should slip into our sleeping bags as soon as possible. We were spent from the day’s hike anyway, and soon fell asleep.
The next morning we were greeted by an amazing, rejuvenating sunrise over the Moosa Ka Musallah peak, a far cry from the previous night’s doom and gloom. After having a hearty breakfast, we had to say goodbye to Shafi and set off in order to reach Aram Gali, where we were going to meet our next guide.
