Swat in 2013

So I finally did visit the Swat District in this year's visit to Pakistan. I can tell everyone that the hassle of getting there is nothing small, but most officials were very encouraging. Can't say the same for Caucasian tourists though. Now I'd been told it was easy to get up to Ushu in a private car, but this seemed impossible really. Or at least not very sustainable in an average Pakistani car. The road disintegrates rapidly after Madyan, something not mentioned in the LP guidebook, which is now severely dated. 2010's floods did a lot of damage here. You can get to Kalam, but bad roads make the two and a half hour journey from Saidu Sharif a whole five hour long bone-shaking annoyance, as elsewhere in Northern Pakistan.

I stayed at Marghazar, in the White Palace. A good option, though expensive given the variety of cheaper options. I would have preferred staying in the PTDC, but unfortunately the Saidu Sharif one is located in the city centre, and the overuse of horns in Saidu Sharif is no different from the rest of the country. PTDC still acts as a fantastic information desk. Never travel without asking the PTDC of the location. Marghazar is scenically beautiful, but is of no interest to a foreign tourist. The areas around Mingora however, were just wowing. Yes, they're hard to reach, but the Bhuddist archaeological sites are still well-preserved after the Taliban conflict (which by the way is now completely poof) and the Jehanabad Buddha is a magnificent site in a highly conservative Islamic Republic. The museum, unfortunately, is occupied the army for a reason the PTDC didn't share. It's apparently one of the best in the country too. Army checkpoints are frequent after Mardan, and you will be constantly asked for a passport. Unless you're a woman accompanied by a man.

Madyan, the Switzerland of the East, I found overrated. I mean really. It might have been gorgeous in the 60s, but now it was a dusty bazaar with not so much great scenic quality. Pashtun hospitality however, is as legendary as its advertised. Albeit conservative. Kalam though, is very beautiful, and the underrated Ushu is just sublime. A perfect fairytale setting. And Ushu is still very friendly despite being a Kohistani area though. The mosques in the area are very unique as well, built in a Bhuddist-monastery style manner which looks really pretty. There's a huge language problem, and you have to be able to speak basic Urdu to converse with locals. Who hate the media by the way for destroying the tourism industry. There's no issue whatsoever of female tourists being subjugated or abused. These people are extremely conservative, and except for a short glimpse, they won't mess with ladies, and will probably respect them more if they wear a headscarf regardless of how great it covers hair. The government was promoting some form of festival with flyers and go-karts in Lake Mahodand. Didn't experience it though and seems more oriented towards domestic tourists, since this wasn't a cultural festival of any sort.

I would really recommend going to Swat especially if you have an interest in Bhuddist Pakistan. Lower Swat is full of such spectacular sights that unfortunately I couldn't completely see. Upper Swat is gorgeous at some point, but sad to say the Kaghan Valley is still more accessible (but bursting with domestic tourists), and if you can go to Gilgit-Baltistan, even better. And while Lower Swat is absolutely safe (from insurgencies or crime), a bombing occurred in Mardan, a Pashtun town that comes on the road, and an actress was burned with acid in Nowshera, another town that comes on the road. These areas are clearly not safe and not oriented towards tourists, so don't stay there for long.

Interesting to read. I went through some of those areas in 1999, spending a few weeks in Madyan so it was interesting to read a recent report. I too remember the town being rather grubby and dusty, and yes in some ways overated / oversold. One memory is little kids occasionally throwing small stones at me whenever I emerged from my guesthouse, to amuse themselves. Conservative and not 'overly' welcoming, even though dressing conservatively.

Unfortunately, I think the whole concept of foreign tourism in Pakistan may have died in the foot hills of Nangar Parbat yesterday !
I was there this time last year with my wife, staying at the 'Nangar Parbat View'' hotel, whilst touring NW Pak on my motorcycle.
A sad day for Pakistan.
UB.

Thanks rsk17 for sharing helpful travel report with fellow travelers.

Keep on having fun.

Informative thanks for sharing

Kura as ma Zaow,kvtp sahib? Phar tur ta wa.