Sunday, July 26, 2009

#18: Sunset at 3000+ metres at Paya in Kaghan Valley, Pakistan


Here is a beautiful postcard from my beloved homeland Pakistan. The postcard features a magnificent sunset at a hill station - Paya in Kaghan Valley.

Paya is located at a height of approx 3080 m. It is a vast expense of undulating alpine meadows in the lower part of Kaghan Valley. Standing well above the valley in the dense pine woods, this high summer pasture offers excellent views of neighboring peaks. It is located at a distance of 24 kms from Balakot and 7 kms from Kawai (This place name always reminds me of the great movie - Bridge On River Kwai, but it has nothing to do with the movie). From Kawai, a road starts climbing upwards to a lovely hill station of Shogran. It is a steep climb from Kawai to Shogran and even steeper ahead of it. Paya can be reached from Shogran by jeep (4x4) on a track which leads to the summer settlements of Siri and Paya.

The entire Kaghan Valley is a beautiful place to spend your summer or at least a part of it. Nature can be found at its best here.