SHOGRAN A Must Visit Hill Station of Kaghan Valley

Kaghan Valley is one of the most scenic tourist areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. This 160-kilometer-long valley is the most popular summer holiday resort for the thousands of tourists from the down country. The valley’s landscape features pine forests, alpine meadows, crystal clear lakes and cool mountain streams. Kunhar River, the main feature of the valley, is famous for its trout. Nestled along the banks of the river are the towns of Balakot, Kewai, Paras, Mahandari, Kaghan and Naran.

Among the scenic places, Shogran is one of the most popular and loveliest tourist destinations of Kaghan Valley. Blessed with captivating all around natural beauty, the strikingly beautiful plateau is an earthly paradise for the visitors.

From the rolling grassy lawns of the rest house, one can have breathtaking panoramic views of snow-covered mountains in the western and northern sides. Kaghan Valley’s highest peaks, such as Musa Ka Musalla (4,419m), Makra (3,885m) and Malika Parbat (5,290m), are visible from here.

A pleasant day excursion from Shogran is a visit to Sari and Paya. A rugged 8 km jeep road climbs 2,300 feet through thick pine forest to the top of Paya ridge, a vast expanse of undulating alpine meadows with spectacular views of Makra Mountain and Malika Parbat. In summer this place is full of wild alpine flowers which grow everywhere on the rolling grassy slopes of Paya.

From Paya, visitors can go for a day long hiking trip to climb the Makra (Spider) Mountain, which is 4,419 meters from sealevel. This mountain climb is recommended only for those who have previous experience in high altitude hiking and are familiar with the mountain wilderness safety rules.

Sari is a small lake on the way to Paya. One can stop here for a while for rest and have some refreshments at a local tea stall along the jeep road. This place also has a small forest rest house. Travelers can enjoy a hot cup of tea from one of the stalls while soaking in the majestic views of snow covered mountains reflected in the lake.

Shogran is situated at a distance of 34 km from Balakot via Kawai. From Balakot which is the gateway town of Kaghan Valley, the main road up the valley climbs quite rapidly, along the Kunhar River. This scenic route winds its way to Kawai (24km from Balakot) in around one hour.

Kawai is a small village beautifully located along the mountain side with fruit orchards and groves of walnut trees. It is the place from where an 8 km road branches off towards right for Shogran. The road from Kewai to Shogran is quite steep and presently suitable for only 4x4 jeeps.

from there to reach Shogran which costs around Rs.3000/for one way trip. The best time to visit Shogran is from April to September when the is mostly pleasant and the landscape of this area looks most beautiful.

Shogran has many hotels of different categories which provide comfortable boarding and lodging facilities for the visitors. Arcadian Resort, Pine Park Resort Hotel, Cedar Wood Resorts, Lalazar Hotel and Peradize Guest House are among some of the best places to stay at Shogran.

About the Author

Aftab Rana is a Tourism Development Specialist. He is the President of Sustainable Tourism Foundation Pakistan and a Vice President of Adventure Foundation Pakistan. He is also presently serving as Honorary Managing Director of PTDC. He is also a Fellow of Leadership for Environment and Development.