Swat - Switzerland of the East (Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa)

 

The lush-green and bow-shaped valley of Swat with its shining waterfalls and singing Swat River and its tributaries, and fruit-laden orchards, and gardens with a stack of colorful flowers, is an ideal for holiday-makers loving for relaxation after their busy lives. It is located in the range of Hindukush Range at an altitude of 976 meters above sea level.

Swat is situated at a distance of 257 km from Rawalpindi via Nowshera-Mardan and Malakand Pass and at the distance of 177 km from Peshawar. Traveling through Malakand Pass is a very interesting journey crossing the heights of the Malakand dry mountains with sharp road turns. At the end of this Pass, one can view the vast view of the valley with its green fields and gardens.

With the construction of Swat Express Highway, it becomes easy to travel to Swat and also reduced the distance.

Swat has a rich historical past, especially considered as the center of Buddhism. There is a number of sites in Swat where design carving on the mountain rocks shows the Buddhism in this valley. So it is an attraction for visitors having an interest in the Buddhism.

Swat is considered as Switzerland of the East, as the British Queen Elizabeth II had called Swat "Swizerland of the East" during her visit to Swat in 1961, due to its landscape similarities with Switzerland.

Valley is spread with an area of 10,260 square km, which is divided into two parts by the Swat River in the center from the Mahudond Lake. Its terrain is a little bit flat with snow-capped mountains on both sides. One can enjoy the roaring sounds of the Swat River flowing along the road with falling waterfalls from the surrounding mountain ranges.

Saidu Sharif, capital of Swat valley, is the largest town near Mingora, which is also the major commercial center of the city.

Kalam is the most attractive place in the Swat valley where the broader view of Swat River is available with a cold breeze coming from Ushu and Utrot glaciers, and the height peak Mt. Faleksher can be seen from here. Other most important places in Swat are Bahrain, Mohudond lake, Saidu Sharif, Mallam Jabba, and Miandam. Mallam Jabba is one of the hill stations in Pakistan with skiing and chair-life facilities.

Mallam Jabba is an important hill station in the Swat valley. with skiing facilities

Swat is famous for its production of different varieties of apples. These are exported to other countries and are known as the apple of Swat. Swat is also famous for peach, which accounts for nearly 80% of the peach production in Pakistan.

The population of Swat includes Yousafzai Pashtuns and Kohistni. The most spoken language is Pashto, whereas as Torwali and Kalami languages are spoken by people in the Swat Kohistan area.

Swat is famous for Fresh water lakes, rivers, springs, and waterfalls

Swat is an ideal place to visit due to its fresh water lakes, rivers, springs, and waterfalls. You can enjoy number of waterfalls in the month of June and July. Swat is also famous for high quality fruits specially plum, peach, and apple.