The next day, we woke up early in the morning. I offered my prayer and thanked Allah that he gave me another day to live and to enjoy the beauty of nature and to grateful for his bounties. We opened the windows of our room and the sunlight was coming directly through the windows in our room. I went to the balcony and I was surprised to see the sun rise. It was one of the best sunrise I have ever witnessed. The top of the mountains was shining brightly because of the sunlight which caused our eyes to squint.
The sound of the rushing River Kunhar filled the air as our hotel was conveniently located near its banks.
After enjoying the nature, We took bath and got ready. We had a yummy breakfast and we decided to visit to places today. One was Lake Saif ul Malook and other was Lalazar Meadows. These both spots can’t be covered without jeeps because the road is unpaved and very dangerous. Only one jeep can pass at a time and if a jeep is returning from the top, he has to stop at some verge so that the coming jeep can pass. One can easily get height-phobia if he/she sees on the other side of road.
We booked jeeps and started our journey towards Lake Saif ul Maluk. It started raining after a while.
In the beginning, it seemed that the track is very easy and safe. But as soon as gaining height, it was becoming dangerous. The driver told us that it is easy for them but seems dangerous to the tourists. It is because the drivers have been driving on these rocky and unpaved paths from many years. They have much experience and know all the techniques and tips. I asked driver if any accident happened there? He told me that once a jeep fell from the road into the river from a great height. Unluckily, all the passengers died on the spot and no one survived. :(
We all were out of breath when we heard this story from the driver. But he told us that don’t worry, you have me, so you all are safe and sound. But we were still scared in our heart. The bad condition of road was due to landslides and snow fall in winters. We felt our bones displaced because of the rocky trek. After 2 hours of dangerous ride, we reached Lake Saif ul Maluk. There were many jeeps and a huge crowd of tourists.
This lake offers breathtaking natural beauty, with majestic mountains, crystal-clear lake and lush greenery. It is a heaven for nature lovers, hikers, and photographers alike. The lake’s serene ambiance and fun activities make it a must-visit destination for anyone seeking tranquility. At an elevation of 3200+ meters above sea level, this lake is one of the highest lakes in Pakistan. With its majestic self, this lake carries a lot of interesting mystical tales of fairies and princes because of its undefined beauty.
There were many tourists sitting around an old man. I went to him and then I came to know that he was telling the story of about this lake. He charged 300 rupees (1 dollar) to tell the story. I paid him and he started the story. He told us that the Lake Saif ul Maluk is named after a legendary prince. A fairy tale called Saif ul Maluk, later on turned into poem form by the Sufi poet Mian Muhammad Bakhsh. It tells the story of the Egyptian Prince Saiful Maluk who fell in love with a fairy princess named Princess Badri-ul-Jamala at the lake. He also told us that no one is allowed to stay at this lake after evening because it is scary at night. Prince often comes at night on this lake.😟
After that, we went downwards and reached at the lake. The water of lake was very cold and it was blue and crystal clear.
The water temperature of the lake remains down the 10 degrees as it receives glacial waters mostly.🥶 I walked around the lake. My cousins decided to have a boating experience on the lake. They gave us life saving jackets and we had an amazing and enjoyable experience of boating on the lake.
It is a must visit place for everyone because of its beauty. After enjoying at the lake, we stepped in our jeeps and started our journey to Lalazar Meadows.
Lalazar is a green meadow situated at the height of an elevation of 3100+ metres (10000+ ft) above the sea level. It is located in upper Kaghan Valley in Mansehra District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. The route to Lalazar is on the Mansehra-Naran-Babusar-Chillas highway toward Babusar, the drive is the drive is very dangerous and steep, vertical, full of bumps that one has his heart in mouth when 2 jeeps cross eachother. Sometimes, the driver is driving on the absolutely outer edge of track. Although it is a mountainous route and takes time to reach the point, rest assure that its worth to see.
See the beautiful lake surrounding by mountains. One would really indulge himselft with the surroundings of the natural gift. We reached at the top of Lalazar Meadows after few hours of drive. It is a nice place with lots of beautiful scenery to see and relaxing. It is not as busy as other places and I would recommend visiting. There were lush green meadows and fields on the top which were grown by locals. They were very hospitable and kind. They offered us tea but we thanked them for their offer.
After spending quality time there, we captured some pics. The sun was very bright there but cold wind was blowing. I had sun burn on my arms.🥵 We were very tired but these views made us fresh.
Now we planned to get back. So we started our jeep ride back to our hotel and reached there at night.
We ate dinner at a restaurant and went back to our room. We put our phones on charging, changed our clothes and had a gossip. Soon we felt sleepy and we all slept.
Thankyou for reading.
See you all in the next episode!
All the pictures are owned by me!!