Pakistan - Chitral

Chitral located in the North west of Pakistan is a beautiful valley in the Hindukush range of Mountains. It has always been a very important route for many invaders to south east Asia, Including Alexander the great Scythians, Mangol Changez Khan and numerous others. Chitral is a small town with a one single street bazaar and a few tourist class hotels. At the end of Bazaar on the right (River side) there is the Chitral fort and Palace of Mehtar (Mir Or King) In front of the Fort is the Jami Mosque of Chitral an impressive architecture with beautiful inlays and decorations. You can get to Chitral from Swat via Dir drive to Dir on your Car where there are Jeeps available at Al Manzar Hotel which will take you via Lowari pass to the town of Chitral. There are also Hiaces (Vans) leaving from Swat but Jeeps are much safer. From Gilgit you can get a Jeep to take you to Phander (Below Shandur Pass ) You must overnight at a camp site and later continue to Chitral next day.

styl/ o t p)R R 0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Mahargarh 9000 years old village culture of Pakistan, though the food and goods on sale in the bazaars give it a certain Central Asian feel and a reason to see it. Afghan refugees have brought with them fresh crafts like the distinctive Hazara rugs, to add to such traditional items as Balouch mirror work, wooden crafts from Sind & Punjab and many other merchandise from Iran & Afghanistan.
In the cantonment north of the city is Staff College , there is a small military museum in a bungalow once occupied by Field- Marshal Montgomery when he was an instructor at the Quetta Staff College, it is the academy which trains Pakistan's military elite . The same route out of town leads after 11 kilometers to a Hanna Lake, which is a scenic lake with beautiful picnic spots around it. If you continue 22 kilometers on the same road there are the orchards of Urak Tangi. An other great spot to have a relaxed picnic under the apples & pomegranates orchids.