Since my first expedition into the wilderness of Karakoram, where the world’s second highest mountain K-2 lies, the Karakoram has become my ultimate adventure destination for exploring and capturing nature. But since I have come back from the valley of Broghil, which is famous for its dazzling beauty and abundant lakes of pristine water, a line from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar has reverberated many a time in my ears, “It’s not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more”.

Broghil Valley National Park (BVNP) was established in 2010, under section 16 of the North-West Frontier Province Wildlife Act 1975 and is located to the northeast of Khyber Pakthunkhwa’s Chitral district, at a distance of 250km from Chitral town. The total area of the park is 1,348 sq km and the average altitude is above 3,000 metres.

BVNP’s distinct geographical features make this place from another world, with its unparalleled ecosystem protected by skyrocketing peaks and difficult accessibility for its inhabitants lending to their isolated yet intriguing culture.

Taking the road less travelled by

Travelling by air was not possible, as there were prior bookings due to the Shandur Festival, so we reached Chitral city after a 10-hour long drive from Islamabad. The journey itself was an adventure because we had the opportunity of passing through the famous Lowari Tunnel, which is close to 9km long and connects Chitral valley with district Dir.

The next day, we left Chitral for Mastuj where we spent the night and the following day, we were on the mountainous, yet jeep-able road. Our destination was Kishmanja, which is the starting point of the BVNP. The landscape of the entire jeep journey was diverse and picturesque, and the memories of the grassy plains of Yarkhun Valley and the rocky terrain in rainy weather are still vivid in my mind.

There are different accounts regarding the etymology of the valley’s name; but the popular one says that the impeccable greenery and matchless beauty of this valley is due to the blood of a friend who was murdered by his own friend-turned-enemy. Before that murder, the valley was as barren as a desert, but when the soil of this valley absorbed the blood of an innocent, the valley shrouded itself in a green veil. In the local language, yaar means friend and khun means blood. Other folktales also claim that Yarkhun means home of a friend.

Broghil must be visited at least once, even if it is just for the taste of trout, the view of the horizon from the Darkoot glacier, or even the matchless greenery of Chikaar valley

A microcosm of history

Ecologically, this land is a goldmine of elements that are fundamental to biodiversity. According to the available literature about lakes in Pakistan, out of 34 majestic lakes, Lake Qurumber is Pakistan’s second and the world’s 31st highest lake. It is also the deepest and widest lake in the area. The water of Lake Qurumber (often spelt as Karmber or Kromber) is the cleanest in the country; the Secchi disk (a device that measures water transparency) gave a reading of 14 degrees for water clarity.

Strategically speaking, this area is of paramount importance for Pakistan. BVNP is around the Wakhan corridor, a narrow strip which separates Pakistan from the Central Asian state of Tajikistan. During the ‘Great Game’ of the 19th century, Great Britain felt threatened due to the presence of spies from imperial Russia in the Wakhan corridor. This narrow strip was once part of the famous Silk Route, which was extensively used by explorers, conquerors, invaders and traders.

Wakhi culture and language prevails here and hospitality in this region is exceptional. With a simple way of living, they nurture their own traditions and values as a distinct and rich culture — their sports, in accordance with climatic conditions, depict cultural ties with the adjacent Central Asian states.

Yak Polo is the most favorite sport of the area. A three-day Broghil festival takes place every year in the area and the main attraction of the festival is Yak Polo. Unlike the Shandhur Polo Festival, where horses are used to play polo, in Broghil, festival players complete this daunting task on yaks — and that too, at an altitude of more than 3,962.4 metres above sea level.

Broghil valley is a recognised wetland, and while there are over 200 wetlands in Pakistan, only 48 were documented before the inception of this programme.

To preserve this invaluable tract of land and its rich biodiversity, the ministry of environment’s wetlands programme is working meticulously and a geographic information system has been implemented for the monitoring and compilation of data. In addition, the United Nations Development Programme, the Chintar Welfare Society Broghil, the World Wide Fund, the Global Environment Facility, Netherlands and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands are working in collaboration with the KP government to slowdown environmental change.

The Chitral Scouts have numerous posts for ensuring security in BVNP and for those who prefer riding over walking, horses are available and can be hired at nominal charges. Broghil must be visited at least once in a lifetime, even if it is just for the taste of trout, the view of the horizon from the top of the Darkoot glacier and the matchless greenery of Chikaar valley.

Since I have come back from the valley of Broghil, which is famous for its dazzling beauty and abundant lakes of pristine water, a line from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar has reverberated many a time in my ears, “It’s not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more”.

A dance with nature

Before embarking on this nomadic journey, many people warned me that June is still too early as it takes time to melt the winter ice on Lake Qurumber. Somehow, deep down in my heart, I wished to see the lake in all seasons, but the day I reached, half of the lake was still frozen.

It was as if two different seasons had met up, but nature kept a bigger surprise for us for the next day. During the night, a storm and ferocious wind jostled our camps erected around the lake, and in the morning we woke up to find that snow had covered our camps, the surface of the lake, and the adjacent mountain which was not as high, but the shape was quite similar to K2.

After Lake Qurumber our next destination was Darkot Pass. Elevation of this pass is 4,703m, and connects the Broghil valley with Rawat valley of District Ghizer of Gilgit-Baltistan. The highest mountain of district Ghizer, Koyo Zum (6,872m), is just 16km away from this pass.

Pushing our limits, we covered two stages of our expedition in the same day and stayed at the beautiful Chikaar valley. The next day, we hiked towards the Chikaar base camp for the night. The sudden gain of elevation was tiring, but as we reached the base camp of Darkut Pass early, we could rest up. The evening brought a dazzling rainbow of colours all over the sky, and clouds were playing well with the dying light of the sun.

At two in the night, with all possible layers of clothing and crampons (a device used to walk on ice and for climbing) tied under shoes; we started to ascend the frozen Darkoot glacier. Late night is the best time for frozen terrain because you get a good grip on the frozen surface, whereas in the morning the sun melts the ice, which may cause fatal injuries.

When I reached the apex of the pass, I made a call to prayer or azaan, which is a custom among Muslim climbers and trekkers when they reach the summit of a mountain or a pass.

The ascent was easy but the descent was long and grueling, but since it was the concluding day of the camping part of the expedition, we pushed our limits even more. In Rawat valley, the jeeps were already waiting to take us to the PTDC motel in Gupis, where we celebrated the successful completion of our expedition by eating like wild beasts. After consuming and surviving on canned items and a limited variety of food, everyone was craving something mouthwatering.

It’s not the completion of the expedition or the summit of the mountain that one misses or cherishes later, but the difficulties and the challenges that make the most interesting tales to tell.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, June 26th, 2016