MINGORA: Perched amid the glacial alpine hills in the upper gorge of Kalam valley, the emerald green Mahodand Lake is being swarmed with tourists and nature enthusiasts from across the country after opening of its access track this season.

Known for its freezing water and abundance of trout fish, the lake is located in Ushu Matiltan valley some 40km above Kalam. Apart from the paradise like look of the two kilometres long zigzag lake, tourists enjoy beauty of hundreds of big and small waterfalls, lush sceneries, meadows, clump of pine and cedar trees and snow-capped peaks there.

“This is a wondrous spot for adventure seekers and nature lovers. It is not only a lake but a spot fulfilling every expectation of nature lovers. I love the colour and noise of its water, especially the brooks gushing out of the small vales around the lake,” said Jibran Khan, a tourist from Multan who visited the lake with his family.

The beauty of the lush greenery around the lake is further embellished by large number of pink and yellow coloured small flowers.

“I walked around the lake to enjoy the serenity, beauty of the plants and saw some enchanting spots where small pink flowers with birds chirping were making the scenes magical and paradisiacal. I must say that it is not only a lake but a complete package of scenic beauty,” said Ms Ibrar, a tourist from Peshawar.

Tourists ask govt to construct proper road to the lake

The tourists said that the lake and its surroundings were highly beautiful and the photographic landscape attracted them to visit the site again and again.

There is no hotel or proper building at the lakeside but local people have erected tents to serve the tourists. Tourists can enjoy boat and horse riding at the lake.

Tourists can reach the lake after travelling for two hours by powerful 4x4 jeeps. About the bad shape of the road to the lake, tourists said that government must reconstruct a proper road on which they could travel in normal cars or vehicles.

Noor Nawab, a local restaurant owner at Mahodand Lake, who has been working there for the last fifteen years, said that only those tourists, who had 4x4 vehicles, could visit the lake.

“Many other tourists want to visit it but they cannot as normal vehicles and cars cannot be plied on the bumpy and rough road. Only those, who have 4x4 jeeps, can reach here,” he said.

At a ten minutes walk above Mahodand Lake, there is another beautiful but small lake known as Saifullah Lake.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2017