Healing Hot Springs of Garam Chashma - Chitral, Pakistan

Natural springs with hot water oozing out of sulfur rich mountains are famous the world over for healing skin diseases. While visiting Ramsar, Iran, I visited one of the springs and saw the fuming hot sulfur rich water and people taking bath. The Northern Areas of Pakistan too are rich in such hot springs where more than tourists patients abound for healing their skin related diseases.

One of the hot spring rich areas is Garam Chashma - or the Hot Springs as its is exactly translated into English. It is a small place some 45 kilometers north-west of Chitral, located at 1859 meters (6,100 feet) above mean sea level, overlooked by the famous Trichmir, the 7,700 meters high peak. Going exactly by its name, the place has hot water springs mixed with sulfur that have water as hot as above the boiling point.  

The sulfur springs are famous for healing a number of skin and joint diseases. This is what people of the area believe and thus attract a large number of tourists and patients to this scenic place for treatment. For the convenience of tourists special bathrooms have been constructed around the springs.

From Chitral, a narrow metaled road travels up north and then turns north-west along thr the Lotkuh River and on to Garam Chashma. The road is at most places washed off due to falling rocks and stones of the stony and muddy mountains due to rains and melting snow. Thus it is better to hire a jeep from Chitral or use a sturdy vehicle. 

Lotkuh River (seen in photo above), which passes through Garam Chashma, is famous for its brown trout fish. For anglers fishing is allowed from April to September for which permit has to be obtained from local fishery department.

Ali, a sturdy young man from Garam Chashma, who works as a helper with us, recently showed a number of photos of his village on his mobile that in fact urged me to write this post. All photos shared in this post, except for the Markhor and Murgh-e-Zareen (for which source are give) all photos have been taken by Ali.

Ali posing during spring but snow has still not melted

The mountain slopes on both sides of the Lotkuh valley abound in pine, ‘deodar’ and fir trees. In the valley, one comes across vast stretches of cherries, mulberry, apricot, apple pear, grape, pomegranate and melons gardens, besides Chinar and walnut trees. The pomegranates of Garam Chashma taste heavenly sweet and tourists take loads of pomegranates when departing this beautiful land - and I have already requested Ali to get me box full of these !!.

Ripe cherries of the season

Beside growing food orchards and trees, the locals till the rugged mountain patches with hard labour and assistance of animal drive plough to grow food for them. Mostly wheat and barley is cultivated.

Ploughing with snow clad mountains 

For those interested in wild life, the place is a bliss and one can spot by luck the near extinct snow leopards and Pakistan's national animal markhor besides ibex, urial, wolves and black bear. For hunters, however, there is a caution as these wild animals are protected by the wildlife department. 

The mighty Markhor (Photo Source)

Ali posing with the mighty horns of a Markhor

The beautiful multi coloured Murgh-e-Zareen (Photo Source)

Garam Chashma and surrounding areas also have majestic birds like Murgh e Zareen and various species of Chikor including the Ram Chikor or the snow partridge which clucks and whistles high on the stony steppes. Murgh e Zareen or surkhaab is a species of pheasant and is also known as the Himalayan Monal and is hunted for its crest feathers. 

Ali's father in his last days before he expired of illness six months ago

Ali posing with a Chitral Scout

I could not find a video on YouTube showing the exact hot springs of Garam Chashma except the one below which show pools of sulfured water coming from the springs.

There is much more to Pakistan and its scenic beauty hidden in the mountains and plains of the country. Do scroll through my blog for some very interesting and beautiful places of my country - Pakistan.

Video courtesy Faheed Iqbal
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Mary Loosemore's Photo Travelogue of Hindukush Adventure in Pakistan

Travelers and tourists are strange people. The leave the comforts of their homes and move around the world, reaching out to far out and distant places, normally not visited even by the local population of the country. 

Palaga, Rumber Valley, Chitral Pakistan

Flickr on Internet is replete with experiences of such people, who share spectacular photos of their traveling adventures wherever they go.

Pakistan is one of these countries which abounds in rich, awe inspiring natural wonders and trove that attract travelers from around the world to come an roam between the wilderness of mountain valleys and go back with nostalgia of coming back here once again. I have on a number of occasions, published photo travelogues of such travelers and tourists for the enjoyment of my readers. I have recently shared a post on 'the Khyber Steam Safari', once an inviting touristic attraction. 

Top Left to Bottom right: Rob, Mary Loosemore, Ann, Zafar, Ali, Stanley, BenedictPatricia, Thelma, Joan, Annie, Amanda

While looking for photos, I came across an avid traveler, Mary Loosemore from UK, who had come to Pakistan on an exclusive tour of the Hindukush mountain range and had gone around to a number of places from the famous Kalash Valley to Chitral, Shandur, Gilgit and the Karakorum Highway. Mary's travel photos are so captivating and self narrating that I requested her to allow me the usage of her collection, which she graciously allowed.

Since the collection is enormous, very rich and elaborate, I am segmenting it into smaller portions based of geographical limits so that interest of readers and viewers is not lost by watching one exhaustive post. 

Mary with her group had come to Pakistan in 2006 and stayed for some three weeks visiting the places along the Hindukush mountain range - one of the three mountain ranges that have their links to Pakistan. The other two mountain ranges are the Himalayas and the Karakorum.

The traveling programme of the group, spread from  28 September 2006 - 15 October 2006 was as under: 

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28 September 2006: Depart London on overnight BA flight to Islamabad

29 September 2006: Arrive Islamabad, drive to Peshawar

30 September 2006: Peshawar 

01 October 2006: Khyber Steam Train up the Khyber Pass

02 October 2006: Drive over the Malakand Pass to Dir

03 October 2006: Drive over the Lowari Pass to Ayun

04 October 2006: Ayun town tour and into to the Rumbur Valley, staying with the Kalash at Balanguru

05 October 2006: Balanguru and hike to the Nuristani village of Shakanande

06 October 2006: Balanguru and hike to Pelaga, the Wild Frontiers hideaway

07 October 2006: Balanguru to Chitral town - sightseeing and shopping!

08 October 2006: Chitral town to Hindu Kush Heights hotel

09 October 2006: To Mastuj, via Buni Zom, for dinner with Colonel Khushwalalt Ul Mulk

10 October 2006: Over the Shandur Pass to Phander

11 October 2006: Phander to Gilgit, then on to Karimabad along the Karakoram Highway

12 October 2006: Karimabad (shopping!) and the Eagle's Nest Hotel

13 October 2006: Karimabad to Chilas, back along the Karakoram Highway

14 October 2006: Chilas to Islamabad

15 October 2006: Early morning flight to UK

Kalash children, Balanguru, Rumber Valley

In my next post, I will share Mary's experience of the Kalash Valley, Chitral which is about the Kafir Kalash - a people whose roots are still very vague and no one is really sure from where they came from and how come people with strange features, colour and traditions got them settled in an obscured and difficult to reach mountainous area in the Kalash Valley near Chitral, Pakistan.

Mary Loosemore has the exclusive copyright of all photos in this post 

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Travel, Travelers and Traveling

Pakistan is a tourists haven – for its beaches, vast spread deserts and lush green plains and snow covered mountains that includes some of the highest pinnacles of the world. The overall weather remains generally hot and dry for most part of the year. Therefore, for a cool vacation, the travelers move north to hill stations and mountains during scorching summers of the plains, while some venture to trekking and mountain climbing further up north.

For majority of the people, Murree Hills and the surrounding areas is the best. Each summer, people as far as Karachi throng the area and enjoy the cool summer holidays (more than the Summer Holidays of Cliff Richard). The areas close by include the “Galiyat” of Changla and Nathia and of course Bhurbun with its lush green Golf Course and a spectacular PC Bhurban.

Ayubia some 26 kilometers from Murree is in fact a combination of four mini resorts namely Khairagali, Changlagali, Khanspur and Ghora Dhaka, spread over an area of 25 kilometers were developed in the 60s and given the name of Ayubia.  Ayubia was the first resort in Pakistan where cable lift were introduced and had been the only of its own kind till the development of Patriata.  There are riding trails, hiking places and picnic spots in abundance around the area. The chair lifts take the nature lovers up to the summit of the nearby range for a panoramic view of the forested hills. Patriata, some  25 km from Murree has been developed as an alternative to old tourist resort of Ayubia.  There is chairlift and cable car system which takes visitors up to Patriata Ridge in two stages from Gulehra Gali.  The first stage is by chair lift up to Patriata Bazaar.  From here visitors transfer to cable cars for the ride up to Patriata Ridge.  A restaurant has also been established. Further plans include development of a wildlife park at the mid-station.

Those who still want to venture beyond Murree and surrounding areas have a plenty of choice. In fact Rawalpindi/Islamabad provide a base for up north journey to beautiful valleys of our north which include Hunza, Gilgit, Swat, Kaghan, Chitral and Skardu valleys.  Naran, 22 kilometres from Kaghan serves as the base camp for the Kaghan Valley. From here one can go to several picturesque lakes, valleys and peaks hiring a jeep or horse. Nestled in the foot steps of 5,190 metres high Malika Parbat (Queen of Mountains) is the awe inspiring "Lake Saiful Malook" (pictured above) at 12,000 feet above sea level is a breathtaking site in the entire valley which has a touch of the unreal about it. The scenic beauty has no parallel in the world. One can go boating on the lake and hear the local legend about Prince Saiful Malook. Moving up to the Babusar Pass, and located just before the final grade to Babusar Top is the breathtaking Lulusar Lake.

Those reaching Skardu must not miss out the vast stretches of the Deosai Plains – perhaps the highest plains of the world. One hears of deserts in plains but never at the foothills of 18,000 feet high snow covered mountains. Skardu Valley is one such place which is carpeted in fine ash white sand through which greenish blue in winter; grey as tarnished silver in summer, the Indus snakes lazily between wind-ribbed sand dunes.

However, the fun lies atop the snow covered mountain peaks of Hindukush, Karakoram and Himalyan ranges – one can get to see the meeting point of all three mountain ranges on way to Gilgit. Karakoram peaks have nicknames that evoke fear and passion: "Savage Mountain" for K2, "Killer Mountain" for Nanga Parbat (8,125 meters) "Shining Wall" for Gasherbrum IV (7,929 meters) and "Bride's Peak" for Chogolisa (7,665 meters), which is the feminine analogue for Chogori, K2, its neighbour and wife in local folklore. The Trango Tower is the highest rock pinnacle of the world rising to 6,257 meters/ 20,857 feet. Rugged, un-scalable and challenging. Many climbers have returned unsuccessful owing to its almost vertical climb.

One can go on and on to describe the place for travelers and tourists that abound the north of Pakistan. This is the beginning – please follow my future blogs to know more about the cultural and natural heritage that make Pakistan as of the very unique countries in the world.

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