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The upper Swat valley in the morning, the river running over pale boulders below forested slopes and wooden houses.

Swat & Kalam

Green river valleys, Gandhara ruins, and the easiest north to reach

Altitude

2,000 m

Worth going

Apr–Oct

How long to stay

2–4 nights

Getting a signal

4G on the main operators

Swat is greener and softer than the Karakoram, and much quicker to reach — five hours from Islamabad on a motorway rather than fourteen on a mountain road. Mingora holds Gandhara Buddhist archaeology, Kalam and Ushu sit under pine forest, and Malam Jabba is the country’s functioning ski resort.

  • The Gandhara Buddhist sites around Mingora and Butkara
  • Kalam, Ushu forest and the Mahodand lake road
  • Malam Jabba for skiing between December and February
  • Trout in the Swat river, cooked by the bank

The honest downsides

  • Very busy with domestic tourists in July and August, and the road to Kalam jams.
  • The upper Kalam road is rough and slow after rain.
  • It is not the high Karakoram. Come for green, not for glaciers.

Trips that go to Swat & Kalam

A skier in a red jacket carving through deep fresh powder at Malam Jabba, deodar forest below and peaks on the horizon.Winter

Winter Hunza & Skiing at Malam Jabba

Eight nights in the north with nobody else in it

8 nightsDec–Febmoderate
from $1,240ppSee the trip →
Traditional Kalash timber and stone houses stacked up a steep green valley side among walnut trees in Bumburet, Chitral.Culture & heritage

Chitral & the Kalash Valleys

Nine nights, timed for the Chilam Joshi festival in May

9 nightsMay–Sepmoderate
from $1,340ppSee the trip →
Two wooden rowing boats, one painted blue, drawn up on the shingle at Mahodand Lake with deodar forest and snow peaks behind.Culture & heritage

Swat & Kalam Green Route

Six nights in the green north, five hours from Islamabad

6 nightsApr–Oct
from $840ppSee the trip →
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