CHITRAL: The Malaysian bikers felt excited when they reached the scenic Booni valley and saw the natural beauty in Upper Chitral district on Wednesday.
The Malaysian tourists comprising 22 bikers arrived in Booni after enjoying the Chilim Jusht or Chlim Joshi festival in Kalash valley and their first stay in Fizzagat in Swat valley in the first leg of their tour. The local residents accorded warm welcome to the tourists upon their arrival to Booni. They later also watched a polo match at the polo ground in Booni.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority (KPCTA) in collaboration with Saiyah Travels and Malaysian Ipoh Bikers Club has arranged the tour for the foreign motorcyclists.
The rally is aimed at showing the scenic places to the foreign tourists and promoting adventure tourism activities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The bikers would cover a total of 1950 kilometers distance after passing through the Hindu Kush, Karakoram and Himalaya mountain ranges. The tourists would visit scenic spots and stay at various tourist destinations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Earlier, the Malaysian bikers reached Lower Chitral via Lower Dir, Upper Dir and Lowari Top. They visited Garam Chashma, Qaqlasht meadows as well.
The tourists would now leave for Shandur Pass and would stay there for some time. The bikers would then proceed to Hindurab, Phandar and Gilgit-Baltistan.
“Pakistan, particularly the tourist spots in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are really beautiful and the people are very hospitable and friendly,” said Resorizi bin Abdul Majeed, who is leader of the Malaysian Ipoh Bikers Club. He said that local people warmly welcomed them upon their arrival at various places during the rally. “These are unforgettable moments for me,” added the Malaysian tourist.
Malaysian biker Azlan bin Muhammad Saeed said that they fully enjoyed the tour and were honoured by the generosity and hospitality of people.
“The scenic places and heritage sites are unique and eye-catching,” he said upon his arrival at Booni.
Azlan said he felt safe and secure and advised other foreigners to visit Pakistan to enjoy the beauty of nature and hospitality of people.
The bikers also praised the local and traditional cuisines and enjoyed visiting the marvelous tourist and heritage sites in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
They lauded the KPCTA and Saiyah Travels for arranging such a joyful tour for them.
The organizers said that concerted efforts were being made to attract more domestic and international tourists to the province.
He said the efforts were yielding positive results as more groups of foreign tourists were arriving to visit the scenic sites in the KP.