Tourists throng scenic areas in Kaghan valley

MANSEHRA: The tourists have thronged the scenic Bassal and Babusar Top areas in Kaghan valley after the Frontier Works Organisation cleared all the main arteries to traffic in the region.

“The cold weather, glaciers and meadows have made our journey to the Gilgit-Baltistan a pleasant one,” Maria Tabassum, a tourist from Karachi, told reporters in Bassal area in Kaghan valley on Tuesday.

The tourism activities had come to a halt in Kaghan valley and Gilgit-Baltistan after the Karakoram Highway was blocked in Chilas and Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad road in Kaghan valley following heavy landslides triggered by the monsoon rain over the last couple of weeks.

Since the Frontier Works Organisation has cleared both main arteries to traffic, the flow of the tourists to Kaghan valley and GB has surged drastically.

The tourists on their way to GB via Kaghan valley road stay at the Bassal, Lolusar Lake and Babusar Top areas temporarily.

“We are on the way to Hunza and decided to move through Kaghan valley road to make our trip pleasant,” Mohammad Kashif, a tourist from Islamabad, said.

Hussain Deen, the chairman of the hoteliers association in Kaghan valley, said the tourism activities had increased after the reopening of the roads.