PANJPEER, KAHUTA, RAWALPINI
Introduction:
Panjpeer is a very beutiful and least visited tourist spot situated at some 60 kms from islamabad. The name panjpeer came from the local belief that five saints from somewhere came here and got settled. There is present a shrine of that saints which gives panjpeer its name .
Altitude:
panjpeer is at some 1800 meters from sea level.
routes to reach:
panjpeer is accessible from 2 routes from islamabad .
one is to goto panjaar road via kahuta and some 2 kms before panjaar a link road got seprated from main kashmir road . This road will lead one to the panjpeer top in about 2 hours.
2nd route is to goto lahtrar road and then from here one can goto danoi by hike on a trek which is infact an abondoned jeep trek. A couple hours hike will lead one to the danoi rest house and then another 2 hours hike will take you to the top.
Something about the place :
if i have to name this place i would name it as the home of rocks . The large sized rocks which are at some point 100-200 ft vertically high are the speciality of the site which can not be found anywhere else. There are pine tree forests on the top and also pine trees are present on the rocks too. While standing on the panjpeer top you can at a time see 2 provinces :). In the north on a clear day one can see makra peak and other peaks of the kaghan valley while in north west one can witness the malika kohsaar MURRE. In the East one can witness mighty peaks of azad kashmir which are mostly snow covered. in north-east one can see mighty River Jahlum. The weather of the place is very pleasent in summer while winter is quite svear . the place gets some ft of snow every year.
Ecology of the area :
The flora(plant life ) is just like any other mountain area. There presents pine forest stretching several hundered meters and also present there are small herbs and herbal plants and stretched meadows of lush green grass. Bannana , guava and grapes do grow in the area. Wheat and maze fields are common there.
The fauna (animal life) there presents very small amount of wild life animals. Its the home to Some small animals like ant-eaters , parrots , cukoos and crows. There is not present large animals like tiger etc.
Hydrology:
while going to panjpeer one will witness many small streams running down the hills and rocks, there present quite a number of natural streams and water-falls which gives an enchanting view to the visitors. As rain is very common in the area so natural water is present in large quantity and also due to this the area despite of its rough rocky nature present an enchanting view of lush green forests and green patches of Grass.
local culture and people:
The locals of the area are very nice people with strong ethics and having quite a good and humble nature. They are very helping and lifefull despite of the overall financial problems they are facing as there is just a living of hand to mouth there. They are muslims and most of them offer 5 times prayer a day . Local language is potohari.
Things to remember :
Before visiting the place one must keep some things in mind. Here i am giving the list of things to remember.
- If you are planning to go to area from rawalpindi or Islamabad then leave for it early morning as the road conditions are not good there.
- you should be having a rain coat and some warm clothes for backup even if your visiting the place in the mid-summer.
- you should take something to eat with you, read-made food is a good option.
- prepare yourself some hike as NARAR onwards road condition is worse and vehicle cant go upto panjpeer easily.
- bring fresh water along with you.
- avoid going to edge of the rock as its very risky
- go in the form of group.
- respect the local traditions and culture. dont take the pictures of the locals or their homes.
in last lets have some views of the place
