Top 10 places to visit in Azad Kashmir

 Top 10 places to visit Azad Kashmir

The beauty of nature is remarkable and Azad Kashmir has a lot of attractive places in Pakistan with unmatched beauty and heritage. This part of the country is known for its mesmerizing landscapes, meadows, waterfalls, peaks, lush valleys, vast rivers, and beautiful lakes. It is endowed with unique beauty and a perfect climate. Wild animals and plants are famous all over the world. There are a lot of astonishing places in Azad Kashmir but some of them are Rawalakot, Neelum Valley, Toli Pir, Leepa Valley, Jhelum, and Shounter lake which are the most important tourist destinations in Pakistan.

Neelum Valley:

A magnificent Valley in Azad Kashmir with huge forests, blue water, and full of greenery. It has historic places and one of them is Sharda Peth and stunning lakes which include Chitta Katha, Shounter, and Ratti Gal. Tourists visit over here due to the snow-capped mountains, and lush green pastures of this picturesque valley. If you want to visit this place don't forget to have a visit to the beautiful towns and villages of Neelum Valley which are Kundal Shahi, Jura,  Athmuqam, Kuttan, Kieran, Arangkel and Taobat.

Rawalakot:

Rawalakot a piece of heaven on Earth and is also known as Pearl Valley due to its saucer shape. This alluring valley is near the Muzaffarabad with high hills. It is a good place to visit in summer because it is not that hot and in writers, the weather is very harsh. This valley has a lake named Banjosa lake which is surrounded by thick forest and dramatic mountains. Some of the amazing points are Toli Pir, Poonch river, and Tatta Pani and the tatta is a Punjabi word that means hot and this is named as it has hot water springs. This place is well known for its natural beauty and charm.

Banjosa lake:

Banjosa Lake is enfolded by thick woodland and mountains. The favorite activity of visitors is boating as while boating in blue water, feeling the cool and fresh air, enjoying the surrounding spectacular beauty feels breathtaking. The best time to visit over here is summer but in the winters the lake gets freezes. This lake has paranormal views and enchanting scenery.

Ramkot fort:

One of the best places to visit is the Ramkot fort in Mirpur. It is enriched with the history and culture of Muslims and Sikhs. This fort is built by the side of the river Jhelum, surrounded by water on three sides and positioned on the hill, and from a high hill, you can enjoy the glorious views of nature. You can have a boat ride to reach the Ramkot fort passing through the waters of Mangla dam lake and it took half an hour. It attracts hikers and climbers as the fort is situated on a steep hill and you have to go through more than 350 stairs to reach the top. The architecture of this fort reflects the Scottish castles because they were the built-in same age.

Toli Pir:

Toli Pir is a refreshing place having a hilltop with high altitude giving a scenic view of river Poonch. Some of the ranges were easily visible from Toli Pir so, the more you walk up to the hilltop the more beautiful view you could see. This is an adventurous place and you can do a lot of activities like hiking and mountain climbing. Toli Pir is a mountainous area and there is a religious sanctuary, a Mazar by Muslims. In Winters there is huge snowfall and the mountains are wrapped with snow amazing so, the summer season is the best and safe to visit.

Leepa Valley:

It is the most visiting site to enjoy a peaceful and calm environment and marvelous weather. It has clear crystal clear and sweet water. The people live in wooden houses and most of the place is covered with fields and different variety of trees which results in reflecting the yellow, red and, orange colors to the scenery. There are walnut, Apple and, conifer herbs and shrubs. In future mn season, this place becomes just like a piece of heaven having beautiful scenery for photography. The highest peak Shamasa Bari is located in this Valley and it is always covered with snow. Usually, tourists visit in the summer season because in winters the weather is too cold and unbearable.

Jhelum Valley:

 If you want to escape from all the worries, Jhelum Valley is an ideal place to visit. This is a spot that has seamless natural beauty. Some of its famous places are Gharri Dupatta, Charm, Loon Bagla, Danna, Dungeon, and Chikara. These popular places provide all the vital facilities which include markets, hospitals, post offices, banks, and good telephonic services. This place is the hub of beauty with a lot of thick trees and green lands.

Red fort:

An archeological site reflecting the history of Kashmir Valley is Red fort and it is also known as Rutt Qilla,  Lal Qilla, and Muzaffarabad fort. It is located on the western side of River Jhelum. This fort is encompassed between the three rivers which are Neelum, Kanhar, and the Jhelum. It is a panoramic fort between the water of different rivers looks wonderful. The location was selected by the Chak rulers of Kashmir for their safety by the Mughals. This Qilla was built on a rock and the river Neelum surrounds this fort in a U shaped. The fort has three levels the upper level leads to the main gate on the eastern side and the lower level leads to the river by going downstairs and both these levels are interconnected.

Shounter Lake:

Shounter is a delightful, scenic, and attractive lake. This lake is surrounded by dramatic mountains covered with snow and green grasslands. The water in the lake is due to the glaciers. It is the best spot for camping lovers as there is adequate space for the camps. From May to August a lot of tourists visit here to enjoy the scenery. The lake small but pretty much lovely, so never forget to visit this place when you are in Azad Kashmir.

Srinagar:

A beautiful city is known as heaven on Earth due to its wondrous colors of nature, especially in the fall season. It has apple orchards and Chinar trees and many other deciduous trees. The most beautiful lakes in Srinagar are Dul lake and Nigeen lake, you can have a boat or Shikhara ride in these lakes and you can also buy beautiful flowers from the shops while having a boat ride as the people use to set small flower shops on boats.

To sum up, Azad Kashmir is such a beautiful place on Earth and you can believe this by its beautiful names as the people who visited this place called it "paradise on Earth" and "Switzerland of the East". You can visit this place in any season if you love to play with snow and many other activities like skiing then you have to visit in the winter season but if you want to have a boat ride and camping you should visit in the summer season. You will find peace and serenity in all seasons.