Taobat: A Nature Lover’s Paradise

Farooq Ahmed/Aftab Zahoor
Muzaffarabad: Pakistan is blessed with an abundance of natural wonders, offering enchanting landscapes that cater to the desires of nature lovers.
The country boasts mesmerizing views, towering pines, snow-draped peaks, cascading brooks and rivers, lush green plains, and undulating hilly terrain. This harmonious blend of diverse natural elements can truly be described as a paradise for those who revel in the beauty of the great outdoors.These matchless gifts of nature, from the coasts of Karachi to the towering peaks of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan, amalgamate to present glamorous and enthralling views for visitors.
Standing tall among them is Taobat, a unique destination with its picturesque and captivating scenic beauty, nestled on the banks of the River Neelum in the Gurez Valley of AJK.
Neelum Valley, one of the three regions of Gurez Valley and the last station in Pakistani-controlled AJK along the Line of Control, is some 200 kilometres from Muzaffarabad and 39 kilometres from Kel Valley.Having the history of centuries, this land was also explained as “one of the most beautiful scenes in Kashmir” by a British author, Sir Roper Walter Lawrence, who visited the region in 1895.
“It is the most beautiful scene in all of Kashmir, where the tourmaline waters of the Kishenganga River are framed by mountain scarps of indescribable grandeur,” Walter Lawrence wrote in his book ‘The Valley of Kashmir.’ Even after a vast time span of 13 decades, this place is as beautiful today as it was at the time of Walter Lawrence’s visit.The drive from Kel to Taobat is surely a mesmerising journey, leaving tourists in awe when they pass through the beautiful villages of Machhal, Phulwai, Halmat, Janawai, Sardari, and Makroon on the way from Dawarian to Taobat.

Wooden cottages, enchanting waterfalls, flower-covered meadows, heavily forested mountains, and a roaring river all join together to present the look of ‘Heaven on Earth’ for tourists travelling to Taobat on a road snaking through these small localities.
Sharda is the most picturesque spot on the way to Taobat, with its captivating landscape, springs, tree-covered hillsides, and houses built on steep slopes with their roofs partly stuck into the mountains.Being an ancient seat of knowledge and wisdom, the ruins of an old Buddhist university can still be found in Sharda.
“Visiting here is a real pleasure. Once you move towards Neelum Valley, your eyes remain stuck to beautiful views,” said Rashid Mahmood, a tourist from Islamabad. “Travelling on bumpy roads is really thrilling. It is nature all around on the way to Taobat. This heavenly beauty leaves indelible prints on your mind.”As the tourists had to travel by jeep from Kel to Taobat, they enjoyed a thrilling journey and captivating views. Men grazing cattle and farming next to their wood houses, and women strolling around wearing long black velvet gowns to arrange food and wood stock for winter, present a real primitive look.

At Taobat, Krishanganga enters Pakistani-side Kashmir, becoming the Neelum River and making the region awe-inspiring to the point where tourists even forget to wink their eyes. Taobat receives heavy snowfall during its six-month winter season, from October to April.“We face a harsh winter. Snow engulfs our houses and pavements from December to March,” remarked Nasir Ali, a resident of the area. “Our people have to gather rations and wood during the summers and lock inside their houses during the peak winter season.”

Nasir informed us that the majority of local people work at corn, bean, potato, and vegetable farms to earn their living. “People here commonly survive on farming and income from tourists, with some opting for other professions.”Being in a far-flung region, the area lacks some of the most essential amenities, like well-equipped hospitals, paved roads, gas, and higher education institutes.
“Although 60 percent of tourists coming to Kashmir visit Taobat, the area still lacks basic amenities,” Nasir said. “Even for communication, the tourists have to purchase special Scom SIMs as other networks do not operate here.”
As Taobat becomes a key focus for tourists, the AJK government has also taken measures like forming a tourist police patrol for visitor security and providing them with pamphlets carrying travel and residential information.“We have two government lodging facilities—one lodge of the forest department and a hut of the local government,” informed Khawaja Raees, Publicity Officer in the Tourism Department. “Some 20 private guest houses are also available for tourists to stay in.”
Raees, who also hails from Neelum Valley, said an eight-kilometre road from Kel onward has recently been constructed, while a 25-kilometre jeep track needs repair. “Despite weather constraints, we fully try to promote eco-tourism in this pollution-free region where people enjoy organic food and captivating views.”A long, majestic bridge with the Neelum River flowing with full force underneath is a spotlight of Taobat, connecting an unpaved road to onward meadows. It is the last destination to travel by jeep; from there on, tourists had to trek to explore meadows and feel the murmuring tranquil breeze.
Dense forests, chirping birds, blooming flowers, babbling rivers and streams, and above all, the simple people narrate stories of awesome nature all around.As white daisies remind nature lovers of ‘the golden daffodils’ of William Wordsworth, the thick, shady trees remind of William Shakespeare’s ‘Under the Greenwood Tree’, where everybody desires to wander around lonely as a cloud.
Tourists say that anybody affording to travel must visit this place to feel the soothing affection of nature and its bounties bestowed on mankind.