Sharan Forest : A Beautiful Place in Kaghan Valley

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Camping and being close to nature is a different and unique experience for people who exhaust their daily routine life and want to spend their leisure time in such a serene environment. There are various such spots in the north of Pakistan; Sharan forest is one of those most beautiful and tranquil places to spend time with nature.

This untouched gem of Kaghan Valley is located amid KPK at the height of 2425 meters. It is 16 kilometers away from Paras and 30 kilometers from Balakot. To reach the forest, you must take a 4×4 jeep for the 16-kilometer (Paras to Sharan) rough mountainous track. Both sides of the road have dense pine trees and lush green grass.

It became famous for tourists after the KPK government developed wooden huts and camp pods. However, it is less commercialized than other tourist places; therefore, it is more serene, clean, and sophisticated—Mosa ka Mussalla peak, which keeps 13,370 ft and is very near Sharan forest.

You can go from here to summit the peak if you are a passionate trekker or hiker. But you have to need a local guide along with hiking Mosa ka Mussalla peak because Sharan forest is the home of leopards and black bears.

As mentioned above, you may need help finding many hotels or restaurants here because it has yet to become a commercial destination.

Remember to carry the best backpack with you because there is hiking to easily carry all your travel essentials.

How to Reach Sharan Forest from Lahore Islamabad:

There are two ways to get to Sharan Valley by traveling public transport like Faisal Mover, Daewoo Express, or other local coaster services. The bus transport will take you to Mansehara, then change some other transportation to reach Balakot or direct Paras and then a 16 km jeep track leading to Sharan forest. But most people opt to reach the forest with private transport like a car/bike.

Attractions in Sharan Forest: Upper Kaghan Valley, Manor Valley, Manshi Top

Things to Do in Sharan Forest: Hiking, Trekking, Fishing, Horse Riding, BBQ party, camping

Average Temperature: Sharan forest is beautiful and has delightful weather, a minimum 15 degrees Celsius and 25 degrees Celsius.

Sharan Forest Distance from Lahore

Reaching the Sharan forest is not as challenging as having breathtaking beauty. The road condition till Paras is relatively better. Park your vehicle at Paras and take a jeep to reach the forest.

Accommodation Facility – Sharan Forest Pods

Here, I appreciate the efforts of the KP government to do fantastic work to facilitate the tourists and took the initiative to arrange smart wooden huts and camps in the heart of the dense forest, available at very reasonable rent. Capsulated pods introduced by TDCKP are the best accommodation option, and staying in the pods will take you to another world of wonders. One pod keeps the capacity for two persons, having two comfortable beds, a table, and an arrangement of solar electricity.

Mobile Charging Facility at Sharan Forest

Because solar panels generate electricity, only 12v DC is available in the pods. Mobiles, cameras, straighteners, dryers, or any other device would not charge in these campsites. The standard of these pods is excellent and up to the mark.

A camp is also established for a dedicated kitchen, where a dining room is available to serve the food. You can also cook food for your kids, like noodles, porridge, or cereal. A separate washroom also exists with every wooden hut where water is available for 24 hours. All water from streams or waterfalls are supplied to the kitchen and bathrooms for daily use. The geyser facility has yet to be available in the pods.

My Journey to Sharan Forest

A repeated routine of the same activity and work makes us sometimes exhausted and fed up, and it is time to revive ourselves by taking a short break from our hectic lives. For a long time, I was planning to go off to Sharan forest as it is the best destination to tone the mood and spend leisure time in the lap of the natural landscape and serene beauty.

Accompanying my two friends, we planned to spend our holidays in the Sharan forest’s newly established capsulated smart wooden huts. The day finally came, planning ended, and we went off to Sharan in our private vehicle. We reached Paras at night after a five-hour comfortable drive. The road to Paras is very good, and we greatly enjoyed the journey.

Paras

“Paras” is a beginning point where a route leads to Sharan forest by a jeep. It has a small market, some grocery shops, and a few restaurants on Naran road. Although we can go to the forest even this time as the jeeps are available to take you even late at night, we decided to spend the night here in the hotel at Paras.

We checked into the hotel, and after having dinner, we thought it better to sleep. The next day in the morning, we were fresh and excited to travel to the Sharan forest. The mind-blowing journey of the fantastic landscape gets to begin. We also took a local guide with us to get in touch with everything in the area.

Passing through a rocky and rough road, it took one and a half hours to reach the Sharan forest, where wooden huts and campsites were established.

Campsite area

On reaching the camping site, I was so happy to see the arrangement and cleanliness of the area. We did not see any plastic bottles, wrappers, or garbage there to litter. The sunlight was giving cozy feelings in the cool winter. We rested in the chairs placed on a lush green ground near a campsite.

It was a fantastic place, precisely what was in my thoughts. We left to explore the area and went to Manshi Meadows with some snacks and water bottles.

Hiking Experience at Sharan Forest

Hiking is relatively easy, even for beginners. Both sides of the passages were lined with chinar trees with golden yellow leaves that gave stunning beauty. What were the feelings of taking fresh and dust-free air with the buddies? As soon as we started trekking to our destination, more scenery and spectacular landscapes awaited us.

The track was cleaner and more beautiful, with no trash and dung smell. Wherever we saw the stream, we took a shortstop and spent some leisure time. After short stays on the way, we reached the Manchi peak after 2 hours. Giant snow-capped mountains were ahead of us, and chilly winds touched our hearts. We were in the lap of lush green lavish meadows, which was something to cherish for a long time.

Manshi Top:

There was a small, beautiful village on the lower side of Manchi where most homes were made with wooden pallets. The locals were very hospitable. They were pleased to have us with them and offered us tea that we tended biscuits from our snack bags. The magic of the area did not permit us to return to Sharan for the night, but eventually, we had to say goodbye to this magnificent place with a smile and started the hike back towards the campsite.

From the security point of view, it was necessary to get back to the campsite before the evening because leopards and black bears are in the forest. So we trekked back hastily and reached the campsite in 55 minutes.

There was a nice bonfire and meeting with an ideal adventurous family at night. Late at night, gossip and music in the background made our million memories. I thought this type of journey would never stop. I was mentally renovated and revived by this fabulous tour.

Do’s and Don’ts

It is better to get permission from locals before photography, particularly in villages.
Purchasing local products, food, etc., will help inhabitants with their finances.
Use dustbins to throw litter and support the efforts to clean the destination.
Take snacks and bottled water along with you during the hike.
Behave in a good manner with the locals.
Remember to keep battery banks with you.
Take advantage of the starry sky at night.

Total Expense

Total cost: 7000/Rs per person with food and camping pod fare.
Camping pod twin sharing: 2000/Rs per night in the offseason and 3000/Rs per night in peak season
Camping pod quad sharing: 3000/Rs per night in the offseason and 4000/Rs per night in peak season
Camp for four persons: 1000/night in the offseason
Jeep rent from Paras to Sharan forest: 5500/Rs jeep with one-night stay (it may go slightly up and down).
Click Pakistan-Tourism Service to offer customized tours to Sharan forest to our valued guests.

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