Janshahi meadows are a natural beauty that lies in the Anakar valley Kalam. This valley is very much famous for beautiful meadows, glacial lakes, and lush green jungle. Moreover, snow covers the whole valley and mountains in the winter season. But the summers are cold too. In the summer with different types of flowers cover the meadows. Moreover, this adds more beauty to it. The Janshahi meadows have an altitude of approximately 3000 meters.
The total distance between Islamabad/Rawalpindi and Anakar Valley Kalam is approximately 330Km’s. It takes 7 hours to reach the Anakar valley Kalam from the Swat motorway. The motorway ends in Swat near Thana chowk. Although, the road is newly built from Kanju Swat to Kalam. But still, there are a few patches that are broken. The area of Swat and Kalam was highly affected by the flood in 2010. Besides, it disturbed the whole structure of this region, and now again things are getting better. From kalam, it is an off-road drive of 20 minutes to reach Anakar valley. This place is also known as blue water.
SNOW TREKKING TO JANSHAHI GRASSLAND
In the winter snow covers the trek towards Janshahi meadows. The trek starts from the Anakar valley. I along with my teammates did the trekking on 20/21 February 2021. The hiking experience was amazing. This valley has beautiful scenic views. The total hike is about 13-14 Km’s till the Janshahi meadows. Moreover, it takes 7-8 hours in the snow otherwise in the summers it takes 2-3 hours. The hiking level is not much difficult. You can have freshwater streams for drinking on the trek. There are 2-3 feet of snow on the trek in the winters and 4-5 feet of snow at the top.
The valley has a lot of cedar trees which have a height of 100 feet approximately. In the summers yellow and white flowers increase the beauty of the valley. Also, you can get beautiful scenic views of Mankial peak and Desan meadows. They are also very famous due to their natural beauty. The jungle is lush green as it is in the Kumrat valley. On reaching the Janshahi meadows, one feels peace and harmony of nature. There are two lakes; Masteej and Andrab lake which is at a hike of 5-6 hours. These lakes are alpine glacial lakes just like the Katora Lake Jahaz Banda.
NIGHT STAY AT JANSHAHI MEADOWS ANAKAR VALLEY
In the summers the meadows are lush green. You can camp anywhere of your choice. But in the winter season, the temperature drops up to -10 degrees. Hence, it is good to stay in the small rooms local people have made at the top. The local people of Janshahi meadows leave this place in October as it gets cold. These rooms are empty in the winter season. One can easily spend a night or two in these rooms. In addition, they are very much comfortable and warm compared to the camping tents.
Are there any lakes near Janshahi Meadows?
Yes, there are two lakes that are very much popular in the Anakar valley Kalam. The first one is Andrab lake it has a hike of 5-6 hours from blue water, the trek goes side by side with the river. This lake is also known as Kooh lake.
The second lake is Masteej lake which is at a hike of 4-5 hours from Janshahi meadows. This is a beautiful lake and one should visit it in the summer. In the winters it’s covered with snow.
Can we camp in the Janshahi Baanda?
Yes, of course. You can easily camp in the meadows. But make sure that the camp is of good quality and you have all the necessary gear with you.
Things to carry:
SLEEPING BAG OF A GOOD BRAND
Ruck Sack
WARM TROUSER
DOWN JACKET
HI-NECK
RAINCOAT OR PARKA JACKET AND TROUSER
WARM GLOVES.
WOOLEN SOCKS
WOOLEN CAP
SUNGLASSES
WATER BOTTLE
TREKKING STICK
TREKKING SHOES
TORCH WITH EXTRA CELLS
TISSUE ROLL
FIRST-AID BASIC MEDICINES
PERSONAL MEDICINES
POWER BANK
SUNBLOCK
SAFARI CAP OR HAT
GAITERS
CRAMPONS
I would love to know your thoughts about this place in the comments sections below..
