Photo feature: Banjusa Lake

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[caption id="attachment_238" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Banjusa Lake, Pakistan-administered Kashmir"]Banjusa Lake, Pakistan-administered Kashmir[/caption]

Banjusa Lake is a small serene mountain-ringed lake near Rawalakot, Pakistan Administered Kashmir valley. It is located around 5,300 feet above the sea level. Access to Rawalakot is both by road and by air from Islamabad. Foreigners need special permission to travel to Kashmir and I suppose they cannot take Islamabad-Kahuta road because security around the nuclear weapons facility.

[caption id="attachment_239" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Banjusa Lake, Pakistan-administered Kashmir"]Banjusa Lake, Pakistan-administered Kashmir[/caption]

I visited the lake on Sunday, July 27, 2008, with 10 other friends whom I met through Pakwheels.com, a website for car enthusiasts over the past four years.

[caption id="attachment_240" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Banjusa Lake, Pakistan-administered Kashmir"]Banjusa Lake, Pakistan-administered Kashmir[/caption]

Location: 170 kilometers northeast of Pakistan capital Islamabad

[caption id="attachment_241" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Another beautiful view of Banjusa lake in Pakistani Kashmir valley"]Another beautiful view of Banjusa lake in Pakistani Kashmir valley[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_242" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Tourists take a boat ride at Banjusa Lake, Pakistani KashmirThe lush green environs of Banjusa Lake, Pakistani Kashmir"]Tourists take a boat ride at Banjusa Lake, Pakistani Kashmir[/caption]



[caption id="attachment_244" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="One of the streams which fill water in Banjusa lake"]One of the streams which fill water in Banjusa lake[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_245" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="A beautiful view of Kashmir valley on Pakistan side"]A beautiful view of Kashmir valley on Pakistan side[/caption]

Comments

Athar Shams said…
This reminds me of a trip i made to this place in 1987 when i was working with a medicine company. I could not find a suitable hotel in Rawalakot, so my driver suggested this place. We managed to get one of the rest houses open by bribing the chowkidar Rs. 50. After having a light dinner, with no electricity, i recall sitting on the slopes with total darkness all around, but the sky was presenting a magical view with all the stars shining. Prior to my visit to Skardu that was the only time when i saw so many stars, which we miss living in cities full of lights. Wind blowing through the trees creating a rustling sound was very magical and added to this were the distant howls of the dogs. Quite eerie!!!!!!!! Early next morning was more pleasant.

The next trip i made was in 1998, with my family when a friend was airport manager Rawalakot. They were Karachiites, and they too went there for the first time. So much of greenery and dense forest was quite attractive for them. We spent the entire day. To date my wife still remembers those lush green slopes, the lake and the green forest. I hope you and all of your friends enjoyed the trip. Nice pics.
Regards

athar
August 12, 2008 at 5:01 PM
Murtaza said…
Banjosa
Location:

The site is located on Banjosa Road, at a distance of 19 KM from Rawalakot City. The site is located in Tehsil Hajira, District Poonch, AJ&K

Elevation:

The site is at an elevation of 1798 m above mean sea level

Features:

This is the only planned tourist resort in the area. Banjosa is a beautiful lake surrounded by lush green mountains offering spectacular views. A few rest houses are constructed in the surroundings of this lake. Some tuck shops are also present at the lake but not properly managed and arranged. Weather is pleasant in summer and occasional snowfall in winter. Available area for development is around 5 acres.
June 23, 2009 at 5:27 PM
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