As dense snow covers its towering peaks and fertile valleys, the Neelum Valley, tucked away in Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s magnificent scenery, has become a mesmerising winter wonderland attracting tourists.
Burrowed in the embrace of the mighty Himalayas, neighbouring the beautiful Kaghan Valley, Neelam Valley, after facing three months of dry weather, has been blessed with a period of snowfall.
This has been a source of immense delight not only for the residents but also for the people from all over the world, compelling them to take a break from their overbearing lives and visit the valley to enjoy its serene beauty.
Due to the sudden surge of traffic towards the rather neglected region of Pakistan, it faces roadblocks, where the citizens have been forced to confine themselves to their homes, leaving the roads snowy and slippery.
However, this has not much affected the tourist’s determination to enjoy the slice of paradise as they flock to the valley. Although the first half of the trip from Muzaffarabad to Athmuqam is rather easy, after Athmuqam, tourists may run into tight spaces, steep turns, and landslide-prone areas. Therefore, tourists are advised to drive slowly and cautiously, especially when navigating the curves.
In addition to this, tourists may also face difficulty in controlling vehicles, poor visibility, vehicle malfunctions, and a lack of emergency services in said areas.
Despite the difficulties, tourist hotspots have been jam-packed in the frost-laden valley, also congesting the top accommodations to the brim. The popular tourist attractions like Banjosa Lake, Ratti Gali Lake, Kutton Jagran, Chitta Khatta Lake, and Baboon Valley have been flocked by people eager to witness the bewitching landscape; the once lush now snowy land and once flowing, now frozen lakes captivate their viewers.
The Weather Channel, an America-based weather forecaster, also relays good news about the consistency of the snow spell; the weather forecast shows that the conditions will remain frosty, being 27°/20° Fahrenheit, translating to -2.7°/-6.7° Celsius as of today. For the ongoing week, news reports it to be 27°/15°F, translating to -2.8°C/-9.4°C for Tuesday, 21st of January of 2025. Similarly, In the ongoing month, most time is taken up by snowstorms.
Following the weather conditions, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has stated that it predicts that following an extended dry spell, a frontal weather system is expected to move into the western region of the country on January 1, 2025, presumably in the evening or at night, and could remain in the upper regions until January 6, 2025.
PMD states, “Rain-wind/thunderstorm with heavy snowfall is expected in Gilgit-Baltistan (Diamir, Astore, Ghizer, Skardu, Hunza, Gilgit, Ghanche, Shigar) Kashmir (Neelum Valley, Muzaffarabad, Poonch, Hattian, Bagh, Haveli, Sudhanoti, Kotli, Bhimber, Mirpur) from 01st (night) to 06th January, 2025. With occasional gaps” for the Gilgit Baltistan/Kashmir region.
