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Malam Jaba & Saidu Sharif |
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| Malam Jaba Pakistan's only major ski area, Malam Jabba has reportedly recently re-opened, ten years after its original completion in 1988. It has reportedly been closed due to lack of finance for much of the past decade. The resort has a base height of 2896 metres reached by a good road. The ski area has vertical of 200m up to 3096 metres served by two double Doppelmayr chair lifts. There's also tapped water served by a 50,000 gallon underground tank. One of the chair lifts is reported to 'seat 56' (presumably 28 X 2 seater), the other is described as a 'training lift.' The resort is located in Swat valley in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan. Malam means a grazing land and Jabb a village. The area receives an average of 5 metres (16 feet) of light powder snow between January and March. Average temperature is -5 to -10 degrees celcius in the winter and goes up to an average +20 degress celcius in the summer. Those behind the development hope it will also be an attractive summer tourist attraction as there is already summer tourism in the area including trekking, mountaineering, golf, trout fishing, hunting, camping and sightseeing. Malam Jaba is said to have "huge development potential." Accommodation is provided by a Swat Valley hotel with 52 rooms including 4 VIP suites. There are also two 'family cottages' by the slopes. There's a police post and a hospital which is 'equipped to deal with skiing related injuries' at Saidu Sharif. Malam Jabba was built with
some Austrian investment and was reported to have a modern tele-communications
system. The Austrians have reportedly been in Lebanon, China, Poland, and
the Czech Republic over the past decade trying to develop the ski industry
in those countries with 'prehistoric' lift infrastructure. But few of
those projects seem to have reached fruition. |
Saidu sharif
Headquarters of Swat Valley,
Saidu Sharif houses the Swat Museum which contains one of the finest collections
of Gandhara art in the world.
Mangora
Mingora, 3 kms. From Saidu
Sharif, has yielded magnificent pieces of Buddhist sculpture and the ruins of
great stupas. Other beauty spots worth visiting are Marghzar, 13kms. from Saidu
Sharif, famous for its "Sufed Mahal" the white marble palace of the
former Wali (ruler) of Swat; Kabal, 16 kms. lrom Saidu Sharif with its excellent
golf course, Madyan, 55 kms. from Saidu Sharif, Bahrain, Miandam and Kalam.
How
to Get There
Swat is linked by road and
air to Islamabad/Rawalpindi and Peshawar. Regular coach service for Saidu Sharif
is run by Pakistan Tours Ltd. From 1st June to 30th August
every year.
Where To Stay:
There are
moderately priced hotels, motels and rest-houses in Swat including PTDC Motels
at Saidu Sharif, Miandam and Kalam.
