Imagine 770 kilometers of almost non-stop driving, spanning over 18 hours and covering both ends of the salt range; in a saloon car! This was last weekend. We set off looking for a far flung wet land bordering Sakesar mountain and ended up traveling through mountains and valleys visiting numerous villages and exploring new roads/tracks. It was quite an unexpected adventure indeed.
Journey started as a relatively well planned simple picnic in the wetlands surrounding Sakesar mountain on the west end of the Salt Range. We left hit the road at 7am after gathering together at Ayaz's place. The journey thorugh motorway was quite short and uneventful. We took the exit towards Lilla, just before motorway enters the mountains.
This was a very small road in really bad shape but lasted for about 20KM, eventually merging into the main road going towards Khushab. We re-fuelled at Khushab, stopped for directions and headed into the mountains. This is where the real scenic part started. The climb through the salt range was steep and there were dozens of turns. It seems the road was developed from an old track and just followed the natural contours of the mountains.
The descent to the other side was amazing as we entered a lush green valley. This place is known as Soan-Sakesar valley and comprises of pastures of green fields and small villages. The only town on this side of the range is Naushera (not to be confused with the place in NWFP). We finally reached Uchaali lake at about 1pm.
The view was breathtaking but there were absolutely no facilities there. So its not a tourist spot. A unique feature was a small road (only wide enough for a car to pass) leading INTO the lake. Its a bit weird because the road just ends at a small hut. We sat there for some time taking in the view and getting some pics.
Moving on from there, we first attempted to travel up the Sakesar top but were immediately stopped by security personnel. It was quite a disappointing end to our exploration. Dejected and tired, we returned but on an impulse took a turn after Naushera towards Sodhi gardens. Its a wildlife park and the road was another adventure.
We had very little clue where we were going but it took us to Kalar Kahar (the point where motorway crosses the salt range). On meeting a local guide at the tourism office, we decided not to turn back towards Lahore, but move ahead to the eastern part of the same mountains.
This took us through some developed areas (huge cement factories) and we made a stopover at Katas Raj. Once a majestic focal point of Hindu culture, this place is now undergoing a desperate restoration effort. The pictures came out quite nice. We had lunch at a small garden next to the Fort.
Onwards, we crossed the salt range one last time through the town of Chua Saiden Shah and descended upon Khewra salt mines around 7pm. These are one of the largest deposits of rock salt in the world. The tour was really good and lasted for an hour.
We left Khewra in the dark and took an unusually straight road that led us back the the exact same spot where we had left the motorway. Essentially we had made a complete circle from west to east around the salt range.