The Land of Enchanting Beauty.
Swat Valley is situated in the north eastern tip of the Khyber Pukhtunkhawa province surrounded by the scenic valleys of Dir, Chitral and Gilgit. Saidu Sharif the capital of Swat is linked by metalled road with Islamabad/Rawalpindi and Peshawar via Mardan and Malakand Pass.
People travelling from down country on their own vehicles can take Motorway (M-1) and
reach Mardan interchange from Islamabad in about one and half hours after covering a distance of 131 km.
From Mardan onward they can travel via Takh-e-Bai, Dargai, Malakand Pass, Batkhella, Chakdara and finally
reach Mingora/Saidu Sharif after covering a distance of 112 km in two and half more hours.
The total distance from Islamabad to Mingora/Saidu Sharif is 247Km and it takes around 5 hours with one stop
for lunch and refreshments. This route is open for all kinds of traffic throughout the year.
It is 171 km from Peshawar to Mingora/Saidu Sharif using the above mentioned route from Mardan onward.
Total driving time from Peshawar is around 4 hours.
For those preferring public transport, travel in air conditioned bus service is an option.
There are several bus companies with regular direct service to Mingora from Lahore, Rawalpindi,
Peshawar and Mardan. Daewoo Bus Company operates most comfortable and reliable air conditioned bus
service to Mingora from Lahore, Rawalpindi and Peshawar which also provide connecting bus services to
the passengers of other major cities such as Karachi, Hyderabad, Bahawalpur, Multan, Faisalabad, Sargodha,
Abbottabad, Mianwali etc. (For more information about Daewoo Bus Service schedule and fares, please visit
their website www.sammi.com.pk or call at 111-007-008).
A scenic but slightly difficult and longer alternate route is via Abbottabad and the Karakorum Highway to Besham via Shangla pass. Besham is 270 km from Islamabad via Abbottabad, Mansehra, Batagram and Thakot. From Besham it is 69 km to Khawazakhela, a drive of about three hours on a scenic road through steeply terraced hills and pine forests across the Shangla Pass. Khawazakhela is a large town along river Swat from where Mingora is 27 km and Madyan is 26 km.
From | To | Distance in Km | Travel Time | Road Condation |
Islamabad | Mardan | 140 | 1 ½ hrs. | Excellent Motorway (M-I) |
Mardan | Takht-i-Bahi | 14 | 20 min. | Excellent Highway |
Takht-i-Bahi | Dargai | 26 | 40 min. | Excellent Highway |
Dargai | Malakand | 12 | 3 min. | Excellent Highway |
Malakand | Chakdara | 15 | 3 min. | Excellent Highway |
Chakdara | Mingora/Saidu Sharif | 40 | 1 ½ hrs. | Excellent Highway |
Total distance and travel time | 247 | 5 hrs. |
From | To | Distance in Km | Travel Time | Road Condation |
Peshawar | Nowshera | 41 | 40 min. | Excellent Motorway (M-I) |
Nowshera | Mardan | 23 | 20 min. | Excellent Highway |
Mardan | Takht-i-Bahi | 14 | 20 min. | Excellent Highway |
Takht-i-Bahi | Dargai | 26 | 40 min. | Excellent Highway |
Dargai | Malakand | 12 | 30 min. | Excellent Highway |
Malakand | Chakdara | 15 | 30 min. | Excellent Highway |
Chakdara | Mingora/Saidu Sharif | 40 | 1 ½ hrs. | Excellent Highway |
Total distance and travel time | 171 | 4 ½ hrs. |
From | To | Distance in Km | Travel Time | Road Condation |
Besham | Alpuri | 35 | 1 hr | Two way metalled road but damaged at many places |
Alpuri | Shangla Pass | 7 | ½ hr. | Two way metalled road but damaged at many places |
Shangla Pass | Khawazakhela | 27 | 1 hr. | Two way metalled road but damaged at many places |
Takht-i-Bahi | Dargai | 26 | 40 min. | Two way metalled road but damaged at many places |
Khawazakhela | Mingora | 29 | 1 hr. | Two way metalled road but damaged at many places |
Total distance and travel time | 98 | 3 ½ hrs. |
From | To | Distance in Km | Travel Time | Road Condation |
Mingora | Manglor | 10 | 20 min. | Two way metalled road |
Manglor | Khawazakhela | 19 | 40 min. | Two way metalled road but damaged at few places |
Khawazakhela | Fatehpur | 14 | 40 min. | Two way metalled road but damaged at few places |
Fatehpur | Madyan | 10 | 30 min. | Two way metalled road but damaged at many places |
Madyan | Baharin | 10 | 40 min. | Suitable for 4WD vehicles only |
Baharin | Kalam | 35 | 4 to 5 hrs. | Suitable for 4WD vehicles only |
Total distance and travel time | 98 | 7 to 8 hrs. Depending on road condition |
From | To | Distance in Km | Travel Time | Road Condation |
Mingora/Saidu Sharif | Maraghzar | 13 | 30 min. | Two way metalled road damaged at few places |
Mingora/Saidu Sharif | Udegram | 8 | 15 min. | Excellent Highway |
Mingora/Saidu Sharif | Malam Jabba via Manglor | 42 | 2 ½ hrs. | Two way metalled road damaged at few places |
Fatehpur | Madyan | 10 | 30 min. | Two way metalled road but damaged at many places |
Mingora/Saidu Sharif | Miandam via Fatehpur | 56 | 2 hrs. | Two way metalled road damaged at few places |
Kalam | Ushu | 8 | 1 hr. | Suitable for 4WD vehicles only |
Kalam | Utrot | 16 | 2 hr. | Suitable for 4WD vehicles only |
Sustainable Tourism Foundation Pakistan (STFP) is a non-profit and non-political organization
dedicated to promote and facilitate the growth of sustainable and equitable tourism in Pakistan in close
partnership with concerned stakeholders from public, private and NGO sectors.
For more information visit website http://www.stfp.org/
Sustainable Tourism Foundation Pakistan
        House No.9, St No.11,
        Main Road Banigala, Islamabad .
051-2612448, 0345-8566048