Reader's photo essay: A trip through the hills and valleys of northern Pakistan

What are your favourite tourist spots in Pakistan? Gulf News reader and photography enthusiast Hussain Habib and his family recently explored the northern parts of Pakistan, his home country. Here are some pictures he took during the trip.

He said: "We started our journey by road from Islamabad to Neelum Valley. We passed through many scenic places such as Dhani Waterfall, Kutton Waterfall, Neelum River and the glorious mountains on our way to Neelum Valley. The trip took us eight hours, but was exhilarating."

The next day, he visited Sharda Valley and Sharda University. Sharda is a small town in the Neelum District, located on the banks of the Neelum River at an altitude of 1,981 metres. He said: "I captured this photo of the oldest university called the Sharda University. An ancient centre of learning, it is often referred to as a hidden gem."

He added: "The best view comes after the hardest climb. This view is captured from Sharda district in northern Pakistan."

On the third day, they continued towards Shogran Kaghan Valley. Shogran is a hill station situated on a green plateau in Kaghan Valley north of Pakistan, at a height of 2,362 meters (7,749 ft) above sea level. It is located in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Habib said: "Here's the amazing view from Shogran Valley after sunset with clouds over the snow mountains. A perfect moment."

The following day, they travelled to Siri Paye, situated 8,000 feet above sea level and around two hours from Shogran Village. From there they spotted Malika Parbat, the highest peak in Kaghan Valley. He said: "We enjoyed the snow as we hiked towards the highest point. Here's a stunning view of Siri Paye, located near Kaghan Valley."

Then they went on towards Nathia Gali, a mountain resort town or hill station in the Abbottabad District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said: "We stopped by the Ayubia district in Nathia Gali and were delighted to ride the chair lift, go balloon shooting, do some dry food shopping and finally troop back to Islamabad. We fell in love with the picturesque view. It was one of my best experiences of being close to nature."

Habib took this outstanding picture overlooking the mountains. He said: "This is one of my all-time favourite pictures, which I took while trekking toward Siri Paye top."

Habib shot this perfect view of the Malika Parbat behind the clouds with colourful sky.

He added: "We only had a few days to go around so we weren’t able to visit other beautiful places in the northern areas such as Hunza Valley, Skardu, Gilgit, and Naran Valley."

Habib also got a portrait photo of a monkey with the beautiful mountain peak in the background at Nathia Gali a hill station and mountain resort town located in the Abbottabad District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said: "I had a very memorable journey through my homeland’s charming places and highly recommend that you visit if you get the chance."