Saidgai Lake (; ), also known as 'Saidgai Dand', is situated in the upper reaches of

Ushirai Dara Ushirai Pass or Usheri Dara (also spelled as Usherai) is a mountain pass in Upper Dir District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is located at a distance of 25 km from the main town of Darorra, Darora and comes under the administration of Up ...

in the

Upper Dir District Upper Dir District (, ) is a district located in the Malakand Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The city of Dir is its district headquarter. Geographically, it is located in the northern part of Pakistan. It borders with th ...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Northern Pakistan, northwestern region of the country, Khyber ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. Positioned at an elevation of , it lies northwest of

Gabin Jabba Gabin Jabba (), which in Pashto language, Pashto means Honey marshes, is located approximately 65 km from Mingora on Matta Sakhra road within the Swat valley of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is an area in Swat Valley with ...

. During the warmer month, temperatures range between 5°C and 10°C. The lake is a popular tourist destination, especially from June to August, attracting visitors from Dir and other regions. For the remainder of the year, the lake is typically covered in snow. Saidgai Lake is close to the border between of Dir Upper and

Swat A SWAT (''Special Weapons and Tactics'') team is a generic term for a police tactical unit within the United States, though the term has also been used by other nations. SWAT units are generally trained, equipped, and deployed to res ...

Saidgai Lake is located approximately 7–8 hours on foot from Ushirai Dara. Residents of both Upper Dir and Swat District claims administrative rights over the area. Surrounded by high mountains and lush

pasture Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Types of pasture Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, c ...

s, the lake spans roughly 1 km in length and 0.5 km in width. Its waters flow into nearby streams that eventually join the

Panjkora River The Panjkora River () is a river in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in north-west Pakistan. The river runs through the mountainous northern part of the province, and forms the Kumrat Valley. It passes from Dir, Timergara, and joins with Swat ...

in Dir. There are numerous legends and myths about the lake.

Jinn Jinn or djinn (), alternatively genies, are supernatural beings in pre-Islamic Arabian religion and Islam. Their existence is generally defined as parallel to humans, as they have free will, are accountable for their deeds, and can be either ...

's are popularly believed to live there.

Access

The lake is accessible from three different trails and sides;

, Upper Dir (shortest way) which is about 6 hours by foot, Sulatanr (Roringar Valley), Upper Swat and Lalko (Gabina Jabba); about 10 to 12 hours. From Chitkarai, the distance by foot is around 4–5 hours. * The Lalko Gabina Jabba * Ushirai trail * Another trail leads to the lake from Sulatanr which is also located in the northern tip of Roringar Matta, Swat.

References

{{Reflist Lakes of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tourist attractions in Swat Swat District Swat Kohistan

Access

See also

References