Situated at the confluence of the Jhelum and the Neelum rivers Muzaffarabad the capital of the State of Azad Jammu and Kashmir is at a distance of eighty six miles from Rawalpindi and forty nine miles from Abbottabad. Surrounded by mountains, it looks like a walled town. It is the administrative capital of Azad Kashmir. Behind the Secretariat to the east is a road climbing above the town from where one can walk upto Pir Chinasi at 2,900 meters with good views of the Jhelum valley and the higher mountains above the Neelum to the north. From the cool on the Abbottabad Road, you can walk along the ridge looking over the Jhelum and Kunhar rivers.
Past the Red fort, crossing Neelum river at Ghori, a couple of kilometre way is ‘Makra mountain’ 3,890 meters that is visible from Muzaffarabad and continues on to Shogran within the Kaghan valley. This is an outstanding short trek, though you need to camp overnight halfway.
The higher Jhelum valley makes another fascinating scenic excursion from Muzaffarabad. Follow the Jhelum upstream, taking the road to a lower place the Domel bridge. This was the previous route to Srinagar. The valley is broad with raised terraces above the river. Rice and maize are wide grown. Some ten kms out of Muzaffarabad the river widens to from a small lake. This was created by a landslide some years ago. There is a small Angler’s Hut here that makes a nice picnic spot. It is possible to take boats out on the river. Book through the tourist Department in Muzaffarabad.
The city was based by sultan Muzaffar Khan of Bamba dynasty and was the seat of an independent State for quite a long period under his successors.
The city is currently a mixture of old and new buildings and a mix of various cultures and languages.
It has besides official buildings, farms, parks and the historic forts standing on the banks of the Neelum, Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Rawlakot and Kotli are connected with Pakistan by the Micro-weave system of telephone.
There are rest houses, good hotels and guest houses in Muzaffarabad city where the tourists can stay.
The rather sleazy bazaars in Muzaffarabad are often explored for its walnut carvings and its Kashmiri shawls. It is typically possible to get a good discount.
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