The Poonch River flows southwest from the hills above Rawalakot, and the road that follows it — the Hajira-Kotli route — offers some of the more rewarding driving in Azad Kashmir. The valley floor sits around 900 metres, noticeably warmer and lower than Rawalakot itself, and the landscape shifts from pine-covered ridges to open agricultural terraces as you descend.
The river is wide and relatively calm in the middle stretches, with gravel bars and clear green water. There's no single must-stop viewpoint — the appeal is the drive itself, pulling over where the river comes close to the road and the light is right. Allow an easy half-day to go down the valley and return, more if you continue toward Kotli.