Lakes of Kaghan Valley

Kaghan valley is one of the most beautiful valleys of Pakistan and is an ideal candidate for 4-8 days of green trekking. While Saif ul Mulook is the most famous of all lakes it has, there are others which are far more beautiful and worth attempting. Below are the description of five major lakes in Kaghan Valley…

Saif ul Mulook Lake
Elevation : 3200m
Saif ul Mulook is by far the most popular lake in Kaghan valley for tourists. Reason of its popularity is its beauty and accessibility. A person visiting Kaghan valley, doesn’t go back without being on this lake. The beauty of this lake however is slowly being spoiled by the huge number of people visiting it every year. From Naran, a large number of jeeps are always available for this lake which takes around an hour on a 10 km bumpy road.

Aansoo Lake
Elevation : 4000m
People who have just heard about this lake and never came across any of its picture, get disappointed to see its size. It is however the path that leads to it is attractive rather than the lake itself. Aannsoo means ‘tear’ and is called so because of its shape which looks very much like a tear drop from the top. It can be accessed via Saif ul Mulook or Manoor valley. It takes 3-4 hrs of walk to reach it from lake Saif ul Mulook including a tough ascend just before it. From Manoor, it can be accessed via Manoor gali and Kuch gali which is described in another post of mine here.

Lulu Sar
Elevation : 3430m
Lulusar lake is the widest of all lakes in Kaghan Valley. It has a pretty irregular lake. As it is almost along the Naran – Chilas road, it can be reached through Jeep. Total drive from Naran is approximately 60 kms and takes around 4-5 hours on jeep via Batakundi, Buruwai, Jalkhad and Besal. It is however not recommended to camp  near this lake as this area falls under Kohistan and the people are not very hospitable as compared to the rest of Kaghan valley.

Dudipat Sar
Elevation : 3900m
Dudipat lake is the crown of all lakes of Kaghan valley. The fact that it cannot be accessed through any vehicle has so far kept it in with its original charm and matchless beauty. The trek to Dudipat starts from Besal which is at a distance of around 55 kms from Naran and is accessible through jeeps. From there the trek remains mainly along with the Purbi Nar (Nar is ‘Nala’ in local language) and takes around 6-8 hours.  Best months to visit this lake are July and August. Isobel Shaw’s book mentions that one can view Nanga Parbat and other snowy peaks from the pass and further top of the hill towards northeast after 2-3 hrs of climb.

Saral Lake
Elevation : 3500m
From Dudipat, a trek of 5-6 hours can take you to Saral Lake.  From Saral, one can come back to Naran or  can try descending into the Neelum valley. A trek of 6-8 hours from Besal can take one to Noori Nar top from where jeeps can be taken for Sharda in Neelum Valley.