Naltar Valley Lakes
per person
- Difficulty: Easy
- Duration: 2-6 hours
- Region: Naltar, Gilgit Baltistan
West of Rakaposhi is the magical Naltar Valley, famed in winter for its skiing as the ‘Magic Carpet of Pakistan’ – ski competitions are held here under the watchful eye of the Pakistan Air Force… But we are here for the hiking and luckily the natural scenery here is incredible and undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places to travel in Pakistan. The village of Naltar is set in a pine forest with magnificent mountains rising up around, one of those captivating half-mythical, half-alpine places that make exploring Pakistan on foot so rewarding. Sure a jeep ride is fun but it can only really get you from A to B, whereas walking puts you directly in that landscape, and Naltar Valley is somewhere you really DO want to be! It will take a jeep ride to get to Naltar in the first place, most likely from Gilgit about 25 miles south. You can then hike a track from the village to the three Naltar lakes, one green, one dark, and the last one is this unreal azure that is truly spectacular… Early to mid-summer is the best time to visit as even up here at 3,000 metres above sea level it can get pretty uncomfortable.