Neelum Valley, Azad Kashmir — 6 Days

About this trip

Six days along the Neelum river through Azad Kashmir — Keran, the Sharda Buddhist ruins, Kel, the chairlift and hike up to Arang Kel, and the optional 4x4 excursion to Ratti Gali Lake at 3,700 m.

The Neelum valley runs 200 km northeast from Muzaffarabad along a river the colour of its name, with the Line of Control on the far bank for much of the way. It is the greenest valley in Pakistan — terraced maize fields, walnut and apple trees, wooden houses with slate roofs — and considerably less visited than Naran or Hunza. The road has improved enormously in recent years but is still narrow and slow in places, which is part of why the valley has kept its character. The highlight is Arang Kel, a village on a shelf above Kel reached by a short chairlift and a steep 40-minute walk, with a meadow view that people describe as the most beautiful place they have been in Pakistan. Ratti Gali Lake, at 3,700 m above Dowarian, is an optional add-on for those with an extra day and a strong stomach for jeep tracks.

Trip highlights

• The Neelum river the whole length of the valley
• Arang Kel — chairlift and hike to the meadow village above Kel
• Sharda: the ruins of an ancient Sharada Peeth university and temple
• Keran and the villages along the Line of Control
• Kutton and the Jagran valley waterfalls
• Optional 4x4 to Ratti Gali Lake at 3,700 m
• Wooden Kashmiri architecture and terraced hillsides throughout