Area guides / Khyber Pakhtunkhwa / Naran & Kaghan Valley
Area guide
Naran & Kaghan Valley
Alpine lakes, the Kaghan road, and the Babusar crossing
Region
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
When to go
Mid-June to September, once the jeep tracks and Babusar Top clear of snow.
Getting there
Drive up the Kaghan road from Mansehra and Balakot to Naran (a long day from Islamabad). Saiful Muluk and Babusar are onward 4x4 day trips.
Spots
3 key places
Overview
About Naran & Kaghan Valley
The Kaghan Valley climbs from pine forest at Balakot to the alpine bowl of Lake Saiful Muluk above Naran, then crosses the 4,173 m Babusar Top toward the Karakoram Highway, a summer-only ribbon of lakes and meadows.
Drive up the Kaghan road from Mansehra and Balakot to Naran (a long day from Islamabad). Saiful Muluk and Babusar are onward 4x4 day trips.
Lake days
Saiful Muluk is the centrepiece, go early before cloud and crowds build. Acclimatise in Naran first; the altitude is felt on the climb.
The Babusar crossing
Babusar Top turns Kaghan into an overland link to Gilgit-Baltistan, Chilas, Fairy Meadows, and Hunza lie beyond. The pass is open only in high summer.
Top sights in Naran & Kaghan Valley
Region guide →Field Guides
All places →Lake Saiful Muluk
Lake Saiful Muluk sits at 3,224 m at the head of the Kaghan Valley, above Naran, mirroring the snows of Malika Parbat in still glacial water. It is one of Pakistan's most photographed alpine lakes and the heart of the Prince Saiful Muluk folk legend.
Babusar Top
Babusar Top is the 4,173 m pass that links the Kaghan Valley to the Karakoram Highway near Chilas, a short, dramatic summer-only crossing with views across to Nanga Parbat in clear weather.
