Neelum Valley

Neelum Valley, a bow-shaped thickly forested region, is the last district of Azad Jammu and Kashmir in Pakistan, located at the distance of 100km from Muzaffarabad at an altitude of 5,299 feet. Its name is due to the Neelum River, flowing across the valley. Valley is divided among Pakistan and Indian held Kashmir, the LOC is normally moved along the Neelum River in this valley.

Accessing Neelum Valley

From Muzaffarabad, fully paved road to the Neelum valley along the Neelum River. Keran, Sharda, and Kel are justed located on the main road, whereas one needs 4x4 jeep to have an adventurous part of the journey toward the final destination of Taobat in Neelum Valley.

Valley divided in Pakistan & India

Neelum valley is very beautiful and attractive for number of visitors in all the seasons, it has several scenic views of lakes, rivers, snow-capped mountains, green fields, and waterfalls. Road from Authmuqam to Kel, and then from Kel to Taobat is a real adventure of tour and full of beautiful views, those must have an impact on life, as the road is adjacent to LOC, so you can see Indian Post and Indian flags on various hills in Indian held Kashmir.

It is also famous for orchards of apples, pears, and apricots. You can also see corn crops in all over the valley, that is much famous in all over Pakistan.

Dhani Waterfall

After departing from Muzaffarabad along the Neelum River, the first most attractive place to have a short break is the Dhani Waterfall, located just near the main road.

Kutton - a Picnic Spot

Kutton is small tourist point at the distance of 82 km from Muzaffarabad on the bank of Jagran stream. It is a beautiful picnic point and one can enjoy the lovely night there.

Keran - a Town near LOC

On the bank of Neelum River and just on the LOC, there is a beautiful valley called Keran at the altitude of 5,000 feet. There is a splendid view of the Neelum River at this point and one can enjoy fishing there too. Upper Keran is more beautiful small village at the top, and you can have a clear view of mountain ranges in the Indian held Kashmir there. You may stay night in Keran to plan hiking adventure to high-altitude lakes.

Sharda - 6th Century History

It is another most beautiful spot in the Neelum Valley at the altitude of 6,499 feet on the foot of Shardan Peak and at the distance of 136 km from Muzaffarabad. It is most attractive hill station in the Neelum Valley and people love to stay there for one or two days for getting peace of mind. It would be the best place to spend a night to further move toward Taobat. In Sharda village, the history lovers can explore ruins of the 6th-century Sharada Peeth Temple University.

Kel & Aurang Kel Trek

Kel is the most attractive location for tourists at the altitude of 6,879 feet. Upper Kel or Aurang Kel is small village at the hilltop at the altitude of 8,379 feet, just two kilometers from Kel and is accessible through Chairlift or by performing two hours trek by crossing the bridge over the Neelum River. Trek is little bit difficult at the end, but it will be the most valuable part of your life as there are number beautiful views of lush green forest, streams, springs, etc. If you are lucky, you may see some wild life there.

Jeep Adventure toward Taobat

Toabat is an attractive lush green village near the LOC in Neelum Valley. It gives calm and pleasant atmosphere with few rest-houses in the green fields. Rivers flows into two wide channel there. You can hire 4x4 jeep from Kel to reach the this last town in the Neelum Valley. A narrow trek along the Neelum River through the lush deep pine forest with numerous scenic views. There are several waterfalls along the trek. There are also few Army check posts on the roa, where one has to provide NIC and other information for security purposes.

Lakes in Neelum Valley

There are number of lakes in the Neelum valley, those are accessible through jeep and hiking trek. The most important of them are Chitta Katha Lake, Shounter Lake, Ratti Gali Lake, spoon lake, and Saral Lake. These lakes are glacier lakes as most of the water in these lakes is due to surrounding glaciers on the hills.

Ratti Gali Lake

Ratti Gali Lake is located at an altitude of 12,130 feet in the Neelum Valley. From Dowarian, a two hour jeep trek leads toward the Ratti Gali Base camp. From there, one hour hiking is required to access the final destination of glacial lake. One can hire jeep from Dowarian for PKR 10,000 for a roundtrip. It would be recommended to start early in the morning to get back before darkness.

Plan to explore the high-altitude pleasant hill station near Muzaffarabad, check out Pir Chinasi Travel Guide.