The Multicolored Lakes of Naltar

A lake so blue it might make the bluebird envious. Serenity in each ripple that twinkles under the summer sun. Melody in the chirps of the birds hidden in the trees along the shore. A sweet calmness fills you up, till suddenly a pickup truck (with a dozen speakers in its back) drives in and starts blasting songs that make you question your sanity.

The Naltar Valley in the province of Gilgit-Baltistan is a gem you just can not miss; whether you plan an exclusive trip or a one day stop over on your way to Hunza/Gilgit. Naltar has a lot to offer whether its during skiing season or glacier melting summer.

The name
The word “Naltar” is actually a combination of the words “Nal” and “Tar”. Nal means any water body from its streams to its river, while Tar literally means wet. Implying that all its water bodies are perennial.

The valley is divided into two towns: Naltar Bala and Naltar Paeen. Naltar Paeen (which is on a lower altitude than Naltar Bala) kept me wondering if they were spelling “pine” wrong, after all pine forrests are what embelish the valley heavily. But it turns out paeen is a word in the local language (the meaning of which has escaped me).

Naltar Paeen has hydro-power plants that not only meet the requirements of the area but also supply Gilgit. They are being worked on by the PAF and Chinese companies so of course entering Naltar means you have to identify yourself at a police check post in the town of Nomal. This is beneficial because you can park your car in the vicinity of  the check post and be sure of it safety. Which brings me to how we get to Naltar. Well, there is no metaled road in Naltar. A local told us that there was a metaled road from the check post till Naltar Paeen but it was destroyed by a flood. So now it’s just an unpaved road that, no matter what car you have, you should not attempt to brave. We saw many a vehicle stranded on the side of the road because either the clutch plate or the brakes were decimated.

So how do you get up to Naltar Bala? You hire a jeep! This has to be done in advance because the jeep comes and picks you up from the police post, they are not just parked around to be hired. We had the good fortune of meeting the most resourceful man in fairy meadows who arranged everything for us beforehand. Another thing to keep in mind is to set the fare before getting on the jeep. We were ripped off badly.

For those more interested in the jeeps
Jeeps are dominantly of two types in the Naltar area. First are the 6 cylinder 1984 model jeeps with God knows what make (we were told Toyota even though they had Hino logos). These seat 4 adults. However, some drivers will let you roll off the semi-fabric canopy to fit in 2-3 more people who will take the ride standing up. This is certainly not recommended for the faint-hearted. The second kind is the V8s which accommodates up-to 12 people on real seats. They look like mini school buses. No open roof adventure on these hard top hardcore machines.

The Naltar river flows violently on your side throughout the jeep ride up. There are not many hotels in Naltar. We were told the best place to stay is the PAF mess but since our plan was a spontaneous one we could not get rooms there. Instead we got 3 rooms in Naltar continental which is on the hill opposite the PAF mess. The hotel was clean with hot water in the showers and a chef that made the kind of spicy chicken we had been craving for days.

After a good night’s rest we started our day at 7 am, had breakfast, checked out and were on the road by 8. By the road i again mean a dirt road. Our itinerary included the 3 lakes, the chair lift at the ski resort and the snow leopard sanctuary. The dirt road soon became no road at all; we were moving in between trees in the forest, through streams with water splashing against the tires, over boulders that made the jeep tilt at dangerous angles. It was the most beautiful ride I’ve ever had (and I’ve even been to Switzerland). The breeze smelling of pine, crepuscular rays finding their way through the gaps in the trees, the sound of water carelessly rushing along; sudden changes in the scenery, from dense trees to clearings in the forest, from lush green meadows to huge jagged rocks. I was in awe and under mother nature’s spell. Oh but wait, just when you think it cant possibly get any better than this, it does! Our first stop, Naltar Lake aka Satrangi by the locals.

The lake (which is larger than it seems) is home to such flora that it changes colors depending on the position of the sun (hence named Satrangi). The algae growing on the floor of the lake is of various shades of green and blue and the clarity of the water makes you appreciate each one of those shades.

For those thinking ew
Algae is not fungus its a plant that includes seaweed. Just because it doesn’t have a stem or leaves don’t confuse it with moulds and yeast which are foul smelling and found on rotting things. There is no smell at the lake and the water is not unhygienic.

Our next stop was Blue Lake. It’s only a five minute drive from Naltar Lake. The lake is actually bluest where it’s deepest. Walking along the shore you realize there is no one perfect spot where you can sit to enjoy the view, the view changes every few feet and makes you stop and sigh. The breathtaking beauty over whelms you. On one side of the lake are little kiosks of “chai walas”. There is no greater bliss than sitting by water of blue, under clouds of white, sipping tea and skipping stones.

Blue Lake

Parri (Fairy) Lake. It is an extension of the Blue lake.

As noon approached more and more people started showing up to this little part of paradise. As people started pitching their camps and songs like “oscar dewa tere luk nu” started playing, we decided it was time to say goodbye. I would like to recommend an early start to anyone travelling in that area with family. When we headed back around 1 we saw jeeps and jeeps of boys heading to the lakes. If you go after noon not only will you feel crowded but also non of your pictures will be without hoards of people.

We now found out that the chairlift was closed so we headed to the snow leopard sanctuary. The snow leopard is endangered and only a few thousand remain in the world. This one in Naltar was found as a cub lost and separated from its family in the area of Hunza. Our driver told us that this majestic animal would soon be transferred to USA to find a mate.

Naltar in winter
Come winter Naltar is not the same city described in this post. The lakes cant be reached since the entire area is covered in deep snow. Starting November the prime focus shifts to the national skiing festival. The festival takes place in February every year. It’s no wonder that Naltar has produced three Olympic skiers, two of which are women i must proudly add.

It took us an hour and a half to get back down to Nomal. A dust storm had hit the area and since we were in an open jeep we resembled artifacts excavated from Mohenjo-daro by the time we got into our own cars. Our next target was to get back to Chillas before sunset which we comfortably managed even after making a lunch stop at Juglot and stretching our legs at the 3 mountain point.

More about the 3 mountain point
Three of the mightiest mountain ranges of the world meet at this point. To the left you see the Hindukush, to the right the Himalayas and in the center the Karakoram. At their feet is the confluence of the Indus and Gilgit rivers.

After a dangerously adventurous trip to Fairy Meadows (post coming soon) this impromptu plan for Naltar, a place i didn’t even know existed, was just what my nerves needed to calm down.