Satpara Lake

Satpara Lake

Posted by Akbar Ali on October 23, 2017 in Asia, Gilgit-Baltistan, Lake, Pakistan, Skardu,

Satpara Lake (also called “Sadpara Lake”) is natural lake situated about 9 kilometres (5.59 miles) north of Skardu (the capital of Baltistan), in Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. Situated at an altitude of 2,635 meters (8645 feet) the lake is reached after 20 minutes of jeep drive from Skardu.

The lake is fed by Satpara Stream. It works as a key water supply source for Skardu Town. It is spread over an area of 2.5 kilometres (1.55 miles). There is a fairy-tale picturesque island in the centre of the lake. One can use a country boat to reach the island. A story about this lake is famous among local people that there is a gold mine at the bottom of this lake. They believe that this is the reason why its water seems to be shining in the day time.

Satpara Lake with its marvellous and breathtaking beauty is considered one of the most charming lakes among tourists. The lake’s crystal clear waters present a marvellous and picturesque view to visitors by mirroring the icy mountains; encircled around the lake. One can do fishing, motor boating and rowing at the lake. Fishing gear, rowboats, and motorboats can be hired from Satpara Lake Inn. Fishing gear is very cheap to hire although the cost of fishing license is the US $10 for one person.

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Lake View Park

Lake View Park

Posted by Akbar Ali on October 23, 2017 in Asia, Islamabad, Lake, Murree, Pakistan, Park, picnic spot, Rawalpindi,

Lake View Park (also called Rawal Lake Park) is situated on Murree-Islamabad Highway. While travelling from Islamabad to Murree a road turns right just before Barakahu and leads to this beautiful park. The newly constructed park has become a favourite picnic spot for people of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. It  is constructed alongside Rawal Lake, which is an artificial reservoir that fulfils water needs for cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

The park was built with efforts of Chairman CDA (Capital Development Authority) Kamran Lashari. Situated at the bank of Rawal Lake, a park is an amusement place of international standards. CDA has provided lovely installations of amusement parks like passenger train and busses, games and fun rides for children and elders. The park also provides facilities for adventure sports. Wall (rock) climbing, paintball, quad motocross, car dodging, scooter boats, and speed boats are some of the adventure sports to do in Lake View Park. Motorized and simple boats are available for families and individuals. There is a small passenger train in the park. There is a zoo for rare species of birds in the park. Bathrooms are available for ladies and gents on different locations in the park. A restaurant named “Dera” is offering food and refreshment items for visitors. There are also small refreshment stalls on different places that meet immediate refreshment needs. Alternatively, people can bring their own food and stuff to enjoy a picnic with friends and families. There are grills installed in different places in the park where people can enjoy Bar B.Q. Park administration has also arranged live music for visitors. CDA has hundreds of workers working in the park including gardeners, security guards, sanitary workers and other management staff.

CDA has displayed list for almost all the fun activity and amusements available in the park. Parking is very vast and inexpensive. The place is also very good for bird lovers as the majority of birds of Islamabad and Rawalpindi can be found here. Lake View Park can also be reached using public transport. Vans of root No. 10 from Rawalpindi and root No. 127 from Islamabad can be used to reach this park.

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Khanpur Lake

Khanpur Lake

Posted by Akbar Ali on October 23, 2017 in Asia, Haripur, Hazara Division, Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Lake, Pakistan, Taxila,

Khanpur Lake is about 40 kilometres (25 miles) away from Islamabad (the capital of Pakistan) in Hazara Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The lake is sighted near the town Khanpur, on the road between Taxila and Haripur. The lake was constructed along with the construction of Khanpur Dam in 1983. The dam is 51 meters (167.33 feet) high and has a total capacity of 140,000,000 cubic meters.

History

Khanpur Lake was constructed in 1953 along with the construction of Khanpur Dam which is 51 meters (167 feet) high and can store up to 110,000-acre-feet of water. Khanpur Dam was constructed during the period of president Ayub Khan.

Importance

The lake is fed by waters of River Haro. It is an important water source for both agricultural and consumption needs in the region. Khanpur Lake is also a reservoir that supplies drinking water to some areas of Hazara Division. The lake along with the view of Margla hills has become a popular tourist destination where families and individuals can enjoy boating, picnicking, speed boating and fishing. There is an island in the middle of the lake that is good for spending a picnic and enjoying the landscape. Boats are available for pick and drop to the island. An adventure club named Hawk Adventure Club has recently created its camp near the lakeshore. They provide facilities for adventure sports like rowing, diving and speed boating.

Khanpur Lake is an ideal place for a day trip. It will be a more interesting trip if you take time to visit historical places of Taxila nearby and also the famous Taxila Museum.

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Keenjhar Lake

Keenjhar Lake

Posted by Akbar Ali on October 22, 2017 in Asia, Karachi, Lake, Pakistan, River, Sindh,

Keenjhar Lake is also called Kalri Lake. It is located in Thatta District, Sindh, Pakistan. It is situated about 122 kilometres from Karachi. The lake is about 24 kilometres long and 6 kilometers wide. Its maximum depth is 26 feet. The Indus River flows parallel to the lake. Kalari Lake is one of the largest freshwater lakes of Pakistan.

Basically, Kalari Lake is formed by the union of two lakes named Sonehri and Keenjhar. The purpose behind this formation is to supply fresh water to the people of Karachi and Thatta District. It is considered an extremely important place for wildlife. It is a favourable place for the habitat of winter birds like duck, geese, flamingos, cormorants, herons, coots, and gulls.

Kalari Lake is a beautiful tourist resort. A large number of people daily visit there from Karachi, Hyderabad and Thatta. The folk poets find Keenjhar Lake is a great source of inspiration. Shah Abdul Latif Bhatia praised this place in his poetry.

The famous folklore of Sindh, Noori Jam Tamachi is associated with this place. Jam Tamachi, the ruler of Sindh married the beautiful fisher girl Noori. In the middle of the lake, there is a tomb which is known as Noori’s tomb. It is a famous spot and can be seen from the shore. Hundreds of people visit this shrine every day. Another folklore of Jhum Pir and Sonehri, the prince and the fairy, is also related to this place.

Kalari Lake is a very nice place to be visited with family and friends. There is a small restaurant for tourists named Noori Restaurant near the shore of the lake. People from all over the Pakistan visit this lake.

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Ansoo Lake

Ansoo Lake

Posted by Akbar Ali on October 20, 2017 in Asia, Himalayas, Kaghan Valley, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Lake, Mansehra, Mountain, Pakistan,

Ansoo Lake is located in Kaghan Valley of District Mansehra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is located at an altitude of 13,927 feet (4245 meters) above sea level and considered among one of the highest lakes of Himalayas. The lake is situated near Malika Parbat, the highest mountain of Kaghan Valley.

According to a resident of Naran Valley, M. Tahir, Ansoo Lake is his discovery and he named this Lake as Ansoo Jheel (transformation in English: “Tear Lake”). The lake (Jheel) is shaped like a tear (Ansoo) that why it is named Ansoo Lake. The lake has become very popular attractions for tourists in a very short time.




It is said that one needs to be lucky to behold the beautiful Ansoo Lake. Because sometimes when you reach the lake after hours difficult trekking, the lake does not viewable due to fog or rain. Track to the lake itself presents several breathtaking and picturesque views to the visitors. After 5 hours of the trek a hill comes, and when you look down to the other side from the summit of the hill, Ansoo Lake is there saying behold I am what brings you here, away from the crowds and communities of human. Travelling a little more will take you closer to the bank of the lake. The lake stays covered in snow whole year except July to August. It is said that the best time for this trek is between July 10 to August 15 and one can see the mirroring waters of a lake during this period of time.

Aansoo Lake can be reached using two treks;

1. From Lake Saif-ul-Malook
2. From Mahandri through Manoor Village

From Lake Saif-ul-Malook:

It takes seven to nine hours of a trek for a round trip from Lake Saif-ul-Malook to Ansoo Lake. It is recommended to set off early in the morning. It would be better if you spend the night at Lake Saif-ul-Malook and start travelling as early as possible in the morning. This trek can be separated into two halves. The first part is through a valley alongside river to the base camp of Malika Parbat. The second steeper part is from the base camp of Malika Parbat to Ansoo Lake.

From Mahandri through Manoor Village:

The second trek to set off for Ansoo Lake is a village named Mahandri, located about 40 kilometres (25 miles) to the south of Naran. Turning left from Mahandri Bazar, a jeep track leads to Village Manoor. This valley is great gift for nature lovers and full heart touching picturesque views. You can reach here on jeep but you need to walk from here. After 6-7 hours of the trek, a lush green meadow called “Dher” comes. From here trek starts to incline. After 3-4 hours of trek from Dher at a height of about 14,000 feet you can see the Ansoo Lake.

Preparations for Trek:

• Bring tents and sleeping bags and food with you for in case you need to camps somewhere due to rough weather conditions like snow fall, heavy rain or land slide.
• Hire a guide and horses for the trek. (This can be arranged from the Lake Saif-ul-Malook).
• Keep enough food and water with you. Better to take sandwiches or burgers for food because you don’t need to take any crockery stuff for them.
• Use comfortable shoes, warm clothes and especially keep a rain coat with you for rain and snowfall.

Cautions for trekkers:

• Avoid trekking to Ansoo Lake in a bad weather. Wait for a fair day.
• Diabetes patients and people with respiratory problems should avoid to trek for the lake.

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Lake Saif ul Malook

Lake Saif ul Malook

Posted by Akbar Ali on October 20, 2017 in Asia, Kaghan Valley, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Lake, Malika Parbat, Mansehra, Pakistan,

Lake Saif ul Malook is a famous tourist resort, well known for the associated story of a Persian prince Saif ul Malook. It is located about 8 kilometres (5 miles) north from the town of Naran in the northern end of Kaghan Valley, in District Mansehra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The lake with its majestic and mesmerizing natural beauty, pleasant the atmosphere and associated tale and history, attracts thousands of tourists each year from all around the country during the summer.
The lake is also famous for being the habitat of large size Brown Trout fish, which weigh up to 7 kilograms. Lake Saif ul Malook also provides a marvellous view of Malika Parbat, which is the highest peak of Kaghan Valley.

The best time to visit Lake Saif ul Malook is between May and the end July. It remains covered in snow during winter, and the road to the lake stays closed due to heavy snowfall.

Lake Saif ul Malook is one of the highest alpine lakes of Pakistan. It is located at an altitude of 3,224 meters (10, 578 feet) above sea level.

There are lots of controversies about the depth of Lake Saif ul Malook. In fact, there is no authentic source to tell the exact depth of the lake. The local people of the valley say Lake Saif ul Malook is 1 kilometer deep, some of them says it is 1.7 kilometres. However, a team which recently conducted a survey on all alpine lakes of Northern Areas of Pakistan told that the depth of Lake Saif ul Malook is 50 feet.
If we take a look at figures given above, the one (50 feet) provided by the team which conducted survey seems to be more realistic as if we consider the geography of the area surrounding the lake, it would be a marvel of nature for a lake to be 1-1.7 kilometres deep at an altitude of 3 kilometres above sea level.

The classic story of Lake Saif ul Malook is written by Sufi poet Mian Muhammad Bakhsh. It is written in the form of poetic verses.
The story is about a Persian prince named Saif ul Malook who fell in love with a fairy named Badi ul Jamal (transformation in English: Glory of the moon), whom he saw in his dreams. The prince thus started his journey to find his beloved fairy Badi ul, Jamal. He was clueless in his restless journey until he met a Devish (holy man), who told him how he can find her. Devish also told him that he had to go through many exams before he could find and marry Badi ul Jamal because she was a fairy and prince was human.
The prince then starts his journey for the impossible in the name of his love. The rest of the story chronicles the challenges he faced during his journey and the spiritual lessons he learned on the way.

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