Tuesday, April 27, 2010

SHONTAR LAKE.NEAR NEELUM VALLEY

Ansoo Lake is a high-altitude lake (elevation 13,540 feet or 4,126 metres) in the Kaghan Valley in the Mansehra District of the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. It is near Malika Parbat in the Himalayan range.




It can be reached by a difficult trek from Saiful Mulook Lake and requires physical and mental fitness. If one chooses to walk it takes more than eight hours for a round trip starting from lake Saif ul Muluk. The trek is covered with snow in most parts of the year. The best time to trek is from 25 July to 30 August. The optimal time to set off for the lake is around 09:00 in the morning. Horses can also be hired from the Lake Saif ul Muluk along with a guide person who will take you to Ansoo Lake. It costs almost PKR 800-1000 per horse but one still has to walk more than 50% of the distance himself. Another trek to reach Ansoo Lake is from Mahandri, which is 40 km below Naran, but this is a less trod route and the difficulties are unknown. The name "Ansoo" comes from its tear-like shape (the Urdu word Ansoo means teardrop). The lake is said to have been discovered in 1993 by Pakistan Air Force pilots who were flying low above the area. Earlier, the lake was not even known to the locals.

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