Naran valley is the most beautiful & picturesque valley. That’s why it is called virtual paradise, unbelievably in pristine state and still unspoiled by the human. You’ll find the Himalayan peaks hidden with clouds or snow, somewhere you’ll find the beautiful fairy tale lakes, which will attract you toward them, and you might decide not to leave this at any cost. Where Kaghan is full of scenic beauty there it is full of thrill and excitement for the mountaineers and treks.

Naran Valley is a 155 kms long scenic wonderland. Lofty peaks crown the mountains ranges on either side like turrets, ranging in height from 12,000 to 17,000 ft and more, with the eastern range higher than the western. The bed of valley slopes up from 3,000 ft at Balakot, which, as it were, the gateway of the valley, to 12,000 ft at Gittdas beyond which the valley crosses at Babusar Pass 14,000 ft. The first ten miles or so are largely barren, but when the valley raises to about 5,000 ft forests of pine and fir appear, densely overgrown with a variety of plants, which has won for Kaghan the epithets of ‘the botanists paradise’. The forests continue till about Naran 8,000 ft.

Road goes along the river Kunhar, meandering now to one side and now to the other. But keeping most to the bed of the valley and never too far above the bank of the stream except in the very first state.

The Naran Valley is accessible by road from Abbottabad. From Abbottabad, 72 km drive to Balakot, the gateway to Kaghan valley. Here you have to switch over to jeeps for your drive 100 km to Kaghan Valley.

Kaghan valley starts from Balakot, which is famous for the Mausoleum of two Muslim warriors Syed Ahmed Shaheed Brelvi and Shah Ismail who laid their lives fighting against Sikhs in the 18th century. Balakot is situated at the foot of the mountains that goes thousands of feet above. The toy huts, which are amazingly perched on their slopes. On other side is the Kunhar River, which accompanies you all along your journey. The river is muddy in the plains but as you go towards the mountains it becomes clearer. The road to Kaghan is frightening because on your left are the deep slopes to the river and on your right are the lofty mountains.

13 miles away from Balakot to Kaghan is Kawai in these 13 miles you’ll reach the altitude of 4000 feet starting from 3000 feet which means that you have covered 1000 feet of altitude in just 13 miles. The main place here to visit is Shogran, which is 5 miles jeep able trek now in these 5 miles you’ll go up another 3000 feet. Now you are 7000 feet above the sea level and rightly so because Shogran means “Forest in the sky”. You’ll be able to view the some of the lofty peaks from here, which are ” Moosa Ka Musalla ” and ” Makra “having height of 14000 feet, and Malika-e-Parbat (Queen of the Mountains) (17000 feet). Then comes Mahandri village the altitude here is 5,800 feet now the landscape and the scene changes here and becomes wilder the river Mahandri is still with you but you’ll feel it much closer to you. Another 11 miles from here is the village Kaghan at 7000 feet is the wonderland here river is 800 feet below the road..

Known for its Silence. Home to the echo of Owls, this is Sharan, The trek starts from Paras, which is accessible by drive on Balakot – Naran Road, about seven kilometers from Kewai towards Naran, one can take a trek across the river Kunhar to Sharan (7700 feets from the sea level). It is about 16 kilometers from Paras. The most spectacular thing about Sharan is walnut trees. So many walnuts to eat and jungle to explore. From Early night till four in morning you can hear owls.. and after that some sparrow starts to sing till the sunlight.Sharan is a thick forest and isolated from the outside world. A wonderful place to get out of this world.

Five mile away another 3000 feet above the Naran is Fairy Tale Lake Saiful Maluk the lake is accessible by jeep or by tracking because there is a mere trek to reach the lake. It is almost impossible to describe the beauty of this lake, which is like mirror at the altitude of 3200 meters. The Queen of the Mountains is standing in the east and looking her image in the mirror of Lake Saiful Maluk. You can spend few days here to monitor the guards of lake, which are towering peaks and spread all around the lake.

Dudipat lake is the crown of all lakes of Kaghan valley. The fact that it cannot be accessed through any vehicle has so far kept it in with its original charm and matchless beauty. The trek to Dudipat starts from Besal which is at a distance of around 55 kms from Naran and is accessible through jeeps. From there the trek remains mainly along with the Purbi Nar (Nar is ‘Nala’ in local language) and takes around 6-8 hours. Best months to visit this lake are July and August. Isobel Shaw’s book mentions that one can view Nanga Parbat and other snowy peaks from the pass and further top of the hill towards northeast after 2-3 hrs of climb.

Babusar Pass is at a distance of 80 km from Naran. It is on the way to the pass that the Kaghan valley’s scenery becomes most dramatic. Battakundi is at a distance of 16 km from Naran and provides access to Lalazar Plateau, lake Dodiputsar and lake Lulusar which is the biggest natural lake in Hazara and the source of Kunhar river. From Babusar Top mighty Nanga Parbat (8126 m) can be seen on a clear day. It is located at an altitude of 4146 m (14,000 ft). From here, the whole panorama lies spread out before the visitor. On a clear day the great Nanga Parbat (26,660 ft) can also be seen from here.