Lakes in Azad Kashmir: Complete List and How to Reach Each

The lakes in Azad Kashmir that visitors actually reach fall into three groups. Four you can drive to in an ordinary car: Banjosa near Rawalakot, Subri outside Muzaffarabad, Mangla at Mirpur and Baghsar in the Samahni valley. Zalzal Lake near Chikar needs a rough side road and a walk. The high lakes of the Neelum Valley (Ratti Gali, Patlian, Shounter, Chitta Katha and Saral) need a jeep, a hike or both, and are only open for a short summer season.

This list goes through all ten with the height, how you actually get there and when it is worth going, so you can match the lake to your car, your legs and your calendar.

How the lakes of Azad Kashmir divide up

The car lakes are low, open most of the year, and fit into a weekend from Islamabad or Lahore. The Neelum lakes are high, cold and seasonal, and each takes a full day or more from the nearest town. Ratti Gali, Patlian, Chitta Katha and Saral are all between about 3,700 and 4,100 metres, so if you have children, older parents or anyone with a heart or lung condition in the group, plan around the lower lakes.

Lakes you can drive to

Banjosa Lake

Banjosa is a man-made lake at 1,981 metres in pine forest about 18 km from Rawalakot, and the easiest mountain lake in Azad Kashmir to reach from Islamabad. There is an AJK Tourism rest house, plus private guesthouses and small shops nearby. Our Banjosa Lake guide covers the walks and where to stay. Rawalakot has been at the centre of the 2026 protests, so read the safety section below first.

Subri Lake

Subri Lake, also called Langarpura, sits about 8 km south-east of Muzaffarabad beside the road to Chakothi. It formed in 1975 when a cloudburst left water standing where the Jhelum widens. It is more a roadside view than a destination. Our guide to places to visit in Muzaffarabad shows how to combine it with the Red Fort and Domel.

Mangla Lake

Mangla is the reservoir behind Mangla Dam, beside Mirpur: flat water, wide views and warm winter sunshine. Boats run across the reservoir from the Sukhian side near Mirpur, including to Ramkot Fort, which stands on a hill above the water with around 440 steps to the gate. Ask locally about current boat arrangements before you drive down.

Go between October and March. In May and June, Mirpur is as hot as the Punjab plains.

Baghsar Lake

Baghsar Lake lies at 975 metres in the Samahni valley of Bhimber district, below the Mughal-era Baghsar Fort. It is small, about half a kilometre long, with water lilies in summer and ducks and geese in the cooler months. The road from Bhimber is paved.

The lake and fort are very close to the Line of Control, and parts of the area are restricted. Visitors are sometimes asked to get permission at army checkpoints, so check locally in Bhimber or Samahni before setting out.

Zalzal Lake: a rough road and a walk

Zalzal means earthquake. The lake formed after the 2005 earthquake, when a landslide near Chikar blocked two streams, and it is now roughly 3.5 km long. To reach it, turn off the Muzaffarabad–Chakothi road at Dhanni Baqalan, about 33 km from Muzaffarabad, and climb to Chikar at around 1,830 metres. From there, the road to the lake is rough and narrow, and visitors report a walk of 40 to 50 minutes down to the shore, which means the same back up.

AJK Tourism has a guest house at Chikar, but most people make Zalzal a day trip from Muzaffarabad.

Neelum's high lakes by jeep and on foot

All the Neelum lakes start from towns on the main valley road, and the last stretch to each is a jeep track. Since 2025 the district administration has allowed only well-maintained vehicles with licensed drivers to take tourists to Ratti Gali, Patlian and other high spots, so hire through your hotel or the local jeep stand.

Ratti Gali Lake

Ratti Gali, at 3,683 metres, is the best known. The jeep track runs about 19 km from Dowarian, a village on the main road above Keran, to a base camp of tents, usually in around two hours. From there it is 45 minutes to an hour on foot, or on a hired horse. The track is normally passable from July to September. Our Ratti Gali Lake guide covers the base camp, risks and costs.

Patlian Lake

Patlian is a quieter alternative at around 3,950 metres. Jeeps leave from Lawat, on the main road just below Dowarian, and take about three hours to the base camp, followed by a walk of about 45 minutes. Base camp tents offer bedding, tea and simple meals in season. The AJK archaeology and tourism department suggests June to August, when the snow has cleared.

Shounter Lake

Shounter Lake sits at 3,100 metres in the Shounter valley, a side valley that climbs east from Kel. It is reached on the jeep track from Kel towards the Shounter pass, which takes around four to five hours to Domel, the main village in the valley, with the lake a short jeep ride beyond. It is a long day from Kel, and more comfortable with a night in Domel. Go in summer, when the track is open.

The hard ones: Chitta Katha and Saral

These two are for fit trekkers with a guide, camping gear and time.

Chitta Katha Lake, at 4,100 metres, starts from Domel in the Shounter valley, after the same jeep ride from Kel. From there it is a steep climb of four to eight hours through a narrow gorge and over glacier, so most groups camp at Domel and allow three or four days from Kel. Glaciers on three sides give the water its milky colour, and the lake is sacred to Hindus as an abode of Shiva.

Saral Lake, also at about 4,100 metres, sits on the watershed between the Neelum and Kaghan valleys. From the Neelum side, jeeps go up the Sharda to Jalkhad road towards Noori Top, and the rest is on foot, with at least one night of camping before the lake. The best window is short: late June to early August. The road itself is covered in our guide to Noori Top.

When are the lakes open?

The car lakes are open all year. Mangla and Baghsar are best from October to March, and Banjosa from spring to autumn, with snow in winter.

The Neelum lakes follow the snow. The jeep tracks usually open in late June or July and close in September or October, with dates that change every year. July and August are also the wettest months, so keep a spare day for landslides on the valley road. Our guide to the best time to visit Azad Kashmir goes month by month.

Is it safe to visit the lakes right now?

Pakistani visitors still travel to all of these lakes, but check the situation first.

• The Line of Control. The Neelum lakes and Baghsar are close to the LoC. In May 2025, during India–Pakistan tension, army checkpoints turned tourists back from the Neelum Valley, and closures like that can come at short notice.
• The 2026 protests. Since June 2026, protests led by the Joint Awami Action Committee have left dozens dead, with strikes that stopped road traffic, most recently on 9 September. Mobile internet was cut from 5 June; broadband returned in mid-September, but mobile data was still restricted in places, including Rawalakot.
• Overseas visitors. The UK government advises against all travel within 10 miles of the LoC, which covers most of the Neelum Valley, and against all but essential travel to the rest of Azad Kashmir. Your own government may say the same, and ignoring it can void travel insurance.

Read local news the day before, and don't set off while roads are closed.

Which lake should you choose?

• A family weekend from Islamabad: Banjosa, if Rawalakot is calm. Easy and pleasant, though it will not feel remote.
• Winter sunshine: Mangla and the boat to Ramkot Fort.
• One high lake on a Neelum trip: Ratti Gali. A full day from Keran or Dowarian, but no trekking experience needed.
• Quieter than Ratti Gali: Patlian.
• A real trek: Chitta Katha or Saral, with a guide, a tent and three or four days.

If you would rather not spend a day in a jeep, skip the high lakes: the river, Keran and Arang Kel give you most of what people go to Kashmir for. Our Kashmir destination page has the wider picture.

Frequently asked questions