Naran in May: Snow Walls, Glaciers and Road Opening

Naran in May is open but still half in winter. The road to the town has usually reopened in the second half of April, snow lies in walls beside the road above it, and Saif-ul-Malook becomes reachable by jeep once the track is cleared, often while the lake is still partly frozen. Babusar Pass is the exception: it opened on 23 May in 2025 and 25 May in 2026, so for most of the month the road north ends well short of the top.

This guide covers what is open through the month, whether you can get to the lake, what the snow walls and glacier points on the road are like, and who May suits.

What Naran is like in May

Early May is the start of the season. The road has been open for a couple of weeks, hotels and restaurants are still reopening after the winter, and police posts along the road are brought back in phases. The town is quiet, the air is cold and clear, and the mountains are white almost to the valley floor.

Late May is busier and more complete. More hotels are open, the lake track is running, and if Eid falls in May, as it will in 2027, the valley fills up as it does in midsummer. Babusar opens around the last week of the month, weather permitting.

Days are fresh and bright, with averages around 15 to 16°C in Naran, but nights drop to 4 to 7°C and it is colder at the lake. Our guide to Naran weather by month has the figures for each month and for Babusar Top.

Is Saif-ul-Malook reachable in May?

Usually, yes, but not always at the start of the month. The 8 to 9 km jeep track from Naran is buried under snow and old avalanche debris each winter, and the Kaghan Development Authority has to cut it open with heavy machinery before the jeeps can run.

• In 2025 the track reopened on about 1 May, after six months, once machinery had cleared the snow and glaciers from it.
• In 2026 clearing was still under way in the last week of April, with several sections blocked by large glaciers. The lake was receiving Eid visitors by the end of May.

What you find at the top depends on the date. In early and mid-May the lake is often still partly frozen, with snow down to the water and around the jeep stand. By late May the ice is breaking up, and by June it has usually gone. Some people come in May precisely for the frozen lake; others are disappointed not to see the famous blue-green water. Decide which you want before choosing your dates.

A few practical points for a May visit:

• Check the track the evening before. Ask your hotel whether the jeeps are running to the lake itself, or stopping short because of snow.
• The ride is rougher early in the season, with slush, mud and meltwater across the track.
• Wear proper shoes. Trainers get soaked in snow and slush within minutes.
• The fare is fixed per jeep. In 2026 the notified return fare from Naran was PKR 5,500 for the whole jeep; our guide to the Saif-ul-Malook jeep fare explains what it covers.

For what to do at the lake once the season is under way, see our Saif-ul-Malook visitor guide.

Snow walls and glacier points on the road

The drive above Naran in May is one of the reasons to come. The road towards Batakundi and Babusar has been cut through the winter snow, and for stretches it runs between walls of packed snow higher than a car.

Along the way you pass what people in the valley call glaciers: great tongues of avalanche snow and ice that come down the side gullies in winter and lie across or beside the road. Before Babusar reopened in May 2025, the National Highway Authority cleared snow from more than 21 of them between Naran and the top. In spring the road runs through cuttings in them, and visitors stop to walk up and photograph them.

These are the most dangerous places in the valley in May and June. The snow and ice are melting from underneath, and they collapse without warning:

• In June 2025, three tourists from Lahore, a man, a young man and a 13-year-old boy from the same family, were killed near Sohni waterfall in the Naran area when a glacier collapsed while they were taking photographs beneath it. The provincial government's tourism adviser urged visitors to stop taking selfies near glaciers.
• In August 2016, three women from Karachi died near the Saif-ul-Malook road when part of a glacier fell on them as they posed for a photograph.

How far up the valley can you drive in May?

The road opens in stages, from the bottom up.

1. To Naran: open from the second half of April in 2025 and 2026.
2. To Batakundi: close behind. In 2026 the road had been cleared to Batakundi by the last week of April.
3. Towards Jalkhad, Lulusar and Babusar: cleared through May. Until Babusar reopens, ask in Naran how far cars are being allowed that day, because it changes as the clearing moves up.
4. Babusar Top: 23 May 2025 and 25 May 2026.

The first days after opening are not the easiest. Just days after the 2026 reopening, on 30 and 31 May, continuous snow at Babusar made the road slippery, parts were cut to one-way traffic, and the administration asked tourists to avoid non-essential travel, warning that conditions were worst after 6 pm. If crossing the pass matters, whether as a day trip or on the way to Gilgit-Baltistan, plan it for mid-June or later. Our guide to whether Babusar Top is open or closed explains the opening pattern.

What to pack for Naran in May

• A warm jacket, a fleece and a hat, for the evenings and the lake
• Gloves, especially for the jeep ride and at the lake
• Waterproof shoes or boots with a good grip
• Sunglasses and sunscreen; the glare off the snow is strong
• A light rain jacket, since showers are common
• Cash, because jeep drivers and many small hotels deal only in cash

May and Eid

Eid can change the character of May entirely. In 2026, Eid ul Adha fell on 27 May, two days after Babusar reopened, and the valley filled with visitors. In 2027 Eid ul Adha is expected around 17 May, so the Eid rush will fall in the middle of the month.

If your dates overlap with Eid, book rooms early, leave Islamabad before dawn, and expect queues for the lake jeeps. If you have a choice, the first half of May in 2027, before the Eid holidays, will be far quieter.

Is May a good time to visit Naran?

May suits you if:

• you want snow close up without going in winter, when the valley is closed;
• you prefer quiet roads and are happy with fewer hotels and restaurants open;
• you would like to see Saif-ul-Malook in ice, and accept that the track may open later than planned;
• you are a photographer after snowy peaks and clean spring light.

It is a poorer choice if:

• crossing Babusar is the point of the trip, whether as a day out or on the way to Gilgit-Baltistan;
• you are travelling with small children or older parents who will feel the cold nights;
• your dates are fixed and can't move if the lake track or a section of road is still shut.

For a first visit with the whole family, June or September usually works better; our guide to the best time to visit Naran compares the months. If you would like a May trip planned around what is actually open, send us your dates.

Frequently asked questions