Naran Kaghan Itinerary for 5 Days

This Naran Kaghan itinerary for 5 days runs from Islamabad and back: a first night in Shogran, three nights in Naran, and home on day five. It takes in the Siri Paye meadows, a walk down from Lake Saif-ul-Malook and a day trip over the high road to Babusar Top by way of Lulusar Lake, at a pace where nobody is in the car before breakfast every day. It works from about mid-June to September, when the lake road and the Babusar Pass are both open.

Below is the plan in brief, then each day in detail, then how to change it for the season, for children or older parents, and for an extra day.

The five days in brief

The order matters. Shogran on the first night breaks the drive and keeps the first day short. The lake walk comes before Babusar so that everyone has spent two nights at Naran's height before going up to 4,173 metres.

Day 1: Islamabad to Shogran

Leave Islamabad by 7 am. Take the M-1 and the Hazara Motorway north to Mansehra, then the N-15 up the Kunhar through Balakot to Kiwai, 24 km above Balakot. Shogran is about 212 km from Islamabad, so allow about five hours to Kiwai with a stop for lunch in Balakot or at the Kiwai waterfall.

At Kiwai, leave the car at a hotel or guarded parking and take a local jeep up the steep 7 to 8 km road to Shogran, about an hour. In 2026 the fare was fixed at PKR 4,500 return per jeep. Agree with the driver when he will come back for you tomorrow, and whether the fare includes the trip on to Siri Paye.

Spend the late afternoon in the meadow at 2,362 metres, after the day visitors have gone back down. Nights are cold even in July, so have warm clothes in your day bag rather than in the car at Kiwai. Our Shogran guide covers the hotels and what to do there.

Day 2: Siri Paye, then up the valley to Naran

Go up to Siri Paye early, when the chance of a clear view of the peaks is best. The jeep takes 45 minutes to an hour over about 6 km of rough track, and the 2026 fare from Shogran was PKR 5,500 return per jeep. Walkers can go up on foot instead, about two and a half to three hours, but that turns the morning into most of the day; on this plan, ride up and keep your legs for tomorrow.

Give yourself an hour or two at the meadows, around 3,000 metres, and at Paye Lake below Makra Peak. Then back to Shogran, down to Kiwai for the car, and on up the valley past Paras and Kaghan town to Naran, about 60 km. Allow two to three hours, more on a summer weekend when the road through Kaghan backs up.

Aim to reach Naran by mid-afternoon, check in, and walk along the Kunhar before dinner. Leave the car at the hotel: since 2026, cars may not park in Naran bazaar, and traffic through it runs one way.

Day 3: Lake Saif-ul-Malook and the walk down

This is the lake day, and the walk is the point of it.

1. Take a jeep up early. The track climbs about 9 km from Naran to the lake at 3,224 metres, 45 minutes to an hour. The 2026 fixed fare was PKR 5,500 return per jeep; since you will walk down, agree a one-way price before you get in.
2. Spend the morning at the lake. Saif-ul-Malook lies below Malika Parbat, at around 5,290 metres the highest peak in the valley. Walk along the shore away from the jeep park, where the crowds soon thin, and sit down with the view.
3. Walk back to Naran. The track drops about 800 metres over roughly 9 km. At an easy pace, with stops, allow two to three hours. Wear proper shoes, carry water, and step well off the track when jeeps come past.
4. Rest in the afternoon. You have earned it, and tomorrow starts early.

Fit walkers can do it the other way round: walk up in the cool of the morning, three to five hours depending on fitness, and take a jeep down. Either way, keep to the track in poor weather.

Ansoo Lake, high above Saif-ul-Malook, is a long, steep trek at much greater altitude and needs a guide. It is not a casual add-on to this day.

Day 4: Babusar Top by way of Lulusar Lake

Fill the tank in Naran and leave by 7 or 8 am. Beyond Batakundi you should not count on fuel.

The road climbs the upper valley in stages: Batakundi after 15 km, the open flats at Jalkhad at about 40 km, Besal, and then Lulusar Lake at 3,410 metres, about 48 to 50 km from Naran. Stop at Lulusar on the way up. It is the source of the Kunhar, it sits right beside the road, and a short walk along its shore helps everyone adjust before the last climb. Above it the road crosses the Gittidas meadows and climbs a series of hairpins to Babusar Top at 4,173 metres, about 65 km from Naran.

Keep the stop at the top to 30 minutes or an hour. Walk slowly, drink water, and head down at once if anyone has a bad headache or feels sick. On a clear morning Nanga Parbat shows to the east; by afternoon it is often in cloud.

Coming back, you have time for one more stop. From Batakundi a jeep track climbs to the Lalazar meadows, at a little over 3,100 metres; the 2026 fare was PKR 4,500 return per jeep. Or simply stop again at Lulusar, which is quieter in the afternoon. Be back in Naran well before dark.

If nobody wants to drive, a jeep from Naran to Babusar cost PKR 12,000 return in 2026, and a Suzuki Carry or yellow cab PKR 9,000. Our Babusar Pass guide covers the drive and the altitude in more detail.

Day 5: Naran to Islamabad

Leave Naran by 8 am. The drive back down the valley to Balakot and on to the Hazara Motorway takes six to eight hours, depending mostly on traffic between Naran and Kaghan. Stop for lunch in Kaghan town or Balakot, and you should be in Islamabad by late afternoon or early evening.

If you are going home on the last day of Eid or a long weekend, leave earlier still. Everyone else in Naran is doing the same drive.

Adjusting the plan

If Babusar or the lake road is closed

Before mid-June and from late October, one or both may be shut. The Saif-ul-Malook track opens only once its snow is cleared, usually from late May or June, and Babusar has reopened between late May and mid-June in recent years. Our guide to whether Babusar Top is open or closed has the recent dates.

If Babusar is shut, spend day 4 at Batakundi and Lalazar, and go on as far as Lulusar if the road is open that far. If the lake road is shut, swap day 3 for a slower day in Naran and a jeep to Lalazar.

In July and August

This is the monsoon. Rain rarely stops the trip altogether, but it brings landslides, muddy jeep tracks and, on the Babusar road, the risk of flash floods; in July 2025 a flood on the Diamer side of the pass killed tourists and stranded hundreds. Watch the forecast, keep days 3 and 4 interchangeable, and be ready to turn round at Lulusar if heavy rain is expected on the high ground.

With young children or older parents

• Take the jeep both ways at Saif-ul-Malook and skip the walk.
• Turn round at Lulusar Lake rather than going on to 4,173 metres, especially with babies or anyone with a heart or lung condition.
• Choose a Naran hotel on the level, with parking, rather than one up a steep lane. Our guide to hotels in Naran compares the areas.

With a sixth day

• Sharan forest, by jeep from Paras, for a quieter forest day on the way down.
• Dudipatsar Lake, a long trek from Besal for fit walkers; better as an overnight with a guide.
• Over Babusar to Chilas, and on to Fairy Meadows or Gilgit, instead of going home the same way. That turns this into a different trip; our Fairy Meadows itinerary picks up from Naran.

Is five days right for you?

Five days is the comfortable minimum for this valley. Three days gets you to Naran, the lake and back, but it means two long drives in three days and no time for Shogran or Babusar. Five days gives you all of it, with a short first day and a rest in the afternoon after the walk.

It suits families, first-time drivers in the north and anyone who wants the mountains without flights or jeep tracks of the Fairy Meadows kind. It does not suit anyone hoping for empty landscapes on an Eid weekend: Naran and Saif-ul-Malook are among the busiest places in the north. For quiet, go midweek in June or September.

To shape the plan around your dates, group and budget, start with our trip planning page.

Frequently asked questions