Naltar is a valley near Gilgit, Hunza and Nomal, Gilgit Baltistan in the Gilgit–Baltistan province of Pakistan. Naltar is 40 km (25 mi) from Gilgit and can be reached by jeeps. Naltar is a forested region known for its dramatic mountain scenery.
Mountains of Naltar, on the foothills of which, Skiing is a popular sport.
Ski competitions are held at Naltar ski resort. Naltar Bala and Naltar Pine are two villages of Naltar valley. N.Pine Is at a distance of 34 kilometers (21 mi) and Naltar Bala at 40 kilometers (25 mi) from Gilgit. There is a main village known as Nomal between Naltar valley and Gilgit. A road from Nomal goes to ‘The Silk Route’ to China.
Known for its stunning views, Naltar Valley is located in Gilgit Baltistan, around 40 km north west from Gilgit. There is direct public transport available from Gilgit. Although it is not very far but even today it takes around 2 – 3 hours to reach there as road condition is very bad (or may be similar to what it was 20 years ago). Nearest accessible town from Naltar is Nomal which is near The Silk Route.
Naltar is famous for its colorful lakes, three of them are reachable by jeep from Naltar village. I stayed in Naltar Palace Hotel, which is located at the end of the village.
Naltar Wildlife Sanctuary
The Naltar Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area in the valley that was established on 22 November 1975.[3] Naltar Wildlife Sanctuary was created on 22 November 1975. It occupies an area of 27,206 hectares (67,230 acres) and adjoins two other protected areas, Sher Quillah Game Reserve and Pakora Game Reserve, the total area of all three being over 50,000 hectares (120,000 acres). Naltar Valley is a fluvio-glacial valley with a U-shaped cross section higher up and a V-shaped cross section lower down. It is aligned from northwest to southeast and has high mountains on either side. The sanctuary extends from the valley bottom up to 5,900 m (19,400 ft) at Shanni Glacier. The precipitation varies between 254 and 381 mm (10 and 15 in) and the winters are very cold, with the higher reaches of the river freezing.
Naltar Lakes
There are three lakes in the Naltar valley known as ‘Bashkiri Lakes’ at a distance of 13 kilometers (8 mi) from Naltar Bala. The road from village to the lakes is nonmetallic and narrow alongside a stream throughout this road coming from the mountains. In winter it is almost impossible to reach the lake through any vehicle due to the snow (10 to 15 feet high) on the road.[4]
Naltar Lakes are locally known as “Chimo Bari(fish Lake)”, ” Chakar Bari(Multi Ends lake)’ & “Bodolok Bari(Turbid Lake)”.
