Chitta Katha Lake Trek, Shounter Valley
Four days from Islamabad or Lahore to the highest lake in Azad Kashmir, at 4,100 metres.
- Duration
- 4 Days
- Region
- Chitta Katha Lake
- Trip level
- Moderate to Challenging
- Departure
- Private trip
Overview
Chitta Katha Lake is the highest lake in Azad Kashmir, sitting at 4,100 metres in the upper reaches of Shounter Valley, off the Neelum Valley, and it is one of those places that earns every step you spend getting there. The name means white stream in the local language, after the milky glacial water that pours down from Hari Parbat and fills the basin. Three glaciers hang above it. On a still morning the whole wall of rock and ice lands upside down on the surface of the water, and the walk in suddenly makes complete sense.
Getting there is deliberately not easy. You drive the length of Neelum Valley to the village of Kel, swap into 4x4 jeeps for the rough track up Shounter Valley to Hoza, and then walk. The trail climbs along the Chitta Katha stream through meadows and boulder fields to a chain of high camps the locals simply call Dek 1, Dek 2 and Dek 3. You sleep at altitude, wake before dawn, and make the final push to the lake in the cold blue light before the sun clears the ridge.
This is a four day programme built for people who work Monday to Friday. You travel overnight in both directions, so the trip costs you one weekend and two nights of sleep on a coach rather than a week of annual leave. Everything else, the jeeps, the tents, the porters, the guide, the cook and the permits, is handled by us.
Trip at a Glance
- Duration
- 4 days, including one overnight road journey each way
- Route
- Islamabad or Lahore to Muzaffarabad, Keran, Sharda and Kel, then Hoza, the Dek campsite and Chitta Katha Lake
- Starts and ends
- Islamabad or Lahore, by road
- Season
- Late June to mid September
- Region
- Shounter Valley, off the Neelum Valley, Azad Jammu and Kashmir
- Departures
- Fully customisable. Pick any dates that suit you within the season, or join a scheduled group departure
- Trek grade
- Moderate to Challenging. 5 to 8 hours a day, sustained ascent and a boulder section, with one night camping at altitude
- Highest point
- Chitta Katha Lake, 4,100m or 13,500 ft
- Total trekking
- Approximately 18 km round trip, 9 km each way from the Hoza campsite
- Overnights
- Hotel or guesthouse in Kel, one night at a Dek campsite, one night at Hoza camp or Kel
- Meals
- Breakfast and dinner throughout
- Transport
- Coaster, Hiace, BRV or 4x4 from Islamabad or Lahore depending on the group, plus 4x4 jeeps on the Kel to Hoza sector
- Suits
- Friends, families with older children, corporate groups
- Price
- From $235 USD per person. Per person, all inclusive from Islamabad or Lahore. Departure dates are yours to choose within the season.
Trip Highlights
- Chitta Katha Lake at 4,100m, the highest alpine lake in Azad Kashmir
- A night at a Dek campsite high on the Chitta Katha nullah, with nothing above you but the glaciers
- The Kel to Hoza jeep track, a genuinely wild 4x4 section up Shounter Valley
- Hari Parbat and the three hanging glaciers that feed the lake
- The full length of the Neelum Valley through Muzaffarabad, Keran, Sharda and Kel
- Two nights of overnight travel instead of extra leave days, so the whole trek fits into a long weekend
- Departure dates you pick yourself, anywhere in the season, rather than a fixed calendar
- Full camp support with a local guide, cook, camping equipment and porters for the main loads
Photos
From the Chitta Katha Lake Trek, Shounter Valley. Swipe or use the arrows.
Day by Day Itinerary
Tap any day to open the full detail.
The trip starts the night before it really starts. We board late in the evening and drive through the dark towards Azad Kashmir, so that the mountains are already outside the window when you wake up.
- 11:00 PM departure from the agreed pick up point in Islamabad or Lahore
- Overnight drive via Murree or Garhi Habibullah, then Muzaffarabad
- Tea and comfort stops along the way. Sleep as much as you can, you will want it on Day 02
Morning arrives somewhere along the Neelum river, with the water running green below the road and the Line of Control on the far bank. Breakfast is at Keran, where the valley narrows and the villages start clinging to the slope. From there the road climbs steadily through Athmuqam and Sharda, past pine forest and wooden houses, to the small mountain town of Kel.
Kel is the base for everything that follows. You arrive with the afternoon still in hand, which is exactly what you want before a trek. Check in, eat properly, sort your day pack, and get to bed early.
- Breakfast stop at Keran, approximately 93 km from Muzaffarabad
- Continue through Athmuqam and Sharda with photo stops along the Neelum river
- Reach Kel by approximately 3:00 PM and check in to your hotel or guesthouse
- Free afternoon to rest, walk around the town and adjust to the altitude
- Trek briefing with your guide, gear check and day pack preparation
- Dinner and overnight in Kel
Altitude: Muzaffarabad, approximately 737m or 2,420 ft. Keran, approximately 1,524m or 5,000 ft. Sharda, approximately 1,981m or 6,500 ft. Kel, approximately 2,097m or 6,880 ft
The tarmac ends at Kel. This morning you climb into 4x4 jeeps for the rough track up Shounter Valley, a slow, spectacular grind along the river to the village of Hoza. It is the kind of road where everyone stops talking for the first ten minutes and then cannot stop grinning.
From Hoza the walking begins. The trail follows the Chitta Katha nullah upward through summer meadows and birch, with shepherd huts and grazing horses on the flats, gaining height steadily rather than steeply. By early afternoon you reach the Dek campsite, a set of level shelves beside the stream that local guides number Dek 1, Dek 2 and Dek 3. Which one you sleep at depends on the pace of the group and the weather on the day. The rest of the afternoon is yours, and it has a job to do: resting at this height is what makes tomorrow feel manageable.
- 6:00 AM breakfast at the hotel and pack up
- Transfer into 4x4 jeeps for the Kel to Hoza sector, approximately 1.5 to 2 hours on rough track
- Meet your trek guide, cook and porters at Hoza, and run a final pack check
- Trek Hoza to the Dek campsite, approximately 5 to 6 km over 4 to 5 hours at a gradual to moderate gradient
- Arrive at Dek 2 or Dek 3 by early afternoon, with camp set up for you
- Free afternoon to rest, explore the stream and waterfalls and acclimatise
- Hot dinner at camp, a briefing for the summit day, and an early night
Altitude: Kel, approximately 2,097m or 6,880 ft. Hoza, approximately 2,600m or 8,530 ft. Dek 2, approximately 3,300m or 10,800 ft. Dek 3, approximately 3,600m or 11,800 ft
The big one. You are up in the dark for a quick hot breakfast, then moving by six with head torches on. The trail steepens above camp and the last stretch is a scramble over large boulders, slow going and cold, with Hari Parbat growing over you the whole way.
Then the ground levels and Chitta Katha Lake is simply there, a pale glacial blue basin held in by three glaciers, silent apart from meltwater. You get a couple of hours here, which is exactly the right amount of time: long enough for photographs, tea and a proper sit down, short enough to be off the mountain before the afternoon weather arrives. The descent is long but honest, back past camp and all the way down to Hoza.
- 5:00 AM early breakfast at camp
- 6:00 AM begin the ascent carrying your own day pack, water and snacks
- Reach the lake at approximately 9:00 AM, a 3 to 4 km climb of roughly 3 hours including a boulder section near the top
- Two hours at Chitta Katha Lake for photography, tea and a rest at 4,100m
- Begin the descent at approximately 11:00 AM, back through the Dek campsites
- Pack up at camp and continue down to Hoza, around 9 km in total from the lake, arriving late afternoon
- Overnight at the Hoza campsite if the weather allows, or transfer by jeep to a hotel in Kel for a better night of recovery
- Hot dinner and a well earned early night
Altitude: Dek 3, approximately 3,600m or 11,800 ft. Chitta Katha Lake, 4,100m or 13,500 ft. Hoza, approximately 2,600m or 8,530 ft
A slow breakfast, a last look up the valley, and the long drive home down the length of Neelum Valley. Most people sleep for the first two hours and spend the rest of it going through photographs.
Neelum Valley roads are mountain roads. Landslides, rain and road repair work can add hours to any transfer, so please do not book an onward flight or a morning commitment for the day you get back.
- Breakfast and check out
- Drive Kel to Sharda, Keran, Athmuqam and Muzaffarabad
- Comfort and meal stops along the route
- Onward to Islamabad or Lahore, roughly 11 to 12 hours to Islamabad
- Late evening or late night arrival, tour concludes
What Is Included
- Return transport from Islamabad or Lahore by Coaster, Hiace, BRV or 4x4, allocated according to the group
- 4x4 jeeps for the Kel to Hoza sectors
- One night hotel or guesthouse accommodation in Kel
- One night tented camp at the Dek campsite
- One night at the Hoza campsite or a hotel in Kel, decided on the day by your guide
- Breakfast and dinner on all days
- Full camping setup including tents, mattresses, sleeping mats, dining tent and kitchen equipment
- An experienced local trek guide from Shounter Valley
- Camp cook, and porters for all camping equipment and group loads
- Porter allowance of up to 10 kg of personal luggage per person on the trek
- All entry tickets, permits and Azad Kashmir tourism fees
- All applicable taxes and tolls
What Is Not Included
- Lunches and day packs throughout the trip
- Personal sleeping bag and trekking gear such as boots, a warm jacket, walking poles and a headlamp
- Personal travel and trekking insurance
- Medical evacuation, rescue or helicopter charges in an emergency
- Personal luggage above the 10 kg per person porter allowance, payable at the trailhead
- Personal expenses such as laundry, calls, drinks and snacks not on the menu
- Any additional cost arising from delay caused by weather, landslides, road closures or security conditions
- Tips and gratuities for the guide, cook, porters and drivers
- Anything not specifically listed under What Is Included
Good to Know
This trip is open to Pakistani nationals and overseas Pakistanis only. You will need a CNIC, a NICOP or a Pakistani passport to join it, and you should carry that document with you for checkposts along the Neelum Valley. We cannot accept bookings from foreign passport holders for Azad Kashmir. If you hold a foreign passport, everything we run in Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is open to you, and the Kutwal Lake trek is the closest equivalent to this one.
Moderate to Challenging on our five point scale, which runs Easy, Moderate, Moderate to Challenging, Challenging and Strenuous. At this grade expect 5 to 8 hours a day, sustained ascent, loose rock or boulder sections up to around 4,200m, and at least one night camping at altitude. Day 02 covers the lower 5 to 6 km at a steady four to five hour climb, which most reasonably fit walkers handle comfortably. Day 03 is the hard part: a short but steep 3 to 4 km push to the lake, the last third of it over large loose boulders in cold air, followed by the full 9 km descent to Hoza the same day. If you can walk 12 to 15 km on hilly ground with a day pack and repeat it the next morning, you are ready. Prior high altitude experience helps but is not required.
You reach 4,100m on Day 03 after sleeping at around 3,300 to 3,600m. Mild headache, breathlessness and broken sleep at camp are normal and usually settle. Our guides carry a first aid kit and monitor the group, and the correct response to worsening symptoms is always to descend. Anyone with a heart, lung or blood pressure condition should speak to a doctor before booking.
Families do this trek, but it asks something of everyone in the party. We suggest a minimum age of around 14, and every member should be able to walk 12 to 15 km on hilly ground with a day pack and repeat it the next morning. If one person would rather not attempt the summit day, they can stay at Kel with a member of our team and rejoin for the return, so nobody has to drop out of the trip. Tell us the ages when you enquire and we will be straight with you about whether it fits.
Start walking hills three to four weeks before departure if you are not already active, and break your boots in before you travel.
You bring your own trekking gear, including broken in waterproof boots, a sleeping bag rated to minus 5 degrees or lower, warm layers, a rain shell, a headlamp and a 25 to 35 litre day pack. We send a full gear checklist once your booking is confirmed.
Mobile signal is patchy from Sharda onwards. There is no signal and no electricity beyond Hoza. Tell your family before you leave Kel on Day 02.
Mountain weather decides a lot on this trek. Your guide may change the campsite, shorten the summit day or turn the group back if conditions demand it, and that decision is final and made purely on safety grounds. No refund is due for a route change made for safety.
Neelum Valley roads are mountain roads, and landslides, rain and repair work can add hours to any transfer. Please do not book an onward flight or a morning commitment for the day you return.
Personal travel and trekking insurance covering high altitude trekking and medical evacuation is strongly recommended and remains the responsibility of each traveller.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Azad Kashmir trips are open to Pakistani nationals and overseas Pakistanis only, on a CNIC, NICOP or Pakistani passport. If you hold a foreign passport we cannot book you onto this trek, but every trip we run in Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is open to you.
Your CNIC, NICOP or Pakistani passport, and a B-Form for anyone under 18. There are checkposts along the Neelum Valley and identification is checked at them, so keep it on you rather than in a bag on the roof.
Chitta Katha Lake, sometimes spelled Chitta Khatta Lake or Chita Katha Lake, sits in Shounter Valley in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, off the upper Neelum Valley. It is reached from the town of Kel by jeep track and then on foot. The lake is also known as Chitta Katha Sar, meaning white stream, after the glacial water that runs down from Hari Parbat.
4,100 metres, or about 13,500 feet, which makes it the highest lake in Azad Kashmir.
We grade it Moderate to Challenging. From Hoza campsite the lake is about 9 km each way. Day 02 covers the lower 5 to 6 km in a comfortable four to five hour ascent. Day 03 is the demanding one: a steep 3 to 4 km push to the lake including a boulder section, then the full 9 km descent to Hoza in the same day, eight to ten hours of walking in total. No technical climbing skill is needed at any point.
PKR 65,000 per person, all inclusive from Islamabad or Lahore. That covers transport, jeeps, accommodation, camping, breakfast and dinner throughout, your guide, cook, a 10 kg porter allowance and all permits. Lunches and day packs, personal gear, insurance and tips are not included.
Late June to mid September. July and August are the most reliable, with the snow cleared from the upper trail and wildflowers across the meadows. Earlier in June the boulder section can still hold snow, and by late September the nights at camp get seriously cold.
Yes, if you are reasonably fit and willing to prepare. Plenty of first time trekkers complete Chitta Katha. What catches people out is not the altitude but the length of Day 03, so the honest test is whether you can walk for eight hours with a day pack.
We suggest a minimum age of around 14 for the full trek. Older travellers who walk regularly manage fine. If someone in your group would rather not attempt the summit day, they can stay at Kel with a member of our team and rejoin for the return, so nobody has to drop out of the trip entirely.
By 4x4 jeep along the Shounter Valley track to Hoza, roughly 1.5 to 2 hours on rough, unsealed road. The jeeps are included in your package.
Both. Night one is a hotel or guesthouse in Kel, night two is a tented camp at the Dek site high on the mountain, and night three is either the Hoza campsite or back at a hotel in Kel depending on the weather and how the group is feeling.
Porters carry all camping equipment and group loads, plus up to 10 kg of your personal luggage, which is included. Anything above 10 kg is payable directly at the trailhead. On the trail you carry only a light day pack with your water, layers, camera and personal items.
No special permit is required for Pakistani nationals on this route, and all entry and tourism fees are included in your package. Foreign nationals should contact us well in advance so we can confirm current requirements for the Neelum Valley sector.
Yes. Departures are fully customisable within the season. Pick any dates between late June and mid September that work for you and we will run the trek then, subject to availability and weather. If you would rather travel with others, we also run scheduled group departures through the season, most of them over weekends.
Send us your dates and group size and we will confirm availability, hold the transport and rooms, and share the booking details. A booking is confirmed once we issue a written confirmation and the advance payment is received. Full terms are on our Terms and Conditions page.
Private, unless a page states otherwise. The group is you and whoever you book with, and the pace, stops and hotels can be adjusted to suit you.
Yes. Every itinerary can be lengthened, shortened or rebalanced. Tell us what matters most to your group and we will build around it.
Yes. We run team trips, offsites and company tours, can invoice against the group booking, and can adjust the programme around a work schedule.
Most are. Each page states the difficulty and any consideration for younger travellers. Tell us the ages at the time of booking so seating, rooming and pace can be planned properly.
No. Travel and health insurance is not included in any of our tours. Travellers arrange their own cover, and we strongly recommend it is arranged before departure, including cover for medical emergencies and evacuation.
Mountain travel depends on weather and road conditions, so the itinerary, timings and order of sightseeing can change. Where a disruption forces extra accommodation, meals, transport or a diversion, those additional costs are payable by the group. This is set out in full in our Terms and Conditions.
Each page lists exactly which meals are included. Where a meal is not listed, it is paid directly by travellers as you go.
Every page carries a What Is Not Included section. As a rule, anything not specifically listed under What Is Included should be considered excluded.
The routes we operate are well travelled and we run them regularly. We follow the guidance of local authorities, adjust plans where conditions require it, and our drivers and guides know these valleys. Ordinary travel precautions apply as they would anywhere.
Some areas require a No Objection Certificate or a permit, and requirements change. Tell us at the time of enquiry if any traveller holds a foreign passport and we will confirm what is needed for that route.
Almost all of them. Everything we run in Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is open to foreign passport holders. Our Azad Kashmir trips are the exception: those are open to Pakistani nationals and overseas Pakistanis only, on a CNIC, NICOP or Pakistani passport.
Coverage is patchy in the mountains and drops out entirely in the upper valleys. Expect to be offline for parts of most trips.
Often yes, at additional cost. Ask us when you enquire and we will quote it.
Prefer to talk it through?
Every trip is private and runs on your own dates, at your own pace, with the hotels you choose.
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