Ratti Gali Lake

Ratti Gali lake is a beautiful alpine lake at an altitude of 3700 m ASL, located 38 kms north of Dowarian. Currently the lake is only accessible via trekking since the jeep track that was being developed from Dowarian to the lake has been washed out by floods in recent years and although a new jeep track is being prepared, it'll be some time - probably 2-3 years - before it becomes operational. In ideal conditions one can reach the lake from Dowarian in one day and come back to Dowarian the next day - 02 x days of trekking, that is.

Basic Info
Trek Name: Dowarian to Rattli Gali Lake (Neelum Valley, AJK)

Range: Pir Panjal Range

Maximum Height: 3700 meters

No. of Trekking days: 02 x days

Trek starts from: Dowarian, Neelum Valley

Trek ends at: Ratti Gali Lake, Neelum Valley

Total no. of days: 4-5 days

Route
19 kilometers (one way): Dowarian > Village Seri > Village Chak > Village Jabba > Doray Band > Village Kalaawan > Jhuggiyan > Dinga Brij > Jandari > Domail > Mansehra village > Saryan (only a couple of wood houses here, about 1 km short of the lake) > Ratti Gali Lake

Reaching Starting Point
The starting point of the trek is Dowarian (1615 meters, asl) - a small town on the main Neelum road in Neelum valley. It is 106 km from Muzaffarabad and although one can get there by public transport, it is advisable to hire a jeep/private vehicle from Muzaffarabad in order to save time. Travelling time can be approximately 3.5 - 4 hours from Muzaffarabad. Ideally, one should be at Dowarian in the evening so one can hire porters and make any other last minute arrangements for the next day. There is an AJK tourism department's rest-house at Dowarian where one can spend the night.

Day 1 of the Trek
It is 19 kms from Dowarian to Domail - a small village some 3 kms short of the lake where one can set up tents for the night although if you want to, you can go straight to the lake and camp there if the weather is okay but is not advisable. The trek is not technical at all. However, you may have to cross "mini" glaciers and/or snow at some points. The trek gradually rises from 1700 m (Dowarian) to 3000 m (Domail). You keep walking up alongside the Dowarian Nar (nullah) that is coming down from Domail.

This is going to be a relatively tough day, nonetheless. I think an average person would take around 10-11 hours (rests for breakfast, lunch, etc included). Therefore, it is advised that you leave as early in the morning from Dowarian as possible - around 0500 hrs would be ideal - in order to cover as much distance w/o the sun as possible so you can avoid the scorching sun during the day. The weather is pleasant, mostly, but walking uphill carrying your backpack is not easy in the sun. Do carry a raincoat because the weather is unpredictable and can change several times in a single day.

When you leave Dowarian, the first stop should be at a place referred to as the "hotel" by the guides/porters and locals. It is around 3-4 km from Dowarian. It's a very small, very basic hotel where you can expect to get your breakfast. The next stop - for lunch, etc - could be at a place called "Doray Band". This is a small village with a very prominent Chinar tree by its side and a lot of wood houses on the terraces of the hills. When you get to Doray Band, you'd have travelled almost 1/3 of the total distance for the day.

From Doray Band, the village Jhuggiyan is the next stage of the trek. When you reach here, you'd only be around 1.5 hours form Domail. If you leave Dowarian at 0500 in the morning, you can expect to be at Domail at 1500 or 1600 hrs in the evening. Once at Domail you can pitch your tents and make preparations for the dinner. You can find meat at very good rates from the village Domail or from Mansehra, if you try a little. Don't expect to find a lot of firewood in these places though.

Day 2 of the Trek
On day two, you should be up by 0600 and begin your trek (about 2.5 km) from Domail towards the lake. You should be at the lake around 0830 hrs (2.5 hrs, that is). Expect to cross some mini glaciers on the way. This part of the trek has some steep ascent (about 700 m over the course of 2.5 km). You can leave one of the porters behind at Domail to prepare the lunch and/or guide your tents/luggage along with anyone from your group who's not feeling well. When you get back to Domail from the lake, you can take your lunch, pack up, and then begin your return leg towards Dowarian. It'll take you around 4.5 hrs from Domail to Dowarian since it is all downhill. You can stay at Dowarian for the night and then travel back to Muzaffarabad the next morning, or you can hire a jeep for Muzaffarabad the same day if you manage to reach Dowarian before 1800 hrs in evening. The last bus from Kel to Muzaffarabad also stops at Dowarian around 2000 hrs, so, you can catch that if you are late.

Trek Options
Ratti Gali lake can also be accessed from the Kaghan valley side via the Ratti Gali pass that connects Neelum valley, AJK to Kaghan valley, KPK. However, this is a fairly longer trek as compared to Dowarian - Ratti Gali lake trek.

Costing Info
Here are some of the cost estimates (accurate as of 30 June, 2013):

Travel cost from Rawalpindi to Muzaffarabad on A.C coaster: Rs. 300/=

Est. cost of hired jeep or other vehicle from Muzaffarabad to Dowarian: Between Rs. 4500/= to Rs. 6000/= (one way)

Stay at Dowarian rest-house: Rs. 2000/= per night

Cost of hiring a porter: Rs. 800/= per porter per day

Contact Points
Tahir and Yousaf are two of the guides-cum-porters that can take you from Dowarian to Ratti Gali lake. They can be approached at Dowarian rest-house.

Capt. Shoaib Akhtar has trekked from Dowarian to Ratti Gali lake in June, 2013.