Dudipatsar Trail
Encyclopedia
The Dudipatsar Trail is an approximately 18 km (11.2 mi) hiking
trail in the Lulusar-Dudipatsar National Park of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, in northern Pakistan
. The trail goes along a tributary of the Kunhar River
in the northern Kaghan Valley
. The headwater for the particular tributary is the Dudipat Lake
and the trail has a cumulative elevation gain of 640 metres (2,099.7 ft). The average time taken to complete the trail varies between 1 and 2 days.
s of the park, from lowland forest
s to alpine
meadow
s of wildflower
s. As the trail climbs up to the plateau, hikers see different wildlife in the region including marmots and different species of birds.
The trail is of medium difficulty. The overall elevation gain isn't great but climbing at high altitude makes the trail more demanding. During the course of the trail, one encounters boulders, meadows, plateaus, snow (in early summer) and streams. The trail and the surrounding mountains are frequently used by cattle herders who setup summer homes in the area.
The main hiking season is mid-summer, which is often dry and sunny. Hikers early in the season can see snow in the ravine that runs down from the plateau. The plateau is marshy in places (waterproof boots advised). There are a number of river crossings on the trail including one buggy bridge. The same river tributary is crossed on log bridges on a couple of locations.
The trails starts at Besal, where there is a driver hotel and a police check post. Lodging is available as well as space for setting up camp. Parking of vehicles is done at one's own risk but someone can be hired to look after vehicles for a day or two.
There are two ways to hike the trail:
Guides are available at Besal for hike to Dudipatsar. Experienced hikers can wing it and go off on their own – remember to follow the water tributary as Dudipatsar is at the head.
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
trail in the Lulusar-Dudipatsar National Park of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, in northern Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. The trail goes along a tributary of the Kunhar River
Kunhar River
The Kunhar River also known as ' Persian: "eye's repose" is long river, located primarily in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, northern Pakistan. It is in the Indus River watershed basin.-Route:...
in the northern Kaghan Valley
Kaghan Valley
The Kaghan Valley is a valley in the north-east of Mansehra District of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. It attracts many tourists from around the world. The inhabitants were affected by the earthquake disaster on 8 October 2005....
. The headwater for the particular tributary is the Dudipat Lake
Dudipatsar
Dudiptsar Lake or Dudipat Lake is a lake encircled by snow clad peaks in Lulusar-Dudipatsar National Park. The lake lies in the extreme north of the Kaghan Valley, in the Mansehra District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in northern Pakistan. The word "dudi" means white and "sar" means lake. This...
and the trail has a cumulative elevation gain of 640 metres (2,099.7 ft). The average time taken to complete the trail varies between 1 and 2 days.
The Trail
The trail is entirely within the national park and passes through multiple life zoneLife zone
The Life Zone concept was developed by C. Hart Merriam in 1889 as a means of describing areas with similar plant and animal communities. Merriam observed that the changes in these communities with an increase in latitude at a constant elevation are similar to the changes seen with an increase in...
s of the park, from lowland forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
s to alpine
Alpine
The term alpine refers to the Alps, a European mountain range.Alpine may also refer to:- Geography and geology :* Alpine tundra, the biological community that occurs above the tree line at high altitude...
meadow
Meadow
A meadow is a field vegetated primarily by grass and other non-woody plants . The term is from Old English mædwe. In agriculture a meadow is grassland which is not grazed by domestic livestock but rather allowed to grow unchecked in order to make hay...
s of wildflower
Wildflower
A wildflower is a flower that grows wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. Yet "wildflower" meadows of a few mixed species are sold in seed packets. The term "wildflower" has been made vague by commercial seedsmen who are interested in selling more flowers or seeds more...
s. As the trail climbs up to the plateau, hikers see different wildlife in the region including marmots and different species of birds.
The trail is of medium difficulty. The overall elevation gain isn't great but climbing at high altitude makes the trail more demanding. During the course of the trail, one encounters boulders, meadows, plateaus, snow (in early summer) and streams. The trail and the surrounding mountains are frequently used by cattle herders who setup summer homes in the area.
The main hiking season is mid-summer, which is often dry and sunny. Hikers early in the season can see snow in the ravine that runs down from the plateau. The plateau is marshy in places (waterproof boots advised). There are a number of river crossings on the trail including one buggy bridge. The same river tributary is crossed on log bridges on a couple of locations.
The trails starts at Besal, where there is a driver hotel and a police check post. Lodging is available as well as space for setting up camp. Parking of vehicles is done at one's own risk but someone can be hired to look after vehicles for a day or two.
There are two ways to hike the trail:
- One-day trek (advised for moderate to experienced hikers) will not require a night stay. Going up to the lake can be done in about 3–5 hours while coming down it will take 3–4 hours.
- Two-day trek (for novice to moderate hikers) will require a night stay either in Mulla ki Basti (2 km short of Dudipatsar) or at Dudipat Lake itself. Going up to the lake can take anywhere from 6 to 10 hours. Coming back is generally quicker, around 5–6 hours. Mules can be rented at Besal to carry luggage for the trek.
Guides are available at Besal for hike to Dudipatsar. Experienced hikers can wing it and go off on their own – remember to follow the water tributary as Dudipatsar is at the head.