Astore Valley is a sensational beauty of the Northern Pakistan located in the Gilgit-Baltistan province just adjoining to the eastern side of the famous Nanga Parbat Mountain. We’ll discuss this amusing valley in some other article in detail but let’s tell you about the most popular tourist attraction of this valley i-e, Rama Lake of Astore which is no doubt a stunning lagoon of Pakistan. This adorable lake lies on the top of the stunning Astore Valley which is almost covered with lush green trees.
Rama Lake of Astorecan be reached via KKH ( Karakorum Highway ) passing the exit of Fairy Meadows and crossing the Village of Astore. The paved road leads towards this stunning lagoon and the environment around the Rama Lake of Astore is fragrant with the smell of the thick pine, deodar cedar , fir and juniper trees. Rama Lake is so breathtaking but the region around this stunning lagoon also consists of delightful plains and beautiful greenery pastures. The area has many treks for hikers and some routes are exquisite for a jeep safari. Rama Lake of Astore is also considered as the convenient base camp for the trekkers and mountaineers intending to scale the mighty heights of Nanga Parbat.
For more fantastic lakes of Pakistan and the lovely planet, please click the following links;
Borith Lake is a marveling wonder of Pakistan located in Gilgit-Baltistan in the northwest of Husseini near Hunza. Borith Lake is named after the hamlet Borith, positioned in the surroundings of the Borith Lake at an altitude of 2,600 m (8,500 feet) above sea level. Borith Lake of Gilgit-Baltistan is actually a saline water body existing at an elevation od 2,500 meters which can be reached via a 2 km unpaved jeep route from Husseini village, which lies adjacent to Ghulkin village. Some trekkers also come across Borith Lake of Gilgit Baltistan Ghulkin glacier which takes 3-4 hours.
The site was once a place of the ancient settlements of Borith Bala and Shahabad that were deserted due to water shortage. Borith Lake ofGilgit Baltistan is also a magnificent sanctuary of the migrating waterfowls who stay here on their journey towards the cold regions of Central Asia. This marveling wonder becomes so attractive in the months of March and June when many species of waterfowls arrive from the warmer regions of the Southern Pakistan.
For more fantastic lakes of Pakistan and the lovely planet, please click the following links;
The second highest plateau of the world is spread over an area of 1200 Sq Mi. and it is located in the Astore district of the Gilgit Baltistan province of Pakistan. The territory is known as Deosai National Park, the land of giants which remains a snow-bound bailiwick in the chilling winters. The trailblazers love to explore the heavenly and astounding plains of Deosai in summer when they are accessible. The land of giants comes across the western massif of the great Himalayas and the middlemost of the inordinate Karakoram.
Deosai National Park: An image by Zahoor Ahmed
Deosai plains are designated in 1993 as a protected area and it is a treeless reservation which is named as Deosai National Park. The baffling wilderness of Deosai is home of the Himalayan brown bear which is the largest omnivore of Pakistan. The number of the Himalayan brown bear is critically decreased due to the illegal hunting and poaching. They love to eat grasses, roots and other plants as well as insects and small mammals but sometimes they can also prey cattle.
Himalayan brown bear of Deosai - Image courtesy : Zahoor Ahmed
Deoasi plains are also famous as the natural habitat of spectacular Himalayan marmot that lives in form of colonies and has a unique chocolate-brown coat with contrasting yellow patches on its face and chest. Overall the fauna of Deosai National Park consists of more than 150 wild species and migratory birds. The most noteworthy of them are Snow-leopard, Golden Eagle, Himalayan Ibex, Gray wolf and Lammergeier.
A cute Himalayan marmot of Deosai - Girish Nair Photography
Deosai plains are home of the fantastic plants that have amazing quality to bear the severity of the freezing weather. Every year in the start of June, the Deosai plains are embellished with countless natural flowers that spread their intoxicated aroma in the whole atmosphere. This is impossible to elaborate the wonderful variety of the flora of Deosai which comprises hundreds of alpine plants. The lush green meadows of Deosai present an ultimate scenic view, when the flowers are in full bloom in spring.
The fantastic view of the flowers in Deosai Plains - A Nadeem Khawar's Photo
One of the marvelous features of Deosai plains is the dazzling Sheosar Lake which means “Blind Lake” and it is located in the Deosai national park. Sheosar lake is considered as one of the highest elevated lakes in the world having a length of 2.3 kilometers and a width of 1.8 kilometers along with an average depth of about 40 meters (130 ft).
The alluring Sheosar Lake of Deosai National Park - A Sarfraz Hayat's photo
Deosai National Park, the land of giants and Deosai National Park can be accessed via two routes. One is through Skardu City and the second through Astore District.The road from Astore starts from Chilum, continues through the plains and is asphalt road till the main lake before climbing to Deosai. The route from Skardu is via an unpaved road which can be hiked in two days. By jeep it is only a matter of hours.
The highest Mountain Peaks of the world are found in the Southern and Central Asian region. Most of them are located in the Himalaya and Karakoram Mountain ranges. There are fourteen mountain peaks on the mother earth which have the elevation of more than 8,000 meters. We have added separate articles for each of the 14 highest Mountain peaks in our website. You can browse for them in the “Natural Wonders” or “Places” categories.
A Mountain Peak is a solid mass which is normally steeper in its shape and which has an upward dimension covering a specific area of the land. They are made of rocks and other earth materials. The taller mountains of the world live in the colder parts of the world and their tops remain snow covered through out the year. The other chatacteristics of the mountain are their elevation, volume, relief, steepness, spacing and continuity. Some of the Mountain Peaks are so high that the plantation hardly grow on their higher elevations. Normally, the most of the mountains are not found fit for the human inhabitation due to their harsher climate so they are naturally preserved. However, they are threatened being used for logging, mining and grazing.
Following are some images of the lovely mountain peaks of the lovely planet ;
1- Khunyang Chhish: Second-highest mountain in the Hispar Muztagh ( Karakoram ) Pakistan 7823m. Ranking 21st in the world and 8th in Pakistan.
Khunyang Chhish Mountain Peak in Pakistan ( Image : M Atif Saeed )
2- Ngadi Chuli : Also known as ”Peak 29″ is a high peak in the Mansiri Himal which is also called as the Gurkha Massif, in Nepal
Ngadi Chuli : Also known as "Peak 29" 2nd from the Left ( Image : Randomix )
3- Gasherbrum IV: Gasherbrum IV is the 17th highest mountain on Earth and the 6th highest in Pakistan (7932m).
Gasherbrum IV in Pakistan ( Image by: TARIQ HAMEED SULEMANI )
4- Masherbrum or K1: Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan at 7,821 metres. The 22nd highest mountain in the world and the 9th highest in Pakistan.
Masherbrum (also known as K1) is located in the Gilgit Baltistan of Pakistan. Image : Mountain Photography
5- Gyachung Kang : A Fearsome Peak which lies on the border between China and Nepal ( Fifteenth highest peak in the world at 7,952m – Himalaya
Gyachung Kang Peak on China Nepal Border ( Image : by Arjayempee )
6- Annapurna II : The World’s 16th highest Mountain Peak in Nepal
Annapurna II Mountain Peak in Nepal ( Image: by "peteris e" )
7- Himalchuli of Nepal : The second highest mountain in the Mansiri Himal, part of the Nepalese Himalayas. 18th highest mountain of the lovely planet
Himalchuli Mountains of Nepal ( Mongoose Travel Image )
8- Distaghil Sar Peak : The highest mountain in the Hispar Muztagh, Karakoram in Gilgit-Baltistan. 19th highest mountain on the lovely planet and the 7th highest peak in Pakistan
Distaghil Sar Peak in Pakistsn ( Image : Dr Ahsan ) 7,884 M
9- Nuptse 1 of Nepal : The Neighbour of Everest in the Khumbu region of the Mahalangur Himal, in the Nepalese Himalayas
Nuptse is a mountain of Nepal ( Image : Michael Bollino )
10- Nanda Devi : The second highest mountain in India at 7,816m ( 23rd in ranking on the lovely planet )
Nanda Devi : The second highest mountain in India ( Image : Amardeep Singh )
11- Kanjut Sar in Pakistan : A mountain located in the Hispar Muztagh, Karakoram. ( Gilgit-Baltistan ) 26th highest mountain on the lovely planet and the 11th highest in Pakistan.
Kanjut Sar is a mountain located in Pakitan ( Image : Rizwan Siddique for Mountain Photography )
12- Batura Mountain Range in Pakistan : Batura Sar or Batura I at 7,795m. 25th highest mountain on the lovely planet and the 10th highest in Pakistan. It It forms the apex of the Batura Wall on Batura Muztagh.
Batura Mountain Range in Pakistan ( Image : Ch. Khawar )
13- Chomo Lonzo of Tibet : The main peak at 7,804m
Chomo Lonzo Mountain of Tibet ( Image : Stephen Negler )
14- Rakaposhi of the Karakoram mountain range in Pakistan : Rakaposhi means “Snow Covered” in the local language. The beautiful Rakaposhi is also known as Dumani (“Mother of Mist”). It is ranked 27th highest in the world and 12th highest in Pakistan.
Exquisite Rakaposhi is located in Pakistan ( Image : PHOTOROTA )
15- Namcha Barwa ( A spectacular mountain of China at 7,782m )
Namcha Barwa Mountain of China
16- Kamet Peak of India : The second highest mountain in the Garhwal region of India at 7,756 m.
Kamet Peak of India in Sunrise ( Image : Lopamudra )
17- Dhaulagiri II Peak in Nepal : At 7,751 m
Dhaulagiri I & II Peaks in Nepal ( Image : PKS50 )
18- Saltoro Kangri or K10 of Pakistan : The highest peak of the Saltoro Mountains
Saltoro Kangri or K10 ( Highest in the Saltoro Mountain Range of Pakistan )
19- Jannu or Kumbhakarna of Nepal: 32nd highest mountain in the lovely planet. An important Western outlier of Kangchenjunga
Jannu Peak of Nepal ( Image : Gordon Haff )
20- Tirich Mir : The highest mountain of the Hindu Kush Range located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Tirich Mir Pakistan @ 7,708 m ( An Arshad Ali's Image )
21- Molamenqing Peak of Tibet : Its elevation is given as 7,661 m
Water flows rapidly downwards, drops over the stairs of cliffs and after falling, it splashes and the particles create phenomenal colors of rainbow. This is normally the child of a river and the water passes through many courses over many resistants. We are talking about ” Waterfall ” which is obviously the pearl of the scenic beauty of a mountain zone. In our lovely planet, earth, many types of waterfalls are existing like cascade, multi-step, frozen, block, horsetail and segmented etc.
- Mantokha Waterfall of Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan
Mantokha Waterfall of Gilgit Baltistan ( Image: Huma Imtiaz ) - Pakistan
There is no doubt about the awe-inspiring grace of the waterfalls which has impressed the humans to this extent that they have constructed the models of wterfalls in many buildings for embellishment. Waterfalls have also tremendous benefits for the humans and they are equally good for the biodiversity. Waterfalls provide oxygen to the aqua species and help many water supporting plants to grow fastly. For the generation of hydropower and energy, the waterfalls have exceptional significance. Waterfalls are considered as the metaphor of “Oneness” in the world of spirtuality. Their mind blowing appearance is a fantastic source of meditation and contemplation.
Following are the images of the famous and lovely waterfalls of the lovely planet;
1- Angel Falls in Venezuela : The world’s tallest at 979 metres (3,212 ft)
Angel Falls in Venezuela is the world's tallest at 979 metres (3,212 ft) Image: Benedict Adam
2- Takakkaw Falls of Canada : 384 metres (1,260 ft) high ( Yoho National Park )
Takakkaw Falls of Canada : 384 metres (1,260 ft) high ( Yoho National Park ) Glenn Gilbert's Image
3- Krimmler Wasserfälle of Austria : At 380 metres (1,250 ft) Austria’s second-tallest waterfall Salzburg
Krimmler Wasserfälle of Austria : At 380 metres (1,250 ft) Austria's second-tallest waterfall Salzburg.Image: thisisbossi
4- Utigardsfossen / Ramnefjellsfossen of Norway : The world’s third tallest at 808 metres (2,651 ft) in Norway
Utigardsfossen / Ramnefjellsfossen : The world's third tallest at 808 metres (2,651 ft) in Norway
5- Yosemite Falls of the United States: At 739 metres (2,425 ft) Yosemite National Park
Yosemite Falls, the fourth tallest waterfall in North America at 739 metres (2,425 ft), is located in Yosemite National Park, United States. A Terry Chay Image
6- Victoria Falls in Africa: The largest waterfall in the world on the Zambezi river on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia
An ariel view of Victoria Falls
7- James Bruce Falls of Canada: The tallest waterfall of North America at 840 metres (2,760 ft)
James Bruce Falls of Canada: The tallest waterfall of North America at 840 metres (2,760 ft) By: Nick DeWolf
8- Niagara Falls of USA & Canada
An image of Niagara Falls by ALdowayan
9- Nohkalikai Falls of India : India’s tallest plunge waterfall in Meghalaya state
Nohkalikai Falls : India's tallest plunge waterfall in Meghalaya state ( Image: Debabrata Deb )
10- Huangguoshu Waterfall of China : The largest waterfall in East Asia
Huangguoshu Waterfall of China : The largest waterfall in East Asia
11- Detian – Ban Gioc Falls between the Chinese and Vietnamese border
Detian - Ban Gioc Falls between the Chinese and Vietnamese border ( knees_n_elbows Image )
12- Shir-Abad Waterfall of Iran: Golestan Province, Iran.
