Dudipatsar
Encyclopedia
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 name has been given to the lake because of the white color of snow at surrounding peaks. In summer the water of the lake reflects like a mirror. The word "sar" is used with the name of each lake in the area, translating as 'lake.'
s, average around 4800 metres (15,748 ft) in elevation. Their natural habitat
is in the Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows
ecoregion
. The lake and its wetland
s habitats are of significant ecological importance for resident fauna and migratory
waterfowl
. Some of the park's fauna includes the Snow leopard
, Black bear, Marmot
, Weasel
, Lynx
, Leopard, Himalayan Snowcock
, and the Snow Partridge
.
Lulusar Lake
, also in the park, is the primary headwaters of the Kunhar River
. Saiful Muluk National Park, with Saif ul Maluk Lake, is adjacent in the 150 kilometres (93.2 mi) long Kaghan Valley region and together the parks protect 88000 hectares (217,452.5 acre).
is located at Besal
, which is about an hours drive from the town of Naran
. The road is accessible by cars and motorbikes. From Besal
onwards visitors trek in vast alpine
meadow
s to reach Dudiptsar Lake. The lake had an abundance of trout
, but illegal fishing with dynamite and nets resulted in a sharp fish population decline. It is advised to not track it in snow, as it is an avalanche
prone area.
The 2005 Kashmir earthquake
in North Pakistan
made access more difficult. However since 2006 the Pakistan government has taken 'all steps' to restore tourism in the Kaghan Valley, including rebuilding and new tourism facilities and infrastructure.
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
encircled by snow clad peaks in Lulusar-Dudipatsar National Park. The lake lies in the extreme north of the 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....
, in the Mansehra District
Mansehra District
Mansehra District is in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, an area still unofficially known as the Northwest Frontier. Mansehra district and town are named after Man Singh, a leading general of Mughal Emperor Akbar...
, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, 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 word "dudi" means white and "sar" means lake. This name has been given to the lake because of the white color of snow at surrounding peaks. In summer the water of the lake reflects like a mirror. The word "sar" is used with the name of each lake in the area, translating as 'lake.'
Geography
The lake's water is a beautiful greenish blue hue and very cold, at an elevation of 3800 metres (12,467.2 ft). The surrounding mountains, with snow patches in the shady daleDale (origin)
A dale is an open valley. The name is used when describing the physical geography of an area. It is used most frequently in the Lowlands of Scotland and in the North of England, where the term "fell" commonly refers to the mountains or hills that flank the dale.The word dale comes from the Old...
s, average around 4800 metres (15,748 ft) in elevation. Their natural habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
is in the Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows
Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows
The Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows is an montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion of Nepal, India, and Tibet, which lies between the tree line and snow line in the western portion of the Himalaya Range.-Setting:...
ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
. The lake and its wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
s habitats are of significant ecological importance for resident fauna and migratory
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
waterfowl
Waterfowl
Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....
. Some of the park's fauna includes the Snow leopard
Snow Leopard
The snow leopard is a moderately large cat native to the mountain ranges of South Asia and Central Asia...
, Black bear, Marmot
Marmot
The marmots are a genus, Marmota, of squirrels. There are 14 species in this genus.Marmots are generally large ground squirrels. Those most often referred to as marmots tend to live in mountainous areas such as the Alps, northern Apennines, Eurasian steppes, Carpathians, Tatras, and Pyrenees in...
, Weasel
Weasel
Weasels are mammals forming the genus Mustela of the Mustelidae family. They are small, active predators, long and slender with short legs....
, Lynx
Lynx
A lynx is any of the four Lynx genus species of medium-sized wildcats. The name "lynx" originated in Middle English via Latin from Greek word "λύγξ", derived from the Indo-European root "*leuk-", meaning "light, brightness", in reference to the luminescence of its reflective eyes...
, Leopard, Himalayan Snowcock
Himalayan Snowcock
The Himalayan Snowcock is a snowcock in the pheasant family Phasianidae found across the Himalayan ranges and parts of the adjoining Pamir range of Asia. It is found on alpine pastures and on steep rocky cliffs where they will dive down the hill slopes to escape. It overlaps with the slightly...
, and the Snow Partridge
Snow Partridge
The Snow Partridge is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae found widely distributed across the high-altitude Himalayan regions of India, Pakistan, Nepal and China. It is the only species within the genus...
.
Lulusar Lake
Lulusar
Lulusar is group of mountain peaks and a lake in the Kaghan Valley in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The word "sar" means "top" or "peak" in Pashto. The highest peak has a height of above sea level...
, also in the park, is the primary headwaters 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:...
. Saiful Muluk National Park, with Saif ul Maluk Lake, is adjacent in the 150 kilometres (93.2 mi) long Kaghan Valley region and together the parks protect 88000 hectares (217,452.5 acre).
Access
The lake and park is accessible for four months of the year from June to late September. In the summer, when the mirror-like water reflects the scenery, visitors from different regions of the country and from abroad travel to enjoy the enchanting views. The trail head for DudipatsarDudipatsar Trail
The Dudipatsar Trail is an approximately 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...
is located at Besal
Besal, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Besal is a small village located in Kaghan Valley, Mansehra District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is adjacent to the Kunhar River, about 45 kilometers north of Naran. It is the starting point for hiking trails like Dudipatsar Trail. It is accessible by Jeeps, cars and motorbikes....
, which is about an hours drive from the town of Naran
Naran Village
Naran is a village located in Kaghan Valley, Mansehra District of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The Kunhar River, swollen by glacier melt, passes through this village as it meanders its way through the valley. The village is major tourist spot. It has over 100 hotels of various types...
. The road is accessible by cars and motorbikes. From Besal
Besal, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Besal is a small village located in Kaghan Valley, Mansehra District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is adjacent to the Kunhar River, about 45 kilometers north of Naran. It is the starting point for hiking trails like Dudipatsar Trail. It is accessible by Jeeps, cars and motorbikes....
onwards visitors trek in vast 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 to reach Dudiptsar Lake. The lake had an abundance of trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
, but illegal fishing with dynamite and nets resulted in a sharp fish population decline. It is advised to not track it in snow, as it is an avalanche
Avalanche
An avalanche is a sudden rapid flow of snow down a slope, occurring when either natural triggers or human activity causes a critical escalating transition from the slow equilibrium evolution of the snow pack. Typically occurring in mountainous terrain, an avalanche can mix air and water with the...
prone area.
The 2005 Kashmir earthquake
2005 Kashmir earthquake
The 2005 Kashmir earthquake was a major earthquake centered in Pakistan-administered Kashmir known as Azad Kashmir, near the city of Muzaffarabad, affecting Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It occurred at 08:52:37 Pakistan Standard Time on 8 October 2005...
in North 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...
made access more difficult. However since 2006 the Pakistan government has taken 'all steps' to restore tourism in the Kaghan Valley, including rebuilding and new tourism facilities and infrastructure.
Gallery
See also
- Dudipatsar TrailDudipatsar TrailThe Dudipatsar Trail is an approximately 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...
- Babusar PassBabusar PassBabusar Pass or Babusar Top is a mountain pass at the north of the 150 km. long Kaghan Valley connecting it via the Thak Nala with Chilas on the Karakoram Highway . It is the highest point in the Kaghan Valley.The Kaghan Valley is at its best during summer...
- Naran ValleyNaran ValleyNaran Valley is located in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The Kunhar River, swollen by glacier melt, meanders its way through the Naran Valley. Makra Peak, Malka Parbat, Lalazar and Saiful Muluk are the main attractions.- External links :****...
- List of lakes in Pakistan
- List of national parks of Pakistan