Neelum Valley is situated at the North & North-East of Muzaffarabad Azad Kashmir, running parallel to Kaghan Valley. The two valleys are only separated by snow-covered peaks, some over 4000m above sea level. Excellent scenic beauty, panoramic views, towering hills on both sides of the noisy Neelum River, lush green forests, enchanting streams and attractive surroundings make the valley a dream come true.
Athmuqam –
is situated at a height of 1371m, it is the sub-divisional headquarters of the
area. It is an attractive place known for its variety of fruit. All necessary
facilities via bazaars, post offices, banks, hospitals, and telephone exchanges
are present.
Keran & Upper Neelum – at
a distance of about 91 Km - 3 hours’ drive from Muzaffarabad, Azad Kashmir
& 7 hours’ drive from Islamabad, Keran and Upper Neelum is situated on the
right bank of the river Neelum at 1524m above sea level with fascinating
scenery. The panoramic lush green valley is profound in fruit and wildlife.
There is beautiful and comfortable luxurious motels called Keran Resort.
Sharda –
a breath-taking green spot at an altitude of 1981m. Shardi and Nardi are two
mountain peaks overlooking the valley, reputedly named after legendary princess
Sharda. It has a captivating landscape with numerous springs and hill-sides
covered with trees. On the right bank, opposite Sharda, the Neelum is joined by
the Surgan stream along which a track leads to Nurinar Pass and through it to
the Kaghan Valley. Ruins of an old Buddhist University can also be found in
Sharda. Sharda is very historical place to visit.
Kel – a small valley situated at a height of
2097m. This is another picturesque place in the Neelum Valley. The Shounter
stream joins river Neelum at this place and leads to Gilgit Agency (Northern
Areas) over the Shandur at 4420m.
Arang Kel –
is situated at the hill top near Kel, about 1500 feet ascend from River Neelam.
It is also a village full of beautiful sceneries. Beyond this mountain, the
next mountain is a part of Indian occupied Kashmir. It is a piece of utmost beauty,
one can find in Kashmir.
Chita Khata Lake –
is located at an altitude of 3,800 meters. Chitta Katha Lake is only accessible
in the months of July and August. Common route followed by the tourists is
through kel. There is a road from Kel to Shounter Valley. It is better to reach
the village ulti domel get stay there. You should proceed forward early in the
morning. There is climbing of 5 to 6 hours to reach the lake. You can also make
arrangements of horses for travelling from ulti domel.
Shounter Valley –
lies in Upper Neelum valley. It can be accessed through a jeep track from Kel
which only gets opened for a few months of the year. From Shounter valley, one
can cross the Shounter Pass to enter into Astore valley at Rattoo. Shounter Lake
is a small but very beautiful lake in the Shounter Valley. From this point, one
can go to Sarveli peak base camp, chitta Katta Lake. Shounter is very beautiful
and worth seeing place.
Sardari - A
beautiful village comes while going from Kel to Taobut.
Halmat -
The border village about 49 kilometers ahead of Kel is a fascinating but unexplored sight. The
area from Kel to Taobat is called the Halmat. Janawai, Sardari and Halmat are
the most beautiful places of this area. The drive itself is slow as the road is
a dirt track, crossing streams and waterfalls. You can also start seeing some
glaciers melting into the Neelum River.
Tao Butt -
Tao butt is the last station and end point of Neelum valley. Tao Butt is an
example of vegetation generosity of the liberal nature. The spot is donned with
all delicacies and niceties. Nature flirts here with fantastic environment. It
has a sever season and heavy snow in winter, and winter season continue about 6
months starting from October to April end. In summer it is a worth place for
tourist to visit. Neelum River emerges from here in the valley and continues
its journey till Domail. Taobut is very beautiful and worth seeing place.
