This destination is filled with natural beauty and stunning natural scenes, and the lake itself is a wonder to behold. Glaciers pour water into the lake, creating a lush greenish view that makes you feel alive and content.
The Saif ul Malook Lake is a crystal clear Lake, home of brown and rainbow trout, which is a favorite pastime for many tourists. Trout fishing is a popular activity in the Naran and Kaghan Valley but needs NOC first from higher authorities.
Only 1 or 2 hotels available at Saif ul Malook Lake. There are many restaurants available at the lake. You can get all the edible things from there.
There are many things to do at Saif ul Malook Lake at reasonable prices. Some of the adventurous activities are:
The best time to visit Saif-ul-Malook Lake, Naran Valley, Pakistan, is from mid-June to mid-October (Summer Season). When the weather is warm and sunny, and the glaciers have melted away. However, this is also the peak season for tourism, so hotels and transport prices will be higher.
Visiting Lakeside from Naran City is a 9 km drive, but it takes about 35 to 45 minutes from there to experience off-road driving through the rough, bumpy, and steep off-road track.
Upon arrival at the lake, the boat owners will start asking you if you need a boat. They will demand 700 to 900 PKR to take around the lake, but you can negotiate, and they can give you a price of 500 per person.
Naran to Saif-ul-Malook jeep fare is around Rs.3500 to Rs.4000 in the off-season and Rs.4000 – Rs.5000 in peak season for round trips as far as you can negotiate.
Saiful Muluk (Urdu: جھیل سیف الملوک) is an alpine lake situated in northern Pakistan, found at the northern tip of the Kaghan Valley, close to the town of Naran within the Saiful Muluk National Park. At an altitude of 3,224 meters (10,578 feet) above sea level, this lake lies above the tree line and ranks among the highest lakes in Pakistan.
Saiful Muluk is positioned in the Mansehra district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, roughly 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) north of Naran, in the upper section of the Kaghan Valley. The lake is in proximity to Malika Parbat, the highest peak in the valley.
During the summer months, the lake can be accessed from the nearby town of Naran; however, access in the winter is restricted due to heavy snowfall and potential landslides that may isolate the lake from surrounding areas.
Saiful Muluk was created by glacial moraines that obstructed the stream flowing through the valley. The Kaghan Valley itself was formed during the greater Pleistocene Period, nearly 300,000 years ago, when the region was covered in ice. As temperatures rose and glaciers retreated, a significant depression was left where the glaciers once were, allowing melting water to accumulate and form the lake.
The lake is home to diverse ecological features and hosts various species of blue-green algae. The waters also contain large brown trout, some weighing up to seven kilograms. Approximately 26 species of vascular plants thrive in the vicinity, with Asteraceae being the most prevalent. Other commonly found species in the area include Ranunculaceae, Compositae, Cruciferae, Gramineae, Apiaceae, Leguminosae, Scrophulariaceae, and Polygonaceae.
The Lake Saiful Muluk derives its name from a legendary prince featured in the tale named Saiful Muluk, which was later transformed into a poetic work by the Sufi poet Mian Muhammad Bakhsh. This tale narrates the story of the Egyptian Prince Saiful Malook, who fell in love with a fairy princess known as Princess Badri-ul-Jamala at the lake.
The Story of Prince Saiful Maluk (Arabic: قِصَّة سَيْف الْمُلُوْك وَبَدِيْع الْجَمَال, romanized: Qiṣat Saif al-Mulūk wa Badīʿ al-Jamāl) is an Arabic folktale about the romantic relationship between a prince and a fairy. It is considered to be a later addition to the One Thousand and One Nights collection of Arabic fables, with manuscripts of the story traced back to the 17th century. In South Asia, the narrative was transformed into Punjabi verse by the 19th-century poet and mystic Mian Muhammad Bakhsh and has been retold in multiple languages, including Balochi, Bengali, English, Urdu, and Punjabi.
According to folklore, Saiful Maluk (whose name translates to ‘Sword of the Kings’) was an Egyptian prince with great wealth passed down through his ancestors. His treasure bore two seals; one featuring the likeness of Saiful Muluk and the other depicting Badi-ul-Jamala. One night, Prince Saiful Maluk dreamt of a lake and a fairy. Upon waking, he shared his dream with his father, inquiring about the location and the fairy. His father informed him that meeting the fairy was impossible since she was not human like him. However, as the prince continued to reflect on his dream, his love for the fairy deepened.
