Hike to Ratti Gali Lake
20th August 2016
Once a remote lake situated in the wilderness and visited only by the most dedicated trekkers, it is now a highly accessible tourist attraction due to the development of a jeep track. Still, the jeeps only go up till the lake's so called 'base camp'. From there you can either choose to hike a short trail or ride a mule up to this majestic high-altitude lake.
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Note: Preserving nature is the responsibility of every tourist / hiker. Please DO NOT LITTER, DO NOT DRAW GRAFFITI, DO NOT CUT TREES.
Hike Overview
- Hike Difficulty: Easy
- Typical Hike Duration (One-way): 45 - 75 mins
- Trail Head: Ratti Gali Base Camp
- Ratti Gali Lake Height: 3,700 m (12,140 ft)
- Hike Season: July to September
- Guide: Available from campsite
- Porters: Available from campsite
Trip Overview & Itinerary
| Day | Time | Journey | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | 08:00am to 04:00pm |  Islamabad to Dowarian |
8 hours |
| Day 2 | 08:00am to 11:00am |  Dowarian to Base Camp |
3 hours |
| 12:00pm to 01:00pm |  Base Camp to Ratti Gali Lake |
1 hour | |
| 03:00pm to 04:00pm | Ratti Gali Lake to Base Camp |
1 hour | |
| 04:00pm to 07:00pm | Base Camp to Dowarian |
3 hours | |
| Day 3 | 10:00am to 06:00pm | Dowarian to Islamabad |
8 hours |
Reaching Ratti Gali Lake
My trip to Ratti Gali Lake was managed by a group trekking company. They picked me up from I-8 Islamabad at 3am in the morning in a Toyota Coaster. Ratti Gali Lake's distance from Islamabad is about 250 km for which we travelled overnight and then through the day to reach the town of Dowarian at around 1pm.
Jeep Track to Ratti Gali Lake
From Dowarian we got into jeeps which would take us up to the base camp. Initially we drove through a forest alongside a raging yet pictureque water stream which orginates from the lake. In the second half of the jeep journey, the altitude increased beyond the treeline and from here on the terrain was a mix of rocks and grass. The jeep track was generally quite narrow with a few dangerous hairpin turns.
A single track served both directions of traffic, and the journey becomes particularly adventurous when you have to cross an oncoming jeep for which your driver will utilise the entire width of the track. This is even more scary when your jeep is on the outside, inches away from the drop down into the freezing glacial water. In total in took us about 2.5 - 3 hours to reach the lake's base camp just before dusk.
Ratti Gali Camping
If we were to commence your journey from Dowarian at early morning then it could have been possible to do the entire Ratti Gali round trip within a day. The other option is to stay the night at the base camp campsite which the locals have established on a plateau just below the Lake. All necessary camping equipment such as tents, mattresses and blankets are available so visitors do not need to bring anything of their own.
Available Facilities at Campsite
| Facilities | Availability |
|---|---|
| Tents |  |
| Water | |
| Food | |
| Toilet | |
| Phone Signals |  |
Food was also available at prices according to the location, that is, higher than usual. At night, we sat around a bonfire but in hindsight this should have been avoided since it is one of the preventable causes of deforestation in the region. Fire wood doesn't come cheap either since the locals bring it from lower altitudes where there are trees. Ratti Gali's temperature dropped to as low as 5°C even in August but thankfully we had warm clothing and high quality sleeping bags.
Hike to Ratti Gali Lake
Ratti Gali Lake can be reached either on foot or on the back of a mule. There is something about the feeling of accomplishment one feels when they put actual effort to reach a goal, which is why I highly discourage the option to ride a mule. When you put it in actual physical effort to reach a goal, the end result is a lot more rewarding.
The water stream on the left side of the campsite comes from the lake. Keeping the stream to our left, we climbed up from the base camp. It was a fairly steep climb through a grassy terrain with a few swamp patches along the way.
After about 30 mins or so of hiking, we saw the 'mini' Ratti Gali which forms just below the actual Ratti Gali.
As we neared the top, the nearly vertical mountain seen in the backdrop of Ratti Gali slowly started to emerge. The trail eventually flattened out and soon enough we were gazing upon the magnificence of Ratti Gali in all its glory.
Ratti Gali Lake's weather was very pleasant during my trip. The sun was out and temperature wasn't too cold. We had a full day to spend at the lake, which is in my opinion too long. One or two hours at the lake would have been enough. To pass time, I hiked up to the hill on the left of the lake. From there I could see the lake from up above. The water's turquoise colour can only really be appreciated when seen from up above.
I hiked back down to the lake, ate the lunch which was provided by the organiser and with nothing else to do, fell asleep by the lakeside. At that time I wasn't very well aware about sunburn at high altitudes. By the time I woke up my face and legs (I was wearing three-quarter shorts) were burning.
Before dark I hiked back down to the base camp and the next day we headed back to dowarian and then to Islamabad. The sunburn got worse in the next day or two and didn't properly heal till after 2 weeks!
Surrounding Lakes
The region between the Neelum Valley on the Kashmir side and the Lulusar-Dudipatsar National Park on the KPK side is home to a number of lakes, many of them are famous such as Dudipatsar Lake and Saral Lake, yet many are unknown and unnamed. A few of these lakes can be accessed through the Ratti Gali hike, namely the Hans Raj Lake and Gattian Lake.
Equipment
Having the right equipment and gear is essential for an enjoyable hiking experience. Check out the list of recommended hiking gear.