Dudipatsar Lake ( ur, ), also known as Dudipat Lake, is a
lake
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...
encircled by snow clad peaks in
Lulusar-Dudipatsar National Park. The lake lies in the north end of the
Kaghan Valley
The Kaghan Valley ( ur, ) is an alpine valley located in the Mansehra District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The valley covers a distance of across northern Pakistan, rising from its lowest elevation of to its highest point at the Babusa ...
, in the
Mansehra District
Mansehra District is a district in Hazara Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan.
It was established as a district in 1976, prior to which it was a tehsil within the former Hazara District. Two former subdivisions of Mansehra we ...
, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in northern
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
.
Geography
The lake's water is greenish blue hue and very cold, at an elevation of . The surrounding mountains, with snow patches in the shady
dales, average around in elevation. Their natural
habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
is in the
Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows
The Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows is a 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
The Western Himalayan ...
ecoregion
An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of ...
.
Lulusar Lake
Lulusar (), (), or Lalusar, is a group of mountain peaks and a lake in the Kaghan Valley in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.
Lulusar Lake
Lulusar Lake (also spelled Lulusir) is a lake at , and is the primary headwaters of the Kun ...
, also in the park, is the primary
headwaters
The headwaters of a river or stream is the farthest place in that river or stream from its estuary or downstream confluence with another river, as measured along the course of the river. It is also known as a river's source.
Definition
The ...
of the
Kunhar River.
Saiful Muluk National Park
Saiful Muluk National Park ( ur, ) is situated in the Kaghan Valley within the Mansehra District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The park was officially declared in 2003, , with
Saif ul Maluk Lake, is adjacent in the long Kaghan Valley region and together the parks protect .
Wildlife
The lake and its
wetland
A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The p ...
s habitats are of significant ecological importance for resident fauna and
migratory waterfowl
Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae (three species of screamers), Anseranatidae (the magpie goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which i ...
.
Some of the park's fauna includes the
snow leopard
The snow leopard (''Panthera uncia''), also known as the ounce, is a felid in the genus '' Panthera'' native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because the global population is es ...
,
black bear
Black bear or Blackbear may refer to:
Animals
* American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), a North American bear species
* Asian black bear (''Ursus thibetanus''), an Asian bear species
Music
* Black Bear (band), a Canadian First Nations group ...
,
marmot
Marmots are large ground squirrels in the genus ''Marmota'', with 15 species living in Asia, Europe, and North America. These herbivores are active during the summer, when they can often be found in groups, but are not seen during the winter, ...
,
weasel
Weasels are mammals of the genus ''Mustela'' of the family Mustelidae. The genus ''Mustela'' includes the least weasels, polecats, stoats, ferrets and European mink. Members of this genus are small, active predators, with long and slender b ...
,
lynx,
leopard,
Himalayan snowcock, and
snow partridge
The snow partridge (''Lerwa lerwa'') 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 its genus, and is thoug ...
.
Access
The
2005 Kashmir earthquake
The 2005 Kashmir earthquake occurred at on 8 October in Pakistani-administered Azad Kashmir. It was centred near the city of Muzaffarabad, and also affected nearby Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and some areas of Indian-administered Jammu an ...
in North
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
made access more difficult. However, since 2006 the Pakistan government has taken steps to restore tourism in the Kaghan Valley, including rebuilding and new tourism facilities and infrastructure.
www.president-of-pakistan-gov: "Tourism Revival plans"
See also
*Pyala Lake
Pyala Lake is a round lake in Jalkhand, Kaghan Valley, Mansehra District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is about from Naran.
See also
* Payala Lake Ghazi Ghat
* Ansu Lake
* Lulusar Lake
*Kaghan Valley
The Kaghan Valley ( ur, ) is an alpine vall ...
*Dudipatsar 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 called Poorbi Narr in the northern Kaghan Valley. ...
*Babusar Pass
Babusar Pass or Babusar Top (Urdu: درہ بابوسر) (elevation ) is a mountain pass in Pakistan at the north of the 150 km (93 miles) long Kaghan Valley, connecting it via the Thak Nala with Chilas on the Karakoram Highway (KKH). It ...
*Kaghan Valley
The Kaghan Valley ( ur, ) is an alpine valley located in the Mansehra District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The valley covers a distance of across northern Pakistan, rising from its lowest elevation of to its highest point at the Babusa ...
*List of lakes in Pakistan
Pakistan is home to many natural and man-made lakes and reservoirs. The largest lake in Pakistan is the Manchar Lake. The lake is spread over an area of over .
The highest lakes in Pakistan are the Paristan Lake and Shimshal Lake, which both a ...
*List of national parks of Pakistan
Pakistan has 36 national parks ( ur, ). As of 2012, 25 of these are under supervision of respective provincial governments and remaining are in private care. Only some of these are under the conservation scope of International Union for Conserva ...
References
External links
{{Waters of Pakistan
Lakes of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Mansehra District