Nal­tar Val­ley is about 54 kilo­me­tres (34 miles) from Gilgit City in Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan region. The pop­u­lar tourist attrac­tion is known for its dra­mat­ic forests, a col­lec­tion of crys­­tal-clear lakes, and in the win­ter, ski­ing facil­i­ties.

Though many tourists just come for the slopes, I think the real mag­ic of Nal­tar can only be wit­nessed in the sum­mer months when the lakes unfreeze and the forests can be best enjoyed.

This mag­i­cal val­ley is only acces­si­ble via Jeep, but pub­lic trans­port does exist from Gilgit. There are a num­ber of hotels and guest­hous­es to accom­mo­date tourists in the valley’s two vil­lages. To avoid peak tourist sea­son, steer clear of vis­it­ing dur­ing the month of May and try com­ing in fall instead. You might be lucky enough to catch some epic foliage towards the end of Octo­ber.