Karambar Lake Broghil Valley Chitral Pakistan

Karambar Lake is one of the highest alpine and biologically active lakes in Pakistan and is the biggest lake up in North. It has a max length of 3.2 km by displacement and a max width of 1.5km. It is a round trip of nearly 8km if you plan to circle the lake.

Surface elevation is 14,077 feet ASL.

Karambar Lake is situated in the extreme North of Pakistan and the mountains on the Northern side of the lake are the border with Afghanistan. The valley that approaches from the main Chitral Valley to this area is called Yarkhun Valley. It starts from Mastuj till the area near Kishmanja. Ahead of this is Broghil Valley which continues till Karomber Pass. Both these sub-valleys are part of Chitral Valley and run parallel to Wakhan Corridor in Afghanistan which separates Pakistan from Central Asian states. After Karomber Pass, there is a chain of lakes, and eventually comes Karomber Lake which exits its waters towards Ishkomen side so technically it is situated in Ishkomen Valley. The boundary line between KPK and Ghizer is on Karomber Pass.

 

If you are planning for Karomber Lake do not forget to get NOC from DC Chitral & Chitral Scouts Head Quarter in Mastuj.

Procedure:

1: DC Chitral NOC,

You need to hire a local licensed tour operator to get NOC from DC Chitral Office, as its more easy than to get NOC by self, as they prefer locals first. We Hire Mr. Ishfaq Ahmed From Hindukash Tops Adventure Pakistan, Ph: 0344 9701123. He got NOC in 2 days, We also received verifications calls from DC Office Chitral. After that permission was in our hands. Not a difficult task.

2: Chitral Scouts Head Quarter NOC,

You have to go personally to HQ,and  ask them for permission for Broghil Valley, If you have DC Office Chitral NOC, then they will provide you their NOC. Some questions they will ask about your journey.

You can’t get Army NOC without DC Chitral NOC and the same for Both. Not a difficult task.

Note: Both NOCs will be only for Karomber Lake, You are not allowed to go for any pass, evenif  you cannot enter into GB otherwise GB check post will send you back.

Karomber Lake can be accessed from the following routes:

1- Chitral Mastuj Route

2- Gilgit Mastuj Route

Both these approaches end up at Mastuj the base for all treks up along the border area. A rough jeep ride takes one from Mastuj to Lashkargaz which is the second main town in Broghil. From Lashkargaz to Karomber Lake is nearly 25km away so a trek 2 or 3 days will take you to Karomber Lake.

3- Gilgit Ishkoman Chitti Boi Route

This is a relatively lesser but known route with a couple of tough crossings like Shutargardan and Chitti Boi glacier. Trek is almost 45km and takes 3 days to reach Karomber Lake.

4- Gilgit Ishkomen Chiantar Route

This is a very less explored area and is a sub-valley in Ishkomen which leads to a 16,200ft ASL Chiantar Pass and descends to Broghil on Chiantar Glacier. There are 2 known crossings and not much information is available on this pass.

5- Gilgit Yaseen Route

This is the reverse trek of the most common route and one has to ascend 7,000ft ASL from Darkot in the Yaseen Valley side to cross Darkot Pass and then descend to Broghil and continue on the same route as coming from Mastuj.

6- Gilgit Hunza Sost Chilinji Route

This route was recently re-opened after closure by Pak Army due to security issues. One has to start the trek in Chaprusan Valley which is a sub-valley of Upper Hunza and ends near Sost on KKH. The trek passes through Chilinju Pass at 17,200 feet ASL and descends on Ishkomen-Karomber route.

 

June – September are the months to visit this area. We visited Karomber Lake (Broghil Valley ) on 01-02-03-04 July 2018 and got the best of the colors and weather in 4 days:) We saw greenery, rain, light, and shades play through clouds all at the same place in this short period.

 

Different approaches have different time requirements but overall, one needs a minimum 8 days from Islamabad to Islamabad provided all things go as planned without any hiccups. A plan with 8 days should be suitable and more cautious to cover all uncertainties.

 

Easiest and can be done by anyone without any technical precautions. Horses, mules, donkeys, yaks are also available on the route for luggage and riding.

 

This one is for regulars and starters or beginners should avoid this route. Two difficult crossings that do not require any technical equipment:

– Shutargardan – a path on the side slope of a rock face with enough space carved out into a rock face to put one foot only with a steep fall into the gushing river water below.

– Chitti Boi glacier: a tricky crossing on this glacier of a couple of hours with crevasses. It requires caution and continuous supervision of guides to cross safely. Please do not try to attempt it on your own and make sure your guide is available to help all team members on this crossing.

 

Only for technically trained trekkers who have all mountaineering equipment. This route has steep technical ascend on the Ishkomen side and crevasse-filled glacier crossing on the Broghil side. Only highly experienced trekkers with previous encounters with crevassed glacier crossings should attempt this.

 

The reverse of options 1 and 2 but this start requires high physical fitness and the ability to acclimatize quickly otherwise ascending 7,000ft in 2 days may create lots of problems. Beginners or starters should avoid this though can be managed.

 

Same precautions as the Ishkomen side attempt. Only for regular trekkers with previous experience of high altitude pass crossings. This route is NOT for beginners or starters. The route is not technical but rope and safety equipment is necessary and must be used on the final part of Chilinji ascend from Chaprusan and the very steep descent on the Ishkomen side.

I will write about my attempt with Option 1. But please keep in mind that we havethe  jeep track open to Lashkargaz which normally is open only till an area near Kashmanja when river water overflows. This adds 3 days of trek so please keep these extra days in mind.

Day 0: Night bus ride from Faisalabad to Peshawar by Daewoo Bus.

Day 1: Arrival in Chitral By Air and jeep ride to Mastuj by day end. Night Stay in Mastuj.

Days 2: Jeep ride from Mastuj to Ishkarwaz, It takes around 12-13 Hours, Night Stay in the Army Post.

Day 3: Jeep Ride, Ishkarwaz to Lashkargaz, 2-3 Hours Jeep Ride, Then same day Trek from Lashkargaz to Laili Rubat, Its Approx. 14 KM Trek takes 7-8 Hours, Night In Camps

Day 4: Laili Rubat to Karomber Lake 11 KM Approx.. 4-5 Hours Trek, Night in Camps at Lake

Day 5: Trek back to Karomber Lake to Lashkargaz, a 25 KM Trek, which Takes 6-7 Hours. Night in Camp or Amin Jan (Political Guys) Guest House.

Day 6: Jeep Ride back to Ishkarwaz and then ascend to Chikar by Jeep. Night Stay in Chikar.

Day 7: Jeep Ride Back to Mastuj,12-13 Hours Ride, Night Stay in Mastuj Hotel

Day 8: Jeep Ride Back to Chitral, Arrival in Islamabad/Peshawar.

The route is filled with villages after every few kilometers. So, the trek is active. The last village before the lake is Laili Rubat 10km before the lake.

The closest security option is the Chitral Scout check post in Ishkarwaz which is normally the trek starting point. They also have basic medical facilities.

The closest health center is in Lasht which is in Yarkhun Valley.

After following, our per head cost was Rs.80K

– Daewoo from Faisalabad to Peshawar

– Daewoo From Islamabad to Faisalabad

– Peshawar to Chitral By Air Ticket

– Chitral to Islamabad By Air Ticket

– Jeeps from Chitral to Lashkarghaz then Back to Chitral, Including Stay There.

– Eagle Nest Resort in Chitral

– Food

– Porters/horses hired for trek

– Camping fees at campsites

– Day Pack