Ansoo Lake

[minisoji]

Ansoo Lake is a high-altitude lake (elevation 16,490 feet or 5,027 metres) in the Kaghan Valley in the Mansehra District of the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. It is near Malika Parbat in the Himalayan range.



It can be reached by a difficult trek from Saiful Mulook Lake. If one chooses to walk it takes more than 8 hours for both going and coming back to the lake Saif ul Muluk. Horses can also be hired from the Lake Saif ul Muluk along with a guide person who will take you to the Ansoo Lake. It costs almost PKR 500 per horse but one still has to walk more than 50% of the distance himself. Another trek to reach Ansoo Lake is from Mahandri, which is 40 km below Naran, but this is a less treaded route and the difficulties are unknown. The name "Ansoo" comes from its tear-like shape (the Urdu word Ansoo means teardrop). The lake is said to have been discovered in 1993 by Pakistan Air Force pilots who were flying low above the area. Earlier, the lake was not even known to the locals.