Naltar receives more rainfall than other mountains/valleys  in the range , and its alpine forests are refreshing compared to the mainly arid Karakoram. Naltar was a British hill station and has some Pakistan military facilities, including a Pakistan Air Force winter survival school with ski lift and a chinese built hydropower station. The lake is  1 hour drive across rivulets and through forest by 4 WD .

We camp overnight and the porters meet us in the morning for a slight inclined walk of 4 hours beside rivers and meadows passing by and meeting with families of semi nomadic shepherds. Lower Shanni campsite has a stunning view of meadows and snow capped mountains and up to the Pakora Pass. Three hours inclined walk through meadows to the Pakora Pass high camp which looks back on the Naltar Valley forests and peaks.

Reaching the Pakora pass takes 2 hours and is quite steep. At the top the pass has snow even in mid summer and the views stretch down to the Pakora glacier which stretches down the valley.

A three hour steep walk on Glacier gets us to a flatter part of the glacier where we walk another 2 hours till we reach lalpatta which literally means red rock. From Lalpatta to Pakora we pass through lush meadows and meet villagers from the Pakora area- different from in Naltar.

The five hour drive from Pakora to Gilgit allows for sightseeing in Ghizer valley before reaching Gilgit. We see Rakaposhi in the morning sun as we travel to Hunza where we explore the bazaar and two forts and experience local cuisine. Hunza valley is surrounded by 11 snow capped peaks above 7000 m. From Hunza we travel back down the Karakorum highway (8^th wonder of the world) passing the meeting point of the three mightiest mountain ranges and stopping at ancient rock carvings before reaching Besham, where we stop to break the journey.

From Besham it is 4 hours drive to Taxila where we visit ancient excavated Buddhist community ruins and the museum. Another two hours has us reach Rawalpindi where we can rest and then explore the Bazaar in the evening. The last day is spent shopping and sightseeing including Shah Faisal Mosque .