Borith Lake ( ur, بوریت) 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 ...

in Gojal,

Hunza Valley The Hunza Valley ( bsk, , Wakhi: '; ur, ) is a mountainous valley in the northern part of the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan, formed by the Hunza River, bordering Ishkoman to the northwest, Shigar to the southeast, Afghanistan's Wa ...

Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative territory, and constituting the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region which has been the subject of a dispute bet ...

. The altitude of Borith is roughly above sea level.

Geography

Borith lake lies approximately 2 km to the north of Hussaini, a saline body of water occupying a small hollow at an elevation of 2,500 meters (8,200 feet). The lake can be reached via a 2 km unpaved jeep route from Husseini village, which lies adjacent to Gulmit village. It is also accessible by a 2-3 hour trekking route directly from Gulmit, across the end of the Ghulkin glacier. The site is a sanctuary for migrating

wildfowl The Anatidae are the biological family of water birds that includes ducks, geese, and swans. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on all the world's continents except Antarctica. These birds are adapted for swimming, floating on ...

and is often visited by bird-watchers and nature lovers. To witness the large number of ducks arriving from the warmer parts of southern

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

, one should visit between the months of March and June. The birds rest here on their way northwards to the cooler waters of

central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes the fo ...

. Similarly, from September–November, the event occurs in reverse with the onset of winter towards the north. A short trek of one hour each way brings visitors to Hussaini Glacier. Hikers can follow the trekking route towards Borith Lake as far as the edge of the glacier, and return by the same route.

A longer walk to Passu Gar Glacier is another attraction, crossing both Ghulkin Glacier and Borith Lake. Having crossed Hussaini Glacier by the same route, hikers can continue on the southern side of Borith Lake past the settlement of Borith Bala and the now deserted settlement of Shahabad. The lack of a continuous water supply led to the

desertification Desertification is a type of land degradation in drylands in which biological productivity is lost due to natural processes or induced by human activities whereby fertile areas become increasingly arid. It is the spread of arid areas caused ...

of this village many years ago. The walk takes about 4–5 hours form Ghulkin to Passu. From the glacier, a path leads down to the

Karakorum Highway The Karakoram Highway ( ur, , translit=śāhirāh qarāquram; known by its initials KKH, also known as N-35 or National Highway 35 ( ur, ) or the China-Pakistan Friendship Highway) is a national highway which extends from Hasan Abdal in ...

and the Shisper Hotel.

References

External links

Gulkin Glacier and Borith Lake info

Northern Pakistan detailed placemarks in Google Earth
Lakes of Pakistan Lakes of Gilgit-Baltistan {{Gilgit-Baltistan Lake Stub

Geography

See also

References

External links