Start a beautiful journey from Islamabad via Muzaffarabad to reach Kel, then take a hiking trek towards Arang Kel which is situated at a height of 8380 ft, or choose to get a chairlift/cable car.
Arang Kel Neelum Valley, Kashmir
Arang Kel iss One of the most beautiful and amazing places in the Neelum Valley of Azad Kashmir where you can enjoy by hiking trek, and chairlift in the clouds in lush green meadows, surrounded by some snow-capped high mountains. And cool breeze with the chirping of birds adds to the pleasantness of the environment.
Arang Kel is a beautiful village situated on the other side of the river Neelum, situated on a high place. After crossing a hillock 2 km south of Kel, it is a lush green field.
This village is unique in its beauty. What is special is that it is surrounded by dense forest and on the south side there is a high mountain from which the glacier flows to the back edge of this village.
Arang Kel height
Arang Kel is a hilltop above Kel in Neelum Valley of Azad Kashmir, situated at a height of 8380 ft (2554 m). When someone asks where is Paradise on earth in Kashmir, the beauty of Arang Kel says here I am.
See also:
Hiking trail to get to Patlian Lake Azad Kashmir
Baboon Valley/Top Azad Kashmir
Chitta Katha Lake hiking guide
How to get to Kel from Arang Kel
There are two means that you can opt for to get between Kel and Arang Kel one is a chairlift and a hiking trek or secondly, you can choose to get there by a complete hiking track.
Arang Kel Chairlift
As Arang Kel is a village ( hill station ) above Kel, is connected with a 1 km long chairlift that is administrated by the Local Government and Rural Development Department and supervised by the army of Pakistan.
This chairlift is about 1 km long and after this, you have to hike for about an hour to get to your destination (Arang Kel). If you are scared to get to Arang Kel from Kel in the chairlift (cable car) then you must try this.
Chairlift Price
To reach Arang Kel from Kel via chairlift (cable car) you need to pay PKR 150 (1 dollar) per person.
Arang Kel trek
People who just want to reach their destination ( Arang Kel ) and enjoy the beauty of admirable Arang Kel, should use the chairlift or cable car.
But those who are adventurous and want to see the real beauty of nature, those who love the journey more instead of the destination, for those I will recommend that to choose Arang Kel hiking track.
Kel to Arang Kel distance
Kel to Arang Kel distance is about 3 km and takes about 3 hours to complete. This hiking track is one of the most beautiful and striking tracks of Neelum valley that is not too long but the beauty of this trek is non less than others.
First, you start hiking downward as you have to reach the other side of the Neelum River. Then you pass through a pull installed on the River Neelum and reach the dense jungle, where the chirping of the birds and lush green cool environment is fascinating. This part of hiking would be difficult if you are not familiar with it.
Facilities at Arang Kel
By reaching Arang Kel you can get all facilities from accommodation to delicious food as there are many hotels and restaurants with all necessities of life.
Where is Ratti Gali Lake and how do I get to it?
Ratti Gali is an alpine glacial lake situated at a height of 3683 meters ( 12080 feet) in the Neelum Valley of Azad Kashmir administrated by Pakistan that requires a 2.5 hours track to cover for reaching its base camp. For details click here, Ratti Gali Lake, Azad Kashmir Pakistan
Neelum Valley Azad Kashmir
Wadi Neelum or Neelum Valley is the largest district of Azad Kashmir located on the banks of river Neelum, Muzaffarabad is the city capital of Azad Kashmir and it is administrated by Pakistan. It is known as a tourist's paradise, for more details Neelum Valley Azad Kashmir.
Arang Kel from Islamabad via Muzaffarabad
To reach Arang Kel from Islamabad you need to cover a distance of about 300 km, the best route to reach here is via Muzaffarabad the historic capital city of Azad Kashmir administrated by Pakistan.
By starting your journey from Islamabad you should travel on E-75 and S-2 highways to reach Muzaffarabad, then the River Neelum will be your travel partner till Kel by traveling on the Neelum Valley Road.
Muzaffarabad to Kel distance
The total distance from Muzaffarabad to Kel is about 170 where some famous areas on the way are like Dhani waterfall, Neelum Jhelum dam, Chilehana village a LOC crossing point, Athmuqam, Keran, Dudharian, and Sacred and historic Sharda Peeth.
Lahore to Arang Kel
It is advised that to reach Arang Kel from Lahore you should travel towards Murree and then driving on Murree super highway you should reach Muzaffarabad via Kohala bridge. Or you can opt travel form Naran valley route. However, this route may cause some delay as it is lengthy one as compared to the Muzaffarabad route.
It is the most beautiful road in the Neelum Valley, full of natural scenic landscapes and views. The condition of the road is quite good, as it is a complete paved road some parts of it are in bad condition due to landslides and springs that flow over it, but overall it is a good road to travel on.
Arang Kel weather
Due to its height, the weather here remains cool throughout the year but in winter it gets heavy snowfall so it gets closed for tourism. The average temperature in summer remains between 10 Celsius to 27 Celsius here that attracting tourists to visit this admirable place.
Best time to visit Arang Kel
As it becomes unreachable in the winter season, the best time to visit Arang Kel is the summer season and in summer you should visit here from the month of June to August. And in summer this valley shows all its glorious views and shiny landscapes that are surrounded by lush green tall trees and stand tall on the high mountains.
Things to bring with you
You must bring a raincoat, umbrella, hiking stick, water bottle, first aid box, necessary medicines along with you because the weather here is very uncertain and it gets rain very often. Approximately it gets 105 mm of rain and 18 rainy days of a month.
Conclusion
Arang Kel is the most beautiful hilltop (village) in the Neelum Valley of Azad Kashmir with the shortest but admirable hiking track where you don't see any waterfall or lake. But the beauty of this village competes with the beauty of any waterfall or lake.
