The Uchali Lake in Soon Valley is indisputably nature’s hidden gem, as majority of people in Pakistan are still unaware about its grandeur. Uchali Lake is the most popular tourist attraction in the valley, since it is formed due to the absence of drainage in the range. Sakaser, the highest mountain in the Salt Range at 1,522 meters (4,993 ft), looms over the lake. Due to its saline water the lake is lifeless, but offers picturesque scenery. About four and a half hours away from Lahore, Uchali is situated in Soon Valley that lies in the heart of Nowshera Tehsil of Khushab district in Punjab. The gripping aerial shots taken from a drone camera validates the exquisiteness of this lake.
The lake is a paradise for birdwatchers as it attracts thousands of migratory birds every year. Around 45 species of migratory birds have been spotted here. These birds come from Siberia, Mongolia and other places with extreme winter temperatures and fly along the Indus Waterway. The species found here include grebes, ducks, geese, pelicans, herons, coots, flamingos, spoonbills, cranes, bustards and gulls. The globally endangered white-headed duck was also spotted some years ago.
Uchali Lake is one of the three lakes of the Uchali Complex, which has been declared a protected site under the Ramsar Convention signed in Iran in 1971. The other two lakes are Khabeki and Jhallar; both located at a close distance from Uchali. The convention makes it binding on the signatories to ensure ecology of wetlands is not disturbed and development, if any, is sustainable and in sync with the nature.
Twisted moustache and bald head is how people recognize me, but globetrotting and capturing beauty through eye of my camera is what I am known for.
