Authmuqam is at height of 1400 meters and is the divisional headquarter of Neelum Valley. A large bazaar exists where you can purchase all your necessary items; there is a post office, some local banks, hospital, and telephone service. During Pak-India conflict, Authmuqam was a constant target for Indian shells.
Keran is situated on the bank of the river Neelum 1524 meters above sea level. It has some very picturesque scenery. The main attraction for this place is that India is visible on the other side of the river. There is also a small military bridge that connects the two divides, and one can see both Pakistani and Indian soldiers patrolling. but this area is safe for tourism. AJK Tourism department has a rest house built here for tourist.
Due to the devastating earthquake of October 8th 2005, like other areas of AJK, the areas in Jhelum Valley also witnessed massive devastation. Four villages namely “Curli”, “Bhat Shair”, “Lodhiabad” and “Padder” located in between Chikkar and Bani Hafiz were reported to be completely destroyed when the mountains collided very badly and got converted into heaps of rubble burying about 711 people underneath.
The collapsed mountain peaks and the rubble of the four villages blocked the natural flow of the water which resulted in the creation of a natural lake stretched over an area of about 3 kms. This newly born lake was named as “Zilzaal Lake” and now it has gained great deal of popularity among tourists.
Leepa is a small village about 60 kilometers from Naily and 38 kilometers from Reshian, at an altitude of 1921 meters. Its lush green rice fields in summer and typical wooden Kashmiri Houses present a wonderful view to the people visiting the area. Walnut, Apple, Cherry and honey of Leepa are very popular and in great demand.
The border village about 49 kilometers ahead of Kel is a fascinating but unexplored sight. The area from Kel to Taobat is called the Halmat. Janawai, Sardari and Halmat are the most beautiful places of this area. A tourist rest house has been constructed at Halmat to provide accommodation facilities to the visitors. The drive itself is slow as the road is a dirt track, crossing streams and waterfalls. It almost takes 4 hours to reach this place from Kel. You can also start seeing some glaciers melting into the Neelum River. This is the last hamlet before you reach the LOC.
19 kilometers journey from Sharda upstream takes one to Kel. It is a small valley at a height of 3000 meters. The Shounter Nallah joins river Neelum at this place and track from here leads to Astore and Deossai plains. There are some very beautiful high alpine lakes accessible from Kel, which involves 4x4 off-roading and hiking – maybe even renting mules. Buses provide daily on this route in good weather. There are several local banks, schools, army hospital, and bazaar in Kel. AJK also has accommodation available here.Army have their headquarter here and theire medical corp is mainly treating the locals.
At an altitude of 2000 m, Sharda is a beautiful green spot. The landscape consists of several small streams, hill side covered with green forest, cultivated land around it. Located at a distance of 30 kilometers from Dowarian. A track from Sharda takes one to Nurinar Pass (Nuri Top) following Surgan stream, which then connects to the Kaghan Valley.
There also exists ruin of an old Buddhist University. AJK Tourism dept has a modest rest house. Do note that there is no electricity in this area. To reach Sharda, one has to cross a magnificent suspension bridge over Neelum River.
