Naran is the main town of Kaghan Valley, sitting at around 2,400 metres on a broad floodplain where the Kunhar River is joined by the stream draining down from Lake Saiful Muluk. It's a functional tourist base rather than a scenic destination in itself — a string of hotels, guest houses, restaurants, and jeep hire outfits strung along the main road — but everything in the upper valley depends on it. Most visitors stay here and make day trips to the lake, Babusar Pass, and the surrounding meadows.
The town swells dramatically in July and August, when Pakistani families from Lahore, Islamabad, and Karachi come to escape the heat of the plains. Out of season it's close to deserted. Jeep hire for Lake Saiful Muluk and Babusar Pass is arranged from the main bazaar; fishing permits for the Kunhar River trout are issued here as well. The bazaar has a reasonable selection of warm clothes, dried fruit, and local honey if you arrive underprepared for the altitude and cold.