Kashmir Great Lakes is probably the most beautiful trek in India. With its pristine alpine lakes, vast colourful meadows and steep rocky passes, it has everything that a trekker could expect on a classic Himalayan trek. In my honest opinion, there are very few treks in India that are as beautiful as Great Lakes. The combination of the striking blue lakes and the spectacular mountain ranges of the Greater Himalayas left me in awe at the beauty of this planet.
This nine day trek from Sonamag to Naranag via Nichnai and Gadsar Pass is among the most beautiful trekking routes in the Himalayas. The trek has innumerable beautiful alpine lakes throughout its trails and the scenery is unreal!
The great lakes trek was on my bucket-list for a long time. Finally, I got a chance to do this trek with an amazing bunch of people at Adventure-Pulse. I had been to Kashmir earlier for my Basic Mountaineering Course at JIM, Pahalgam in June 2018. Exactly one year later, here I was at Srinagar airport waiting for my co-trekkers.
The trek starts from Sonamarg which is a popular tourist destination in Kashmir. It was a scenic 4 hr drive from Srinagar to Sonamarg. Our stay was at Gagangir, a little ahead of Sonmarag in Hotel Czara which is located right next to Sindh Nallah river. We spent the evening inside hotel as it was raining heavily. After a lovely dinner and a quick briefing about the next day’s plan by our guide Altaf, we were off to sleep.
Day 1: Sitkadi to Table Top
It was a clear bright morning the next day. Post a heavy breakfast, we got ready with our backpacks. The staff loaded the luggage on the vehicle and we drove to the start point Shitkadi. We decided to spend couple of hours at the meadow to avoid the crowds. After having our lunch, we started the trek towards the Table top or Shekdur. It was a gradual ascent for first couple of hours. We could see the entire Sonamarg from the top, surrounded by snowy mountains. It was an easy hike through zigzagging trails which soon entered to a beautiful forest of Maple and Pine trees. The trail ended to an open flat field and that was our destination Table top. There is a shepherd’s hut which serves delicious noodles and Kashmiri kahva. The temperature started to drop as the sun set. After dinner, it was time to rest and sleep. Everyone was excited for next day’s trek over the Nichnai pass which is one of the toughest passes during the trek.
Day 2: Table Top to Meadow ahead of Nichnai Pass.
We got up with the sound of horses that were roaming freely around the meadow. The Sunrise was magical. After breakfast, we left the campsite around 10:00 am. It was a descending trail for half hour which led to a forest of Bhoj or Silver birch trees. The entire walk through the forest was very comfortable. We could see a vast river valley on our right. There were some parts where we had to walk on the snow and rocks. Soon, we reached our lunch spot. It was so refreshing to watch the flowing river and the cotton like clouds passing over the mountains. The terrain became more rocky as we moved towards the Nichnai Pass. Just when we approached the pass, it started to rain heavily. Cold wind started blowing which made it very difficult to walk. The temperature was freezing cold. As soon as we crossed the pass, we found a shepherd’s hut. The hut owner was very kind and welcomed us inside his hut. Our guide quickly arranged some wood and set up fire as everyone was completely drenched and shivering because of cold. The hut owner served us hot maggie and kahva. The Kahva did the magic, and after resting for some time everyone was feeling energetic. It stopped raining and the sun came out. Soon we started descending from the pass. There was lots of snow all around. We had so much fun in the snow and some of the group members also had experience of sliding down from the icy slope. It was a long and difficult trek due to wind and rain but with the support of staff and team everyone made it to the campsite safely. We witnessed a beautiful sunset from the campsite. We were tired but happy to see and experience a different mood of nature.
Day 3: Meadow to Krishnasar Lake.
The next day, we woke up early to see the sunrise. The entire valley was shining bright with sunlight. After a delicious breakfast, we got ready for the trek to Krishnasar Lake. We crossed a beautiful stream which was flowing next to our camp. While some of the group members crossed the stream on a horse, few of us decided to walk through the icy cold waters. For a moment my feet became numb, but after a few seconds the water felt so good. There was a big herd of sheep near the stream. We clicked lots of pictures with them and then started the hike towards Vishnusar, the first lake of the great lakes! The terrain was moreover flat with a gentle ascent.
Vishnusar was huge!!! The turquoise blue lake is nestled below four mountains with beautiful landscape all around. The surrounding snowy peaks and clouds were reflecting over the crystal clear water. After spending almost an hour soaking in all the beauty of this magical place, we made our way to Krishnasar which was another 50 minutes away. Today we had hot lunch at our campsite. In the afternoon, we played some interesting games inside our big dining tent. Evening was spent strolling around the beautiful Krishnasar lake. To our surprise, the kitchen staff served fresh trout fish for dinner. Daal rice and lady finger sabji with chapati was also yummy! I wanted to get some night sky shots but the moon was very strong and stars were not visible. Nonetheless, the views were mind blowing.
Day 4: Krishnasar to Gadsar Camp via Gadsar Pass.
Today, we crossed Gadsar Pass which is the highest point on the trek at the altitude of 13,800 ft. The sunrise from the campsite was breathtakingly beautiful. It was surreal to see the first rays of sunlight cast a golden shadow on the clear water of Krishnasar lake. Post breakfast, we slowly made our way on the steep narrow trails.
Our guides Altaf bhai and Prem Bhai kept encouraging us and within no time we were on the top of the pass. We could see both the lakes from top. Everyone was feeling strong. We were so happy that we were dancing crazily on top of the pass. After resting for some time, we started descending. The entire area was covered with powder snow. Sliding down was the best option. We descended down to an open meadow. The hike felt like walk in a park with beautiful yellow flowers everywhere. We had our lunch near the Gadsar Lake. This circle shaped lake was truly the prettiest and most pristine of all. We were amazed to see the snow slabs falling from the cliffs inside the lake. It was very refreshing to walk parallel to the lake on a descending trail all the way up to Gadsar camp.
Day 5: Gadsar to Satsar
We left the Gadsar Camp after breakfast. We crossed a frozen stream and started ascending on a narrow trail. For an hour the trail was steep until we traversed the hills. The trail became flat and we were walking through a vast meadow for almost an hour. Soon we reached to the first lake of Satsar. Satsar itself means Seven lakes. As we reached the first lake, the rain clouds started to appear from a distance. We quickly moved through a rocky area and reached our campsite before it started raining. It rained all day and the temperature plummeted. However, our kitchen staff took great care of us and kept us warm and energised with hot delicious food, evening snacks and tea. We even saw a movie sitting inside our cozy dining tent.
Day 6: Satsar to Nandkol via Zaj Pass.
After the heavy rain last night, we were sceptical about the day’s weather. We started the trek early as today we had to cross over another pass; the “Zaj Pass”. After crossing the river on a wooden bridge and through small rocks the trail led us to a boulder area. It was very difficult to walk on the boulders and rocks which were slippery because of the last night’s rain. The team helped each other on this difficult climb and soon we were on our way to the Zaj Pass. There was lots of snow in the valley and the river was flowing parallel to the trail. Suddenly the entire valley got covered with fog. We kept moving in almost no visibility and after a steep climb finally reached on the top of the pass. The twin lakes of Gangabal and Nandakol can be seen from the top. We waited for a long time to get a clear view but the weather had other plans. The pass was still covered with fog and the lakes were hardly visible though the clouds. We stared descending from the pass hoping to get the clear views of twin lakes on our way down. The sky cleared up soon and we could see mesmerising views of Nandakol and Gangabal lake. Soon, we descended down to the open area and reached our last campsite at Nandkol. It rained again in the evening. Later when the rain stopped, we were strolling around our camp. It was a beautiful evening as finally the sun was out and we also saw a huge rainbow over the river that was flowing next to our camp. This was one of the most memorable experiences of the entire trip. Our joy doubled as after a while there was double rainbow. It was full moon that night and Mt. Harmukh was looking spectacular. I stayed up late to capture the beauty of night sky.
Day 7: Nandakol to Naranag and Srinagar.
Today was the last day of the trek. We gathered the staff members, the cook, kitchen helper, horse man and thanked them for their great efforts to make the entire trekking experience a memorable one. We clicked lots of pictures and finally bid adieu to our camp. It was a long walk till Naranag through lush green meadows which ended near a forest. The trail became dusty and the scorching heat made it difficult to walk. However, the excitement of coming back to the civilization after a week, kept us going and soon we reached the last point Naranag. With this it was end of our adventurous journey in some of the most beautiful parts of this heaven called Kashmir! We spent a night at the famous Dal lake before leaving for home.
Though I have been to various places in Ladakh, Nepal and Sikkim, I have never seen anything as beautiful as the Great Lakes. This trek not only tested us both physically and mentally with challenges like rain, cold and long days of trekking through difficult terrain but also, gave us memories of the Kashmir Great Lakes for a lifetime which we will cherish forever.
