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- Arrival in Srinagar. Drive to Gagangir. 3.5 hrs drive.
- Gagangir to Basmai. Optional hike to Soun Valley.
- Basmai to Basmai Lake via Basmai Pass.
- Explore Basmai Lake and trek to Lidderwat.
- Lidderwat to Tarsar Lake.
- Tarsar Lake to Sonmus or Sundarsar Lake via Marsar Lake.
- Trek to Sumbal and drive to Srinagar.
- Drop at Srinagar airport. Fly out.
Day 1 : Arrival in Srinagar. Drive to Gagangir. 3.5 hrs drive.
On Day 1, assemble at the base camp – Gagangir village.
Pick up from Srinagar airport. Adventure-Pulse trek leaders will receive you at airport and then it’s a short drive to Gagangir. Overnight stay in guesthouse.
Day 2 : Gagangir to Basmai. Optional hike to Soun Valley.
Day 2 starts with a short and a steep hike towards Basmai on a well-marked trail with towering pine Trees. Don’t miss out on the breath-taking views of the valley below alongside the gushing river. Once you are halfway up the trek, you’d see a tree decorated with lots of plastic stuff, it has no history associated with it.
The climb gets a little more gradual after the halfway mark. And you would reach Basmai camp in another 3 hours. People who have reached and are in good condition to explore more can go on a short hike to the Soun top to witness the beautiful Soun valley.
Overnight stay at campsite.
Day 3 : Basmai to Basmai Lake via Basmai Pass.
Continuing to the left side of the valley, past the fields and followed by the crossing of streams, the trail leads to the right-hand side of the valley. The ascend starts here, going past moraine. The trail climbs to the gully where the pass is visible. The ascent to Basmai is gradual and offers spectacular views of the valley behind. The final (steep) climb of about 200mts opens up to the pristine Basmai Lake visible from the pass. A gradual trail down leads us to the lake which may take up to 2 hours, we camp before the lake.
Day 4 : Explore Basmai Lake and trek to Lidderwat.
An easy day as we pass via Basmai Lake and move on the trail next to the lake and descend towards Satlanjan valley. There are few other lakes like Rohil, Haptsar on the other side of Satlanjan Valley, but we move towards the right to Lidderwat. Satlanjan to lidderwat is a flat trail next to the river and we would reach Lidderwat in 3 hours.
Day 5 : Lidderwat to Tarsar Lake.
Today we embark on a long day towards Tarsar Lake. We would be camping by the lake. You have to hurry a bit in order to spend more time at Tarsar Lake; you can enjoy your time in the valley with ample opportunities to exercise your photography and posing skills at the lake!
Overnight stay at campsite.
Day 6 : Tarsar Lake to Sonmus or Sundarsar Lake via Marsar Lake.
From Tarsar Lake we move towards Marsar Lake which would take us around 4 to 5 hours.
After exploring Marsar we could camp at Sundarsar Lake or head to the camp at Sonmus based on the team fitness. It is a beautiful valley and you would find a lot of shepherds with their flock of animals.
Day 7 : Trek to Sumbal and drive to Srinagar.
Today you are on the last leg of the trek and start towards Sumbal.
It is a steep descent of 5 to 6 hours to reach Sumbal which is located 30 km from Sonamarg.
Drive from Sumbal and drop at hotel/guesthouse in Srinagar.
Day 8 : Drop at Srinagar airport. Fly out.
Package Details
TRIP COST INCLUDES
- Transport: All ground transport by car. Airport transfers to and from Srinagar to Gagangir and back from Sumbal to Srinagar.
- Accommodation: 01 night Srinagar and 01 night in Gagangir - stay in basic Hotel/Guesthouse on twin sharing basis and 05 nights tented camps (02 person double fly dome tents on twin sharing basis).
- Food: Meal plan included. In Srinagar (Only breakfast and dinner). Trek (all meals) packed lunch, juice/tea/coffee/kahwa.
- All trekking gear included (tents, sleeping bags and mats)
- First aid and Medical Assistance
- Guide, cooking staff, helpers. Horses for carrying backpack.
TRIP COST EXCLUDES
- International or domestic flights.
- Visa (For foreign nationals)
- Travel insurance.
- Personal clothing and equipment.
- Any medical costs incurred by you, or costs associated with a medical incident, such as your evacuation from the mountain and/ or hospitalization.
- Optional trips or excursions.
- Tips for local staff and guides.
- Lunch / Snacks in Srinagar.
1. What are the staying arrangements for this trek?
This trekking format is often referred to as an expedition format of trekking prevalent in the Indian Himalayas. The entire trek will be self-sufficient with a separate Kitchen Tent and Staff, Dining Tent, Toilet Tent and 3- Man, Dome-shaped tents in which trekkers will be accommodated on double occupancy. On the first night, trekkers will be staying in Gagangir in a Guest House, and on completion of the trek, we will be arranging for a night stay in a comfortable hotel in Srinagar.
2. What kind of Physical shape do I need to be to undertake this trek?
You need to be in good physical shape to trek specially to trek over the mountain pass. Although, the altitude is not very high and there is no technical skills required to do this trek, long walking hours and the steep ascent and descent on the trek makes Tarsar Marsar Lake trek a challenging trek. The trek does demand good physical fitness and some bit of prior trekking experience. Please refer to our physical fitness document for more details on this topic.
3. What are the entry and exit points for this trek?
One needs to fly to Srinagar Airport for the Tarsar Martsar Lake trek. There are regular flights from Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. On your arrival at the airport, you will be picked up and driven directly to Gagangir where an Adventure-Pulse representative will greet you. After the trek, we will arrange for transportation to Srinagar for a night stay in Hotel and the next day we transfer you back to Srinagar airport for your flight out.
4. Do I need any special equipment/climbing gear for this trek?
Tarsar Marsar Lake trek is a non-technical trek. Any kind of climbing equipment or gears is not required for this trek. For a list of other things and warm clothing to carry, please refer to our link - List of things to carry for the trek. You do need to make sure you have adequate warm clothes and very good rain gear as we do expect rainfall on this trail.
5. What is the communication system available on the way?
Regular phone and data services work in Srinagar. While on the trek, most days there is no network. One is disconnected on most days during the course of the trek.
6. What about high-altitude acclimatization?
We at Adventure Pulse consider acclimatization as one of the most important aspects of trekking/climbing a mountain and spend enough time to do that. We move up the mountain slowly giving enough time to our bodies to acclimatize. Each day, we monitor each trekkers SPO2, Blood Oxygen Saturation, with a portable Oximeter, to ensure they are acclimatizing well. Our senior guide will keep monitoring the team on a daily basis to ensure that there are no problems along the way.
7. What are the food arrangements?
Meals will be as close to home-cooked food as possible and is usually Vegetarian. Breakfasts will consist of bread, honey, jams, tea and Nescafe along with eggs, paranthas, etc. For lunch, there will be a variety of local food or a full packed lunch. Dinner will usually be soup followed by lentils, vegetable curry. Our endeavour will be to try ensuring a daily variation in the food that we prepare so we keep the group's appetite up along with their morale.
8. Will I be able to take a shower or bath during the course of the climb?
Regular shower facilities will be available in the hotel, but while we are higher up on the trek, the shower facility is not available for the trekking period.
9. What are the emergency medical precautions available for this trek?
The Adventure-Pulse staff and guides carry a fully equipped medical kit with necessary medicines and an Oxygen meter. As a standard practice, we check the oxygen levels of all our clients twice a day and take necessary precautions if any irregularity is found in the oxygen reading. In case the problem persists, the client is sent down with a qualified guide. In case of an Injury where the trekker is not in a position to walk down, a Pony is organized to the closest road head where a vehicle and a doctor visit can be organized.
10. What happens in case of bad weather on the mountain?
Adventure-Pulse usually plans all its treks during the most favourable season on the mountain, but having said that, the weather is always an unpredictable factor. We usually look at weather reports before leaving for the trek. In case the weather is unfavourable, we could delay it to the next day depending upon the Itinerary. A buffer day/s is always built in the itinerary as a contingency if we get hit by unfavourable weather conditions. In the worse situation, we may have to turn back midway, but safety is always a priority that cannot be compromised on.
Extreme temperature variations, high altitude, snow glare & proximity to sun are certain factors which necessitate the need to for proper mountaineering and trekking equipment. In order to enjoy your experience in the mountains, we have recommended that you carry the following with you.
Apparels
- Trekking Boots / Shoes (preferably up to ankle length & water resistant)
- Multiple pairs of Cotton and woolen socks (at least 3-4 pairs of each)
- Track Pants for comfortable trekking, Denims to be avoided. (At least 2/3)
- Thermal inners and sweater/warm sweat shirt (1 each)
- Cotton T-shirts (3 to 4 minimum)
- Rain gear. Either a rain coat and trousers or a rain poncho.
- Warm thermal fleece jacket.
- 01 Peak Cap + at least 01 Woolen Cap
- 01 pair of warm gloves with windproof outer layer.
- 01 pair floaters
Accessories
- Air bag / Duffel bag (No Suitcases). Preferably water proof / water resistant.
- Day Back with rain proof cover. (25 to 35 ltrs)
- Drinking Water Bottle 1 Litre
- Torch + Batteries
- Camera + Batteries
- Knee / Ankle / Wrist Guards (if required)
- Nail Cutter / Pocket / Pen Knife
- Cold cream
- Hand sanitizer
- Chap-stick / Vaseline
- Personal toiletries (Tooth Paste / Toilet Paper / Wet Wipes or Baby Wipes etc.)
- Medical kit (With basic medicines for headache, upset Stomach, sour throat, water purification tablets/drops, band aids, painkillers & Moov/ Iodex , Vics Vaporub , D-Cold)
- Any personal medication (Individual specific)
- High energy snacks like Dry fruits, Bars of chocolate, Tang, Glucose etc.
- Good Quality Sun shades.
- Sun block. (SPF40+)
The trek to Tarsar Marsar Lakes via Basmai Pass can be steep & strenuous at some places, even though it does not require that you have any previous mountaineering experience in Particular, It’s important that you be in good physical condition and be able to hike at a comfortable pace for 5-6 hours over hilly terrain with a light day pack. Good cardio-vascular conditioning and muscles that are used to hiking will make your trip much more enjoyable. Our goal is to trek at max. Altitude of 4000 m and walk through beautiful meadows and glaciers leading to pristine lakes of Kashmir. You will spend 7 days in a land where life is simple, trails are steep and the air is thin. We recommend the following schedule to the participants:
We recommend the following schedule to the participants
- WEEK ONE/TWO: The participants should be develop the habit of being able to get up in the morning and run / brisk walk for a minimum of 3-4 Km at least 4-5 days a week. This would represent at least 20-25 minutes of cardio exercise. Though difficult at first, keep at it. You can stop and take breaks as well. During the day, you should get into the habit of avoiding elevators and taking the steps. You should be able to climb at least 4/5 flights of steps daily. (Avoid going down steps too fast as this could result in some knee injuries). If you don’t enjoy running and are into some other sport like cycling or swimming, spend about 45 mins cycling or about 600 – 800 mts of swimming for at least 4 days a week.
- WEEK THREE/FOUR: Assuming you have successfully survived week one and are consistent with your exercise, you can take up the pace a notch. Increase your distance to 5/6 kms per day and 5 times a week, you can additionally go to a gym. Avoid heavy weight training. Focus more on a core workout. These are your muscle groups that run along the length of your body and helps maintain your posture and sustains you during your long hours of working.
- WEEK FIVE/SIX: In addition to the week two exercise, one additional feature you should add in Week three is walking for half an hour during the evenings with a backpack on carrying 3-4 kgs. This could be 2lts of water, some snacks, a jacket etc. This will help strengthen your back and shoulders thus preparing you for the long hours of trekking. If you don’t want to just simply walk, also try increasing your time on climbing flight of steps. As compared to week one, you should aim to be able to climb 10-12 flight of stairs comfortably.
- WEEK SEVEN/EIGHT: Sustenance. Keep up the tempo, sustain the workout. Try avoiding doing anything very rigorous but be consistent with morning and evening walks/runs and climbing flight of stairs.
- WEEK NINE: Sustain the workout. Increase only if you feel comfortable. Start doing an additional 10-15 mins of climbing stairs in the morning/evening with a daypack of 2-3 Kg; about 30-35 floors once a day should help increase the stamina and endurance considerably.
Please remember, consistency is the Key here. Do not do anything to exert yourself or something that will increase chances of Injury. Running/Brisk walking 4-5 kms for 5 days in a week is far better than running a 20 km on one day of the week and injuring your Knee/Ligaments in the process. If you can be consistent with above mentioned schedule, The Tarsar Marsar Lakes Trek, though physically challenging, will become a pleasant and enjoyable experience for you. Feel free to call us or mail us in case you want more details on how to prepare for this trek!
Contact: [email protected]
