Kashmir Great Lakes Trek
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Kashmir Great Lakes is one of the most beautiful treks in India. No question. It validates Kashmir’s mythical status as heaven on earth.
This is because the trek is set on a canvas that’s larger than life. It is situated 75 km northeast of Srinagar. Every day is a 360° panorama of wild, rugged mountains, rolling meadows, and turquoise alpine lakes. And you get more than six of these lakes and five very different valleys to explore!
The 04 km is the gradual ascent to the tabletop point. The trekkers are advised to fill two bottles of water for the day’s trek. There is a Dhaba On the table top point where one can have tea/coffee/snacks .One can see the spectacular view Of Sonamarg from the table top point. Then the hike will be continued till the lunch point. The tree line ends at thelunch point.It will take approx. 1hour from the table top point to the lunch point . Form the lunch there will be moderate ascent still the Nichnai campsite. It would be around 3 pm or 4 pm by the time we reach the Nachnai campsite.
The first 5 km till Nachnai pass is normal ascent. The altitude of Machina pass is12000 ft. one can get a mobile network on the top of the Machina to pass there will be normal descent of 4km from the Machina pass till the lunch point. From the lunch point to the campsite 3 km. This section of the trail crosses through beautiful and picturesque meadows. It will be a normal walk till the Vishnusar camping site. The camping site is near the vicinity of the beautiful Vishnusar lake.
Today is the best day of the trek with lots of flowers on the way. After1km of normal ascent from vishnusar,is the beautiful kishansar. After Kishnasar Lake 5km steady ascents to the Gadsarpass,13800 ft,which is the highest altitude in the trek. You can see two lakes from Gadsar pass,Vishnarsar,and Kishnasar. From Gadsar walk 4km with a view of a lot of flowers on the way to reach Gadsar Lake, have lunch by the lake side. After lunch walk, 5 km through meadows 2 reach the campsite, based the army camp12000 ft.
Carry sufficient water bottles as the source will be a bit far. Just after starting the trek, there will be a river crossing. After that an easy Walk by the mountain side for 5 km with a normal ascent you will see Naga Parvat of Pakistan, Which mostly remains covered by clouds. Take rest and the campsite is just 4 km from here .There will a normal ascent, after which comes the army camp where your ID will be checked. After the army camp, you will see 7 lakes .Reach the campsite around 2 pm and then on arrival, You will be served hot lunch.
At the start of the trek, you have to cross a 2 km boulder zone, after which the last ascent of the Kashmir Great Lakes trek starts which is about 2 km .After the ascent you will reach the 2nd highest pass of the trek12,900 ft. You can see 4 lakes from the Zagpass, two of which is big and two small. Try to reach the pass by10 am. You Can see the huge Harmukh peak from the Nandkul – Gangabal pass.Then you will climb up a 2 Km zig-zag ascent and 1 km down to reach Nandkul Lake,The campsite for today. You will Reach Nandkul Lake by lunch time, which is 4 km from pass.
Gangabal we have a buffer day with no major trekking or task. One can go to Gangabal Lake and can have some fun activities.
Last day schedule starts by crossing the river, and then a 5 km walk will lead us to trees, you will find trees from here till downhill, the foot of the mountain. End of trek and Drive to Srinagar at Day09.
Srinagar has airport named Sheikh ul-Alam International Airport, making air travel one of the most convenient ways to reach the city. Srinagar airport is situated at a distance of 12 kilometers from Srinagar city. The airport has regular flights by well-known airlines such as Go Air, Air India, Spice Jet, Jet Lite, and Air India etc. These flights connect Srinagar with major Indian cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Jammu, Bengaluru, Chandigarh and Amritsar etc.
To reach Srinagar by train, one has to reach either Banihal railway station to the Srinagar Railway station, you can hire Cabs / taxis to reach this magnificent place.
There are few railway stations are near to Srinagar , One of them is the Jammu Tawi railway station, which is located 271 km away. However, the frequency of trains to Jammu is terrific and almost all major cities have trains running to Jammu. So, a train journey can be a fruitful option to travel to Kashmir. From the Jammu Tawi Railway station, a private cab, state bus or private bus will help you to reach Srinagar.
Another near railway station to Srinagar is the Udhampur Railway Station (200 km from Srinagar). The stations are well-connected to all the major cities of the country. Private cabs and State Government buses can be boarded from the stations to reach Srinagar.
The road journey to Srinagar offers a captivating experience as you travel through the Pir Panjal mountain range, which offers travellers breath-taking views of dense forests, meadows, and stunning landscapes. Here's the total distance you'll be travelling to reach Srinagar by road from these Indian cities- Srinagar is the capital of the Jammu and Kashmir UT. The city is well connected with major cities like Delhi (876 km), Chandigarh (646 km), Leh (424 km) and Jammu (258 km).There is good bus service and cab service available.
The Kashmir Great Lakes Trek typically lasts 7-8 days, covering a distance of around 60-65 kilometres, with daily treks averaging 6-8 hours and featuring varied terrain including ascents, descents, and river crossings.
The maximum elevation reached on the Kashmir Great Lakes Trek is around 13,800 feet (4207 meters) at Gadsar Pass, and this high altitude can lead to altitude sickness, requiring proper acclimatization and hydration to mitigate risks.
The Gadsar pass has steeper sections that will test your physical endurance. This requires mental and physical toughness to cross those steep ascents and descents. While the trek to Gadsar pass is the most difficult part of the trek, the tough terrain towards Nichanai should also be taken into consideration.
