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Great Lakes of Kashmir Trek
Quick Facts
The Great Lakes of Kashmir trek is set in an almost heavenly arena of high mountain vistas, endless pasturelands, and of course, the great lakes. Arguably the best way to witness the beauty of the Kashmir Himalaya, you will be rewarded with a palette of colours every single day that you walk on this trail. The trek is moderate but goes over high 3900m+ high passes, but the relaxing terrain, deep blue coloured mountains and lush flower filled meadows make the going extremely pleasant. You may get to experience a few cultural insights. Local shepherds, their herds and families may be your trail companions. On your way from Srinagar to Sonmarg and as well on the houseboat you will get an idea of the local culture, food and religion in Kashmir. There is colour everywhere. The Great Lakes of Kashmir trek will lead you to its turquoise blue-green lakes, climbs over high altitude passes and offers you one of the best trail experiences you will savour for a lifetime.
DAYS 1-3
- Day 1: Srinagar Airport – Sonmarg (2800 M)
Drive from Srinagar airport to reach the meadows of Sonmarg. Stay at Hotel.
- Day 2: Sonmarg (2800 M)
Spend the rest of the day at leisure. Acclimatize.
- Day 3: Sonmarg – Nichnai Base Camp (3505 M)
After breakfast we take a short drive to the start of our trek. Walk through maple trees, past lush meadows and rivulets till we reach Shekdur for lunch. Shekdur pasture is lined by Silver Birch trees with herder huts and the backdrop of the big mountains. Post lunch, traverse a rocky section and a very pretty meadow to reach camp.
DAYS 4-7
- Day 4: Nichnai Base Camp – Vishnusar (3732 M)
Our day begins with a climb over Nichnai Pass (4000m). It’s a day of variety with a river crossing and our first small lake of this trek. Descend rapidly to be amongst mountain pasture land again. We camp by the stream fed by the Vishnusar Lake.
- Day 5: Exploration Day – Vishnusar (3732 M)
Vishnusar is the lake of Lord Vishnu and is a kilometer long and half a kilometer wide, this lake is the main source of the Neelum River. We spend the day taking short walks around camp and exploring the beauty of the twin lakes of Vishnusar and Kishansar.
- Day 6: Vishnusar – Gadsar (4181 M)
We start the day with a trek to Kishansar, a steep ascent which provides great overview of Kishansar and Vishnusar lakes together, as we climb towards the Gadsar Pass at 4181m – the highest point on the trek. We descend to a meadow with irises littered all over the hillside after passing a couple lakes en route. Camp is 4-5 km below Gadsar Lake near the army camp where everybody’s documents are checked.
- Day 7: Gadsar – Satsar (3658 M)
Today, we trek above the treeline. We begin with a gentle descent for about an hour, and then a steep ascent of three hours followed by a flat meadow walk. We finally reach Satsar, which literally means seven lakes. Satsar is a series of seven small lakes connected with each other in a cascade formation. The season you trek will determine how many of the lakes have water in them. We pass the Army Camp before camping by the first lake.
DAYS 8-10
- Day 8: Satsar – Gangbal (3505 M)
We climb to the Zajibal Pass (3900m) in about 3-4 hours. From here, we can see the Harigandan lake, Harmukh lake, Harmukh mountain (5000m) as well as Gangbal Lake and Nandkol Lake We will start ascending towards the small Gangbal lake and camp within the lake area.
- Day 9: Gangbal Lake-naranga – Srinagar (1585 M)
A 1000m plus descent awaits your knees! Descend to Naranag & drive 55 km to Srinagar. Overnight at hotel.
- Day 10: Srinagar – Srinagar Airport
It’s an early morning flight back to Delhi. Trip ends!
Inclusions:
- All travel from Leh and back to Srinagar by road
- All arrangements for staying and camping while on trip
- Accommodation on twin sharing basis in Tents / Hotel
- All meals as mentioned in itinerary & safe drinking water
- All trekking arrangements with India’s most experienced guiding team, camp staff and cooks
- Porterage upto 15kg/ person
- Peak fee/sanctuary fee/royalty/permits where applicable
Exclusions:
- Sleeping bag
- Any transfers or meals outside of itinerary
- Bottled water
- Items of personal clothing
- Expenses of any personal nature (laundry / phone calls / alcohol / cigarettes / insurance / camera fee / etc.)
- Any expense incurred due to force of nature such as landslides, bad weather or reasons beyond our control
- Tips & gratuities (we recommend 5-10% of your trip cost- to be distributed among the team) – personal choice
- Travel & cancellation insurance
FROM PREVIOUS EXPEDITIONS
Take a look at photos & videos from previous journeys. Read testimonials from our new & regular clients.
WHY GO WITH AQUATERRA ADVENTURES
A question easy to answer, you may wonder, in an age where adventure travel is apparently booming. Varying costs are available and there is no shortage of operators willing to run your trip. This is possibly the most important decision for you to make, after you have chosen to take on an adventure trip.
An Experienced Team
Our team of guides has years of experience of travel throughout the Indian Himalaya, from running rivers to leading treks – from the barren Zanskar to the tropical rainforest of Arunachal Pradesh. They speak English, have completed graduate school, are current with First Aid and CPR certification and form the most experienced guiding team in the country today.
Value for Money
The prices of our trips provide a high value for money returns. They are priced to keep our standards high and your trip, smooth. Cost usually is a deciding factor for many a trip, but for an adventure trip, the deciding factor should be confidence in your operator. We combine high operator confidence with a pricing balanced to give you a trip to remember.
Best Equipment
Equipment on all our adventure travel trips matches worldwide standards. On treks, we use 4 season 2-person tents, which can withstand the harshest weather conditions, and keep you dry and protected from the elements. Outfitter wings accompany all mountain trips for dining under.
Great Food
Our staff is trained in hygienic preparation of meals and offers a great variety of food on an outdoor trip. Good equipment, food and guides is what makes an outdoor trip an experience to savour.
WHAT TRAVELLERS SAY ABOUT US
Kubra Sait
Actor
Scream and Shout! For I just completed the hardest treks in the Himalayas, the lesser known Auden’s Col Trek. It tests you, beats you down but you when you summit starting in the wee hours of the morning you know that it couldn’t have been a better decision not for just the moment but for life.
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Rajat Rilach
Businessman
Well what a wonderful trip it was, we were 14 climbers with about 60 helpers including guide and porters. It could not have been better, right from our stay at Kuflon to Pooja at Gangotri to climb to the Auden’s to stay at the glaciers and finally a walk through the forest which can beat the amazon.
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Mr. Sareen
Avid Trekker
A difficult trek made so much easier by the professional, ever-ready-to-help, alert trek leaders of Aquaterra. The support staff was wonderful and made the hard days lighter by their cheerful attitude. All along it felt not like client and staff but friends out for a trek.
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Mr. T.S Sareen
Business Owner
Everything right from the beginning till the end – the pre-trip updates, travel planning, itinerary, equipment, camping sites, medical help and preparedness, food, etc. were all well thought, planned and great.
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GET IN TOUCH TO BOOK!
Join us for a trip of a lifetime, if you crave for some high end adventure!
We strive to create the best trips possible for you, with uncommon professionalism, unsurpassed personal service and a commitment to protect and preserve the cultures and environments through which we travel. Get in touch with us to plan your next holiday
