Kashmir Great Lakes Trek

Highlights

• Seven alpine lakes in seven days
• Gadsar Pass (13,750ft)
• Full camping support — you carry a daypack
• Meadow camps at Vishansar & Gangbal
• Trout-stream valleys past the treeline

Is it right for you?

Seniors

Not advised for seniors: This is a multi-day high-altitude trek of roughly 70 km with a 4,190 m pass, graded moderate to difficult, and needs solid fitness

Getting around

A lot of walking; Not wheelchair accessible

Children

This is a demanding high-altitude trek, not a good fit for young children

From our own trip notes. Tell your captain about anyone's mobility, age or food needs and we confirm the details for your dates.

The story

Your journey outline

Each stage can cover one or more days. Tell us what you would change; your final itinerary is agreed before booking.

1. Stage 01 Base

   Srinagar to Sonamarg, about three hours, climbing to 2,700 metres. The base camp evening is a briefing, a kit check and a fitness check that is taken seriously: this is a seventy-kilometre trek over seven days with four passes, and it is graded moderate to difficult for good reason.

2. Stage 02 Climb Out

   The first climb, out of the valley through birch forest to the Shekdur meadows at around 3,400 metres. It is a steep start and the day is deliberately short, because gaining height slowly on day one is what prevents trouble on day four.

3. Stage 03 Vishansar

   Over a ridge and down to Vishansar, the first of the lakes, at 3,700 metres. It sits in a bowl of meadow with the peaks reflected in it, and on a still afternoon the reflection is so complete that photographs look inverted. Camp on the grass above the water.

4. Stage 04 Gadsar Pass

   The hardest day: past Kishansar lake and up to Gadsar Pass at 4,190 metres, which is the high point of the trek, then a long descent into the Gadsar valley, which in July is carpeted with alpine flowers. Seven to eight hours, and the pass is cold whatever the date.

5. Stage 05 Satsar

   Across to Satsar, which is a scatter of small lakes on a boulder-strewn plateau rather than one body of water. There is an army check post on this section and identification is required, which is a routine part of trekking this close to the Line of Control.

6. Stage 06 Gangbal Twins

   Over the ridge to the Gangbal twin lakes beneath Mount Harmukh at 5,142 metres, which is the finest camp of the week. The lakes hold trout, the mountain stands directly above them, and this is the evening most people describe afterwards.

7. Stage 07 Descend

   The long descent to Naranag, dropping around 1,800 metres in a single day through pine forest to an eighth-century stone temple complex at the bottom. It is hard on the knees and it is the last of the walking.

8. Stage 08 The Return

   Drive to Srinagar and fly home. Seven days, seven lakes, four passes, about seventy kilometres on foot, and a trek that people who have done both routinely rate above anything in Nepal at the same grade.

Know before you go

• Carry a government photo ID; some zones need quick registrations
• Winter packages need proper snow layers — rental gear lists provided
• Pony operators at Pahalgam/Gulmarg quote high — your captain fixes rates
• Srinagar airport security lines are long; we pad departure timings

Policies

Why book with Travelers Clan

• Your own itinerary. This is a starting point — we agree your route and pace before booking.
• Paperwork guidance. Visa requirements and applicable taxes confirmed in your quote.
• Clear payment terms. Deposit and cancellation conditions set out before payment.
• Know your support. Your final plan confirms local contacts and any guide or trip-captain services.