Kashmir Great Lakes Trek

What we work through with you

1. Your dates and priorities

   Tell us when you want to visit Sonamarg → Naranag, Kashmir, who is travelling and what you would change in the outline below.

2. The route and pace

   We discuss the 8D / 7N starting itinerary, your preferred stays and how much you want to fit in. Any changes depend on availability and are agreed in your written plan.

3. Your written quote

   Review the final arrangements, total price, inclusions and payment and cancellation terms before booking. An enquiry does not reserve this trip.

The route we start from

These are the stages published for this trip. A stage can cover part of a day or several days; it is not a separate travel day.

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.

What this trip lists

Use these inclusions and exclusions when reviewing your quote. The displayed price starts from ₹19,999 per person; your written quote confirms the total for your dates and arrangements.

Read this trip’s booking terms →