Maximum Altitude
13,750 ft.
Trek Duration
7 Night / 8 Days
Trek Distance
72 Km
Difficulty Level
Moderate to difficult
Start/End Point
Srinagar
Nearest Airport
Srinagar International Airport
Best Season
Monsoon (July, August & September)
Accommodation
7 Nights in campsite
Meals
Breakfast, lunch, evening snacks and dinner
Permits
Forest Department & Trekking permit
Temperature
5°C to 15°C (day) ; -5°C to 5°C (night)
Snow
June has the highest snow month
The Kashmir Great Lakes Trek is known as India's most beautiful trek through the mountains at a higher elevation, a 72 kilometer trek that makes these mountains milder and looks more like an expansive, high-definition fairyland. The trek starts at Shitkadi in Sonmarg (golden meadows) and ends at the ancient ruins of Naranag (8th-century). The trek has the same rhythm every day; every 24 hours, you cross a significant pass of a major mountain, like the Gadsar pass (4,206 m), and at the end of that day, you would have discovered a new lake in a different valley. You would encounter many of the best alpine lakes in the world within the scope of the exact trek for example, the twin trout filled Vishansar and Kishansar lakes as well as Gadsar lake (with icebergs at the surface), and Gangabal (a glacier-fed lake) at the base of Mount Harmukh. The views and sounds of the turquoise waters and the wildflowers in the margs (meadows) were visually stunning, with lots of Himalayan marmots whistling back and forth about the same frequency as you were looking at them. The ideal time to trek this area is from July to September, when the entire area is lush and accessible. While other areas are blocked by the rains, KGL is lush and accessible, which is typically the best time of year to visit. Therefore, if you are going on a trek that has a moderate level of difficulty and offers world class beauty, you will want to put KGL on your bucket list.
The Kashmir Great Lakes (KGL) Trek is thought by many to be the most scenic trek in India because it allows trekkers to experience the Himalayas at their highest quality within a distinct geographical area, rather than culminating in a single destination (like most trails). The KGL provides a complete reset of the scenic beauty every twenty-four hours.
1. Kashmir Great Lakes Trek: The One Lake Per Day Phenomenon: One of KGL’s most distinguishing features is its distinctive rhythm of daily patterns, where each day the landscape resets itself and unveils a new area of glacial reservoir. KGL is different from other treks in the Himalayas, which all have one end goal; KGL consists of a necklace of enormous lakes that have their own personalities – Vishansar, Kishansar, Gadsar, Satsar, Gangabal, and Nundkol. KGL has a much greater number of sizable alpine water bodies because of the numerous lakes you see from the Twin Lakes fish filled lakes to the iceberg dotted depths of Gadsar (which cannot be matched anywhere else in India).
2. Three High-Altitude Pass Transitions: High Altitude Trekking Transitioning through the Mountains is divided into three significant trekking highs. Each mountain saddle acts as a dramatic curtain that prepares you for seeing an entirely new valley in each of the three different valleys during the trek. The first mountain saddle is Nichnai Pass (4,150 m), moving from the lush tree forests of Sonmarg to high elevation rocky meadows. The second mountain saddle is the highest point of the trek, Gadsar Pass (4,206 m), known for incredible and famous views of the Twin Lakes. Finally, the last mountain saddle is Zaj Pass (4,000 m), which provides the first substantial views of the enormous Harmukh Glacier.
3. The Velvet Margs and Wildflower Carpets: One unique feature of the Kashmiri valley's natural beauty is its meadows, or margs, which are large expanses of soft grass (in the summertime) that appear like a vast, silky, manicured, neon green carpet. During the peak monsoon months of July and August these meadows will experience a massive explosion of plant life, as they become transformed into a high alpine western version of a Valley of Flowers. As trekkers trek through these close knit clusters of blue poppies, primulas, yellow daisies, and wild irises, they find themselves on soft giving surfaces which make for very comfortable long distance treks.
4. The Monsoon Sanctuary Advantage: KGL is considered to be one of the top trekking options during the monsoon season in India due to the Pir Panjal Range producing a rain-shadow effect. As the Pir Panjal provides a barrier between the monsoon moisture producing clouds prevalent to the south (i.e. Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh), the KGL pathway remains green and alive while escaping the excessive amounts of rain experienced by those other areas. The results of this particular one to three month weather window represent a gold standard for trekking enthusiasts looking for high-altitude beauty throughout the Indian summer months.
5. The Majesty of Mount Harmukh: The last stage of the trek to Mount Harmukh reveals the completely vertical granite clad walls and massive hanging glaciers that comprise this magnificent mountain. This immense mountain dominates the two lakes of Gangabal and Nundkol below. The spectacle of giant chunks of ice calving from the glaciers and plunging into the rich blue of Lake Gangabal creates an emotional connection to the magnitude of the natural landscape, marking the conclusion of this awe inspiring wilderness adventure.
6. The Ancient Gateway of Naranag: The trek ends at Naranag, one of the most important historical and archaeological sites in the region. The stunning temple ruins from the 8th century created by King Lalitaditya Muktapida feature enormous stone slabs created using Karkota architectural design and no use of mortar, giving way to two of the most famous historical structures in the region. To conclude a full week of rugged wilderness with a visit to a 1,200 year old spiritual and religious site is an extremely rare opportunity in high elevation trekking.
One of the unique features about KGL is that during this trek, you will experience an entire digital detox. Because of security regulations, no outside prepaid SIM cards will work while on the trek, thus you will be completely off-grid for 7 days; the perfect opportunity to connect with nature. Another highlight is witnessing the calving of the Harmukh Glacier, where large sections of ice break off and flow directly into the turquoise waters of Gangabal Lake. Within the last two days of your trek, you will spend both nights camping at the base of the sacred mountain while watching the sun set on the granite walls of Harmukh, which is a very spiritual experience that can only be experienced in a very few locations around the world.
The Level of difficulty for this trek is moderate to difficult, and is primarily based on the endurance required to cover 10-15 kilometers per day in addition to trekking at significant elevation. The most technical challenge of the trek is ascending and descending Gadsar pass which consists of steep, zig-zagging trails with loose scree on the trail. In addition to this, you must navigate the boulder fields of Satsar by performing hop skip jump’s as opposed to regular trekking, making this trek a very challenging experience for those who do not have excellent cardiovascular fitness levels.
The Gadsar and Satsar meadows of the trek offer a habitat for numerous living organisms found at higher elevations. Most notably you can hear the whistle of a Himalayan Marmot letting its pack know you are passing through. The flora is equally amazing, with rare species such as the Himalayan Blue Poppy, primulas, and potentilla. The lakes are world-renowned for their Brown Trout, which were brought in during the British colonization and have thrived in the oxygen-rich, glacier-fed waters of Vishansar and Gangabal and often jump out of the water at dusk.
As You Trek will give you wonderful exposure to the semi-nomadic lifestyle of the Gujjars and Bakarwals. You will pass through the high grazing areas, and you will see their Dhokas (stone and mud huts used for their summer homes); you will see how they have been herding sheep and goats on the mountains, and how they live in harmony with nature; and you will finish at the Naranag Temple ruins (built by the Karkota dynasty in the 8th century), giving you the opportunity to go from the unspoiled wilderness to the ruins of a remarkable ancient stone building.
The most noteworthy feature of this trek is that it is considered to be the best Monsoon Trek in India, with the best time to do it being between July and the beginning of September. While the majority of the Himalayas, including both Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, receive heavy rainfall and are subject to landslides during this time period, the Pir Panjal range serves as a rain blocking shield to protect Kashmir. In July, as you trek over the snow covered landscape, you will see frozen edges to the lakes and floating chunks of ice; by August, the flora will have begun to explode, transforming the meadows into a riot of colour (the Valley of Flowers) with blue poppies and wild irises.
The KGL is a traverse; therefore, there are no summit events, however, there are three passes that are considered to have the summit experience of the KGL. These passes are all located at very high altitudes: Nichnai (4,150 m), Gadsar (4,206 m), and Zaj (4,000 m). The Gadsar Pass is the peak of the KGL and you will have created the greatest number of emotional peaks at this location. While standing at the top of the Gadsar Pass, you will have the opportunity to gaze back onto the two most famous lakes of KGL (the Vishansar and the Kishansar lakes), which are located in the valley below and can be seen at the same time when looking across at the two lakes, and when these two lakes are viewed together from the top of the Gadsar Pass will provide the most beautiful view from an Indian mountain.
Unique to this trek is a high definition contrast from one location to the next and the geography including a one lake per day rule. Beginning in the town of Sonmarg, and continuing through the KGL through a series of seven different glacial lakes (Vishansar, Kishansar, Gadsar, Satsar, Nundkol, and Gangabal) in a 75km long trek, with each of these lakes being found in a uniquely different valley, provides an incredible setting for trekking with the visual splendor changing gradually from the forests of pine and maple in the Sonmarg Valley to the vast colourful undulating Margs (Alpine meadows) that look like a perfectly clean and manicured neon green carpet all surrounded by the jagged, snow-capped peaks of the Kishansar Range and the enormous Mount Harmukh.
