Kashmir Great Lakes Trek

Trek Leader

Activities

Homestay

Dinner 

Drive Distance: 85 KM  |  Drive Duration: 3-4 Hours  |  Altitude: 8500 feet

Sonamarg is located at a distance of 85 km from Srinagar. It takes roughly 3-4 hours to reach from Srinagar airport. If you have opted for transport with Hikers 360, please ensure you board our vehicle from Dal Lake in Srinagar by 01 PM. If you are travelling on your own, You can hire a private cab or shared taxi to reach the Sonamarg campsite. Arrive in Sonamarg at the latest by evening 3-4 PM and get accustomed to the sheer beauty of the Kashmiri valley.

The starting point for the Kashmir Great Lakes is Shitkadi Village, which is a little ahead of Sonamarg. Our campsite is located near the Sindh River (Shitkadi Village). Hikers 360 representatives will pick you up from Sonamarg taxi stand and drive to Shitkadi campsite, where you will rest for the night before beginning your KGL trek the next day.

Note:- Remember to carry your original ID proof and two photocopies as we have to submit them at the army check post.

Trek Leader

Activities

Tent

Breakfast  | Lunch  | Dinner 

Altitude: 11500 feet  |  Trek Distance: 11 KM  |  Trek Duration: 6-7 Hours  |  Trail Grade: Moderate

As you head towards Nichnai from Sonamarg, you will leave the roads behind for the coming seven days. The first day's initial gradient is a bit steep, followed by a series of ascends and descends. You will notice huge trees of silver birch that adorns this whole trek the moment you start climbing. The trail leads through some small villages and passes through the first check post of the day. Keep your ID cards handy, as you might have to show the ID cards at the check post. The check post is situated at the tabletop, and from there onwards, the trail enters into the dense forest of Silver Birch, Maple, and Pine trees. Reach the Nichnai campsite by evening and get all the rest as the next day will be tough.

Trek Leader

Activities

Tent

Breakfast  | Lunch  | Dinner 

Altitude: 13200 feet  |  Trek Distance: 12 KM  |  Trek Duration: 7-8 Hours  |  Trail Grade:  Easy to Moderate

Tighten up your laces, as today is going to be a long day. You will cross the first out of three passes of this trek on the way to Vishansar Lake. Nichnai is supposed to consist of seven lakes, but only a few of them are visible as most of them lie hidden behind other high mountain ranges. The initial trail from Nichnai is quite steep, which then changes to a moderate climb and finally descends all the way to our next campsite, Vishansar. Camp alongside the humongous Vishansar lakes, which is one of the prettiest alpine lakes in this trek.

Trek Leader

Activities

Tent

Breakfast  | Lunch  | Dinner 

If the weather conditions are bad, then we will use the buffer day which can be used to explore the Vishansar and Kishansar Lakes. Vishansar and Kishansar are the twin lakes situated at a distance of 1 kilometer to each other. The lakes are known to be the abode of the Hindu Gods, Vishnu, and Krishan and hence named after them. The turquoise-blue colour of the lake is bound to steal your heart. The backdrop of huge mountains from which the tiny waterfalls make their way to the lake is a sight to behold. The tiny bright colour flowers at Vishansar add to its impeccable beauty. 
Note:- If weather conditions are good the trek will continue and buffer day not used. The decision to use the buffer day will solely be taken by the trek leader.

Trek Leader

Activities

Tent

Breakfast  | Lunch  | Dinner 

Altitude: 13750 feet  |  Trek Distance: 14 KM  |  Trek Duration: 8-9 Hours  |  Trail Grade: Difficult

Gadsar Pass is known to be the trickiest one in the whole trek, and it also offers the best view. The initial trail from Kishansar Lake to Gadsar Pass is a straight hill climb. The trail is pretty much deprived of any vegetation due to high altitude, and also, the Kishansar Lake is the last water refill point. Ensure that you have enough water while starting since the way is pretty much steep and through a dry mountain pass. The Gadsar pass gives Vishansar and Kishansar Lake's twin lake view to its left and three of the Gadsar lakes towards its right. Keep your ID cards handy, and you will be crossing the second check post on the way to Gadsar Lake, which is your next campsite.

Trek Leader

Activities

Tent

Breakfast  | Lunch  | Dinner 

Altitude: 12000 feet  |  Trek Distance: 11 KM  |  Trek Duration: 5-6 Hours  |  Trail Grade: Moderate

Today is going to be one of the easiest days of the trek. Only the initial climb is a bit steep, followed by a walk on the flat tabletop meadows and descending all the way down to the next campsite. Satsar Lake is supposed to be a group of seven small lakes. Spot as many as you can while on the way to Satsar Lake. There will be the last check post of this trek where you will again need to produce ID cards. Reach the campsite by afternoon and head towards the hidden Satsar lake post-lunch.

Trek Leader

Activities

Tent

Breakfast  | Lunch  | Dinner 

Altitude: 13200 feet  |  Trek Distance: 11 KM  |  Trek Duration: 6-7 Hours  |  Trail Grade: Moderate +

The initial climb of today's path lies through huge boulders. The path after the boulders is a bit steep, followed by gradual ascends and descends. Zij Pass offers the view of twin lakes, Gangabal and Nandakol. You can also spot high-altitude lakes that are situated at some other high mountain passes. Gangabal and Nandakol are the twin lakes situated at a distance of a few meters from each other. These lakes also consist of trout fishes, but fishing in the lakes requires prior permission from the base office. Enjoy your evening and perhaps a dip in one of the trek's biggest lakes, and enjoy the surreal beauty of hanging glaciers over the mountain top.

Trek Leader

Activities

Breakfast 

Altitude: 7500 feet  |  Trek Distance: 13 KM  |  Trek Duration: 6-7 Hours  |  Trail Grade: Moderate  |  Drive: 50 KM

The trail from Gangabal to Naranag is a steep descent that consists of more than 30 hairpin bends. The whole trail is through dense Pine forest. Watch your step carefully as the path is laden with loose mud and steep declines. The scented pine forest is bound to make your last day equally impressive. Reach Naranag by afternoon and head towards Srinagar.

Kashmir is the crown jewel of India. If time permits, you can explore Dal Lake's nearby area, floating markets by yourself. Kashmir is blessed with abundant beauty, and getting a chance to trek through its untouched valleys is something that should be on everyone's bucket list. So if you are an avid trekker, make sure to strike off Kashmir Great Lakes from your bucket list.

Kashmir Great Lakes is a moderate-level trek. It requires more strength and stamina than easy-level treks. It is recommended that you first gain experience in trekking above 3000 meters altitude in the Himalayas. This is an appropriate trek for seasoned trekkers as they will enjoy the beautiful views and majestic landscapes.

The best time for the KGL trek is from June to August.

On the KGL trek, the temperature will range from 14° C to 20° C during the day and 0° C to 6° C at night.

You will be accommodated in 3 Men Tents on twin sharing basis. The tents Hikers 360 uses on the trek are 3 plus in which you get enough space for your rucksack and even you get inner & outer gate space for your trekking shoes, trek poles and wet clothes.

Hikers 360 uses well planned nutritious meal menu suitable for high-altitude treks. We provide a full nutritious diet that changes every day. As you wake up in the morning, we serve Milk/Lemon Tea. After that, our Breakfast varies from Bread and Butter/Jam, Poha, Daliya, Sandwiches, Upma, Paranthas and Cornflakes and milk etc. Lunch mainly comprises of Roti, Veggies, Puri with Chole and Rice. After lunch, we serve evening snacks with Tea / Coffee / Soup. In Dinner, we serve Roti, Sabji, Rice, Dal, Salade, Pickle and Desserts. We also serve refreshments (Fruits, Juice, Chocolates, Dry Fruits and Biscuits).

Trekking with Hikers 360 Adventures means you’re trekking with an expert trek leader and experienced local guide. Our leaders are certified mountaineers, first aid responders and search & rescue train. Also, we carry safety Equipment (Ropes, Harness, Carabiners, Jumar, Descender and Ice axe etc.), Medical kit and Oxygen cylinders as required per trek to face any kind of unforeseen situations. So it is safe to trek with us.

A Hikers 360 Adventures team consisting of a qualified Trek leader, Trek Guide, Porters, Cook and support staff.

Our transportation cost is mentioned on each trek, or you can check the inclusion and exclusion tab to see if transportation is included or not. We arrange transport for you and it may be shared by you or the group and the cost is on an actual basis.

Yes, you need adventure sports insurance. As you know, adventure travel has inherent risks and dangers that travel insurance covers, including medical emergencies and evacuations. Therefore, assess how likely it is that you’ll run into any of these issues.

We expect you to carry your personal backpacks on your own, but for any reason you are not able to carry your bag, then you can opt for offloading option by informing us 7 days before the trek so that we can make suitable arrangements for you and offloading in between the trip is not an option.

The trek details page gives a list of things that are essential for this trek. Check the "Things to Carry" on the Trek Itinerary page.

Yes, you can rent trekking gear and other equipment from Hikers 360. Go to our website Rent Gear page and select the date according to your trek date. Here you can find amazing deals on trekking gear rental.

A trekking pole is helpful on the trek. It gives you stability and balance and reduces fatigue. If you want a trekking pole on rent, go to our website and select the rent gear, and get the best deals on rent gear.

You can carry medicines prescribed by your doctor, if any. Although we have our First Aid kit with us on each trek, we suggest you carry some painkillers, Volini spray, kneecap, Electrals/ORS, etc.

Generally, people prefer Diamox for easy acclimatization, but we strictly avoid this kind of acclimatization. We encourage our trekkers to a natural acclimatization process. Hence you shouldn't be on the Diamox course before the start of the trek.

Drinking Alcohol or any other intoxication during the trek is strictly prohibited. Alcohol or this type of stuff dehydrates our body and at high altitudes, dehydration becomes a big cause of Altitude Sickness.

We have expert leaders who are experienced in First Aid on all our events but still, there might be situations under which an emergency evacuation might be needed. If this kind of situation arises, we are committed to making a safe evacuation for you in an emergency. Also, we will make all necessary & adequate arrangements for your evacuation to the nearest road head or hospital. The participant himself would pay any additional expenses incurred during the process. Our company will not be liable to pay for these expenses.

The maximum group size of our treks by any region is 12 participants. We focus on individual attention and the safety of our trekkers.

Yes, we do have our minimum group size as we require just 5 persons to depart. We had never cancelled or combined with other trekking companies any of our group of 5 persons from departure dates.

The toilet tents will be set up on each campsite. Inside the toilet tent, one pit hole would be digged with the help of a shovel, a heap of mud and one shovel kept beside the pit (it is used to spread the mud after you have done your business). Use it in Indian style.

It is not mandatory, but they expect a little token of goodwill gesture and appreciation from you. As a group, you can collect money and distribute it to the local staff by yourself.