The Most Beautiful Trek In India

The Kashmir Great Lakes Trek

Calling a place heaven on earth and still being short of the mark is unheard of. Yet Kashmir surpasses any of these monikers. The natural beauty of the state along with the amazing people truly makes Kashmir a paradise.

Now you can imagine what the trek, dubbed ”The most beautiful trek in India” would be like. The sights I witnessed in the first hour of the first day rivaled anything I’d seen in the previous 23 years of my life.

You are mistaken if you think I am just talking about mountains. There is absolutely everything here. High altitude mountains on both sides. A beautiful river flowing steadily, lush green meadows filled with flowers, and of course, the lakes.

Here is the day-by-day breakdown of the best trek in India, in my opinion.

Day 1 Srinagar to Sonamarg

I proceeded with “The Searching Souls” for this trek. The package started from the TRC(Tourist Reception Center) in Srinagar to the mountain region of Sonamarg. The three-hour ride was scenic and beautiful. We passed through many Kashmiri villages via this route. The one thing that will grab everyone’s eyes is the huge number of army men stationed near the road. We started from TRC at 2:00 pm and reached Sonamarg around 5:30 pm. 

Sonamarg was beautiful. This had us rubbing our hands in anticipation towards the views that will welcome us throughout the next few days. Our first camp itself looked like some viewpoint in the Swiss Alps.

Day 2 Sonmarg to Nichnai

The trek started with a gradual ascent through a lush green meadow. The cloud views were amazing from this meadow. There was an army camp along the way, where we had to undergo checking. 

We continued our walk, passing through maple trees until we reached a stream. After having lunch adjacent to the stream, we went on straight ascend followed by even ground, until we reached the campsite in Nichnai.

Day 3 Nichnai to Vishansar

The day starts with the ascent to Nichnai Pass, which is the day’s highest point. This is also the last point where we get network coverage. After reaching Nichnai pass, we descended through a beautiful meadow.

Streams and mountains surrounded us as we walked through the flowery meadows. Eventually we reached the camp after crossing a stream. Vishansar lake lies 200m away from the camp. I still vividly remember the moment I climbed the ascent and laid my eyes on the majestic lake, our first Great Lake. 

Day 4 Vishansar to Gadsar

This is the toughest day in terms of pure difficulty. The ascent to Gadsar pass is steep and dangerous, especially if it is slippery due to rain. But, in terms of beauty, this is the day we see the most beautiful sight of the entire trek. The entire ascent gives us an enchanting view of the twin lakes – Vishansar and Kishansar.

After an hour or so of steady upward climb, we reach the highest point of the trek, the Gadsar Pass.

While descending from Gadsar pass, there was snow cover on the slopes. So we were allowed to slide down through the snow. Personally this was special as it made up for being unable to slide down due to lack of snow during the Sar Pass trek, which I did a year ago.

On the descent to Gadsar we see a few more small lakes, until we reach the surreal Gadsar lake.

We camped for the night in utter disbelief at the sights we saw on this day. Our appetite was filled this day, with 3 of the most beautiful lakes in the world. Yum.

Day 5 Gadsar to Satsar

This walk is easy compared to the previous day with a lot of flat and even areas. There are beautiful meadows in this route. Satsar is a combination of 7 lakes and we got to camp near the lake.

Day 6 Satsar to Gangabal

This day was challenging as it involved climbing through a very rocky terrain filled with boulders. The steepness wasn’t an issue but the rocks were slippery due to rain. Since this was the 6th day, our muscles were sore and exhausted. The highest point of the day was the Zaj Pass. We got an amazing view of the twin lakes of Gangabal and Nandkol, even though it was foggy.

After this ridge, its a descent till we get to the lake. The rain made the terrain muddy and slippery, making us slip and slide all over the trail. We had to cross a small part of the lake in the rain through a makeshift bridge, which was terrifying. We were all exhausted as we got to the camp.

Day 7 Gangabal to Naranag

The last day of the trek. Yet another rainy day made us suffer during the descent. We had another army camp along the way, where we had to wait about half an hour for clearance. After the camp it was a straight descent. Our legs were almost giving up at this point. 

The walk was cool and cozy due to a tree line, full of pine trees. The last few kilometers were really tough on the knees as we slowly got a glimpse of Naranag.

After reaching Naranag, we celebrated for the last time, for having completed such a difficult endeavor. For the span of a week, the other trekkers and the guides had become family. The parting was emotional, but I made enough memories in this week to last me my whole life.

In all seriousness, If you are doing only one trek in your life, you should do this trek. The trek is moderately difficult and will take a week of your life, but the views and experiences will soothe out all the pain. Really, this trek only has one con. If you do this trek, you’ll be underwhelmed by every other trek in the country.

If you need more convincing here is a carousel to help you out.