One of the most stunning hikes in India is the Kashmir Great Lakes Trek and for good reason. The seven-day journey begins in the community of Shitkari, which is just three hour’s drive from Srinagar. The trip through Kashmir’s valleys is breathtaking. One of the most picturesque treks in the nation is this one. The walk, as the name implies, passes by several high-altitude lakes, including Vishnusar, Krishnasar, Gadsar, Gangabal, and Nandkol. If you are an adventure lover then I strongly recommend you to add this activity in your Kashmir trip plan.
The Gadsar Pass, at 4,200 meters, is the highest of the three high-altitude passes that are traversed during the Kashmir Great Lakes journey. As they make up a sizable amount of the route, the numerous passes will be covered in this blog.
The Nichnai Pass
The Nichnai Pass, the first pass when you start the Kashmir Great Lakes Trek, certainly feels challenging. This might be because the overall altitude rises for days 1 and 2 is close to 2500m. On the second day of the hike, groups take on the challenging pass. The Nichnai Pass rises towering just short of 4100m, with the campsite from the previous day beneath the beginning of the climb. The first 20 minutes of the trip to the pass are spent on level ground as a practice ascent. Following the hike, you must cross the glacier stream and go to the mountain’s right side.
The following portion of the trek, a downhill climb to the valley’s floor, is visible from the summit of Nichnai Pass. The trip to Vishnusar Lake is essentially a walk on level ground once you reach the bottom of the pass on the other side.
The Gadsar Pass
The Gadsar pass, at 4200 meters, is the trek’s highest pass. On Day 3 of the journey, you get to cross this enormous pass. The Krishnasar Lake is high above the pass. You would need to travel to Krishnasar to obtain a decent view of the ascent to the pass because some campsites are located close to Vishnusar. You can see the ascent to the pass from Krishnasar. The average gradient of the path is about 30 degrees, making it rather steep. The ascent takes about two hours at a relaxed pace. Once more, the ascent is simple and the route is direct. This is the toughest pass on the entire journey, and it puts one’s fitness to the test.
From Nichnai Pass, the view from Gadsar Pass is significantly better. The lakes are on one side, and the other valley is on the other. This is also the highest pass on the route at 4200 meters.
The majority of the route up the pass is rocky, and there are few streams to replenish water supplies. We at Adventure-Pulse build a buffer day into our walk because if the rain is too strong, the horses won’t be able to climb to the pass.
The Zaj Pass
On the fifth day of the walk, the last one in the Kashmir Great Lakes trek is reached. Despite being the shortest of the three, the Zaj Pass shouldn’t be taken lightly. In comparison to the other two, the ascent to the pass is rather different.
It begins with a walk across two rocky outcroppings. It takes good coordination and focuses to navigate boulders, so take your time and move through them at your leisure. The summit of the pass appears to be extremely close once you have passed the rocky outcroppings. Do not be deceived; the pass can only be seen after you have traversed this false summit.
When you reach the summit, you can see Harmukh, the hill above Nandkot, as well as the lakes in Gangabal and Nandkot. As the trail is littered with loose rocks, climbing down the Zaj pass can be challenging as well. One incorrect step could result in a slide or an ankle injury.
Since the travel to civilization takes two days and is largely downhill, the Zaj pass signals the conclusion of the challenging section of the expedition.