“Gar firdaus bar-rue zamin ast, hami asto, hamin asto, hamin ast.”
(If there
is a heaven on earth, it is here, it is here, it is here.) - Mughal Emperor
Jehangir (17th Century) on Kashmir
Kashmir.
The name nowadays brings about a sense of disruption
and chaos with the political history that has been played out over the years.
Generally anyone traveling to Kashmir, will be asked the inevitable ‘Is it safe?’
question. Yes, Kashmir does have a volatile political atmosphere but you will
also find some of the friendliest people in Kashmir. Always willing to help, large
hearted, ever ready to sing and a wide smile on their faces. Kashmir has some amazing trails with
Tarsar Marsar trek, Kolahai Glacier trek being some of the popular ones. But it is
the Kashmir Great lakes trek that really puts the legendary quote by Emperor
Jehangir into perspective
The Great Lakes trail starts just before Sonamarg, a 4 hour drive from Srinagar. We landed at around noon and after meeting the group
we drove towards our campsite near a stream just before Sonamarg. After tea and
an early dinner, we all settled in our tents to get some rest before we hit the
trail.
Post a hearty breakfast, we set out on the
trail at 8.30 am. After walking on a dirt track for a while, we then started to
ascend, walking up the green meadows. We passed some army barracks and a huge
Indian flag hoisted from a point where you could see the whole Sonamarg valley.
Shepherds with their flocks of sheep and goat passed us all day and little kids
from nearby village gave us company on part of the trail. And with the rain
beating down on us, it took us a pretty exhausting 6 hours to reach our next
camp at Nichnai (3505m).
The next day we woke up to clear blue skies and
witnessed jagged cliffs glowing in the sunrise. Breakfast was sumptuous with
paranthas and eggs supplemented by cornflakes, toast, coffee, tea and Nutella. Packing
our lunch, we left for Nichnai pass , which, at 4000m, was out first challenge.
Right at the top of the pass we faced high winds and rain. Taking shelter at
the makeshift shop, we got some tea and maggi till the storm calmed down. Descending, we walked into beautiful meadows
of flowers. It was stunning! I had never seen anything like this before. Walking
next to the stream, we then realized we had to cross it to go to our
campsite. Reluctantly, we took off our shoes to wade through bone chilling waters. The rain
came down hard again and as I already had my rain gear on I left the group and headed
towards our campsite. As I was nearing our campsite at Vishansar Lake, a huge
dog came charging at me! Now the first rule when I dog charges at you is ‘ Do
not run!’ Even though every inch of my body was screaming to run, I stood my
ground and shouted a big ‘No!’. I used my hands to make myself look bigger and
as he charged the second time I again shouted ‘No!’. Thankfully the dog backed
off and I reached the campsite in one piece. In the evening, some locals
provided for some rainbow trout from the lake and the fried fish was all we
could talk over dinner.
The next day we set off to cross the Gadsar
pass (4200m) which is the highest point on the Great Lakes trail. You get a wonderful
view of both the lakes, Vishansar and Kishansar, as you climb up the pass. With
both the lakes and the clouds painting the sky, the landscape is stunning! The
long approach to Gadsar camp is dotted with Gadsar lake and other small lakes
as you walk the meadows brimming with flowers. At Gadsar, we had to check in at
the army checkpoints with our government identity cards. We stayed an extra day
at Gadsar to rest and also enjoy the slow mountain life.
After our rest day at Gadsar, the plan, according
to the itinerary, was to camp at Satsar which was just 3-4 hours away. But as we
were all well rested and energetic, we decided to push straight for the twin lakes of Gangbal and Nandkol. It was
a hard push as we made our way through rocky terrain, literally using our hands
to climb up and down for an hour after Satsar. The approach to Zaj pass, which
we had to cross to get to the two lakes, was long and tiring. But the views of
the two lakes with Mt. Harmukh standing tall, all the more made up for it. We
reached camp at 4.30 pm, taking us 8 hours to reach Gangbal lake. We celebrated
with good food and more fish at the camp as only the last leg of the Great
Lakes trek was left.
The next day was easy and we had a leisurely
breakfast and then walked around the area and to the banks of Nandkol lake.
After spending some time we decided to descend for a couple of hours and then
setup camp again. We knew that the descent to Narnag from Gangbal was long and
steep. So breaking it up over two days made a whole lot of sense for us. We set out for our campsite post lunch. In the
evening, our crew gathered firewood, and we had a long nice campfire as we sang
and talked, reminiscing about the past few days.
The next day we said goodbye to few of our
staff and did a small tipping ceremony to show our appreciation as they had
taken terrific care of us over the past week. We then descended to civilization
to the small town of Narnag. Our taxi arrived to take us back to Srinagar where
we helped ourselves to the amenities of our luxury hotel. There is nothing like
a hot shower after a trek!
All in all, with the high mountains, stunning
lakes and meadows , the Great Lakes trek is one of the most scenic treks in
India. There is nothing quite like it. ‘If there is Heaven on Earth, it is here,
it is here, it is here!’
Watch video below
