3 days of a hike to Tarsar Lake covering spectacular landscapes

Tarsar lake is one of the pristine lakes that you will find in the Himalayas. Spending a day at Tarsar lake and exploring its surrounding is worth the stay. The conditions in the Himalayas change every hour and you cannot predict what the weather would be like in the next hour. In just one day we could see snowfall, rain, bright sunlight, a clear sky, the mountains around without any snow, green meadows, and crystal clear water in the lake.

A gradual ascent from Shekwas camp

After a gradual climb all the way from Shekwas to Tarsar on day four, it was more of a complete rest on day five at Tarsar. We were free to explore this area around Tarsar Lake and were not allowed to go any further even though our plan was to go to Marsar and Sundarsar lake which was another half a day's trek.

On the evening of day four, we spent most of our time next to the lake. Our camp was hardly 50 meters from the lake and at night, it was freezing, and not just that, the cold breeze made it worse. We had great fun at our campsite dining tent and soon after the briefing we went back to our tents and had a good night's sleep.

Tarsar Lake pic featured on Lonely Planet

Had captured this image at Tarsar Lake and which was published by 'Lonely Planet'.

#Sunrise at #TarsarLake in Aru, in #KashmirValley, #JammuandKashmir.

Image: @ravindrajoisa pic.twitter.com/1bncNGGBBp

— lonelyplanet_in (@lonelyplanet_in) March 31, 2016

Complete change of landscape overnight at Tarsar Lake

The next day morning, day five was supposed to be a free day for us to explore the place. It was cloudy and we couldn't see the sunrise. Instead, there was something totally unexpected. It drizzled for a while and then the snowstorm. The snowfall went on and the visibility was hardly 25 meters. We were lucky to see the first snowfall that season in that region.

Meanwhile, in Srinagar and Dal Lake, the temperature had dropped and it even rained, which is something that I came to know after completing the trek. I went out with my camera to capture photos and videos, all were excited to see snowfall and most of us had great fun.

We even had a cup of tea inside our dining tent and then breakfast. The snowfall went on and the visibility was poor we could hardly see the lake from our campsite even though our campsite was just 50 meters from the lake. Everything turned white in no time. Snowfall went on for a few hours till noon and then it stopped.

We had lunch at Tarsar Lake and soon after, it was all clear. It was a clear sky and the thin layer of snowfall was no more visible. The green meadows were back by the time it was three in the afternoon.

Exploring around the lake

We continued to explore the place around the campsite. We climbed the ridge which was to the right of our camp. It was approx one hour climb and was steep, but was worth the climb. We could see the top view of Tarsar lake and also, the other side of the pass. This was the highest point in the entire trek.

Don't forget to capture the panoramic shot from this place. Spend some time on top and enjoy the view. If you continue further, it will take you to Sundarsar lake. You can also see the trail from Tarsar to the pass on the other side of the lake. From that point, you can see Marsar lake far away which is another half-day trek from that place.

View from the ridge next to Tarsar lake. The lake is almost 2 km long.

In the evening we spent time going around the campsite and the lake. You are not allowed to take bath or clean your cloth or vessels at Tarsar. You may use the water that goes out as a stream for cooking. We hardly spent time inside the tent and at night it is an ideal place to do some astrophotography. I managed to get some timelapse of the galaxy and a few galaxy shots. If you have plans to do timelapse then don't forget to carry some additional batteries.

An award-winning shot of mine at Tarsar lake

The next day morning was a perfect one. The sunrise behind the Kolahoi peak, the shadow of the nearby mountain, the sun rays, the clear sky, etc made it the perfect day to start our hike back from Tarsar to Jadsar. Follow my blog to know more about what we did on day 6. Check out the video below.

Where is Tarsar Lake and how to reach Tarsar Lake?

Tarsar Lake is located in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, in the western Himalayas. It is situated in the Aru Valley of the Anantnag district. Tarsar Lake is at an altitude of 2,400m/7,950ft.

• Pick-up location - Tourist Reception Center, Get into a bus or shared taxi.
• Drive:- 4 hrs, Srinagar to Aru via Apple valley.
• Srinagar to Pahalgam 100 km to Aru 12 km.
• Aru is on the bank of the Lidder River.

If you have not gone through my previous four days of the Tarsar trek, then check the following links:

Tarsar Trek – Day 1 – Srinagar to Aru drive
Tarsar Trek – Day 2 – Aru to Lidderwat
Tarsar Trek – Day 3 – Lidderwat to Shekwas
Tarsar Trek - Day 4 - Shekwas to Tarsar

Tarsar lake camp is ideal for galaxy photoshoots as there is hardly any light pollution and is away from the city. Hope you liked this incredible hike to Tarasar Lake, if you have liked this post then consider subscribing to my newsletter and follow me on Instagram - @ravindrajoisa.

The Magnificent view of Roopkund | Hike from Bhagwabhasa - Day 6

Day 6 of the Roopkund trek starts very early in the morning much before sunrise. It's a gradual climb followed by a steep climb from 12500 feet (Bhagwabasa camp) to 15750 feet. Roopkund is at around 15500 feet. The image that you see on top is the Roopkund. The further climb will take you to Junargali Pass. Followed by this is the return back to Pathar Nachauni via Bhagwabhasa camp where you can camp for the day.

Hike to Bhagwabasa - Previous days

If you have not gone thru’ my previous 5 days of trekking at Roopkund, then check out these links:

? Day 1 – Jeep Ride to Lohajung

??‍♂️Day 2 – Lohajung to Didina village

??‍♂️Day 3 – Didina to Bedni Bugyal

??‍♂️Day 4 – Bedni Bugyal to Pathar Nachauni

??‍♂️Day 5 – Pathar Nachauni to Bhagwabhasa via Kalu Vinayak temple

Altitude sickness at Bhagwabasa

Bhagwabasa campsite which is at 14,029 feet, is one place where you need to get some rest and also to get acclimatized as this is the place few of them feel sick because of the high altitude. Some fall sick and few of them do get high altitude sickness. So, have healthy food and make sure you get enough rest and sleep before you trek further. The night before was very cold and even though the temperature meter displayed close to zero, the cold breeze makes you feel as though it was minus four degrees Celsius.

Trek Roopkund on day 6 starts very early in the morning much before sunrise at around 4:00 or 5:00 AM. We had to wake up early and have breakfast. Soon after this, we packed our day pack and were asked to wear crampons, and helmets and use headlamps. It's better to start early much before sunrise as the snowflakes will be hard and it would be easy to walk on them.

The trail to Roopkund which is about 2.5 to 3 hours is a gradual climb followed by a steep climb. You cannot see Roopkund till you reach there as Roopkund is a pond which is at a bit lower altitude as shown above. As you climb don't forget to turn around to see the beautiful landscape.

Why are there so many skeletons in Roopkund?

Once you reach Roopkund, check with your guide for the mysterious story of that place. You will find a lot of human skeletal remains here in this pond, but none when there is snow. There are a lot of theories behind the Roopkund skeletal remains and the latest theory says that the death of so many people was due to huge hailstones.

We discovered that the Roopkund skeletons are divided into three genetically diverse groups that were deposited over a period of about 1000 years. These discoveries contradict prior theories that the Roopkund Lake bones were deposited in a single tragic event.

Junargali Pass

Another 20-minute climb from Roopkund is the Junargali Pass. On the other side of Junargali Pass is Mt Trishul. You can see the entire stretch from the bottom to the top of Mt Trishul. To the right is the glacier and to the left is the very deep valley named Sheela Samudra. The trail here is dangerous and slippery. The trail continues to the advanced base camp all the way to Homkund and Ronti Saddle which is another 3 days of the trek. Our group did not go beyond Roopkund and we had to return back to the Bhagwabasa campsite. On the way, we got a chance to slide down the snow-covered slopes.

After a short break at the Bhagwabasa campsite, we continued our trek back to Pathar Nachauni via Kalu Vinayak temple. We were stuck for a while because of hailstorms and snowfall. The ideal place to visit this place would be after June and before Oct when there is not much snow. The landscape is awesome, with snow-covered mountains on one side and a deep valley on the other side. The weather is very much unpredictable. We camped at Pathar Nachauni and had an awesome evening at our campsite. Check out the video below.

https://youtu.be/r1z9fCyjuVU

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Trek to Satsar - a beautiful hiking trail from Gadsar - Day 5

Day 5 began with another lovely morning in the Himalayas at Gadsar. We were given permission to hike farther to Satsar, and on this particular day, we chose to hike the mountains directly in front of us. Continue hiking to the other side of the mountain range. Climbing all the way up is too difficult, so we detoured, and strolling through the meadows was well worth it. This was followed by inclement weather. The cold temperature and heavy rain made our hike quite difficult. We crossed Satsar Lake by going around it, which looked more like a marsh, and eventually arrived at the Satsar campground. After a long day, we enjoyed a wonderful evening close to the creek.

Early in the morning, wake up to see the mist and snow-covered mountain summits. Your campsite is located deep in the valley rather than on a mountain summit. We were stranded at this campground for over two days due to severe rain. We cannot return to the beginning point to abandon this journey because we have already crossed the Gadsar pass; the only option is to walk farther and complete the expedition. Enjoy the stunning dawn photography surrounding the campground and prepare for day 5 of the Kashmir Great Lakes trip.

Previously and how to reach Satsar?

If you have not gone through the previous 4 days of trekking posts then don't forget to go through these links:

Day 1 – Journey from Srinagar to Sonamarg

Day 2 – Trek from Sonamarg to Nichnai

Day 3 – Trek from Nichnai to Vishnusar Lake

Day 4 - Trek from Vishnusar Lake to Gadsar

The alternative option is to begin at Naranag, a camp for a day near Harmuk mountain, and then cross the pass around Satsar. Essentially, the trial that I will be discussing over the following two days.

Crossing the dangerous Crevasse

The fifth day of hiking begins with a crossing of an ice patch bridge over a very cold creek. The water force/current was excessively strong, maybe because it had poured for two days straight. We were fortunate to notice the massive crevasse in the show patch bridge, which may be really dangerous. I made it around this massive crevasse and into the opposite side of the creek.

Ops! Wrong turn and trail

This is followed by a difficult hour-long ascent. There is a tiny route, and one false move on a rainy day with a slippery trail can be disastrous. We resumed our trek. There was some debate over whether to go farther up or stay on the same path. We just kept going for another half kilometre before realising it wasn't the path and having to go back and climb up on a separate track. The incorrect route, on the other hand, was worth the walk because of the scenery we could see from there.

The magnificent view

Beautiful landscape with mountains all around covered in meadows, and in the Himalayan mountain slopes, you will discover many little houses and a few pine trees, with smoke rising out of these huts, making this spot even more attractive. That would have been a fantastic shot for a photographer. Even though it was pouring, I managed to grab a few images. The streams on the opposite side of the mountains resembled waterfalls.

We returned to our original track and proceeded on our journey. On the slopes, you could see a few shepherds with their sheep and goats. We paused for a few minutes at one point, more like a viewpoint. This is when the valley below divided in two, one to the right and one to the left, where we needed to go. The scenery from here was breathtaking; I'd never seen such massive mountain ranges as the Himalayas before.

Stream cuts through the mountain with no exit

After then, it was more of a level trek up the mountain slopes. We went further, and there was another stream where the water entered the mountain, with no idea where the exit is. The water penetrates the mountain more like a train entering a tunnel, but there is no way out. I inquired with locals about the location of the exit, and each had their own storey. I wish I had more time to spend exploring this location. It was pouring severely outside, so I kept my cameras inside.

The enormous Satsar Lake

We pushed on, it continued to rain severely, and we were eager for some form of cover. We ate our packed lunch at an abandoned hut before continuing our journey. The Satsar lake comes next, which is made up of more than five lakes yet looks to be an one enormous lake. We resumed our journey in the rain, using a level path and hiking up and down the massive rocks. Satsar lake may seem better from above, and a drone photo would have been great. Unfortunately, this is a no-fly zone for drones. So, if you're going on the KGL hike, don't even think about getting a drone.

Satsar Lake

Satsar Campsite

After navigating all of these stones, we arrived at a little spot of ground near the Satsar lake and camped close to the stream. On three sides, the campground is surrounded by mountain peaks, and on one side, you can see the depth and the mountains below. This is the most magnificent vista since you can see the peaks hiding in the clouds below. We were seated on top of a flat stone, a bit distant from our campground, with a hot cup of soup. A wonderful spot to unwind and see nature's splendour.

Wonderful evening spent outside

We were fortunate that the rain stopped and our cameras could be used again. Most of the time, shortly after the rain, you can anticipate a clear sky for a short period of time, and I wanted to take advantage of this. We ate supper early since it was around four degrees outside at night. We spent some time outside our campground, capturing some long exposure night images. In majority of the long exposure images, the moon seemed to be the sun.

Satsar camp site at night.http://t.co/lhxmMJiaVLpic.twitter.com/22kyfL43wQ

— Ravindra Joisa (@ravindrajoisa) December 17, 2014

Even though it was pouring fiercely, it was another great day. Almost every minute of the Kashmir Great Lakes trek was enjoyable for me. The Great Lakes Trekking is something that everyone should undertake at least once in their lives. It is well-known for its stunning scenery and is an ideal location for professional photography. Consider viewing the video below to get a visual tour of the entire trail as well as the lovely campsites. The next day, we went on a trek from Satsar to Gangbal, which included some breathtaking scenery and a great perspective of the twin lakes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8LlDOmkJtY

You may find the complete details on all days of Kashmir Great Lakes here. Hope you enjoyed reading this blog post. Buy me a coffee to support my work or you can go to my store to buy some of my images. Also, do not forget to join my FriendZone by signing up for my newsletter. Consider subscribing to my YouTube channel.