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SONAMARG VISHANSAR BANDIPORA TREK
Sonamarg Vishansar Bandipora Trek : A Snowy Treasure
There are a lot of treks in Kashmir but not one of them is as unique as the Sonamarg - Vishansar - Bandipora Trek.
Overview
There are a lot of treks in Kashmir but not one of them is as unique as the Sonamarg-Vishansar-Bandipora trek. Needless to say, this is a mega-trek. You will get to experience the beauty of more than 50 Alpine lakes. Snow-clad mountains all around add to the beauty of this trek. Well, that is not it. In addition to Alpine lakes and snow-covered mountains, you also get to walk through lush green meadows. While all these provide you eternal beauty, the trek is not one of the easy ones. It is going to be tiresome and difficult at times. So, we suggest that beginners or first-timers do not undertake this trek as they would certainly not be able to cope with the physical demands of the trek. Experienced trekkers will avail the full benefits of this trek and enjoy the beauty to its fullest. It is a 12-day-long trek. Following is a detailed itinerary of the aforementioned trek.
Route
Srinagar Sonmarg – Nichnai - Vishansar Lake - Krishansar Lake – Meghnadoab - Zajibal Pass - Gangabal Lake - Kundsar Lake – Sarbal – Poshpatri.
Duration
12 Days | 11 Nights
Tour Code
Bandipora Trek – 2018 /AB
Best Time
Mid-June – September
Highest Point
Zajibal Pass 13713 “ft”
Trek Itinerary
Day 1 : Arriving at Srinagar
On the first day, you will arrive at the Srinagar Airport. From there our representative will escort you to your houseboat in Dal Lake. You will have dinner at the hotel and retire for the night there itself. A good amount of sleep is necessary to get going the next day.
Day 2 : Reaching Srinagar – Sonmarg - Nichnai
On the second day, you will start early. You will have your breakfast in the houseboat and start an almost 3 hours journey to reach Sonamarg. The journey will be done by road and you will pass through the beautiful and serene Sindh lake. The trail starts from Shitksri. The horses will be loaded here. The trail begins and passes through some lush green meadows. The destination is Nichnai, which is also a very beautiful meadow. On the way, you will also get to visit a birch forest at Shodkari. At Nichnai, you will be camping for the night.
Day 3 : Trekking till Vishansar lake
This day involves covering the Nichnai pass. Ascending through the Nichnai pass, you will get to see a lot of beautiful sights. Post crossing the Nichnai pass, you will arrive at the Vishansar valley. Famously known as the valley of “medicinal plants”, the Vishansar valley is full of beauty. You will camp near Vishansar lake and spend the night there.
Day 4 : Heading towards Krishansar lake
Now that Vishansar lake has been successfully visited, we will head towards Krishansar lake, famously known as the sibling of the Vishansar lake. The trail will continue along the eastern shore of the lake to reach our second pass of the trek, the Gadasar pass. From this pass, you will get a breathtakingly panoramic view of the valley in its all entirety. You will also get to the see the views of the Vishansar and Krishansar lake (the source of the famous Neelum river). That view, the scenario is sure to be etched in your mind forever. The camping and overnight stay destination for the day will be Kustoor Kout.
Day 5 : Reaching Meghnadoab
The fifth day includes an almost 4-5-hour long trek. Early in the morning we will leave Kustoor Kout, the camping destination of the previous night. This day includes the exploration of a new meadow, the meadow of Rasbal. This meadow is famous for nestling the disappearing river, which after a point, disappears to the underground. After Rasbal, the trek continues and goes through seven lakes of Satsar. As the previous days, you will be camping for the night at your destination. Day five’s camping location is Meghandoab.
Day 6 : Trekking through the Zajibal Pass
Another day, yet another pass. On the sixth day, you will be trekking through the Zajibal pass. Standing tall at about 4200m, once you reach the peak, you will witness of the most beautiful and breathtaking views of all time. You will also get a unique view of the majestic Mount Harmukh. Not just the majestic mountain, you will also get to see the enchanting alpine lakes of Nundkol and Gangabal. Post that we will go down the trail to reach our camping location Gangabal Lake.
Day 7 : Exploring Gangabal lake
This day is solely dedicated to the exploration of Gangabal lake. You can go visit some beautiful places nearby. You can also engage yourself in activities like fishing or just walking around and exploring the beautiful place. You will have an overnight stay by the Gangabal lake.
Day 8 : Reaching Kundsar lake
This day includes a 5-hour-trek from Gangabal lake to Kundsar lake. The day involves almost 9-10 kilometres of trekking. You will spend the night at Kundsar lake.
Day 9 : Trekking to Sarbal
This day involves yet another trek of almost 4 hours. You will cover the distance from Kundsar lake to Sarbal through Minimarg. Sarbal lake is a unique lake situated among rocks and trees. It is an ideal spot to sit by the lake and engage in conversations with your fellow trek mates. You will stay by the lake in a camp and rest for the night.
Day 10 : Reaching Poshpatri
The tenth day, you will have to trek for about 5 hours to reach your destination. You will start for Poshpatri. Along the way, you will pass through the picturesque meadows of Kundara village. You will also come across several breathtaking views, the view of the Harmukh mountain among others. You will camp for the night at Poshpatri.
Day 11 : Return to Srinagar
On the eleventh day, you will descend to the beautiful village of Arin from Poshpatri. Post that, your return journey begins. You will set journey by road to reach Srinagar. You will be escorted back to your Houseboat in Dal Lake, have dinner and retire for the night.
Day 12 : End of the trek
This day marks the official end to your beautiful and memorable Kashmir trek. Our personnel will drop you at the Srinagar airport for your departure and you will leave with a head full of beautiful memories that will stay with you for the rest of your days. So, do not give this a second thought, embark upon this journey before it is too late!
