A glacial valley at 2,730 metres on the road to Ladakh, surrounded by snow peaks, braided rivers and the walk-in Thajiwas glacier.
2,730 m1–2 daysBest: May–Oct
ValleySnowTrekking
Trip style
Adventure & Trekking
Kashmir Great Lakes, Tarsar–Marsar, Kolahoi and the Markha Valley — run with local crews who have walked these routes their whole lives.
4–12 days8 destinations covered
How we approach it
The thinking behind these trips
The trekking in Kashmir is, objectively, among the best in India and nowhere near as busy as Uttarakhand or Himachal. The Kashmir Great Lakes traverse from Sonmarg to Naranag crosses seven alpine lakes in seven days. Tarsar–Marsar from Aru is shorter, gentler and arguably prettier. Kolahoi takes you to the valley's largest glacier.
Across in Ladakh, the Markha Valley, Sham and Stok Kangri approaches run through a completely different landscape, and in deep winter the Chadar trek on the frozen Zanskar is one of the most extraordinary walks anywhere on earth.
We run these with local crews — guides, cooks and pony men from the villages at the trailheads — with proper equipment, realistic acclimatisation schedules and evacuation plans that actually exist on paper. Rafting on the Lidder, Sindh and Zanskar, mountain biking and paragliding at Sanasar round out the adventure side.
What we take care of
Exact inclusions depend on your dates and standard of stay — these are the things we build into every trip of this kind.
Local guides and crew
Guides, cooks and pony handlers from the trailhead villages, not imported from other states.
Proper equipment
Four-season tents, rated sleeping bags, kitchen tents and group gear maintained to a real standard.
Sensible acclimatisation
Itineraries built around altitude profiles rather than marketing-friendly day counts.
Safety planning
First-aid trained leads, oxygen on high-altitude routes and a documented evacuation plan for every trek.
Places this usually includes
Destinations
Where these trips usually go
A starting shortlist, not a fixed route. We add, drop and reorder depending on your dates and pace.
A meadow village twelve kilometres above Pahalgam, base camp for the Kolahoi glacier and the Tarsar–Marsar lakes, and the prettiest overnight stop in south Kashmir.
2,414 mHalf day to overnightBest: May–Oct
ValleyTrekkingOffbeat
Kashmir Valley
Thajiwas Glacier
A small, accessible glacier three kilometres above Sonmarg, reachable on foot or by pony, where snow survives through the summer.
3,000 mHalf dayBest: May–Sep
SnowTrekking
Kashmir Valley
Gurez Valley
A remote Dard-Shin valley on the Kishanganga river, ringed by the Habba Khatoon peak, open only when the Razdan Pass is clear of snow.
2,400 m2–3 daysBest: Jun–Sep
ValleyOffbeatHeritage
Ladakh
Zanskar Valley
A remote high valley around Padum, cut off by snow for seven months a year, home to cliff-built monasteries and the winter Chadar trek on a frozen river.
3,505 m4–7 daysBest: Jun–Sep
ValleyMonasteryTrekking
The old Silk Route capital of Ladakh, built below a nine-storey palace in a high desert valley on the Indus — and the base for everything in the region.
3,500 m2–3 daysBest: May–Sep
HeritageHigh-altitude desertMonastery
Kashmir's most relaxed hill town, where the Lidder river runs through pine forest at 2,130 metres, with Aru, Betaab and Chandanwari branching off above it.
2,130 m2 daysBest: Mar–Nov
Hill stationValleyTrekking
A powerful 25-metre waterfall on the Veshaw river in Kulgam, set in pine forest and used as the trailhead for the Kousar Nag lake trek.
2,266 mHalf dayBest: Apr–Oct
WaterfallTrekkingOffbeat
Questions
Adventure FAQs
The questions we get asked most about this kind of trip.
How hard is the Kashmir Great Lakes trek?
Moderate to difficult. Seven days, several passes above 4,000 m and around 70 km of walking. You need genuine cardio fitness but no technical climbing experience.
When is trekking season in Kashmir?
Roughly July to September for the high lakes, with early October possible on some routes. Before July the passes still hold snow.
Is the Chadar trek safe?
It is a serious winter expedition with temperatures below -25°C, and it requires medical clearance, registration and an experienced operator. We run it only for properly prepared groups.
Do you provide trekking gear?
Group gear, tents, kitchen and safety equipment yes. Personal clothing, boots and sleeping bags can be hired or you can bring your own — we send a full kit list on booking.
Start planning
Plan your adventure trip
Give us your dates, group size and roughly what you want to spend. We will send a day-by-day adventure itinerary with named hotels and one clear quote.
A reply within hours
A planner in Srinagar reads your enquiry and responds personally, usually the same working day.
An itinerary, not a brochure
You get a day-by-day plan written for your dates, group and pace — then we refine it together.
One clear quote
Every inclusion listed in writing before you pay anything. No surprise charges on the ground.
Prefer to talk? +91 88991 23434 · Every day, 09:00-21:00