from 0 review
7 Days-6 Night
No Cancellation
Unlimited
English, Hindi, Local
Tarsar Marsar Lakes Trek – One of the Featured Treks in Our List.
The Marsar Lake is an oligotrophic alpine lake located in Tral valley of Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir. It is famous for its scenic beauty. It also falls in the close vicinity of Aru valley in Pahalgam.
[1] The lake is separated by a mountain with a minimum peak elevation of 4,000 metres (13,000 ft) from another lake of the same nature known as Tarsar Lake. Due to their close proximity and similar physical characteristics, the two lakes are often called as the “twin sisters”.
[2] The site has over the years become a famous tourist destination. Tarsar-Marsar Trek is one of the highly opted treks of the Kashmir Valley.
A stream emerges from this lake, which travels through the Dachigam valley and enters Srinagar near Harwan garden where it fills the Sarband reservoir. This stream (Dagwan Nallah) is joined by another stream which flows from Mount Mahadev near the Telbal village and from thereon it is called the Telbal nallah which is the primary source of Dal Lake.
The Tarsar Lake or Tar Sar is an almond-shaped, oligotrophic alpine lake situated on the northern slope of Harmukh mountain in Kashmir Valley, specifically in the upper reaches of Tral (Pulwama district).
The clients will be picked up from Srinagar in a cab and the same cab would take you to Aru valley. We shall be spending the night in Aru valley, which is the famous base camp for so many treks in the valley. The Overa-Aru Biosphere Reserve is a famous destination for horseback riding and heliskiing in the winters. The last point where you would be getting any network would be Pahalgam. Our camp site would be right next to the mighty Lidder river in the Aru.
This day we would encounter approximately 12 kms of meandering trails of moderate incline through the thick conifer forest except for the steep initial ascent for 30-40 minutes. After a 30-40 minutes hike we would be having a panoramic view of the entire Aru valley. We would encounter a lot of people from the Shepard tribes aka “Gujjar” community especially in the spring and summer season. As soon as the thicket of Fir trees becomes a distant image, we will be entering a grassland meadow where there would be a lot of settlements of “Gujjars”. After a steep ascent of 2-3 kms we reach a makeshift log bridge to cross the valley stream. The camp site at Lidderwat is still an hour’s hike from this point. The camp site is situated in densely populated Fir tree and right next to the river which becomes a lullaby at night.
The trek basically starts behind the PDA huts near our Lidderwat camp site. The first 2-3 hours of the climb are quite steep and we shall see a lot of valley streams along the way. Until we reach Homwas, a quaint little village of “Gujjar” people living in harmony with the nature. One can’t really miss their warmth and hospitality. We cross another rudimentary log bridge at Homwas. After crossing the small settlement, we hike up to a higher camping ground and pitch our tents under the blanket of stars.
On this day we move from Shekwas 10,500 ft to Tarsar 12,500 ft, most of our way is of moderate incline and would approximately take us 4-5 hours. We have to move up a humpbacked hill and cross a few ridges to have the first peek of the magical blue waters of Tarsar Lake. The entire hike up the hill is very exciting and everyone is walking in anticipation to have the first glimpses of the infamous Tarsar Lake. We would be camping right next to the outlet of the lake. We could spend the evening exploring the Tarsar Lake. You would be astounded by the sheer beauty and the tranquility.
It would be a moderate to difficult climb from Tarsar to Sundersar Valley and we would be gaining an altitude of 600 ft. We would be crossing the Tarsar pass to reach Sundersar and then to Sundersar valley. But, the way through the pass offers a breathtaking view of the twin lakes. On our way down, we would come across a lot of livestock grazing along the banks of the lake. We would also be greeted by people of the nomadic shepherd tribe colloquially known as the “Bakkarwals”. Finally, we reach Sundersar and pitch our camps near the lake. This entire day is just a visual overload and a perfect camp site to just process all the beauty this trek has to offer.
This day we would be gaining more height in order to witness the infamous Marsar Lake known for a lot of spooky stories and fables. We start our quite tedious trek through the Marsar ridge (13,500 ft) and we would be facing some snow patches and rock crevasses on our way until we finally reach the pass. This is where we get the first glimpses of the blue colored Tarsar lake. Lake is completely surrounded by snow clad mountains and has an outlet from one side which ultimately reaches to the Dachigam Forest Reserve. One can even trek from there to, another unknown location Kashmir valley has to offer, Mahadev Glacier. Then we descend to Homwas where we camp for the night and rest after a tiring day.
Finally, we descend down from Homwas and cross through familiar forests and trails. Our first stop is at Lidderwat where we have our lunch and then continue our descend to Aru.
Leave a review