The Tarsar-Marsar trek brings you all this and much more. Trek along the beautiful Lidder river, relax in the vast, open greens and up-close views of the grand Kolahoi glacier.
DAY 1: Srinagar – Aru base camp
From Srinagar drive down to Pahalgam, which is about 100 kms and would take approximately 3 hours to cover. We aim at leaving Srinagar by 2 PM so that we reach our camp before dusk. After reaching Pahalgam, we further drive towards Aru Camp, which is our destination for the day for the Tarsar Marsar Trek and is about 12 kms, taking and hour and a half to reach. We pass through the Bijbhera trail, which is dotted with picturesque scenery consisting of apple orchards, walnut and apricot trees.
DAY 2: Aru – Lidderwat
Today is when our trek starts and we would cover a distance of about 9-10 kms in roughly 5-6 hours. This is an uphill climb, but an easy and pleasant one. Initially we trek along the Lidder River which connects to the village uphill. We have a choice of either camping by riverside.
DAY 3: Lidderwat – Shekiwas
A tough day today with climbing up a distance of approximately 6-7 kms and it would take roughly 5 hours. There will also be the thrill of river crossing on this day. We will make a pit stop at the Gujjar huts and enjoy some tea and snacks before continuing on the trek. The last leg for the day’s trek would be a steeper ascent as we gain altitude and enter a silver birch forest.
DAY 4: Shekiwas – Tarsar
The trail will take us through lush grasslands before reaching Sumbal. From here the path will lead us to a ridge on a stream that will further take us to Tarsar. After a couple of hours we will reach a spectacular conical hill top that will offer breath-taking views of the almond shaped Tarsar Lake.
DAY 5: Tarsar – Sundersar
A challenging and exciting day of the trek as we would cross the Tarsar Pass at an altitude of 13,500 feet. We would be covering a distance of 5 kms in approximately 5-6 hours. It would start with a steep descent followed by a steady descent and then a gentle ascent.
DAY 6: Sundarsar – Marsar – Sonmasti
A steady ascent trekking to Marsar and then descend back to the base camp. covering approximately 7-8 kms today in about 6-7 hours. Our camping ground for the day would be at Sonmasti which is close to Gujjar huts at the end of the valley. It is an extremely beautiful location with the verdant valley spread out before us and water falls at the back.
DAY 7: Sonmasti – Subal – Srinagar
Last day of the trek, we start the day early and descend to 6500 feet. We will climb down to Sumbal from Sonmasti and then drive to Srinagar. Rest and night at our houseboat at Dal lake, trek ends..
