Trekkers often ask us for hotel recommendations before or after their treks. Finding a good place using online listings can be tedious and tricky.

So, through our network of trekkers and trek leaders, we have put together the best hotel recommendations near cities like Dehradun, Rishikesh, Manali, Srinagar and Kathgodam. 

These are tried-and-tested recommendations—places we trust for comfort, cleanliness, and convenience. They’re also located near town centers and your pick-up points.

Whether you’re looking for a budget-friendly stay or something a little more premium, you’ll find an option that suits your needs below.

Hotel Options at Rishikesh

Live Free Hostel Rishikesh

Location: Click here to view on google maps
Price Range: Rs 800- 1,000
Distance from Pick-up: This is the pick-up point
Amenities: Free wifi, restaurant, entertainment
Phone number:
Booking link: Click here



Joeys Hostel Rishikesh 

Location: Click here to view on google maps
Price Range: Rs 1,200- 2,000
Distance from Pick-up: 500 metres
Amenities: free wifi, airport shuttle, restaurant
Phone number: 07217482824
Booking link: Click here



The Hosteller, Upper Tapovan (3-star)

Location: Click here to view on google maps
Price Range: Rs 600- 5,000
Distance from Pick-up: 1 km
Amenities: Free wifi, airport shuttle, indoor games
Booking link: Click here



GoStops

Location: Click here to view on google maps
Price Range: Rs 600- 3,000
Distance from Pick-up: 3.5 km
Amenities: Laundry service, movie room, doctor on call
Phone number: 7428882828
Booking link: Click here


Hotel Options at Dehradun

Lords Eco Inn

Location: Click here to go to google maps
Price Range: Rs 2,500- 3,500
Distance from Pick-up: 1.5 km
Amenities: Free wifi, complimentary breakfast, doctor on call, 
Phone number: +91 750 022 0777/ +91 750 011 0777
Booking link: Click here



Grand Legacy Beacon (3-star)

Location: Click here to go to google maps
Price Range: Rs 3,000- 5,000
Distance from Pick-up: This is the pick up location
Amenities: Restaurant, high quality staff
Phone number: -
Booking link: Click here



Nomads Hostel

Location: Click here to go to google maps
Price Range: Rs 1,000- 1,200
Distance from Pick-up: 100 metres
Amenities: Kitchenette, Cafe, Luggage Assistance
Phone number: 9760596464
Booking link: Click here


Hotel Options at Kathgodam

Naini Hill Inn (2-star)

Location: Click here to go to google maps
Price Range: Rs 3,000- 5,000
Distance from Pick-up: 500 metres
Amenities: Wifi, air conditioning, free cancellation (till 24 hrs)
Phone number: 7302228955
Booking link: Click here



Royal Windsor Hotel (3-star)

Location: Click here to go to google maps
Price Range: Rs 2,500- 6,000
Distance from Pick-up: 2.7 km
Amenities: Restaurant, 24 hour room service, laundry service
Phone number: 78957 63000
Booking link: Click here


Hotel Options at Srinagar

Hotel Akbar Inn (2-star)

Location: Click here to view on google maps
Price Range: Rs 2,500
Distance from pick-up: 3.5 km
Amenities: Wifi, laundry service, cafe
Phone number: 09811028204
Booking link: Click here



Hotel Green Leaf (3-star)

Location: Click here to view on google maps
Price Range: Rs 6,000- 8,000
Distance from pick-up: 3.4 km
Amenities: Room service, 24-hour frontdesk, wifi
Phone number: -
Booking link: Click here



Take a look at these options if you would like to experience the famous houseboats of J&K:

Floating Heaven Group Of House Boats (3-star)

Location: Click here to view on google maps
Price range: Rs 5,000- 8,000
Distance from Pick-up: 5.5 km
Amenities: 24x7 room service, customized meals, luxurious rooms
Phone number: 08803357716
Booking link: Click here



Royal Athena Houseboats

Location: Click here to view on google maps
Price Range: -
Distance from Pick-up: 6.5 km
Amenities: Parking, wifi, power back-up, laundry service
Phone number: 9103111178
Booking link: Online booking unavailable 



Houseboat Nightingale (3-star)

Location: Click here to view on google maps
Price range: Rs 5,000
Distance from Pick-up: 1.6 km
Amenities: pet friendly, kitchen
Phone number: 09419439155
Booking link: Click here



Hotel Options at Manali

Fursat - Boutique Homestay & Hostel

Location: Click here
Price Range: Rs 3,000 
Distance from IH Manali campus: 200 metres
Amenities: Yoga room, game room, restaurant
Phone number: 
Booking link: Click here


Indiahikes is India's largest trekking community, and this article exists thanks to trekkers like you.

If you come across any incorrect or outdated information, please email us at experience@indiahikes.com and CC upayan@indiahikes.com.

Have better recommendations? We'd love to hear them! Share your insights with us at the same email.

Tried and tested budget plus premium hotel recommendations at Manali, Dehradun, Rishikesh, Kathgodam, and Srinagar.

Hotel recommendations by Indiahikes

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Where to Stay Before or After Your Trek? Our Hotel Recommendations

Nepal’s trekking infrastructure makes it an attractive destination for independent trekkers. The trails are well laid and marked in most places. Almost all big treks have a network of tea houses, where you can stay and get fresh cooked meals. So, if you are fit and confident about directions, you can trek solo on a lot of trails, without a guide or a porter.

If you are planning a solo trek to Everest Base Camp, you need to plan your expenses carefully. The ease of access comes with the disadvantage of a lot of temptations, when it comes to food, beverages and facilities – usually at inflated costs.

This guide demystifies the expenses for this trek. We have broken down the expenses into these subheadings for each trek – travel, accommodation, food, drinking water, wifi and charging, SIM cards, guides/porters and trek permits.

Lukla is the starting point for the Everest Base Camp trek. To get here, you first need to reach Kathmandu. During the trekking season, the traditional way of taking a flight to Lukla directly is not available. 

You need to go to Ramechhap on road, and then take a flight to Lukla. 

Start your travel at 12 AM. It takes approximately 5-6 hours to reach Ramechhap. Aim to reach the airport there at 6 AM. 

It will cost you NPR 3,200 per person for the cab. It is usually a van type vehicle that can seat 8-9 people. 

It is very normal for flights between Ramechhap and Lukla to be be cancelled or rescheduled. So make sure you keep a couple of days as buffer before booking your onward journey.

Book your return flight from Lukla to Ramechhap as well. 

Tip: Do not hesitate to reschedule your return flight to Ramechhap if you finish your trek earlier than planned. Given the unpredictability of weather there, airlines do not charge for a reschedule.

You stay in tea houses on the Everest Base Camp trek. These are small lodges that can accommodate 20-30 trekkers. Fresh food is available in all tea houses.

A room in a tea house costs NPR 1500 per day (1 NPR is approximately 0.63 Indian rupees) . At higher altitudes, it can even go up to NPR 2,000 if the demand is very high. As you can see, room rates are not very high. However, you are obliged to have your meals at the same place that you are staying, especially dinner on the night you arrive and breakfast on the following morning.

Tip: Request the owner of the tea house from where you are starting to book a room for you at your next stop. Share a room to bring down the cost.

Food is perhaps the most expensive component of your trek in Nepal. You get everything from sandwiches to dal-bhaat to pizzas and desserts in the tea houses. But they all come at a cost.

Here is a comparison of the costs of meals in different places:

At Lukla, expect to pay NPR 600 per meal; taking the food cost per day to about NPR 1,800.

At Namche Bazaar, expect to pay NPR 750 per meal; taking the food cost to NPR 2,300.

However, at Gorakshep, you will pay NPR 1,200-1,400 per meal; taking the cost to NPR 4,100. 

The meals described here are simple dal-bhat. If you want to eat other items, the cost will go up accordingly. These tea houses serve a wide variety of food. 

Tip: Stick to dal-bhaat for your main meals. The food is wholesome and the servings are unlimited. Carry plenty of nuts and dry fruits to avoid buying overpriced snacks.

Inside picture of a Restaurant (Hotel Kamal) at Namche Bazar. Picture by Vijesh

Tap water is safe to drink at all tea houses. However, this is not the case at Gorakshep. Here, you need to buy drinking water at NPR 500 a litre. The water here is otherwise dirty.

Tip: If you have a water purifying bottle, use it at Gorakshep to avoid paying for drinking water.

Tea houses start charging you money from Phakding onwards. Use of charging points costs NPR 300-600 according to the device that you are charging. It will cost you NPR 300 to charge your mobile, NPR 500 to fully charge a powerbank. Each tea house will have a chart that will display the rates. These costs will go up as you go higher. 

Tea houses also charge for wifi. At Lobuche, it costs NPR 1,200 to purchase wifi for the whole day. And NPR 1,800 for 2 days. 

Tip: Namche Bazaar has restaurants that provide free wifi if you eat there. Finish all your calls and messages before starting from here.

You can purchase a local NCell SIM card for NPR 500 and recharge it for making telephone calls. Around 30 minutes talk time to India will cost you around NPR 50. Network is available up to Dole. Trekkers usually reach Dole on the fourth day of trekking.

Tip: The call costs less if you add 0124 to the Indian number that you dial.

You need two permits to trek to Everest Base Camp. 

Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality Entry Permit: This local permit is required to enter the Khumbu region. You can refer to this as trek permit. It will cost you NPR 2,000. 

Sagarmatha National Park Entry Permit: You will be trekking inside this National Part which is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. The cost of entering the park is NPR is NPR 1,500. 

This is the cost of permits for SAARC Nationals. 

Citizens of SAARC countries can collect this from Monjo. This is close to the entrance of Sagarmatha National Park. You can go here after you reach Phakding from Lukla. Other citizens can get this at Kathmandu. 

It is possible to hire a guide and a porter before you begin the trek. You can do this either in Kathmandu or in Lukla. Guides charge NPR 1,700 per day and porters charge NPR 1,500-1,600 per day. If they are local guides and not hired through a company, you will need to pay them in cash.

If you decide to hire a guide or a porter after reaching Lukla, ask around in hotels to find them.

Tip: It is possible to do the entire trek on your own and avoid this cost altogether. It is more expensive to hire guides and porters through a company than on your own.

However, if you have hire guides and porters, they will expect you to tip them generously at the end of the trek. Tipping is a huge culture in this region. 

How much cash should you carry on the Everest Base Camp trek?

Most places in bigger cities such as Kathmandu accept Visa and Mastercard credit and debit cards. However, once you begin your trek, you will have to make all payments in cash. Tea houses do not accept cards.

Indian and international debit cards work in Nepal in select ATMs. Visa, Visa Electron, Plus, MasterCard, Maestro and Cirrus international debit cards work at SBI ATMs. Plus, Visa, Cirrus and Union Pay debit cards work at Siddhartha Bank ATMs. SCT and Visa cards work at Everest Bank ATMs.

The charge for withdrawing cash varies depending the bank. Withdrawing money from an SBI Nepal ATM using an SBI debit card from India has a transaction fee of Rs.35. You can also use your credit card to withdraw money from ATMs. However, this is quite expensive as there is a charge of NPR 500 for every transaction. So, it is best you carry sufficient cash with you.

So for EBC Classic Trek of 12 days, you will need at least NPR 4,000 per day on average just on food for the trek. If you add on other charges like sim card, electronic charging, drinking water, etc, this cost might even go up. If you factor in the charges for trek permit and additional cash for emergency use, you will need to take at least NPR 50,000 - 60,000 in cash with you. This amount will be higher if you decide to hire a guide or a porter so plan accordingly.

If you are going with Indiahikes, stay, permits, guides charges are taken care of by Indiahikes. 

Keep in mind that in addition to this amount, you will also need to budget for at least 2 days to account for bad weather. 

We hope these budgeting tips come in handy when you plan for your trek. Do comment below with some of your own tips that could help others.

Points in this article were shared by Faizan Devdi and Rishivar Mukherji who led EBC batches in the year 2024. 

This article has been last updated by the Indiahikes Information team on 26th December 2024.

Cover Image of Chola Pass taken by Abhirup Paul.

1. If you want more information about this trek: Check our Everest Base Camp Trek page here with detailed information on trail routes, things to take, pictures and much more.

2. If you want to work with us: Head over to our careers page. We have lots of positions open. We also have lots of applications coming in. So the sooner you apply, the better.

3. If you think this article might help your friends: Share it on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

4. If you ended up here by chance and were actually looking for treks to do: Then head over to our upcoming treks page. You’ll find all our Himalayan treks there.

Trekking in Nepal can be an expensive affair. It's important to budget your trek so you reduce your expenditure at the tea houses and on the trail. This guide demystifies the expenses for this trek. We have broken down the expenses into different subheadings to make it easy for you.

How To Budget Your Everest Base Camp Trek

In a previous article about sun damage at high altitudes, I touched upon the importance of wearing sunglasses when trekking in the snow. But in doing so, I realised that I had left out one group of trekkers: those who wear eyeglasses/spectacles.

In this article, I will share how people who wear contact lenses or eyeglasses can protect their eyes from UV damage on high-altitude treks.

But first, let’s have a quick recap of why you need to wear sunglasses on a high-altitude trek, especially when trekking in the snow:

Our eyes are prone to sunburns as much as our skin is. The sunburn of the eye is called photokeratitis (also called snow blindness). This condition is caused by excessive exposure to ultraviolet rays, a component of sunlight. Too much UV exposure can damage the eye’s cornea and cause a burning, gritty sensation in the eyes and temporary blindness.

Now, snow is a very reflective surface. This means that it is very efficient at reflecting UV rays. When you trek in the snow, your eyes are constantly bombarded by these UV rays, putting you at a high risk of snow blindness.

So we know that we need sunglasses when trekking in snow. People who don’t wear spectacles (or are contact lens users) can simply put on UV-protected sunglasses. But what are the options available for bespectacled trekkers? Let’s have a look.

Sunglasses over spectacles

There are a few options for people who use spectacles to protect their eyes from UV rays:

This is an old hack in the books of many trekkers. Indiahikes in-house doctor Sreelakshmi went with this style on her Kashmir Great Lakes trek. “I carried my contact lenses with me but it was too much of a hassle to keep wearing and removing them daily. In the end, I just ended up wearing sunglasses over my spectacles. Although it was a bit tight around my ears and nose, it was not that big of an issue. I was able to complete the whole trek quite comfortably”.

Sunglasses with power lenses

Custom-made sunglasses with corrective power are the most comfortable option for trekkers with spectacles. However, such custom sunglasses are expensive, costing anywhere between Rs 3000 to Rs 7,000 for a good frame with scratch resistance. 

Frankly, we don’t recommend this unless you’re trekking in snow 7-8 times a year. If you’re trekking just once a year or so, this is not an economical option.

A trekker wearing Sunglasses with power lenses, passing the bamboo forest of the Sandakphu Phalut trek. 

Clip-ons over prescription glasses

Clip-on glasses are glasses that you can attach on top of your regular spectacles. They do a pretty decent job and can be attached or removed easily. Clip-on glasses are a much more economical alternative to custom sunglasses with power.

Clip-on glasses are available easily in most trekking stores. Additionally, you can also find clip-ons in local spectacle shops easily. Check this out at Decathlon.

Fit-over-sunglasses

Fit-over sunglasses work on the same idea as clip-on glasses but instead of fixing only a set of lenses over your spectacles, fit-over sunglasses are whole sunglasses that you wear on top of the spectacles.

They look like regular sunglasses but are built like a light-weight shell so that they can fit snugly over most styles of spectacles.

Fit-over sunglasses sit comfortably over your regular spectacles and are quite convenient to trek with. Photo by Deep Thakkar

One of our trekkers who is a regular user of these fit-over sunglasses had brought one to our Bangalore office. We tried it out ourselves and the sunglasses fit comfortably over our spectacles. Those were so comfortable that we didn’t notice that we were wearing another set of glasses over our spectacles.

These fit-over sunglasses are found at local spectacle stores, lenskart, and other brand outlets.

A trekker wearing fit-over sunglasses on the Dayara Bugyal trek. Notice that the sunglasses are covered on the sides as well thereby preventing any glare or UV rays from reaching the eyes. Photo by Harikrishnan

Photochromic lenses

Photochromic glasses are spectacles that can transition from clear glass to dark shades that are anti-glare, depending on exposure to the sun. However, there are some things that you must consider before using these glasses on a trek:

Ensure that you get these lenses in a full-frame spectacle. Frameless glasses are fragile and can easily break on a trek.

Because photochromic lenses change colour automatically depending on light exposure, some people find it uncomfortable to use.

These types of lenses are expensive and might not be worth spending your money on.

There are a good number of eye protection options available for bespectacled trekkers. From our experience, fit-over and clip-on sunglasses are affordable and work pretty well. However, fit-over sunglasses should be preferred in snow conditions since they can cut off the side glare which a clip-on lens will not be able to do.

If you wear glasses, your best option is to get clip-on sunglasses. It is hassle-free and economical. 

However, if you’re a trekker who is in snow several times a year, then you could go for sunglasses that are tuned to your power. That’s the most convenient option. 

I hope this article helped you with a lot of questions about what to use & how to use sunglasses with your spectacles. Additionally, if you are confused about whether to wear spectacles or contact lenses on a trek: Head over to this article which discusses the pros and cons of using either of them on a trek. 

Sunglasses for trekkers who wear spectacles. Different options for eye protection. Need for wearing sunglasses on a high altitude or snow trek.

How To Use Sunglasses With Spectacles

I’m writing this post with a bit of exasperation. 

These stats will explain why: Out of the 260 calls we receive every day, at least 40 are about the Kashmir Great Lakes and Tarsar Marsar treks, requesting slots in full groups. 

Most of our KGL and Tarsar Marsar groups were filled last year. Even after opening new groups, we are left only with the last few slots. The trek doesn’t have a higher carrying capacity. 

But here’s something most trekkers don’t know. 

We have seven other equally fantastic treks in Jammu and Kashmir. Most are on par with the beauty and adventure of the Kashmir Great Lakes and Tarsar Marsar. 

Given that these are new treks, trekkers don’t know them yet. But give it two years, and you’ll see these treks with a rush similar to KGL and TM. 

As a subscriber to my emails, I hope you use this information well and plan treks to other Kashmir treks instead of waiting on the most famous (and crowded) ones. 

Here’s the full list of 7 other great treks in J&K. 

If you have the Kashmir Great Lakes in mind, then Nafran Valley is a trek that makes the best alternative. I strongly recommend it. 

There are three reasons it makes a great alternative to KGL 

(a) The beautiful lakes of Harnag and Harbhagwan. 

Here’s a fact. This trek is so picturesque that it has been featured in our Mountain Lovers Gold Calendar since we discovered it. Only a handful of treks are chosen to be featured here, yet we can never ignore this trek. 

The big bonus is that you camp right next to the famous Kolahoi glacier.

Harnag Lake is the biggest and the most beautiful lake on the Nafran Valley trek. You get to walk beside this lake for two days! Picture by Bijju Shekar.

Bhaj Margi meadow is the grandest meadow of the Nafran Valley trek. If you are blessed with the clear weather, the morning or evening sunlight hitting the meadows is a stunning sight to witness. Picture by Diptarka Gupta.

Here’s the ultimate grassland trek in Jammu and Kashmir. Trekking from one valley to another, you will be treated to some of the region's most expansive grasslands. By now, trekkers know that if any grasslands come close to the Swiss Alps, they are the grasslands of J&K. That’s what you see on this trek. 

Yet, the grasslands are just one of the highlights of this trek. You also see around seven beautiful lakes on this trek, which gives you a classic Kashmir experience. 

The sunset from the Ashtaar Valley campsite makes you never want to leave this campsite. In fact, this is the case with almost all the campsites on the Bodpathri meadows trek. Photo by Nitesh Kumar.

A 10-minute gradual ascent from the Ashtaar Valley, you'll view the Tatakooti mountain. The sunrise from here is majestic, making the valley below, look magical. Picture by Pritish Bhanushali.

Bodsar lake is arguably one of the most beautiful lakes on the trek. You keep seeing the lake for hours even after you start ascending to Gadtar, you just have to turn back to take a look every now and then. Photo by Pritish Bhanushali.

This is the rarest of the treks you can do in J&K because it is our only trek in the Kishtwar region. Kishtwar, in the south of J&K, has some of the most beautiful valleys you can see. 

The Brammah Valley is no ordinary valley. Rising at the end of the valley is a peak that betrays most mountaineers who attempt to climb it: Brammah Peak, a most sought-after summit to climb, but very few mountaineers have scaled it. It is among the most beautiful 6,000-metre summits in our country. On the Brammah Valley trek, you see the full face of the mountain from bottom to top. But two more towering peaks exist in the valley: the Brammah Wife and the Eiger.

On the other hand, this is the culture trek of the region. Much like how Har Ki Dun in Uttarakhand is teeming with culture, history and mythology, Brammah Valley gives you a wonderful cultural immersion. You see something rare in this isolated valley: a beautiful blend of Hindu and Muslim culture in this region: With mixed traditions, architecture, rituals and festivals, it’s a rare amalgamation of cultures, which is heartening to see. 

PS: This is the only J&K trek you can do in May and June. This is a great option if you plan to trek in the summer and want to avoid the Uttarakhand rush. Most treks in J&K open only in July and August. 

The grand Kiddhar Maidan, which is also a delta with backdrop of Mt. Eiger, Mt. Tarparan, and Brammah glacier. Picture by Nitesh Kumar. 

The Mighty Mt. Brammah I (left) and Mt. Brammah Wife (right). Picture by Nitesh Kumar. 

You will trek for long days in the forests in Brammah Valley. But they don't feel monotonous. Trekking under the shade of tall pine trees next to the gushing Nath River is an experience cherished by everyone to date. Picture by Nitesh Kumar. 

I’m almost hesitant to announce this trek because we feel it is too good to be true. With an astounding 8-10 lakes, multiple meadows, and endless jaw-dropping moments, this trek will likely be the greatest trek in Jammu and Kashmir. Our team explored, designed and documented this trail in 2023 and has been making outrageous statements like “It’s better than Kashmir Great Lakes” or “It’s better than Warwan Valley.” 

On Day 4, during the trail from Khuan to Neelsar, you will come across the pristine Sarota meadows. During dawn and dusk, the grass in these meadows turns golden to the human eye. Picture by Nithyam Nachappa. 

The mesmerizing lake of Neelsar. Imagine camping with such setting and the blue color. This is the first lake that you get to see on the trek. Photo by Nitesh Kumar.

The meadows in the Pir Panjal trek are so huge that even an entire day is not enough to explore them completely! Picture by Nitesh Kumar. 

Our founders have always maintained one thing: you would never do a trek like Warwan Valley. The grandeur, the remote setting, and the uniqueness of this trek are so rare that even Kashmiris have not seen something so terrific. 

There are some unusual highlights on this trek: 

The dramatic crossover from the bone-dry landscapes of Ladakh to the luxuriant grasslands of Kashmir. It begins in trans-Himalayan settings, among barren, purplish mountains around Panikhar. The trail goes through an oasis, river deltas, wildflower meadows, and glaciers—all among these stark mountains. It makes for hauntingly beautiful settings. After spending two days encircled by desert mountains, the effect is striking as the trail gradually enters the lush greenery of Kashmir.

Traversing the Bracken Glacier: It is on very few treks that you see glaciers; most of the time, you see them from far away. It is on even fewer treks that you get to walk on a glacier. If you do, it’s usually a hurried 10-15 minute walk across the glacier. This is the only trek we’ve come across where you traverse along the entire length of a glacier, for hours together! With gaping crevasses beside you, the gurgling of a river deep beneath you, and the roar of car-sized chunks of ice falling down, it’s a sight that will stay with you for life.

The luxuriant grasslands of Warwan Valley: The setting of villages in Warwan Valley is too perfect, even for pictures. Fences border the trail you walk on. Willow trees jut out between houses. Mud-baked lanes crisscross the village. Flower beds line the hills around the houses. To top it, a clear stream runs through the village! All in a way that distinctly resembles the Gaulish village from Asterix comics. This setting is unique to this part of Kashmir.

The alpine lakes: You cannot talk about the Warwan Valley trek without mentioning the two alpine lakes formed by melting glaciers. Starting from clear at dawn to sea green to light blue to inky blue by evening. The two lakes on the pass crossing day will blow your mind away and make you grateful to witness this spectacular sight in front of your eyes.

The glacial lake above Kalapari often takes trekkers by surprise. You go here for an acclimatisation walk and also, pass the lake the next day of your trek. Picture by Nitesh Kumar.

The bracken glacier is massive. What makes this special is you rarely see such huge glacier in its original form on any of our other treks. Picture by Nitesh Kumar. 

Basmina is a village surrounded by farmlands. This is on the Jammu and Kashmir side. Picture by Nitesh Kumar. 

India ends at Gurez. The significance of this is enormous. If you look at our country as a whole, we travel upwards from Kanyakumari. There comes a point where we cannot travel any further north. That part of our country is Gurez.

The significance is that the Gurez is the last latitude of India. The Razdan pass you cross to get to Gurez pushes you into a very different landscape. The topography changes, even though it is only 6 hours north of Srinagar. In fact, our trek in Gurez reminds us more of our treks in Kyrgyzstan and Georgia than they do of our treks in Kashmir -- so different is the landscape. 

The cherry on top is the appearance of two massive lakes: Patalwansar I and Patalwansar II. Though the names are similar, these two lakes are radically different from each other. You get to camp right beside one of the lakes. 

Note: This trek will be run in our Do-It-Yourself (DIY) style. Which means trekkers, along with a trek leader, are going to be doing the trek all without a support system. You will be helping to carry a few of the gear and equipment as a team. So we expect your backpack to weigh about 12 kg per trekker.

This is Patalwansar II, a huge circular lake at 12,795 ft. Notice how tiny the explorer standing at the edge of the lake looks. Picture by Nitesh Kumar.

Your first campsite of the trek is Disson campsite. From here you will see clear views of Mt Habba Khatoon and villages in PoK. Picture by Nitesh Kumar.

Kashmir treks are synonymous with lakes and meadows. With treks like the Kashmir Great Lakes, the Tarsar Marsar, the Bodhpatri, and the Nafran Valley already in the picture, it’s hard for any trek to match them. Yet, we have another terrific trek in Kashmir—the Tulian Lake trek—that does equal justice to these great treks. 

Along with stunning meadows and an alpine lake, the Tulian Lake trek has something that our other treks in Kashmir do not: the famous flora of Kashmir. There are pine, fir and spruce trees. You may think you have seen these trees before, but you have not. These forests differ significantly from those in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, or Sikkim. They resemble European vegetation more than our Indian forests.

The turquoise blue Tulian Lake at 12,000 ft, with icebergs floating on it, is unlike our other Kashmir lakes. Beyond the 8-shaped lake, snow-capped peaks tower to over 15,000 feet. It’s among the easiest treks you can do in J&K. 

Tulian Lake is an alpine lake at 12,087 ft, shaped in the figure of 8 and is surrounded by high mountains. What makes this trek special is you trek 3 days to get to this stunning lake. Picture by Amit Fatnani. 

On the Tulian Lake trek, you trek in the dense coniferous forests for 3 days of the trek. This is what makes Tulian Lake stand out from other Kashmir treks. It helps you experience the flora of Kashmir like never before. Picture by Lucas Bragagnollo. 

That brings me to the end of this list of alternatives for Kashmir Great Lakes and Tarsar Marsar. 

Indiahikes has particularly documented and stitched together five of these routes. Our sole aim is to diversify trails as much as possible and avoid overcrowding a handful of trails. 

As I said earlier, these treks are not likely to remain isolated and quiet for more than a year or two. Grab your opportunity now to be among the first trekkers on these trails. Our dates for 2024 are open and available on this page.

If you have any questions about these treks, drop them in a comment below. We are right here to help you out. 

Here are 7 Terrific Alternatives within J&K

STOP crowding Kashmir Great Lakes and Tarsar Marsar

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STOP crowding Kashmir Great Lakes and Tarsar Marsar: Here are 7 Terrific Alternatives within J&K

The past month has been fraught with snowfall. The snow is so deep that our tents are almost buried to the top. 

Take a look at this picture, for instance: 

Bhojadhadi campsite on the Kedarkantha trek. Picture by Sanjay Mistry. 

This is not a mountaineering expedition. It is our easy-moderate Kedarkantha trek. While some snow will melt, we expect high snow conditions to remain until mid-April.

But the reality is this: This kind of beauty needs preparation before you step into it. 

I sat down with Ravi Ranjan, a senior member at Indiahikes, who has spent several winters in the wilderness of the Himalayas. He has some excellent tips for you to follow. Despite trekking for eight years, many of these were eye-openers for me. They are so simple to follow, yet so effective.

We’ll go from bottom to top, feet to head: the wetness-prone parts to the driest parts. 

“If only waterproof socks existed five years ago, a lot of frostbites and chilblains could have been avoided,” ruminates Ravi Ranjan, remembering the case of one of our trek leaders, who had to stop all physical activity for six months after getting a bad case of frostbite in the snow. 

We all know that trekking in the snow is fun. The not-so-fun part is when the snow gets into your shoes. In 3–4 hours of walking on snow, the water seeps in through the shoe's fabric to its inner layer, wetting your socks and, eventually, your feet. That’s when the misery starts. 

Even though modern trekking shoes are water-resistant, they do not prevent water from seeping in. Very soon, your feet get painfully cold and numb. Worse, thanks to your cold feet, your core body temperature drops even without your knowledge. When that happens, you shiver all night, cocooned in a warm sleeping bag. The next day, you are tired, unable to trek much, and your body does not cope. You wonder why. But this is the reality of trekking in snow.

This is where waterproof socks can change the way you trek in snow. They keep your feet dry. You can wear these socks and walk around in a tub of water. With these socks, you can step on wet snow without shoes (our staff do this to clear out snow at our camps). They will remain dry. Your feet won’t feel a thing.

Yet, these socks are breathable. In addition to keeping you warm, they have the same comfortable feel as standard socks and do not produce odour. 

We imported these socks last year, and trekkers have loved using them. If you’re trekking in snow, it’s a very good investment. It will last you for years. 

Put on these socks the day you touch the snow line. Keep them on until you leave the snowline. Wear these socks whenever you are in the snow.

The socks will keep your feet from getting damp, dramatically changing how you trek. Even if your shoes are soaked, your feet will stay dry (and remain warmer).

Effectively, these socks remove most chances of chilblains, frost nips, or frostbites. 

2. Carry at least one pair of sports socks for each day

If you cannot buy waterproof socks, because, I must admit, they are quite expensive, then this is a must-do: carrying many pairs of socks.

“At the end of the day’s trek, your socks will get wet despite gaiters, water-resistant shoes, and waterproof pants. So the first thing you do when you reach the campsite is change into a dry pair of socks. You must repeat this every time you get to camp on a snow trek,” stresses Ravi. 

Why is this so important? Cold weather and moisture are a nightmare combination. Your body loses heat much quicker when wet than when you are dry, accelerating the possibility of frostbite and hypothermia. 

That’s why you need to carry more socks for a snow trek than on a regular one. 

3. Carry newspaper to stuff into your shoes at night 

After a long day’s trek, shoes tend to have a good amount of moisture. This moisture usually freezes overnight inside the shoe, making it as hard as a rock in the morning. 

This is where it helps to carry newspapers, which you can stuff into your shoes at night. The newspapers absorb water, drying out your shoes as much as possible. 

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