66: Great Lakes of Kashmir with Karan & Parul

This week, The Musafir Stories speaks to Karan and Parul, the couple on a break from work traveling around India and the world! Today's destination: Kashmir Great Lakes trek! PS: Please be sure to check on the travel advisory before traveling to the region.  Nearest Airport: Srinagar airport Nearest Railway Station: Udhampur railway station Prerequisites - Some level of fitness! Packing - Pack trekking shoes, sticks, ponchos, warm clothes and a day pack with necessary first aid, medication and snack! Please note that the there is a support team to take care of transportation of luggage while trekking. Time of the year -  July to September is a good time to visit. Length of the itinerary: 8-9 days Itinerary Highlights: The group start of the trek from Srinagar to Naranag village, where they explore old temple ruins before starting of the trek. Day 1: First stop at Butshree pass, for refuelling! The first day of trekking is quite steep and one of the more difficult days of the trek. The campsite is by the Nundkul lake below the glacier mountain - Harmukh. You will encounter a couple of army camps/check posts during the trek, government IDs are required to be produced. A beautiful evening spent under the stars, playing Maafia and enjoying the views and making new bonds! Day 2: Break day (already)! The group spends time exploring nearby lakes like Gangbal, a daring dip in ice cold water of Gangbal and more Maafia! Day 3: Rain Gods show up! The group sets off from Nundkul to Satsar Valley, passing the Zajbal pass enrolee! Some majestic views of the lakes Nundkul and Gangabal from Zajbal pass. The group finally reaches Satsar Valley - the valley of 7 lakes and enjoy a very special local cuisine! Day 4: The destination for Day 4 is Gadsar valley - lots of green meadows and a relatively easy day of trekking. The group decides to spend some time exploring lakes, watching the night sky and relaxing before heading off to Krishansar lake the next day. Day 5: Gadsar valley to the Krishansar and Vishansar camp with a brilliant views of the twin lakes from Gadsar Pass. Day 6: The group descends to the twin lakes of Krishansar and Vishansar, enjoy another dip in the lakes and more beautiful views of the night sky! Day 7: The final day of the trek as the group descends to Sonamarg with a bittersweet feeling! A week cut off from civilization, making bonds & forging friendships and enjoying nature's bounty, but at the same time, happy to be heading back to civilization! Links: Link to the blogpost: http://grasskode.xyz/post/travel/kashmir-great-lakes/ Link to the blog: http://grasskode.xyz (http://grasskode.xyz/) IG: @grasskode & @capturedbypaulina Follow the Musafir stories on Twitter: @musafirstories Facebook: @themusafirstories Instagram: @musafirstoriespodcast website: www.themusafirstories.com (http://www.themusafirstories.com/) email: themusafirstories@gmail.com (mailto:themusafirstories@gmail.com) itunes -  https://apple.co/2LPtTA3 Google podcasts - http://bit.ly/2toY7lj or voice or google search "Ok Google, play The Musafir stories podcast" website - http://bit.ly/2xFZqOV Saavn - https://bit.ly/2J5rIqi Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2HLPSVi pocketcasts - https://bit.ly/2xu3Ewg castbox - https://bit.ly/2sqBDQi Overcast - https://bit.ly/2LN9wnf Stitcher Radio - https://bit.ly/2JiBbhw audioBoom - https://bit.ly/2oZZowS TuneIn - https://bit.ly/2xyQH4a RadioPublic - https://bit.ly/2snY9u0 iHeartradio - https://ihr.fm/2xvOG8R Deezer - https://bit.ly/2L7GmOo