Tarsar Marsar Trek is the prettiest summer trek in India. This is a classic trek that offers quite a variety and range in scenic beauty and landscape. The trek holds three beautiful alpine lakes, lush grasslands, shimmering river streams, and a chain of snow-peaked mountains. This is an easy to moderate trek which makes even a beginner to enjoy the natural bounties that this trek offers. Tarsar Marsar Trek best time is between August and mid-October.
Tarsar Marsar Trek starts from Aru valley – a quaint valley 112 km off Srinagar. The first day of the trek is an acclimatization camping day at Aru valley beside the lovely Lidder river. The next day the trek proceeds with a short ascent till it enters the thick jungle. The trail through the jungle of pine trees is soothing with the chirping of birds and the music of the Lidder river. One walks through this jungle for about 5km and then the trail blends with a vast meadow. The meadow is wavy and runs alongside the Lidder river. It’s an easy delightful walk until one reaches the campsite of Lidderwat..
The third day of the trek starts from Lidderwat with a short ascent and then goes into the jungle. The jungle walk finishes into a wide valley of varied flowers and plants. The valley is covered with trees in the surroundings. One gets to cross the Lidder river stream. The gradient of the day is easy with some boulder sections to maneuver just before the day’s campsite at Shekwas.
The next day, start with a gradual ascent through rocky terrain. And then after a river crossing the rocks give way to a long, lush meadow. There are shepherd huts on the way, and you will see many sheep grazing in these meadows. This meadow walk is soothing and takes one to the beautiful almond shaped Tarsar Lake. The campsite is just in the vicinity of the lake with the magnificent view of this lake from your camp. Enjoy your evening exploring this lake.
Price Includes
Neat, clean, hygienic accommodation on Triple / Quad Sharing as per your preferences. Accommodation during the trek will be in camps
Inclusive of transport services for 7 Days & 6 Nights. All toll, tax, parking and driver allowances are included.
Veg Only All Breakfast & Dinner. Note:(Lunch is not included.)
All point to point sight-seeing as per given program possible in time frame.
Price Excludes
The drive is around 4 hours. Pahalgam is around 100 km from Srinagar and then a further 12 km up is Aru Valley. Aru is arguably the best valley and hamlet in Kashmir. This village has remained the base camp for some of the fascinating treks that include the Tarsar Marsar Trek.
While driving towards Aru, you will see the breathtaking Kashmir valley. The ride goes via NH1 Highway and meets Lidder river before Pahalgam. You will be driving through the famous Pahalgam. You will take left towards Aru and it’s an easy uphill drive that drops down to the beautiful Lidder rives coming from Tarsar Lake which you will in the coming days trek to.
At Aru, our campsite will be fixed to welcome you with a welcome drink. You will meet your trek leader there who will give a brief about your trek and journey ahead. Around 7 you will be served dinner in the middle of this fascinating valley.
The gradient of the day is easy, however, there is a long walk of around 11 km. For only the first 30 minutes there is a gradual ascend into the jungle.
The trail of the trek starts with the jungle for about 5 km. The jungle is thick and at a few places opens wide giving way to the shepherd houses and deep gorges in the distance towards your left. The jungle is full of birds, and you will see the trail frequented by shepherds and ponymen.
After the jungle walk, the trail opens onto a vast wavy meadow. The meadow is far stretching with a couple of river crossings. In the midway of this meadow walk, you will be walking just beside the river Lidder. The river dances and flows delightfully. The grass of the meadow just goes to the bank of the river. You can relax and rest for some time at any of these beautiful locations on the way. Fill your water bottles with this clean glacial water that comes right from Tarsar Lake. This Lidder river will be your travel partner until Tarsar Lake.
While walking for some time, you will see a triangular wooden hut towards your left. Cross the bridge that goes towards the meadow surrounding the hut. You will see your campsite ready for you. You will be welcomed with evening snacks and drinks. This camping site is called Lidderwat.
The day starts with an ascend and takes you to the higher ground from where you get a wider view of the entire Lidderwat Valley. The grade of the day is easy. Shortly after your first climb, the trail merges into the forest. You will be walking through the jungle and parallel to the Lidder River.
The trail then opens out into the long stretches of meadow walk. You will have to cross the river over a log bridge. The valley is full of wildflowers and grass. You will reach a Homwas where the river meets the meadow, relax and enjoy the gorgeous beauty here. On your way, you will see shepherd houses and a cluster of Silver Birch
Just before you reach Shekwas there is a boulder section. Be careful with your steps. You will be traversing this section with care, the boulders and big and at times wet with the water the flows below them. Just after the boulder section is the campsite for the night.
Post breakfast, you will be heading towards Tarsar Lake. The gradient of the day is moderate. The trail is dominated by the boulder and rocky section. You will be walking on the boulders and in between the thin trail of boulders. The river runs beside you towards your right. The boulder section almost ends at the river crossing. The bride is of wood and slim, however, the crossing is short.
The trail then has a short ascend and you will meet the shepherd house. The family most of the time welcomes the trekkers. The shepherds roam around this place with their flock.
The trail is then a succession of small ascends and descends. The walk in the middle of the meadow is surrounded by mountains.
Once the meadows finish, you will see yourself walking towards the ever-gorgeous alpine lake of Kashmir. Tarsar Lake is almond-shaped and one of the prettiest lakes of Kashmir. You will feel the thrill of seeing this lake, it is so mesmerizing that you will not stop before thronging around this lake the moment you see it.
The campsite will be ready here for the night stay.
The gradient of the day is moderate. The trail starts with a sharp ascend for around an hour. The ridge is just parallel to the lake which takes you to the other side of Tarsar Valley.
Once you have reached the top of the ridge, you get a fascinating view of Tarsar Lake. All the pics that you have seen of Tarsar Lake with a wider view are from this top. All the trekkers stop here for pictures and videos and rest for some time. The descend from this ridge is equally sharp, be careful with your steps and trail.
After you have descended there is a boulder crossing and thereafter you enter into a terrific, beautiful meadow that connects Shekiwas to Sundersar. The meadow has been named Silent Valley owing to its calmness. It has lush grass in between the two mountain stretches. The land is filled with small river streams and water ponds.
After the meadow, there is a short ascend and descend that will take you to your Sundersar campsite.
From your campsite, you will reach within half an hour the stunning Sundersar Lake. The lake is small and exquisite with the small mountains surrounding it from three sides. The lake is glacial and circular.
To visit Marsar Lake, you will have to go round to the Sundersar lake and ascend a ridge. It takes half an hour to climb that till you reach a flat land and within minutes you are beholding the eternal Marsar Lake, place there in all the calmness and beauty. The lake is wide and enticing. You will see this lake from the vantage point where you get the view of an entire lake. Enjoy the view of the lake, take pictures and videos to capture this moment. This is also the highest altitude point of the entire trek. You will be standing at an altitude of around 4020m.
After seeing Marsar, you will take the same route back via sundersar lake and descend towards Homwas. The trail is through the meadow and boulder section.
This is the last day of the trek. The trail is long and that which you have already traversed in the first two days of your trek from Aru. The trail will go to Aru via Lidderwat and follow the same route. The trek ends at Aru, the way it starts. From Aru, take a cab that drops you at Srinagar.
Make your booking 15 days prior in advance. If you cancel the trek due to any reason, it is mandatory to notify us. Cancellation charges will only be effective from the date we get your request to cancel the trek.
If the trek gets cancelled from our side due to any reason (heavy snowfall, rainfall, natural disaster etc.) then the refund will not be initiated but we will arrange another trek.
Note :- If your trek starts once, and in between 2 or 4 days at the time of the trek, the weather gets bad or the trek route is closed for some reason due to which the trek cannot be done, then the company will not refund the any money to you.
The cancellation charges are as follows –(Bank charges deducted are not Refundable)
(Refund is initiated within 7-8 business days)
The Tarsar Marsar trek is situated in the Pahalgam district. It is slightly towards the west of Kashmir. The trek starts from Aru, a picturesque hamlet, which is 12 km from the famous touristy town of Pahalgam.
If you see the map, notice how the trek moves along with the Lidder river and touches three alpine lakes – Tarsar (12,435 ft), Marsar and Sundersar (12,945 ft). Observe how the route climbs over the Marsar pass (13,201 ft), drops to Homwas (11,300 ft) and then comes back to Aru.
Yes, it is safe to trek in Kashmir. Talking about Tarsar Marsar, while the trek remains untouched during times of unrest, getting to the base camp or onto the trail might raise concerns in times of unrest.
So, here are certain pointers to keep in mind when you are travelling from Srinagar to Pahalgam and then Aru:
Tarsar Marsar trek, which climbs to 13,201 ft, is not really difficult. It is rated as ‘moderate’. That too only because trekking days are slightly long.
A moderate rating refers to marginally longer trekking days with a few steep climbs (example: climb to Tarsar Pass, Marsar View Point). This makes it a notch more difficult than the easy-moderate treks like Kedarkantha and Dayara Bugyal.
But the trek has easy exits and there are no technical sections.
To get a clear picture, imagine covering a total of 47.6 km in 6 days. You gain approximately 5,243 ft during this journey, which is mild when spread over 6 days.
That means, on average, you cover 8 km every day. This includes gradual ascents and descents.
That’s doable in a well-paced itinerary, like the one we follow for the Tarsar Marsar trek . The key is to pace it out. It’s important because you consistently trek above 10,000 ft for four days.
But if you cut it short, say skip camping at Shekwas, then you are exposed to the risk of AMS. In such a situation, be very cautious for any discomfort in your body which may point to AMS.
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