Tarsar Marsar Trek is one of the best summer treks in India. Tucked away in the quiet location of Kashmir, this trek offers the best scenic landscape of the place. The trek is a joy bundle of alpine lakes, meadows, shimmering rivers, mountains, and jungle. Any person with a moderate fitness level can enjoy this trek.
The best feature of this trek is an almond-shaped Tarsar Lake. It is one of the largest alpine lakes in Kashmir. It has a twin lake called Marsar Lake. The two are separated by a small mountain.
The trek is about 50km in distance and has the highest altitude of around 4000m. This highest altitude one reaches when going to Marsar Lake.
The trek is mostly done in 7 days starting the acclimatization day at Aru valley. Aru village forms the base of this trek and the village is base to some other beautiful treks like Kolahoi trek and Harbagwan Trek. The entire trek of Tarsar Marsar falls in the Lidder valley of Kashmir.
The best month to do this trek is from mid-June to mid-October. The lake is mostly covered with some snow in June and you will have to walk on snow on some patches to finish this trek. From July onwards, the trek has no snow and is purely a summer trek.
Duration for the trek
The ideal duration for the trek is 7 days. This gives you the best acclimatization for your body. There are chances of mountain sickness if you shrink the itinerary.
Tarsar Marsar has many exit points or the points from where you can end this trek. The most frequently followed itinerary makes it start from Aru and end in Aru. However, you can end the trek towards the Sindh valley at Sumbal via Sonos Pass or you can end the trek at Gund via the famous Yemhar Pass.
Best Features of Tarsar Marsar Trek
Alpine Lakes: The Lidder valley has many alpine lakes. However, in this trek, you will see only three lakes. The first one Tarsar Lake comes on your fourth day of the trek. The trail towards the lake is definite with no risky patches. The next lake one sees in this trek is a small yet beautiful Sundersar Lake. This lake one sees on the fifth day of the trek. Then on the same day, one sees Marsar Lake. A big lake that drains its waters to Srinagar via Dachigam National Park. There are other lakes in the surroundings of the trail, however, to see those lakes one needs to add another day to the itinerary. The other lakes like Zedsar etc are in the vicinity of the trail.
Wavy Meadows: This is one of the best attractions of this trek. The meadow walk starts just from the first day of trekking. From Aru, just a 5 km jungle walk takes you to the lush meadow of Lidderwat. This is a vast meadow that has the famous Lidder river passing through it. The river is rushing and wide. The meadow goes into the lake towards your left as you walk. Further, on your fifth day, after crossing the Tarsar Ridge, you will go into the beautiful meadow that has mountains on both sides.
Gradient: Another best feature of this trek is that it is not a difficult trek. A person with a fair level of fitness can easily do it. Even if you are a beginner, you can do this trek. It also does not need you to be a pro trekker or someone with the technical know-how of mountaineering.
Camping Locations: Tarsar Marsar Kashmir Trek has the best campsites. Imagine camping in the vicinity of the beautiful Tarsar Lake. In Lidderwat, your campsite is in the middle of the lush meadow that has a river on its left and the mountains surrounding it. This is the best campsite in a meadow.
