Dhauladhar Hidden Lakes Trek

Dhauladhar Hidden Lakes Trek (07 Nights / 08 Days)

Dharamshala

The average Height of the Dhauladhar mountain range is approx. 3500-6000 m. Dhauladhar region has been predominantly covered with snow for a whole year. Though you will find rich flora and fauna in lower ridges, any nature lover will fall in love with these ranges. You will find a lot of Rocky Mountains, granite, slate & salt stones on the upper ridges of Dhauladhar. This is not an easy trek as there are a lot of steep inclinations, which makes it tricky, and you need to be very careful when you are trekking out here. There are seven amazing eye-boggling inter-connected lakes: Nag Dal, Lam Dal, Kali Kund, Kareri, Chanderkoop Dal, Sukh Dal and Dam Ghodi Dal. These are hidden in the Dhauladhar ranges, and on every lake, you will find locals living on either side of the lakes; Kangra & Chamba Valleys. This trek is at a moderate level, where you will pass through Indrahar pass (4342 meters) to reach Lam Dal (3960 meters). En route, you will keep on finding Rhododendron and Oak forests, serene lake-side camping, spectacular views of the Punjab plains and the Dhauladhar and Pir Panjal ranges which will make the experience on this trek by itself one of the amazing ones.

There are seven amazing eye-boggling inter-connected lakes: Nag Dal, Lam Dal, Kali Kund, Kareri, Chanderkoop Dal, Sukh Dal and Dam Ghodi Dal. These are hidden in the Dhauladhar ranges, and on every lake, you will find locals living on either side of the lakes; Kangra & Chamba Valleys. This trek is at a moderate level, where you will pass through Indrahar pass (4342 meters) to reach Lam Dal (3960 meters). En route, you will keep on finding Rhododendron and Oak forests, serene lake-side camping, spectacular views of the Punjab plains and the Dhauladhar and Pir Panjal ranges which will make the experience on this trek by itself one of the amazing ones.

Destination	Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh
Departure	McLeod Ganj, Himachal Pradesh
Best Time to Visit	May to November
Included	07 nights of accommodation in handpicked hotels (A single room will attract an additional supplement). Meals as mentioned in the program. 01 experienced guide to provide local knowledge and support. Snacks and soft drinks for each day’s ride. Tourism Scouts India water bottles to keep. Litter Bag. A mountain bike with full mechanical assistance and spare parts. Ground transfers as planned in the private vehicle program (if required). Team: Mechanic, cook, Support vehicles driver, English-speaking tour leader, assistants. A support vehicle to carry luggage, Stocks, Spare parts, etc. Luxury Van (Tempo Traveler) will be all the time as a backup for taking a group from one place to another. If a guest decides not to ride, relax for the rest of the tour. First Aid Kit and Oxygen Canister: for in case of emergency.
Excluded	Any kind of taxes. Airfare and transportation to and from the trip pick up / drop off locations. Lodging before and after the trip. Personal items purchased during the trip. Optional activities not scheduled by Tourism Scouts India. On select trips some meals are not included. On these trips, Trek Travel invites you to explore the local cuisine at your leisure.

You will reach McLeod Gang Square in the morning and be driven to Gallu Devi Temple. This is where you will start your trek toward Triund. It's a 4-5 hrs hours for 09 km and an altitude of 2850 meters. En route, you will pass through dense forests of oak, pine, rhododendron & deodar trees. It's a gruel ascent trek except for the last 1 km, which is a steep ascent, and utmost care is needed when you reach here. Triund is a flat meadow on top of the ride, and you can witness one of the scenic & panoramic views. On one side, it's the Dhauladhar ranges, and on the other, it's Kangra valley. Once you reach Triund hill, overnight stay in alpine tents /guest houses.

After breakfast, you will head towards Lahesh Caves, which is 06kms away, and you need approx. 4-5 hrs to cover this. Lahesh Caves is situated at an altitude of 3475mtrs. Your journey starts with a very short ascend from Triund; you must pass through a ridge to reach Laka Got, where you will find a temporary shepherd camp. Unfortunately, Laka Got is located on top of the glacier, which keeps melting; by the time it's monsoon, this place goes away. Therefore, you need to take a steep walk to ascend from Laka Got to reach Lahesh Caves; this will be approx. 2.5kms. Once you go to Lahesh Caves, stay overnight in camps/tents.

It will be an early morning for you today as you need to cover a longer distance, so you must start early. Today you will be going to Nag Dal, and en route will pass through Indrahar Pass (4342 meters). It takes approx. 7hr to cover 08 km. Later today, you will be facing the real test of patience and strength. The initial journey to Indrahar Pass is a steep incline and takes approx. 4-5 hrs to reach here. This will be the highest point that you will be crossing today. It is being advised that you cross Indrahar pass as soon as possible to avoid acute high-altitude sickness. When you reach the top of Indrahar Pass, you can view the peaks of the Pir Panjal range of the central Himalayas. Once you cross Indrahar pass, there is a descent which will take you to Nag Dal and should take approx. 03 hrs. Nag Dal is a famous lake where hundreds and hundreds of people take a dip every year and worship Nag devta out here on the occasion of Janmashtmi (this should be Nag Panchmi). You will set up a camp ahead of Nag Dal and stay overnight here in camps/tents.

After breakfast, you will head towards Dham Ghodi Dal (3700 meters) via Chanderkup Dal (4100 meters). It's a 06km trek and will take you around 07 hrs to cover this distance. Reach Chanderkup Dal; it will take 3 hrs and is at a distance of 3km. Chanderkup Lake (Moon Lake), as the name suggests, looks very beautiful at night, and you can see the shadow of the moon falling into Lake, making it more attractive. You will find ice blocks floating around in the Lake, and due to this, some people call this an Iceberg Lake, too; it is usually frozen until May. After taking a small break, you will continue towards Dham Ghodi Dal. It will take another 3 hrs to cover a 3 km distance. While the water of Dham Ghodi Dal flows from the Dhauladhar towards the Kangra valley into the Beas and towards Chamba, it forms the drainage to the Ravi. Dham Ghodi Dal is the prominent Lake comprising the basin. Overnight stay in alpine tents.

Today after breakfast, you will head towards another lake called Lam Dal. It will take approx. 4-5 hrs to cover 2.5 km to reach Lam Dal (3900 meters). Today's route is steep climb & rocky, which makes it risky, and utmost precaution and care are needed. One of the biggest lakes of Dhauladhar and the second largest in Himachal Pradesh and has a circumference of 2.5 km. One of the sacred lakes is worshipped as lord shiva's home. Many devotees come here to take a holy dip at the time of Shivratri. Overnight stay in tents.

Today will be an easy trek for you. First, you will go towards Naghar via Kali Kund, which will take 4hrs to cover 08 km. Naghar is at a 3250-meter altitude. Naghar is a small Glacier Lake and one of the most beautiful campsites. This spot is one of the base points for Minkiani Pass and is also referred to by some people as Minkiani Got. Midway after 3 km, you will stop near Kali Kund, where you will take a little break. It’s an easy and gradual descent, so you should not face any trouble, considering you have already crossed and covered rugged terrain to reach here. Once you arrive in Naghar, stay overnight in tents.

You need to brace yourself for one of the longest days that you need to travel upon. We will head towards Kareri Lake via Minkiani Pass (4343 meters). Approx; you will take 07 hrs and a journey of 08 km to reach Kareri lake, which is at an altitude of 2935 meters. You will be climbing the huge Minkiani pass, which has giant rocky boulders with steep inclines; once you cross this, you will reach the other side and witness beautiful Kareri Lake. Kareri lake is located at the base of Minkiani pass and is a small lake surrounded by mountains, making it more attractive. Overnight stay in camps/tents.

It will be an easy and downhill trail for you to reach Kareri village, from where cabs will pick you up to take you to Mcleod Gang. It should take approx. 5 hrs to cover a distance of 10 km. This brings us to the end of the journey. The complete trip was full of beautiful memories and destinations you have covered in the last few days. We are sure this will make you nostalgic as now you will be out of serene natural surroundings and back to the noisy, fast-moving life of the city. Though, as it's being said, the journey matters, not the destination, and we hope that you join us again with another beautiful trail living this nomadic life for some days.