Kashmir’s mountains are connected by valleys, passes, foot trails of ancient shaped by survival, and grazing routes instead of just tourism. They are not stitched all along by roads. Each pathway you trek here, takes you to some specific valley and its specific community with their specific purpose that they have been serving long before these backpackers and their itineraries came. With your each step on these trails, you are allowing yourself into a landscape where culture was decided by geography and where nature has always been a home – not a backdrop.
Now let’s take you to a journey of Kashmir valley’s the most soulful trails, each existing with its own reason, stories and rhythm: tarsar marsar trek, tulian lake trek, tosamaidan trek, pir panjal lakes trek, warwan valley trek, nafran valley trek, brammah valley trek and marchoi trek.
Tarsar Marsar Trek: The Seasonal Spine of Lidder Valley
Great Lidder Valley, a place famous for sustaining pastoral lives for centuries, is witnessed through the tarsar marsar trek. These trails have always been route to seasonal migration for Gujjar and Bakarwal communities, creating pathways to help them move from lower villages like Lidderwat or Aru to villages at higher altitude for summer pastures.
Deep rooted beliefs today here were born by the experiences that lived in it for example, a shift in weather around Marsar Lake was like a signal to locals and herders who used to avoid their stays nearby shore. This unpredictable alpine weather can be sensed and warn locals of its untamed nature and hence, Marsar Lake has always been treated with caution. On the other hand, Tarsar Lake has always been safe, open and easily accessible, making it a natural basin to rest at.
Even today, open meadows and campsites seem as if designed by the ancestral guardians who knew this land deeply.
Tulian Lake Trek: A High Glacial Bowl Above Pahalgam
Route to the tulian lake trek, back then famous among hunters and mountain scouts, has never been for seasonal shifting. It’s snow heavy terrain and steep climb along with loose scree have always been unfit for migration or grazing.
The tulian lake trek goes straight up to a remote glacial area from Pahalgam. This unbelievably cold Tulian lake stays as an ice ball even in the summer, and sits tightly in between these rocky walls.
Its environment still raw and untouched, where cold feels sharper, silence is louder and place almost dramatically made of ice at such a high altitude is preserved due to its isolation only. This tulian lake’s trek still far away from human lives is what sets it free and keeps it alive.
Marchoi Trek: The Quiet Pastures of Sindh Valley
The marchoi trek situated at the stretches of Sindh Valley, far away from the tourist flow of Sonamarg, is still lesser known and explored. Shepherd families used to live here in shelters made of stone and turf for weeks, as it was historically necessary summer pasture where sheep and horses used to graze.
This valley, abundance of water, lying in grass still fertile and safe from harsh winds does not lead to elsewhere crossing through high passes, which is why it could never become a route for transit, no trade or large movement for shifting of goods was possible.
Marchoi trek feels so overwhelming and intimate today, a place where soul’s free, wildlife isn’t afraid and the landscape that can be described by only word ‘stillness’. A valley that lets you slow down and still appreciates your heart without asking you to chase a milestone.
Nafran Valley Trek: Geography That Chose Isolation
The nafran valley trek is known as one of the most enclosed valleys in the geographic history and is situated near Aru village. Nafran is wrapped and sealed in such a way that it has blocked all sort of routes for transiting by high ridges. Hence, it is also was preserved by nature itself from trading and back then was considered as underdeveloped valley due to no connector.
Shepherds preferred peak of the summer season as the way to in and out were limited and tasks such as supplying was dependent upon the weather stability. Hence, tasks were executed cautiously in this valley and passers kept it in mind from where they are going and what could be the circumstances.
For trekkers seeking complete sense of detachment with a land stretching endlessly yet silently, they should definitely see what the nafran valley trek has to offer.
Warwan Valley Trek: A World That Learned to Sustain Itself
The warwan valley trek is for those wanting to travel one of the most self-sufficient places still unexplored by many in Kashmir. Snowbound passes kept Warwan valley secluded for almost six months in a year. Out of necessity villages situated there or nearby had to develop a deep sense of what we call agricultural planning where they had to plan and sustain food items for upcoming six months of winter.
Warwan has always been endured but merely courage was gathered to pass through this valley. Traders, messengers and infact local travellers used to see entering into Warwan as some serious threat over their life. This fear can still be sensed lingering in their voice.
For modern trekkers, it is a feeling of expansion to their soul mixed with a sense of power when they trek through the warwan valley. A landscape of grasslands, river crossing by and village homes made of woods, that used to keep in showcases can be lived here.
Brammah Valley Trek: The Rugged High Ground of Kishtwar
Close to Kishtwar is a valley called Brammah valley reflecting way crueller side of Himalayan region. The communities belonging to this region were the toughest among all. Slopes so steep, temperature so harsh and terrain so rough, didn’t let many lives to live and lives left had to survive every single day of their life.
There are only a few histories you’ll get to hear by these communities because most of their energy and time were spent in surviving and that left little to no room for passionate storytelling of Brammah Valley.
Time, strength left and weather are the actual decision maker for locals but still Brammah has been rarely challenged and highly respected region of Kashmir.
To experience actual wilderness trekkers should try the brammah valley trek.
Tosamaidan Trek: Where Power and Pasture Coexisted
One of the largest alpine meadows in the Kashmiri region is led by the trek of Tosamaidan trek. Long before Mughal rulers started using this piece of heaven as their hunting grounds and sometimes picnic spots as if their summer camp, Shepherds used to bring their flocks here for grazing.
The whole Tosamaidan is shaped by locals and their needs and royals with their presence. Its history has an openness with a unique scale because vastness of this place allowed royals and locals to share the same grassland just at different timelines.
‘Liberating’ is what one feels on the tosamaidan trek. As far as your sight could reach and beyond, there’s only a valley free from any passage any wall , just under the sky as open as it is.
Pir Panjal Lakes Trek: Waters Treated With Reverence
These high-altitude lakes passed by the pir panjal lakes trek has never been a site famous for camping or resting, instead according to local belief systems, this place was a seasonal indicator about the climate, changes in weather and grazing cycles and also used to signal snowmelt.
These lakes are till date reserved having no to minimal human interaction which eventually preserved its purity because these lakes are believed not to be disturbed in order to maintain its natural balance and has been strictly followed since then by communities.
Even today, the rarely found sanctity has been maintained so well that it actually shows on the pir panjal lakes trek, offering a sense of solitude with peace.
Local Life Along the Trails
While trekking on the routes of tarsar marsar trek, marchoi trek, nafran valley trek, and warwan valley trek, you’ll experience slowly entering into the life of folks which is till date shaped by centuries of seasonal movement and climate change. These local lives keep on going and doesn’t take a break even for travellers.
On the trails of the pir panjal lakes trek and tosamaidan trek, you can see Shepherds with their sheep and horses around alpine pastures. The cultural noon chai with a pinch of salt, served directly from weathered kettles, is a taste you’ll crave lifetime but will find here only. Infact, trekkers passing by the tulian lake trek and the warwan valley trek are offered food and shelter in exchange for nothing by the local families.
Children here love to observe the tourists out of curiosity and everyone in family is set with certain responsibilities according to weather and daylight such as the Children go to school and play meanwhile women manage home independently and elders are responsible for reading the wind direction, mountains and patterns of snowfall.
Season dictates life here, unlike routine in plains. Everything and every task has to be aligned with nature and its cycles, mornings with sunlight and wrap up the day with early evenings. When trekkers pass through the brammah valley trek, they realize the peace appearing in remoteness is actually living in present and being grounded, from which modern life has come disturbingly way far from.
Permits, Safety, and Responsible Travel
Due to the ecologically sensitive regions, specifically the remote side of the pir panjal lakes trek, the brammah valley trek, and the warwan valley trek, permits are necessary for protection of not only visitors but residents too.
While passing through the trails of the tarsar marsar trek, nafran valley trek, and tulian lake trek, local guides become more serious, attentive and critical towards tourists and even tourists are also respectful towards these guides because no map or app can replace their knowledge and ability to read weather or terrain. Local guides also break cultural barriers and introduce these travellers to the traditions of the region and their practices respectfully.
Trekkers should appreciate this opportunity and show respect by being responsible because these trails aren’t just playground for adults. Waste material should be carried back, silence of environment shouldn’t be compromised, avoid plastic and campfires should be as limited as possible because these valleys might be an adventure trip for travellers but it has been an only source of livelihood for locals. Hence, tourism shouldn’t be bargained at the price of local survival.
Best Time to Walk These Valleys
The best time to trek on the trails of tarsar marsar trek, marchoi trek, warwan valley trek, and pir panjal lakes trek typically runs between June to September and it should be kept in mind that each month brings out a totally different experience in a unique way.
High-altitude routes are available around the late June, where snow is melting, swelling the rivers and meadows finally coming in sight out of snow.
For the experience of stable weather and intense greenery decorated with wildflowers and sheep and horses grazing, July and August is the most suitable time for trekkers.
For the landscape of thin brown and golden hue, minimal to almost none tourist crowd, clear skies and that solitude where nights are colder, September introduces stillness.
Why These Trails Stay With You
Trails such as the tarsar marsar trek, tulian lake trek, tosamaidan trek, pir panjal lakes trek, warwan valley trek, nafran valley trek, brammah valley trek and marchoi trek aren’t something materialistic that you can achieve and win. It’s just an experience that only you can live and the amazing part is the stillness you’ll discover here, won’t let go of you even after completion of the journey.
These places show that how we are supposed to live with nature not against it. When you’ll return back from this journey, nothing will be same, an immense respect for simplicity in your heart, stories of these valleys and silence of stillness in you, shapes you into a totally different person, in a good way.