Cruising on the newly built Highway, we crossed multiple tunnels and enjoyed chit-chatting and listening to music while taking short rest breaks in between. We reached Jibhi late at night, a quaint hamlet in the lap of Banjar Valley, near Tirthan Valley in Himachal Pradesh.
We had overshot our stay and had to take a U-turn on the narrow road. The owner was waiting for us at the gate. He welcomed us and showed us our stay. He asked us to get fresh so that fresh cooked food could be served. As it was already 8:30 pm, we were famished from the long drive. The food was delicious and we had both veg and non-veg options.
While having food, we talked to the owner to gather information on how we should proceed tomorrow. We booked a cab to Jalori Pass and Serolsar Lake trek for ₹2000. We were advised to go with the cab as the decline while returning is very steep and there have been recent incidents of brake failures as well. So we decided to trust our lives with the professionals of the mountains.
Before going to sleep, we hopped around our stay, watching stars at night that made the sky look magical. We also posed around the cafes to click star trail and bright stars visible to the naked eye.
Starring late night at the sky with beautiful star all over kept us awake late.
We had a late start that day, because we stayed up late the night before to watch the stars. It was such a magical experience to see the sky full of twinkling lights. We slept like babies and woke up refreshed and ready for a new adventure.
We had a hearty breakfast at our hotel and then took a cab to Jalori Pass, the starting point of our trek to Serolsar Lake. The ride was thrilling, as we climbed up the winding roads and felt our ears pop.
We reached Jalori Pass around 10:30 am and started our trek. The trail was well-marked and easy to follow. We had to walk for about 5.5 km, which took us around 3 hours. The scenery was breathtaking, with pine forests, meadows and streams along the way. We also met some friendly locals who encouraged us by saying that the lake was just 30 minutes away.
As we were nearing the lake, we saw some dark clouds gathering in the sky. We quickened our pace and hoped to reach the lake before it started raining. But we were not so lucky. Just when we were about 500 meters away from the lake, it started hailing. We ran for cover and found a small shack that sold maggi and momos. We ordered some hot food and waited for the hailstorm to stop.
After about 20 minutes, the hail stopped and we resumed our trek. We finally reached Serolsar Lake and it was worth all the effort. The lake was a clear blue color and surrounded by alpine trees. There was a small temple dedicated to Budhi Nagin, the mother of 60 Nag deities who live in the lake. We paid our respects at the temple and then sat by the lake for some time. We felt a sense of peace and calmness in that place.
We decided to head back before it got dark. We retraced our steps and reached Jalori Pass around 5 pm. There was a viewpoint near the entrance of the pass that offered a 360 degree view of the mountains. We decided to watch the sunset from there and it was a spectacular sight. The sky turned into a riot of colors and the mountains glowed in the golden light.
We took some pictures and then boarded our cab back to our hotel. We were tired but happy after a memorable day. Serolsar Lake was one of the highlights of our trip and I would recommend it to anyone who loves nature and adventure.
Will update Day 3 and Day 4 shortly....