Monsoon is a magical season! The trees proudly wear their coat of green, the clouds look menacing, yet beautiful in their grey armor and waterfalls spring to life everywhere in the mountains.
While most treks become slippery during monsoon, or are prone to cloudbursts, here's our pick of 10 treks across the country which are amazing in the monsoon:
1. Kashmir Great Lakes Trek, Kashmir
This trek will take you through some of the most beautiful landscapes in the country, and make you feel like walking through a painting or a movie. Every day has new vistas- towering mountains, rolling meadows, gurgling springs and a new alpine lake to look forward to each day!
Discover 7 alpine lakes- Vishansar Lake, Kishansar Lake, Yamsar Lake, Gadsar Lake, Satsar Lake, Nandkol, and Gangbal Lake on this trek. Drive from Srinagar to Naranag or Sonamarg to reach baase camp.
Route: Naranag-Gangabal-Satsar -Gadsar-Vishnusar -Nichnai -Sonamarg
Total Trek Distance: 75km
No. of days: 7-8
Trek Difficulty: Moderate-Difficult
Maximum Elevation: 13800 ft
Best Time: July to mid-September
Check out Riyanka's experience of Kashmir Great Lakes Trek, here.
2. Tarsar Marsar Trek, Kashmir
This is another trek which takes you into the alpine valleys of Kashmir, and is one of the most beautiful treks in the country. It gives stiff competition to its sister trek-Great Lakes Trek. It leads you to discover 3 alpine lakes- Tarsar, Marsar and Sundarsar. From the quaint village of Aru to the clearings of Lidderwat, the rolling green mountains to the amazing alpine lakes, each setting on the trek is a visual canvas that'll leave you awestruck! Drive from Srinagar to Aru to reach base camp.
Route: Aru-Lidderwat-Shekwas-Tarsar-Sundersar-Marsar-Homwas-Aru
Total Trek Distance: 48 km
No. of days: 7-8
Trek Difficulty: Moderate
Maximum Elevation: 13165 ft
Best Time: July to beginning of September
3. Valley of Flowers & Hemkund Sahib Trek, Uttarkhand
Valley of Flowers is perhaps the most popular monsoon trek in the country. Located in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, tt takes you through a natural bouquet with flowers blooming all around you. The riot of colors is such a pleasing sensation, and you'll feel like you are walking on a natural carpet. Couple this with a trekking pilgrimage to Hemkund Sahib, a gurudwara built around the setting of an alpine lake surrounded by 7 mountain peaks. Drive from Rishikesh to Govindghat to reach base camp.
Route: Govindghat-Poolna-Ghangaria-Valley of Flowers-Ghangaria-Hemund Sahib-Ghangaria-Govindghat
Total Trek Distance: 40 km
No. of days: 6-7 days
Trek Difficulty: Moderate
Maximum Elevation: 14107ft
Best Time: July to September
4. Hampta Pass Trek, Himachal Pradesh
Hampta pass is a beautiful and dramatic crossover trek in Himachal Pradesh. On one side, the lush green valleys of Kullu dotted with flowers and meadows will disarm you. On the other side, the arid landscapes of Lahaul stand in stark contrast, with barren mountains and hardly any vegetation. On this day, you can witness a variety of contrasting landscapes such as waterfalls, glaciers, waterfalls, high altitude lake and rocky paths. Drive from Manali to Jobra to reach base camp.
Route: Jobra-Jwara-Balu ka Ghera-Shea Goru via Hampta Pass-Chhatru-Manali(drive)
Total Trek Distance: 25 km
No. of days: 6days
Trek Difficulty: Moderate
Maximum Elevation: 14065ft
Best Time: June to September
5. Beas Kund Trek, Himachal Pradesh
This trek takes you to the source of the river Beas. If you remember the paintings from your childhood days, where a river would flow from between the mountains, surrounded by green grasslands on both sides, then this trek is a perfect setting for revisiting it. In the lush green grasslands around Manali, is the emerald lake which is the origin of the Beas river. Drive from Manali to Dhundi to start the trek.
Route: Dhundi - Palchhani Thatch - Lohali- Beas Kund and Lady Leg-Bakarthatch/Lohali-Bakarthatch/Lohali-Dhundi
Total Trek Distance: 6 km
No. of days: 4 days
Trek Difficulty: Moderate
Maximum Elevation: 12772 ft
Best Time: Mid June to September
Check out Travel Beings' experience of Beas Kund Trek, here.
6. Bhrigu Lake Trek, Himachal Pradesh
Bhrigu Lake is a mythological lake, named after the famous saint Maharishi Bhrigu who is believed to have sat in deep meditation here. The trek to Bhrigu lake has one of the prettiest grasslands on offer, during the entire trek, stretching along like a rolling green carpet as far as the eyes can see. The mountains of Pir Panjal and Dhauladhar make for a majestic sight. The wild horses, grazing sheep and wildflowers dotting the grasslands give it a surreal quality, almost like a picture postcard. Drive from Manali to Gulaba to start the trek.
Route: Gulaba -Jonker Thatch- Rola Kholi- Bhrigu Lake- Rola Kholi- Gulaba
Total Trek Distance: 26 km
No. of days: 4 days
Trek Difficulty: Moderate
Maximum Elevation: 14009 ft
Best Time: June to September
7. Kudremukh Trek, Karnataka
Kudremukh is located in the Western Ghats, in the Chikmagalur district of Karnataka. Kudremukh literally means horse’s face in Kannada, and is so named because of the distinctive shape of the peak. It leads you through rolling greens and misty valleys, and the monsoon makes many streams and waterfalls come alive.
Route: Forest Office-Ontimara 2(Lone Tree)-Final Stretch-Kudremukh Peak
Total Trek Distance: 18 km
No. of days: 2 days
Trek Difficulty: Moderate
Maximum Elevation: 6207 ft
Best Time: June-February
8. Sinhagad Fort Trek, Maharashtra
This is a short trek near the city of Pune. The fort is steeped in history and connected with the story of Tanaji(made famous by the bollywood biopic). You can visit Tanaji Malusare's memorial here, along with those of a few other warriors who died in the battle of Sinhagad. Monsoons give new life to the place, as the low lying clouds make the trek experience heavenly, and munching on chai and kanda bhajis in the rain is definitely and out of the world experience. Also try ZHUNKA BHAKRI, a local dish.
Route: Katraj to Sinhagad fort
Total Trek Distance: 16 km
No. of days: 1 - 2 days
Trek Difficulty: Easy
Maximum Elevation: 4320 ft
Best Time: June to October(for best views). Otherwise it can be done throughout the year.
9. Andharban Trek, Maharashtra
Andharban literally means 'Dark Forest'. Andharban is a trail through dense forests, with beautiful views of the Devkund waterfall, Plus Valley and the Tamhini Ghat. It is a descending trek – it begins at an elevation of approximately 2,160 feet in the Sahyadri mountains and descends down to reach the backwaters of the Bhira Dam.
Route: Pimpri village to Bhira Dam
Total Trek Distance: 13 km
No. of days: 1 day/ 1 night(4-5 hours)
Trek Difficulty: Easy-moderate
Maximum Elevation: 2160 ft
Best Time: June to September(for best views). Otherwise it can be done throughout the year.
10. Bhimashankar Trek, Maharashtra
Bhimashankar trek takes you into the heart of the Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary, and is a bliss for nature lovers. It is an adventurous trek, with rock climbing, ladders, stream crossing, all rolled into it. During the tre, a lot of native fauna is also visible, like birds, langurs, and spotted deer.
Route: Khandas to Bhimashankar via Shidi Ghat(ladder) in 3.5 hours or via Ganesh Ghat in 4 hours. 2 hours required for descent
Total Trek Distance: 7-8 km
No. of days: 1 day (4-5 hours)
Trek Difficulty: Moderate
Maximum Elevation: 3050 ft
Best Time: June to September(for best views). Otherwise it can be done throughout the year.
