After navigating through canopied green forests, you emerge out in vast, extending meadows, One can easily spot shepherds with their flock of sheep, horses, mules, cows, buffaloes or even friendly mountain dogs who tend to trek alongside you, keeping you a great company amidst nature. The Chandrela temple up ahead in the meadows usually offers a resting or pit stop for trekkers to catch their breath or have lunch. The last stretch of the trail is a steep ascend to the final destination, Kareri Lake. Every ounce of energy and effort spent to arrive at this magical place is worth it. A huge, freshwater lake amidst rugged mountains with greenery and wind in your hair, nothing beats a splendor like this.
Best Time
& Weather to Visit Kareri Lake
Kareri Lake lies in the Dhauladhar Himalaya, which is the closest range touching the plains of Himachal and Punjab. The lake is the source of River Nyund in the district of Kangra, Himachal Pradesh. Kareri Lake can be visited for many months in a year and within a short time being so close to the metro towns of Delhi, Gurgaon, Chandigarh, and cities of Punjab. Let's break this very important information down to subparts so as to understand the weather when we intend to visit the lake. Our whole experience depends on when we are visiting the Kareri lake
Monsoons - rains start from the months of July and lasts till September mid. Monsoons in the Dhauladhar Himalaya are quite infamous and notorious with high wind factors hence one should be very careful when venturing out in the monsoons to the Kareri lake. The rainfall also is very heavy hence ideally the visiting Kareri Lake should be avoided in the monsoons and these months.
The weather is also humid throughout the day and night. Most of the time the skies are overcast and they can stretch up to 2-3 days in succession also. Expect the temperatures to be hovering around 25-30 degrees in the day time and around 10-15 degrees at night
Autumn - As the month of September proceeds ahead, the showers recede and give way to clear blue skies. The mountains are lush green post monsoons and the valley is rich with flora & fauna. The rivers are brimming to their high-end levels and the meadows are a verdant carpet with tiny flowers blossoming. However, on the cons side is that post the rains, the foliage gets very dense and overgrown.
Expect the temperatures to be hovering around 25 degrees in the daytime and around 5-10 degrees at night. By October, the weather is spectacular and there is a crispness in the air. The cool breeze is welcomed by every traveler and the nights are chilly and experiential. It is a great time to visit Kareri lake with mild temperatures in the autumn months
Winters - As the month of November comes, it is the time for the winter to set in. The water levels in the river Khauli and River Nyund start to reduce and the weather gets cold at night, though the day temperatures are nice and cool. Expect the temperatures to be hovering around 10-20 degrees in the day time and around 0-5 degrees at night in November and December. It is a time when few trekkers like to visit Kareri lake as it starts to get a bit chilly at night.
But as they say that it is all about the wrong clothing and the weather is always right! It starts to snow by the end of December month and the snowfall can last till March first week just before the spring sets in. Don’t forget that it just takes the weather to turn around a bit and with the low temperatures it starts to snow. Make sure that your equipment, especially the tents, insulated carry mat, and sleeping bag are of very good quality for the winter trek to Kareri Lake.
Spring - March & April are the most brilliant months to trek to Kareri Lake. One can expect to see a lot of snow patches all throughout the trek route. The North facing slopes and the nallahs will have an accumulation of snow patches right till the end of June month also. Kareri Lake will have snow around the lake in the spring months of March & April. This is also the month when the Rhododendron trees bloom at their best. More than 11 colors of Rhododendron trees can be found on the trek route.
The flowers of the Rhododendron trees are also used to make medicines and local wine. The volume in the Khauli and the Nyund river also starts to increase as the snow starts melting in the glaciers of the Dhauladhar Himalaya. Expect the temperatures to be hovering around 15-20 degrees in the daytime and around 5-10 degrees at night in March and April months.
Summer - The months of May and June are the busiest when hundreds of trekkers can be seen trekking up to the Kareri lake. The day temperatures are usually around 25-35 degrees in the daytime and around 10-15 degrees at night in May and June months. It also usually rains almost every other second or third-day post-lunch as clouds swell up, hiding the views of the mighty Dhauladhar range. The volume in the rivers also swell up and as it rains, the water also starts to get muddy.
Kareri Lake
Trek Difficulty Level
The Kareri Lake trek is a moderate-level trek that can be enjoyed by almost anyone and everyone who is relatively fit and a good walker. The initial sections of the walk are relatively easy and as one starts to climb up, the gradient increases making it a moderate level trek. There are not many camping sites en route. If one is attempting through the Nyund River route, then the only campsite between Nolli camp and the Kareri Lake is at Reuti camp, which is also quite rocky with a lot of boulders strewn around. If one is attempting through Khauli river route, the trek is fairly easy and more scenic than the Nyund river route.
The enroute camp at Rehla between Salli village and Kareri Lake is very open, large, and picturesque. However, the climb from Rehla to Kareri Lake, though very short, is pretty steep and it takes around 3 Hrs to climb 3 km one way. Return trek down is fairly easy and a straight descent. The
Snow Monk Camp in Salli village is a permanent camp open throughout the year which can be used as a base camp to start the Kareri Lake. Both the trek routes are equidistant from the Snow Monk Camp
Can
Kareri Lake trek be organized in a Deluxe, sustainable and a more luxurious
manner?
If you want to visit Kareri Lake trek as a deluxe option, where one can start from an organized base camp with all basic amenities, lovely home-cooked food, comfortable living arrangements, good reliable local guides, then there is only one good option for this at present. Snow Monk Camp is about 16 kilometers away from Kareri Lake. It is known for its superior arrangement and deluxe camping arrangements. One has 2 options to choose to visit Kareri the Lake i.e. via Nyund River or Khauli River.
How to Reach
Kareri Lake - By Air, Train, Road, and approximate fares
Kareri Lake lies in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. Kangra is very well connected by air, train, and road. Kangra has its own airport and is well connected with daily flights from New Delhi. Since the airport is a small one, hence only ATR aircraft ply. Flight tickets if bought at least a month in advance can be sourced for appx Rs 3500.00 one way from Delhi. From the airport, the base camp for Kareri lake trek Snow Monk Camp in Salli village is appx 40kms away and it takes around 1:30mins to reach.
The nearest train station is Pathankot which is just 86kms away and it usually takes roughly 3:00hrs to reach the base camp for Kareri lake trek in Salli village. A sedan taxi dropping fare from the Pathankot railway station to Salli village will cost around Rs 3000.00. Overnight Volvo buses run daily from Delhi and Chandigarh. There is no need to go to Dharamshala or Mcleodganj to go for the Kareri Lake trek. One should get down at Gaggal chowk and then take a bus or taxi to Salli village. There are direct buses to Salli village from Gaggal Chowk and usually, it takes Rs 50 per person fare.
One can even fly into Amritsar and Jammu airports which are barely 4:30 hrs away from Salli village base camp. There are direct flights to Amritsar and Jammu from Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi, and Jaipur
Accommodation
at the Kareri Lake
There is no accommodation at the Kareri lake and one must make prior arrangements before venturing out for this trek. There is just a temple at the bank of the lake and some open shelters which are exposed to the wind factor and cold. Proper camping gear ideally should be taken up for a comfortable night stay.
From where
do the Kareri Lake treks start and how many routes are there?
There are 2 routes to attempt the Kareri Lake trek. One route is up the Nyund River from the Kareri village side and the other route is up the Khauli river from Salli village side. The Kareri village route is an old existing route which starts from Naddi descending down to Ghera village and via the Kareri village to Kareri Lake.
The route up Khauli river which starts from Salli village is an easier and more scenic and open valley trek route. A new road has come up now which connects both Salli, Nolli, and Kareri villages hence there is no need to start the trek from Naddi anymore.
One should start the trek from either Snow Monk Camp at Salli village or from the Nolli village. An advantage of the Khauli Valley is that there are other trek routes also which one can attempt like Druni Tal, Baleni Pass, Lam Dal Lakes and to the Boh valley hence giving the advantage to start treks from Salli village in Khauli valley.
Max. Altitude - 3000 M
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