Warwan Valley Trek

The first day of trekking takes you first to the shimmering Panikhar Nallah. The trail walks parallel to this nallah and then crosses the bridge and goes to the other side of the nallah. The trail for the trek begin from the Chalong river point and is extremely easy with a flat gradient. A few minutes into the journey, the view of Panikhar village disappears behind you and a wider section of scenery unfolds in front of you. Throughout the day we walk on the right-hand side of the lustrous Chalong river. Once we cover a distance of 3 km, we see small streams of mountain springs crossing our path. This is our first source of drinking water for the day. The landscape after 3 kilometers gets broader. The barren lands gradually change into lush meadows and the trails take some minimal turns. As we continue walking on the meadow section for another 2 hours, we enter the luxuriant region of Denora, our campsite.

On this day there are many river streams you will have to cross. These multiple streams that are close to each other take around half an hour to cross. The water is cold and makes your feet numb. Panikhar Nallah is in your vicinity. This valley has another shepherd settlement. Meaning of Kalapari - Kala -black, Pari - Rock. (Most of the glaciers here are covered with black sand and dust). Easy-Moderate. A few river crossings from Denora campsite and gradual ascent. Take an acclimatisation hike to the glacial lake.

The most challenging and adventurous day of the trek. Initial ascent to reach the alpine lake followed by a glacier walk led to a steep ascent to the pass. You will have to start early in the morning. After having a hearty breakfast, gear yourself for the tough trek day. The glacier trekking here does not need any equipment other than trekking poles. This is quite a safe maneuver. The trail goes through moraines. we cross a quaint old cave called Na-Mithung. (Na meaning ‘no’, Mithung meaning ‘sky’). In the ancient days, there used to be a cave where the shepherds would camp out. It was so deep that even the sky wouldn't be visible. Now, all you can see are the remnants and rubbles inside it. The depth was filled due to landslides and cloud bursts.

After the glacier walk, the trail leads to the valley. After this valley is another glacier, you will be walking on the moraines and then get below the Kalapari mountain. Shortly after his glacier, you will have to ascend towards the pass. The pass stands at an altitude of around 14,550m. You will see multiple lakes on your way most of them almost frozen. Large snowfields lead out from the pass. They are gently sloping and easy to walk on. Get on to the snowfield in front, keeping a general direction towards the valley opening towards your right. It takes about half an hour to get there. On your right, a large lake, almost frozen, is in your view. There is a steep boulder section that can be difficult to negotiate as you descend. This is until you get close to the opening of the valley. At the opening of the valley, you get your first view of what lies in store on the other side. It takes over hours to descend through the moraines to get to the edge of the glacier and a faint upper grassy area. It is another hour of descent through very rough moraines before you get to the basin of the river that emerges from the bottom of the glacier. Although the trek is challenging, the campsite is rewarding. This is the patch of heaven here.

This day is long with continuous ascents and descents dominating the trail. From Kaintal the trail goes alongside the river and passes through shepherd huts. The trail has many river streams till Humpet. he terrain is full of small pebbles, light-colored flowers, and a subtle hint of brown boulders. About 1 hour into the journey, we cross a couple of streams. The adventure and thrill here is amplified by the glacial water. The river crossing from the river basin was just a sample. The icy vibes of the Kaintal stream holds the ability to jolt you back to your senses with a merry dance thrown into the deal as a bonus! As we cover more distance, the land automatically shuffles between grass, rocks, and slush. A major section of the path runs parallel to the massive river stream. Once you cross a distance of 10 km, the snow-capped peaks of the Ladakh range fade into the distance and a small range of the Kashmir valley appears with a punch of vibrancy. The basin and the land next to it get wider and wider with every kilometer. There is one famous grassland called Sar grassland. Post this grassland, the bracken glacier is out of view. A couple of hours of the trek after the Sar grassland, you get the view of the Humpet. Humpet gives you a contrasting view of both Kashmir and Ladakh. To the west are far-stretching lush mountains of Kashmir and to the East are barren mountains of Ladakh.

Today is the day we finally enter the Warwan Valley. The gradient for the day is moderate with a few steep descents and gradual ascents. Here, get ready to be surprised by the golden brown rodent, marmot. Not one, not a few, you can spot more than 100 signaling each other from a distance. These adorable beasts playfully run across the rocks and cross your trail. Keep your cameras ready, a few might even pose for you. The valley gets wider, denser, and greener from the bridge. The trails are partially paved across several boulders, waterfalls, and tree line. We frequently toggle between forest areas and clearings here. About 2 hours and 5 km from the bridge, the space expands to give us a glimpse of the lush Sukhnai village from a long distance. On our way to Sukhnai, we cross several interesting shepherds of Kashmir.

Our pre booked vehicle picks us up from Gumri to drop us at Srinagar by the late evening. It is around 200 km and should take close to 8 hours to reach Srinagar from Gumri. It would be ideal to stay for the night and plan your return journey the next day.

If the weather will be not good then we will use buffer day at any day else move towards next camp. For all your travel plans include a buffer day to accommodate bad weather on the trek/political instability. This depends completely on the circumstances on the trek and situation in Kashmir.  

Note: Please plan your travel back to your city from Srinagar on the 9th day of the trek