Sonamarg - Vishansar and Krishansar Lake Trek
A high-altitude out-and-back to the twin alpine lakes of Vishansar and Krishansar, the first major highlight of the Kashmir Great Lakes route
No reason has been recorded. Closures here are usually snow, a damaged crossing, or an order restricting access — check locally before you travel.
Closed · 3–4 days
- 3–4 days
- Duration
Season window
Turning round at the lakes instead of crossing Gadsar Pass keeps this out-and-back viable a little later in the autumn than the full Great Lakes traverse, but early-season walkers still meet lingering snow on Nichnai Pass and may reach lakes that are still partly frozen.
Next in season from September.
Route & trail
No surveyed route yet.
This trek has not been digitised, so there is no map, no elevation profile and no checkpoint list for it. Everything else on this page is editor-checked information about the walk itself.
Safety & conditions
Permits
Trekking permission issued through the J&K Tourism Department (Tourist Officer, Sonamarg)
No permit is published for this route by name. It shares its Sonamarg/Shitkadi approach and its first stage with the Kashmir Great Lakes trek, and the Ganderbal district administration has ruled that **all trekking permissions in the district are issued exclusively by the Tourism Department**, through the **Tourist Officer, Sonamarg**, who shares details with the Police and the Army. Operators list "trekking permits" as a package inclusion without naming the authority. Carry a government photo ID with photocopies for army checkpoints. A separate **fishing permit** from the J&K Fisheries Department is needed if you plan to fish the lakes. **Status warning:** the post-2025 freeze on Kashmir high-altitude trekking permits was reported as covering the Sonamarg approach; no source names this shorter route as separately closed. Confirm with the Tourist Officer, Sonamarg before travelling.
NOT OFFICIALLY VERIFIED — CONFIRM BEFORE YOU TRAVEL
Getting there
Gear checklist
0 / 25CLOTHING
GEAR
SAFETY
MEDICAL
The Kashmir Explorer app keeps the same checklist on your account and inside the offline Trek Pack.
About this trek
This trek follows the opening stage of the Kashmir Great Lakes route from Shitkadi near Sonamarg, climbing through Nichnai valley and over Nichnai Pass before descending to the twin lakes of Vishansar and Krishansar at around 3,710 metres. Separated by a narrow ridge, the two lakes sit in a wide glacial basin ringed by peaks. Most parties camp near the lakes before retracing the route back to Sonamarg rather than continuing on to the remaining Great Lakes.
Photographs
No trekker reports yet.
Conditions on this route change week to week. If you walk it, a short report on pass snow and river levels genuinely helps the next group — reports are posted from the Kashmir Explorer app.
Where this data comes from
On the trail
The Kashmir Explorer app is where a trek stops being a page and starts being a walk.
- Offline Trek PackRoute, checkpoints, itinerary, safety, permits, gear and a corridor of map tiles, downloaded to your phone.
- Offline GPS navigationFollow the route with no signal, with your position on the line.
- Live trek sessionStart the trek, track progress checkpoint by checkpoint, and pick it up where you left off.
- Off-route alertsThe app watches your GPS against the route and warns you when you drift off it.
Prepare this trek on your phone before you leave signal. The trek, the route and the numbers are identical to this page — one catalogue, one Official Route.