Kareri Lake Trek – Kareri Lake is located at about 2,950 meters altitude in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh situated in the majestic Dhauladhar Himalayan range. If you are looking for a trek that fulfills all your exciting aspects, then Kareri Lake Trek is the perfect option for you. As you move towards Kareri Lake, it greets you with the gusts of chilly winds with beautiful scenery full of nature giving one a great trekking experience.
This exciting trek to Kareri Lake starts from Kareri village, which takes you through the village. Along the way, you will find dense forests and the Nyund river flowing along your trail, making your journey exciting. The Dhauladhar Himalayan peaks covered with snow are visible during the trek, and if you trek to the Kareri Lake in the spring, it is completely covered with snow.
Some trekkers prefer to trek in snow, so the route towards the Kareri Lake is an ideal option for snow-loving people in springtime and even snowfall can be experienced. Kareri Lake remains completely frozen in the winter. As one approaches Kareri Lake, you come out of the green canopied forests across a vast meadow where you can see many shepherds grazing sheep, mules, cows, buffaloes and horses along the lake. Mountain dogs are also seen in these meadows, and these dogs mostly accompany you on your trekking journey.
Enroute your Kareri Lake trek, molst trekkers stop to catch their breath at the Reuti camp and take a little rest after having their lunch. Some people also stay at the Reuti camp and then proceed to Kareri Lake the next day. The first view of the Lake revives all the energy lost and all your effort on this magical trekking trip is worth it. The magnificence of this freshwater lake situated amidst the rugged mountains leaves you mesmerized.
Kareri Village Homestay
Kareri Lake is a freshwater lake located north of Kareri and Nolli villages. Both villages are located in the Kangra district of Himachal, a small village rich in nature. It is popular for its trekking trip to Kareri Lake. If you are planning to go on Kareri Lake Trek, then it is advisable to rest for one night at Kareri Village Homestay so as to acclimatize before trekking, get good information about the trek and experience the local people and their culture.
The homestay accommodation is comfortable and clean with delicious home cooked food. Especially when you plan to visit Kareri Lake trek in the winters and spring, Kareri village homestays are an ideal option to spend the first night before heading out. These houses are warm during winters, having comfortable accommodation and hygienic food. In the homestay, you will get delicious home-cooked hot food, as well as you can enjoy sipping hot tea sitting near the bonfire.
If you combine the Kareri Lake trek with a homestay, it will be a great combination of adventure, learning about cultures and customs and boosting their local economy. All homestay rooms offer the necessary comforts with beds, pillows, blankets, electricity, common modern western toilets and hot water provided by solar geysers. When you book the Kareri Lake trek with Snow Monk Camp,
your revenue will provide employment opportunities to the locals through nature-based tourism and the much-needed economic sustainability needed in these regions. Your bookings will support the principles of Sustainable tourism promoting community based tourism. Choose community based tourism while discovering local habitats, respecting traditional cultures, rituals and heritage while fostering community-based tourism and conservation.
Best Time to Visit Kareri Lake
Kareri Lake is the source of the Nyund River in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. This lake is located in the Dhauladhar Himalayan range, which segregates the adjacent border of Himachal and Punjab. Kareri Lake is close to the cities of Delhi, Gurgaon and Chandigarh, making it an ideal weekend getaway with trekkers coming here throughout the year.
Kareri Lake in Autumn
After monsoon the sky becomes blue and clear, with lush green cover all around the mountains, new vegetation and flowers appearing on the mountains. The water of the river and streams are at its high level, small flowers are blooming in the meadows. The day temperature at Kareri Lake at this time remains up to 20 °C, and the night temperature is around 5-10 °C. By the month of October the weather becomes spectacular, with a chill in the air. This season is a fine time to visit Kareri Lake, as the weather is pleasant during the day, with nights a bit chilly, but the weather is ideal for all trekkers.
Kareri Lake in Winters
The winter season starts from the month of November. The water level decreases in the Khauli and Nyund Rivers. The night weather starts getting cold, the day weather is also good. From November to December the day temperature ranges from 10-20 °C, and the night temperature ranges from 0-5 °C. The Kareri Lake trek is also preferred in the winters but one has to be prepared to visit Kareri Lake with the right clothing and gear. By January, snowfall starts here, which continues till February. In winters, one must use good quality equipment, especially tents, insulated carry mats and sleeping bags and we provide the same.
Kareri Lake in Spring to Summer
Spring season is an ideal time to visit Kareri Lake. During the months of March to June, you can get to see a lot of snow patches on the route. One will get to see glaciers frozen in the north facing sections even till the end of the month of June. In the months of March and April, snow accumulates all around Kareri Lake. Rhododendron trees are in full bloom along the route from Kareri village to Reuti camp. Where more than 11 colors of rhododendron trees are found on this trekking route.
Rhododendron flowers are also used to make local wine and medicine. As the summer starts increasing, the ice of the Dhauladhar Himalaya slowly starts melting, due to which the volume of the rivers starts increasing. In the months of March and April, the day temperature is around 15-20 °C and the night temperature is around 5-10 °C. The summer season starts from the month of May and June, when most trekkers come trekking to Kareri Lake, making it a bit crowded. The day temperature in this season touches 30-35 °C and the night temperature ranges from 10-15 °C. These months it also rains every second or third day in the afternoon.
Kareri Lake in Monsoon
The rainy season in the Dhauladhar Himalayas is from July to mid-September. This season sees rains and a lot of strong winds. Because the rainfall here is very heavy, one should avoid trekking here during this time. The weather remains humid throughout the day, mostly during this season the sky remains cloudy.
Kareri Lake Trek Difficulty Level
What is the difficulty level of Kareri Lake Trek? Kareri Lake is a moderate level trek, ideal for all new and experienced trekkers. The initial trail from Kareri village to the Nolli bridge is easy and as the trail progresses along the Nyund river, the difficulty level increases as one progresses further up. There are no places to camp en route till the Reuti Camp, which is just 5 kms before the lake. At the Reuti camp, there are many large boulders scattered and the camp is spread over various levels, unlike a meadow.
Routes options for the Kareri Lake Trek
For people who have more time, after reaching the Kareri Lake, there is also an option of climbing the Minkiani Pass for the fit trekkers. The climb to the Minkiani Pass is almost a 1000 Mtr stiff climb taking almost the entire day over moraine and boulders, recommended only for the experienced ones.
One can also make this as a circular trek by adding one more night. From Kareri Lake, we can customize the trail and descend into the Khauli valley at the Daled camp. It’s a steep descent and the trail then becomes very simple leading down to the Chandrela Temple. After staying at the Chandrela temple, we can descend down to Salli village taking around 3 hours and carrying onwards to home destination. From Salli village it is 20kms down to Shahpur town which is on the Pathankot – Kangra state highway.
How To Reach Kareri Lake
There are many options for reaching Kareri Lake. There are daily flights from Delhi to the Kangra Gaggal airport, with ATR aircraft operating here. One should book a flight ticket at least 45 days in advance with the cost of a flight ticket being about Rs 2500-4000 one way depending upon the season.
The nearest railway station to Kangra is Pathankot, from where the distance to Kangra is about 86 kms, from here it takes about 3 hours to reach Kareri village. To go from Pathankot to Kareri village, a 4 seat taxi cab can be booked for around Rs 3500, 6 seat innova for appx Rs 4500 and a 11 seater Tata winger for about Rs 7500 one way.
Apart from this, one can book a Volvo bus that runs overnight from Delhi and Chandigarh to Dharamshala. You don’t need to go to Dharamsala or Mcleodganj to go on the Kareri Lake trek, as one will get down at Gaggal Chowk. To go to Kareri village from Gagal Chowk, a 6 seat Tata Sumo can be booked for appx Rs 3500 one way and we can assist in booking the taxi.
