Kareri Lake

Kareri . I don't know what it means but I find that word very interesting. I came across this place when I was looking for a winter trek . I wanted a short one as I didn't have many vacation days to spare. Many suggested Triund . Triund was very popular one day trek but I wanted a place that isn't much popular. So after some research I decide to visit Kareri Lake .

Kareri is a tiny little village in Himachal. It has a fresh water lake surrounded by Dhauladhar ranges. Inspite of Dharamshala being a very touristy place, Kareri Lake has remain untouched and that's what makes it a perfect offbeat trek.

I booked a guide in advance before reaching Dharamshala. I will tell about how to spend one day in Dharamshala in a different blog maybe.Our guide picked us up from Dharamshala town and we headed towards Kareri Village on day 1.

Kareri Village is the starting point for this trek. It was a scenic drive to Kareri. But there was no road at one point . So we were stranded in the middle of nowhere for sometime. Our guide suggested going back taking a different route and trek Triund instead . But I really really wanted to go to Kareri only and thankfully so were the fellow trekkers . We walked a little bit ,crossed the broken road and took a van from the other side. Pretty exciting start to the trip huh?

The route to Kareri village is looks very peaceful. Very few vehicles on the road as well. Since the village had a good amount of snow fall the previous day, we could reach only ill a certain point in the vehicle.After that we walked to our guide's home. It was a tiny preview for the trek . The guide's family was very warm and nice to us. We were planning to leave for the trek after lunch. I was in total awe of the place. It has freshly snowed the previous night. So the entire surrounding was wrapped in a while blanket. We had a very simple yet delicious meal and started our trek by late afternoon.

This trek is labelled as easy to moderate. I was finding it really hard to not fall every five minutes given my history of falling down even in summer treks. The village was extremely quiet as we hiked through. We didn't come across any other trek groups. It was just 7 of us including the guide. Needless to mention this the trek route had breathtaking views which forced us to stop very often to take pictures (while I stopped to catch my breath!) .

After an hour of trekking ,weather completely changed. It was moody and the sky was dramatic. We saw the place in totally different lighting now and it was so stunning.

Our guide wanted us to move faster as he was predicting it might snow. He also said there was a shop ahead where we can eat something and relax. That kept me going. I was really looking forward to a steaming hot plate of Maggi.

We reached a bridge shortly and that place was absolutely gorgeous and guess what ? It started snowing. We took a break to enjoy the snowfall and the 360 deg view . Unfortunately the shop was closed so no Maggi. Now our guide was doubtful if we will be able to reach the lake. So we decided to go as far as we can. The trail was getting a little challenging from here.

So far there were houses here and there but now it was only the mountains and us. There came a beautiful stream and there were just boulders on the stream. I had no clue how to cross that . I really thought that was it. I wish I had taken a picture to show you. But I was too panicked to do anything. I still have no idea how I crossed that stream to and fro. I guess I did it because of a momentary courage.

After an hour or so it started snowing again. It was snowing heavily this time so we had to take shelter under some huge rocks for a while. At this point we all were really worried that we might not be able to reach the lake today. We were already walking in almost knee depth snow and near the lake it might be even more deeper. Few villagers who were returning back advised us not to go any further. So we just started looking for a place to camp.

We were blessed with snowfall so many times during this trek. Just as we were setting up our tents it started snowing again. The evening light and the snowfall made the place truly like a dreamland. While our guides were prepping for dinner we had nothing much to do but sit and enjoy the snow fall with a hot cup of soup. What is this life ?! It rewards us these small magical moments to compensate for all the challenges it throws at us ?

This was first time proper camping experience for me. I had mixed feelings about it. I was really wondering if I will get any sleep inside the sleeping bag. It was getting colder and colder . So you know what's coming up next. Yes , it was campfire and random singing. After a simple dinner and anktakshari session we were off to our tents.

Oh man it was so cold. I couldn't come out of the tent even for a minute. I was also unable to sleep in that temperature. I was freezing. I also got mountain sickness and puked the entire night. I don't mean to scare you by saying all this. Just be prepared whenever you plan a trek. On the bright side I stayed outside the tent for while due to the puking and the place was insanely gorgeous in the moonlight. After hardly getting any sleep I was worried about how I will trek the next day.

It was bright and sunny the next morning. But we still couldn't go to the lake. We decided to go to the base after breakfast. You have to appreciate the guides and helpers. They make you feel comfortable with limited resources available . It might not be gourmet food but definitely good enough .

After a plate of hot Maggi and cup of chai we started climbed down. It was easier as weather was pleasant. I took only about half an hour to cross the stream which I talked about earlier. And we reached the base camp right on time for lunch. After a typical pahadi lunch we were all set to go back to Dharamshala. And we had a really long drive ahead to Amritsar after that .

I bid goodbye to Kareri with a heavy heart and promised to come back again soon to visit the lake next time!