The art of budget traveling- Kareri Lake and Snowline

I started my journey(solo trip) from Chandigarh (ISBT 43). I booked a ordinary(Himachal roadways) bus which departed at midnight and I reached Dharamshala,next morning. The bus journey took around 7 hours. It wasn't very comfortable ride and if you aren't used to traveling in a Roadways you will find difficulty in falling asleep.

After reaching Dharamshala, I took the local bus to Mcleodganj and from there I walked to Dharamkot and had a breakfast at Himalaya Tea Shop which costed me less than 150 bucks

After starting from Dharamkot, it took me around 2.5 hours of continuous walking to reach Triund.

Morning of Day 3 started with rain followed by clouds which brought breathtaking views.

From the waterfall I went to Laka Glacier, it was fun to explore around without any hurry.

By the afternoon of day 4, I reached Bhagsu Nag. Took a different route(trail) from Triund to come back, this trail was less crowded and offered better sights than the usual trail and terminated at Bhagsu Nag.

From Bhagsu Nag I walked back To Dharamkot and stayed in a Home-stay for 700Rs. I decided to explore the cafas around the area.

After resting for a night in Dharamkot, I decided to do one more Trek- Kareri Lake Trek.

Coincidentally, the Cafe(Chillax) in Dharamkot where I chose to have breakfast was managed or owned by a guy from Kareri Village.

He offers a package of 2500Rs/day which includes A to Z , from transportation to accommodation in Kareri village, but I found it way too expensive and decided to do everything on my own.

There are 2 ways to reach Kareri village at a affordable price - get a bus to Ghera Village from Dharamsala. From Ghera Village you can get a Public taxi(Jeep) for Rs30 .

The other way way is to walk till Ghera village(not advisable). From Mcleodganj you walk to Tingle Board (2-3Kms), then to Dal lake which is a tourist spot and then to Satovri village (4Kms). From Satovri village there is a trail leading to Ghera Village (5-6 Kms of Descent), you have to pass through 2-3 Villages before reaching Ghera. I walked from Dharamkot to Ghera, amidst the rain and I was the only person using this route. This is not advisable unless you are physically very fit and ready to take on challenges.

I reached Kareri village around 3pm to find a bright sun in the sky as I was hoping for.

Morning of my day 6 , I started the trek after having breakfast. The trek is steep with number of steps in the starting, there are two ways to start initially which eventually merges to one.

There number of waterfalls and 3-4 shops in the way, so there is no need to worry about the water, you will get plentiful.

When I reached the destination- Kareri lake and watched it from my own eyes, it felt magical. No words or picture can describe that feeling, it felt almost like it wasn't real. You have to be in that place to witness the magical bliss the lake gives. Sublime Beauty.

I went all around the lake and clicked pictures from every angle I could, before my phone's battery died.

So, just witness the beauty as much as you can

I spent my night at the lake and decided to head towards Minkiani pass the next morning, I befriended a group of 6 people who belonged to Palampur, HP and shared the same interest of going as far as they could.

After I took the picture above my phone switched off. I reached Kareri village at around 5Pm and decided to stay one more night in the peaceful village.