The trekking route begins from Sonamarg and continues right up to Shekdur. Along the way, you come across pine trees, lush pastures, mountains and glacier streams. You will also cross silver birch forests and encounter several boulders, climbing which will require additional effort on your part. Finally, you reach Nichnai Valley. The altitude of Nichnai Valley is 3,500 meters.

Today we started our trek after breakfast crossing a stream and then ascended towards the Nichnai Pass. As we ascend, the whole Nichnai valley opens up behind us and there on the left is a small glacial lake-a small taste of things to come ahead on the trek. After crossing Nichnai we descend reaching a flat riverbed with a stream on our right side. A further half an hour walk through a beautiful meadow takes us to our campsite in Vishansar. This the first big alpine lake on our trek. Named after Lord Vishnu, this lake is around a kilometre across. On the far end one can see the small glaciers that feed this lake.

Vishansar Lake and its twin, Kishansar Lake are such mesmerising creations of nature that a whole day is best kept to explore their beauty. Kishansar is located only half a kilometre away from Vishansar, at the base of Kishansar peak. It would also let you catch your breath halfway through the trek and get acclimatized to the surroundings. Today would be perfect to notice how the two lakes change colour over a day. In the early morning, they reflect the redness of the dawn. During the day, when the sky is clear, the lakes are blue striking blue in reflection and on overcast days, they are a dark, murky grey. Fishing of trout is a popular activity in the lakes but you will need a special permit from Srinagar to do that.

Today is probably one of the prettiest days on this trek and the longest. Crossing Vishansar, we gradually ascend towards Krishnasar,the other great lake on this climb up to Gadsar. Kishnasar named after Lord Krishna is about the same size as Vishansar and slightly prettier. All these lakes are classified as Oligotrophic lakes(with low organic content and a greater level of oxygen these lakes have very clear and drinkable water). After crossing this beautiful lake we climb towards Gadsar Pass.

Being the trek by crossing the stream and following the trail that climbs up the mountains. The terrain starkly resembles that of the Western Ghats here. You can see the river valley and tree line right beneath you. It is a level walkthrough Maengandob, a place identified by its iconic, deep craters. The riveting views of the mountains and valleys take your breath away. Satsar is a cluster of 7 beautiful lakes On the right side, just next to the ridge is the Satsar army check post, where some ID proofs must again be shown. The first Satsar lake appears 10 minutes away from the army post. Camp overnight at Satsar.

The trail starts out as a mild ascent, alternating between ascents and descents. Reaching the targets Satsar lake takes about a half-hour, and the trail essentially involves hopping over boulders. This lake is the last one for the trek. The trail begins descending now as a lovely forest appears on the left. The trail is an undulating one throughout. As you reach the top for a ridge atop 13,400 ft., you can see the two beautiful lakes side by side, out of which the biggest one is Gangabal, accompanied by Nandkol. The route climbs up and down yet again followed by a stiff descent, which lasts for 1.5 hours and brings you to lush, green meadows. Another kilometer into the trail, the tree line springs up again. A short climb followed by a quick descent brings you to the lake. You can see that Nandkol lake, right at the foot of Mt. Harmukh, is not nearly as untouched and clean as the other lakes of the trek. A lot of trekking residue can be seen scattered along the sides as the trek from Naranag to Gangabal is a famous weekend trail. You can try to clean up if you want here, making sure it is in a better condition than when you had found it. Gangabal is merely 20 minutes away from Nandkol, and the two are linked by a whispering stream which must be crossed via a bridge. Camp overnight.

The trail to Naranag is steep. It is very important that you protect your knees and walk slowly taking small steps. This descent is long and arduous, partly because the village seems so near yet takes hours to reach. Naranag is a small picturesque village. Next to the village our the remains of an ancient hindu temple complex dedicated to Lord Shiva, built by the 8 century Kashmiri ruler Lalithdatiya Muktadiya. After reaching Naranag you can catch a cab back to Srinagar which is around 2-hour from here.