Trekking in Kashmir - Offbeat Yusmarg (April 2016)

About Yusmarg

Scenic Yusmarg

There are a couple of legends surrounding the origins of Yusmarg’s name. One hints at ‘Yusmarg’ being a corruption of ‘Roosmarg’, or ‘meadow of the musk deer’. Another one comes from a belief that Jesus Christ spent some of his ‘lost’ years in India, and passed 
through Yusmarg, earning it the name ‘Meadow of Jesus’. It is believed by the natives that Jesus came to Kashmir and stayed at Yusmarg for some time. Located at an altitude of 2396 meters above sea level and set amidst the pristine woods and gorgeous panoramic vistas, this place reminds you of the painting you would have done as a kid in school. 

So Picturesque - Ideal for a painting. Lovely
cottages set amidst the meadows.

The drive to this place takes one thru breathtaking vistas being flanked by the orchards of apples, peaches and almonds.  It is an alpine valley covered with snow clad mountains and the meadows of Pine and Fir and located in the Pir Panjal Peaks, a sub range of Himalaya. It is situated at the bank of Doodhganga River which is a tributary of Jhelum River.

An Offbeat place away from the usual commercial touristy spots

This place looks pristine, hidden and unspoilt from commercial tourism. One can hardly spot any crowd here and there is only one restaurant in Yusmarg managed by the Jammu and Kashmir tourism department. 

The only restaurant built by the J&K tourism department

The Jammu and Kashmir tourist department has built lovely cottages on these meadows. In 2017, I had the opportunity to visit Scotland and Bhutan as part of my travels, and somehow, the beauty of both these places reminded me a bit about Kashmir. However its not fair to do comparisons as each place has its own unique beauty in different seasons and has its own culture.  

Lovely cottages dotted along the meadows.

My earlier visit to Srinagar as part of my Ladakh tour in July 2013 got curtailed due to a sudden civil unrest in the region and our entire group got caught in curfew and so we could do only a limited sightseeing in Srinagar in the evening after sunset for 3-4 hours when the curfew was relaxed. Luckily this was in the fag end of our main Ladakh tour which went off very well otherwise. So when I got an opportunity to do a full Kashmir tour in April 2016, which included Sonamarg, Gulmarg, Yusmarg, Srinagar etc , I opted for it.  

It was a rainy and misty trek for us at Yusmarg

After couple of hours of scenic ride by bus from Srinagar, we reached Yusmarg by 11 am. As part of the initial itinerary, we had planned on doing the Doodhganga trek also which is barely 2 km to the west of Yusmarg, and is a fast-flowing river named after the water that churns into froth when passing over rocks and an ideal picnic spot too. But as it was raining incessantly that day and so we decided to trek somewhere more close by. Actually it was an ideal day to sit inside cozily with such a scenic view around and just enjoy tea and other refreshments. And so though it was raining heavily, the trekkers in our group  decided to explore the place a little more while the others waited at the only Jammu and Kashmir tourist restaurant in Yusmarg having their tea and snacks. 

Our group taking in the beautiful vistas at Yusmarg

As we stepped outside the restaurant, we could see a few horses/ponies and their handlers waiting outside and pleading with us, the visitors, to take a pony ride. They are Gujjars - a nomadic community in the Himalayas who live in the mountains and rear sheep. During winters they migrate to the villages and in the summers they go back to the mountains. We were not inclined towards taking a pony ride but we decided to engage the services of the handler to lead us on a short trek thru the meadows. So it was the pony, the handler and seven of us who decided to explore this place a little more. 

Our Trek Leader(s) for the day

On the Trek Trail in Yusmarg

Part of the Trek Trail, with streams flowing..

On our trek path in Yusmarg 

One of our team members posing with a Gujjar..a really
misty and scenic day at Yusmarg

 

Oh..it's so misty..amazing vistas at Yusmarg...

On our trek trail...Sheeps grazing in Yusmarg..

On our trek trail..lovely Gujjar Girls posing for us

Loved the rainy and cold trek here in the middle of beautiful meadows with ponies grazing, crossing streams, slush etc due to rains, not to forget the hot tea that we had after the trek at the only restaurant here. But we had to cut short our trek due to incessant rains and didn't want to keep the other group members waiting endlessly for us. So we returned to the restaurant for tea and snacks which we relished more in the cold weather. After that we decided to head back to the bus and back to Srinagar where we were put up for the night.

On our way back we stopped by to click some beautiful pictures along the way of 

shepherds handling their flock of sheep.

The Sheep and their handler - They are Gujjars who
are a nomadic community.

The sheep and their handler..another shepherd
 handling his flock...amazing sights along the way at Yusmarg

We also stopped by to greet a group of Kashmiri children who were going to school. We asked them if we could take their snaps and they happily obliged and were also very happy to receive the chocolates we gave them in return.

These lovely school kids were as excited to see us, as
we were to see them

Lovely school kids posing for us on our way back..
and they loved the chocolates that we gave them in return

And thus ended one more of my lovely and scenic treks with amazing vistas and great memories to cherish for a long time...Happy Trekking...!!

Tip for my trek buddies : If you are planning a trip to Kashmir make sure to include this place in your itinerary.  YUSMARG IS A TREKKER'S PARADISE.

A Monsoon Night Jungle Trek, A Walk in the Clouds & A Fireflies Show - June 2015

Late Blog....
If the Monsoons are here can trekking be far behind! Ah...we not only love the rains so much but trekking in the rains as well! Sharing experiences from my Rajmachi Trek done in June 2015.

About the Place 

Rajmachi (Udhewadi) is a small village in the rugged mountains of Sahyadris in India and falls between Lonavala and Karjat. It can be reached from either places. The fortification at Rajmachi consists of the twin forts, namely Shreevardhan fort and Manaranjan Fort. There are many trek routes one can take to reach Rajmachi and depending on the route taken the trek duration can range from 4 hours to 6 hours. We took the shorter but arduous route which involves a steep climb via the Kondane Caves passing thru dense forests.

Monsoon Vistas..Clouds gather along the way to Rajmachi

Local Travel 
Part of the team met at CST and took the fast train from CST to Karjat where the entire team met. Some group members joined us in the train from various other stations as per their convenience.The train was jam packed that day and the other passengers were venting out their anger on us as we had our bagpacks with us and the train was too crowded that day. People from Mumbai who travel often in trains can relate to this scene. Once we reached Karjat, which was a great relief from the maddening crowded train, we took the local transport (local rickshaw) to get to the Base Village, Kondivide. As soon as we sat in the rickshaw the rains started splashing and the first rains are always an amazing experience where you see the greenery start to come alive. At Kondivide village we had our tea and refreshments and after that the usual round of introduction of the entire team. In all we
were around 60 trekkers. Tea, Refreshments and Introductions done, we started our trek to Kondane Caves thru the wilderness.

After Tea and Refreshments the customary Group Introduction Round

Trekking our way to Rajmachi

A glimpse of the trekking route

Reaching Rajmachi via Kondane Caves
It takes 3 hours to reach Rajmachi or Udhewadi village from the base village. It is advisable to carry 2-3 litres of driking water per person. In all we had three stopovers, the first being the beautiful and serene Kondane Caves located in a small village, Kondana, between Lonavala and Karla Caves. The caves were excavated in first century B.C. Took a break here and spent time here for some photo-ops. We started our trek again and as we approached darkness we were stopped in our tracks by tiny yellow lights blinking over our heads and as we reached a clearing we could see thousands of fireflies fluttering above.

A glimpse of Kondane Buddhist Caves, our first stopover

Another Glimpse of Kondane Caves

 

Nice  photo-op at the Kondane Caves

Heading towards Rajmachi

The Fireflies Show 
One of the main added attractions of Rajmachi is the fireflies show that you get to witness in the dark dense jungle. Its like an open air theater and feels like hundreds of small search lights popping out of the trees. Could also see some fireflies hovering above our heads and it feels like a small shooting star zooming over you. Its a must watch, but this phenomenon happens only during the pre-monsoon period. Best time is from June 1-15 before monsoon deepens. Make sure to put off your torches to get the best view (that's why I don't have a fireflies show pic as even cameras can spoil the show). I guess we went at the right time as the monsoon had just started and the weather was extremely pleasant for trekking and we could see the fireflies show as well. Probably a week later and we would have missed the fireflies show. But as the monsoon advances one can get to see awesome waterfalls. We reached Rajmachi at 9:30 pm. We also had a birthday celebration for a fellow trekker and that went past midnight.

Beautiful views along the way....

Night Jungle Trek 

An awesome experience trekking in the night thru dense forests with only searchlights..it is quite thrilling and exciting...should say, made me a fan of night treks.

Food & Camping at the base village 
Enjoyed the dormitory type camping experience and the food was APRATEEM(too yummy).  We were treated to some awesome Kande Pohe and Chai for snacks and an equally yummy Thali food for dinner. Typical yummy village food and that too in the rains....a perfect combination! We slept only for a few hours after midnight before we were woken up by our trek lead again at 5:00 am.

Kande Pohe and Chai time at the Base Village...Yummy! Yummy!!

Beautiful lake near the base village...beautiful views along the way...

A Walk in the Clouds to Shreevardhan Fort 
Next day we all got up by 5am and freshened up a bit before starting our trek from Rajmachi to Shreevardhan fort by 5:30am. The early morning trek from Rajmachi to the top of Shreevardhan Fort turned out to be a WALK IN THE CLOUDS. Perfect weather. Superb experience. We skipped Manaranjan fort. Reached the Shreevardhan top by 6:30am. View from the top was awe inspiring.
We could locate Lonavala, Pawna Dam and The Duke's Nose from the top.  By the time we descended we were engulfed in fog and it drizzled a bit every now and then. After a breakfast of Pohe along with Chai, we took leave and started our descent from Rajmachi. An appetizing lunch awaited us at Kondivide Village. Post lunch we started our trip back to Mumbai.

And there is The Dukes Nose, a favorite rapelling point with Trekkers.

View of Rajmachi from Shreevardhan Fort

On top of the Shreevardhan Fort! What a View!!

Clouds begin to envelop the Mountains..View from Shreevardhan fort..Amazing vistas...!!

Group click on top of the Shreevardhan Fort!!

And Finally the Grand Group Click..after the Trek!! Happy Trekking!!

A Monsoon Night Jungle Trek, A Walk in the Clouds in the Sahyadris and a Fireflies show. Can a trekking experience get any better...Happy Trekking....:)