Tulian Lake Trek Guide (My 2-Day Hike From Pahalgam)

If you only have two or three days to see the mountains around Pahalgam, Tulian Lake is still the trek I would pick. It climbs from thick pine forest into huge green meadows, then finishes at a blue alpine lake tucked under a wall of rock and snow.

I did the two-day version in 2022, not long after arriving in Srinagar, and was completely blown away. Kashmir does not exactly ease you into its scenery.

You will see the name written as both Tulian and Tullian. I am using Tulian here because that is the more common current spelling; the lake remains equally difficult to spell after hiking to it.

The Short Version

The simplest version is an overnight trek from the Pahalgam side. Walk through Baisaran and Kanimarg, camp in the meadow country, climb to the lake early on day two, then come all the way down.

It is short by Himalayan expedition standards. It is not an easy little wander. The lake sits high, the upper trail is rough, and day two asks quite a lot of your knees.

First, The Current Kashmir Warning

Heads up: New Zealand SafeTravel currently says do not travel to Jammu and Kashmir because of terrorism and ongoing violence. This article records my 2022 trek; it is not a current all-clear. Check the advisory, your insurance, local restrictions and trail access before making any booking.

That warning matters here because this is not a fenced tourist walk. You are heading beyond Pahalgam into remote mountain country where access can change quickly. I would use a local guide even in a calm period, and I would listen if they said the route was closed.

Getting To Pahalgam

The Jammu and Kashmir Tourist Development Corporation puts Pahalgam about 95 km, or roughly two and a half hours by road, from Srinagar. I would arrive the afternoon before rather than trying to combine that drive with the first climb.

Sort your guide, food, tent and sleeping gear before you start. There are pony routes and several local names for the meadows and camps, so do not panic if your operator’s exact itinerary looks slightly different from mine. The useful question is where you are sleeping and how much climbing lands on day two.

Day 1: Pahalgam To Kanimarg

The first day leaves the noise of Pahalgam surprisingly quickly. The route climbs through forest before opening into the Baisaran and Kanimarg meadows, with ponies grazing, shepherd camps dotted across the grass and mountains filling every available gap.

Some people call this area mini Switzerland. I remember announcing that it looked better than New Zealand, which was perhaps a bit disloyal for a Kiwi who had only just arrived. It really was that good.

The best moment had nothing to do with the big view. We met local shepherds and I exchanged some of our rice with their kids for fresh goat milk. Warm, very fresh goat milk, halfway up a mountain. Yum!

That is the bit I still think about. Not a polished cultural experience or something organised for tourists; just a small trade while everyone got on with their day.

You can go at least part of the way by pony. I would walk. Aside from being the whole point of coming, it lets you take the day slowly and avoids adding another nervous tourist to an already busy animal track.

Tip: Ask your guide exactly what is included at camp. Tent, sleeping bag, mat, dinner and breakfast are normally operator questions, not things to discover as the sun disappears behind Kanimarg.

Day 2: Kanimarg To Tulian Lake And Back

Day two is where the trek earns its reputation. The green valley tightens, the trail gets steeper and the soft meadow walking eventually gives way to rock. Start early; you still have to reach the lake, enjoy it, then lose all that height again.

The final approach involves loose ground and boulders rather than a neat path. At roughly 3,684 metres the altitude is also doing some of the work, especially if you have come straight from Srinagar as I did. Slow down, drink, and tell your guide if a headache or nausea is building rather than trying to be heroic.

Then the lake appears. Cold blue water, chunks of snow lingering around the bowl, mountains rising almost straight behind it. There is no cafe, railing or grand arrival moment. You clamber over the last rocks and suddenly it is just there.

Give yourself time at the lake. The descent is long, but racing up for one photo rather misses the reason you carried yourself all the way there.

How Hard Is The Tulian Lake Trek?

I would call the two-day route moderate to hard. You do not need technical climbing skills, but you do need fitness for sustained uphill walking, confidence on uneven rock and enough left in the tank for the descent.

Two days sounds compact, but that is a fairly useless way to measure a mountain. Short and easy are not the same thing, particularly above 3,500 metres.

Altitude can affect fit people too. A guide can adjust the pace and help make the call to turn around, but they cannot make altitude illness disappear. Descending is the important response when symptoms worsen.

The Guide I Used

I went with Zabarwan Adventures and would use them again. Rupin was guide, driver, mountaineer and cook rolled into one, and somehow good at all four.

That is a much more useful recommendation than pretending I tested every operator in Kashmir. Message them with your dates, ask whether Tulian is currently open, and get a written list of what the price includes. Transport from Srinagar, pony support, camping gear and meals can change the quote substantially.

When To Go

Summer into early autumn is the normal trekking window, often roughly June to September, but snow and local access matter more than a date copied from a blog. Early in the season the upper approach may still hold serious snow; later, rain or an abrupt weather change can make the rocks unpleasant.

Ask a Pahalgam guide what the trail is doing that week. Pack for a cold night even when town is warm.

What I Would Pack

I would not build a pharmacy from a generic internet packing list. Take your normal personal medication and get medical advice about altitude medication from someone qualified, especially if you have not trekked high before.

Where I Would Stay In Pahalgam

My one clear post-trek pick is Welcomhotel Pine N Peak on Aru Road. I did not stay there, so I am not going to pretend this is a secret personal discovery. It is simply the Pahalgam hotel I would book when the plan is a hot shower, a proper breakfast and one very lazy day after coming off the mountain.

If you only need a bed before the trek, save the money and ask your guide for a simple central guesthouse. Pine N Peak makes more sense on the way back, when a sauna starts sounding like a basic human right.

What To Do After The Trek

Stay in Pahalgam that night if your schedule allows. A shower, an enormous dinner and a morning beside the Lidder River are all better than folding yourself straight into a car back to Srinagar.

If Kashmir is the start of a longer trip, my Srinagar to Leh road guide explains the shared-taxi journey and why I stopped early at Lamayuru. Give yourself a recovery day first. Your legs have already had quite enough transport.