Kareri Lake Trek- Fresh water lake in Dhauladhar Range ( Dharamshala) -

Trek Distance : 9 kms
Altitude: 9626 ft.
District: Kangra
State: Himachal Pradesh
Best time: -may to October ( avoid heavy rain time)
How to reach: Chandigah-Dharamshala-Ghera village- Kareri village.

About the Place

Kareri Lake is a freshwater lake situated in the Dhauladhar range approximately 9 kilometers to the northwest of Dharamshala in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. Kareri lake is considered one of the seven holy high altitude lakes in the Dhauladhar range. For lovers of trekking, Kareri Lake is an incredible trekking destination. The trek is of easy to moderate difficulty level and can be completed in 2 days.
I visited Kareri Lake twice in November and December, and the experience was fantastic on both occasions.

You can also watch vlog on my youtube channel– Kareri lake winter trek

Day 1 I made the decision to trek to the lake by Solo in December 2021. My journey began in Amritsar. I travel to Pathankot the day prior to my trek. Pathankot is located 100 kilometers away from Amritsar, and that’s where my relative’s house is. I spend the night in Pathankot and the next morning start my journey to Shahpur. Boarded a bus heading to Shahpur from Pathankot at 5.30 from Pathankot Bus stand.

Arrived in Shahpur at 7 AM and then boarded another bus to Sally Village. I arrived at Sally’s village at approximately 8:30 in the morning. The distance from Sally to Kareri base is only 6 kilometers. I had already informed the local trek organizer Vinod about the trek to Kareri Lake before going there. He picked me from Sally village and brought me to a homestay for a little rest.

We began our trek to Kareri Lake around 1 PM. It’s December and a weekday, so there are no other hikers on the trail today. The trek begins with a challenging ascent of about 1 km with stairs, before entering the jungle section. There are water sources available during the trek, so there won’t be any problems with obtaining water. The path to kareri lake is truly spectacular.

We arrived at Reoti at around 4 PM after a 4.5 km trek. There is a single shop that offers both food and stay options. I also know the shop owner, who goes by the name Babblu. We enjoy Maggi noodles here and plan to spend the night in Reoiti. Babblu also organizes a bonfire for the evening. December is so chilly. We ate our dinner, took some photos, and then went to bed.

Day2 : Greetings from kareri Lake this morning. We woke up at around 7 AM and ate our breakfast (Aloo k paranthe). We began our journey towards the kareri lake. Kareri lake is approximately 5 kilometers away. A mountain dog accompanies us on the kareri lake trek.

Mountain dogs are fantastic companions on numerous hikes they accompanied me on. The temperature was extremely low as we approached the lake. We arrived at the kareri lake at noon.

During December, the lake was nearly completely frozen. Near Kareri lake, there is a temple dedicated to Shiva. We visited the temple and captured stunning photos and videos of the incredible Kareri Lake. The lake was surrounded by frigid weather and the scenery was absolutely incredible. Reaching your destination feels incredible. We allocate 30 to 40 minutes by the lake.

It’s time to head down to kareri village. We reached at the kareri village at approximately 4PM. I am grateful to Vinod for being an incredible guide and trek organizer who assisted me in completing my solo trek. He drove me to Sally village from where I took the bus to Shahpur. I arrived in Shahpur at approximately 6 PM and proceeded to take a different bus to Pathankot.

You can also watch vlog on my youtube channel- Kareri lake winter trek