Gadsar Lake

Gadsar Lake sits at about 3,600 metres in Bandipore district, some 108 km northeast of Srinagar. Its Kashmiri name means lake of fishes, for the trout that live in it, but it is also called Yemsar, lake of Yama, the god of death, after a shepherds' tale of a creature in the water that drags animals from the bank.

The lake is frozen and largely snowbound from November to April, and ice floats on it even in summer. Alpine meadows full of wildflowers surround it, earning it another name, Valley of Flowers. It is reached only on foot: a 28 km trail from Naranag, or a 41 km route from Shitkadi near Sonamarg past Vishansar and Krishansar lakes and over the Nichnai and Gadsar passes, both above 4,100 metres. June to September is the season for the walk.