According to some myths, Kashmir itself was a great lake in the ancient times. There are still a lot of breathtaking lakes all around the valley. Today we are going to cover one of them. Located in the Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir is the the eye shaped lake known as Nilnag. Word “Nil or Neel” means blue and “Nag” means lake. Nilnag completely justifies it name.
Nilnag is a high altitude lake located in the middle of dense pine forest. The district’s overall beauty is enhanced by the sparkling lake’s azure water, the pleasant surroundings of towering pine trees and snow-capped mountains, and Nilnag, which plays a significant role in enhancing and providing true emotions of calm.
There is no other place on earth where the expressive language of nature is purer than in Nilnag. As a benefit of the booming Jammu and Kashmir tourism industry, the lake offers opportunities to relax before beginning extensive trekking expeditions. Lake gives visitors to Yusmarg a sense of the unsurpassed beauty of Kashmir and is regarded as a pristine tourist destination.
Adventure seekers have a fantastic trekking chance in Nilnag. A magnificent pine forest with numerous water streams is traversed during the hike. The journey to the Lake is stunning yet difficult, and it certainly provides some unforgettable memories.
Also read : Complete travelogue to Yousmarg Kashmir.
How to reach NILNAG
There are two routes to Nilnag. First one is simple and can be traveled by any means of transport (bike, car, rental cab etc.), it takes roughly 2 hours to reach the lake from Srinagar city.
Road Route : Srinagar – Chadora – Kanikoat – Nilnag.
Trek Route : Srinagar – Yousmarg – Kristward – Nilnag
I would personally suggest the second route (Trek route). A two hour drive from Srinagar (47 kms) will take you to Yousmarg – acres upon acres of grassy meadow ringed by forests of pine, and towering beyond them, awesome and majestic snow-clad mountains. This is Yusmarg- close enough to Srinagar for a picnic, idyllic enough to make you want to stay for a few days. Here are walks of every sort – a leisurely amble along flower-strewn meadows or away to where a mighty river froths and crashes its way over rocks, its mild white foam earning it the name of Doodh Ganga.
Walking through the dense pine forest
We made the decision to ride to Nilnag Lake during our trip to Yusmarg (see more about our Yusmarg trip here: Yousmarg Kashmir – The Meadow of Jesus). The trek from Yousmarg few years ago was very rough and slippery. But recently(September 2022) as we trekked it on our bike and scooty, it is not that bad.
We started our journey from Yousmarg at 11:30 am, and rode through the dense pine forest. The trek leading to lake is even more beautiful and charming. This is the only trek which feels great riding a bike rather than walking it. I would highly recommend to visit the lake on a bike or 4*4 Jeep.
A mud road leads the way up a hill by the mosque, where it soon converges with a narrow trail through a pine grove. After riding for about 10 to 15 minutes without falling from our bikes luckily, we reached a down slope. It was a steep slope downwards and riding the dusty road for almost 1 km we reached a tribal village, Kristward (Not Kishtwar which is a district in Jammu division).
Kristward is the only village between Yousmarg and Nilnag. Houses were mainly made up of mud and far apart, it was awesome, for a minute we forgot we were living in 2022, it felt like 90’s. Life seemed simple and nostalgic. Main occupation was farming, herding cattle’s and riding ponies. There was abundance of walnut trees and maize cultivation around this area. Kristward is located on a Karewa (elevated table-land). At the end of this village, the road leading to the lake almost 2 kms were macadamized.
Nilnag Lake
Finally after riding 5 kms for almost an hour we reached Nilnag. Nilnag Lake is undoubtedly stunning and pleasing to the eye. We had a hard ride for an hour, yet as we sat by the lake, we felt refreshed. Since the water in the lake is blue, it was given the name “Nilnag,” and you can see fish swimming in it. We spent roughly an hour at Nilnag to get refreshed and to take some photos.
Other side of Nilnag
We were disappointed and heartbroken by seeing the condition of this Magnificent lake. God has bestowed us with some terrific places and yet we have ruined them. Government and Yousmarg
Development Authority has failed Nilnag completely. Lake was polluted with polythene and weeds, Fishes are dying. No fence on the sides, no sanitation, and no maintenance, Lamps were installed, but not connected to electricity. We met a local retired teacher, Mohammad Khaleel – who lives just near the Nilnag. He looked disappointedly at the lake and blamed the authorities for ruining such a place. Nilnag is in shambles and nothing is done in this regard.
