Serolsar Lake - Jalori Pass Trek

In Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh amid dense forest there is a small beautiful lake with crystal clear water known as Serolsar Lake.

It’s an easy 5 Kms trek from Jalori pass situated at the height of around 11000 ft above the sea level.

Jalori Pass is a high mountain pass which remains open mostly during the year except few months of winter (Dec-Feb) due to very heavy snowfall (One may check the condition of the roads via HP Govt. offices sites online).

To reach here you may choose amongst following routes:

·        Delhi -- Shimla – Narkanda – Luhri – Khanag – Jalori Pass

·        Delhi – Chandigarh – Bilaspur – SundarNagar – Mandi – Aut – Jalori Pass.

·        Manali – Kullu – Aut – Banjar – Jalori Pass

This place is connected via road, nearest Airports are Shimla and Bhuntar-Kullu. There are buses that ply from Manali/Mandi/Kangra towards Shimla district via Jalori Pass and vice-versa.

Nothing better than your own CAR/Bike; provided you are comfortable driving in the mountains. Taxi is excellent option as well.

Route Map

I planned this trip while I was visiting my relatives in Mandi. It was a warm sunny day of june when I decided to trek to Serolsar Lake along with Goldy and Pankaj bhaie ; we were to start our journey in my car next day morning.  It was pouring heavily when we woke up in the morning and the plan was already in risk of getting cancelled 😨.

After much of soul-searching we decided to move ahead and promised to return wherever it’d be unsafe to drive.          
                                   We left Mandi at 07:30 AM. To our surprise there was no rain as we crossed Pandoh Dam.Drive along the Beas river was amazing with clouds are right on our car's roof.Road carved out of the rocks almost touching Beas at some places were equally scary and mesmerizing that demanded me to be little cautious.  After crossing long-tunnel we reached Aut. Unfortunately, we had taken wrong route , instead of taking the road that leads to Banjar from Aut’s market we should have followed the road that splits right at start of the tunnel. We didn’t want to go back and waste more time hence went ahead with it.Road was slippery and due the storm last night a tree had fallen on it,what worse could have happened; drizzle had already started picking-up again 😖.
                                                                                                                     Also, Beas river had so swollen that it was almost touching the road; with no more thoughts of trying to become Gama in the land of Lama (You will see sign boards put up by BRO with this caption on LEH-Ladakh roads as a warning to not to act smart and respect the nature) , we turned back.

Water almost touching the road.

Very ambitious, Goldy Bhaie trying to move tree to make way for the car 😆

After crossing the tunnel, we turned right on the road leading towards Larji Project/BANJAR. We felt amused & comfortable as the road was well built and drizzle had subsided substantially. Soon, we were driving through the villages full of orchids, sound of crystal clear water of Thirthan River flowing beside the route, scenic beauty of Dev-Bhumi (God’s Land) Himachal was at its peak.

                                                                      Tirthan River

Nature at its best, en-route Banjar

After passing Banjar roads got narrow & scary, had to slow my speed and be extra cautious as the margin of error was almost zero.

We took halt at Jhibi,  a beautiful village surrounded by hills and  orchids of apple, almond, pear and peach . From a nearby local shop we ordered tea and tried local cuisine ‘Siddu', we also got some of them packed for our onward journey.

It was getting difficult with every inch of drive; roads were broken and very slippery but fresh air , lush greenery and every bit of scenic beauty kept us motivated to keep pushing ahead.

A village between Banjar and Jhibi

Pahari Village

Serene, view from Jhibi.

Traditional Pahari house

Traffic Jam at village Tosh

En-route Jalori Pass

Another 4 Kms

Wheat (Golden color fields) is ready to be harvested

We reached at Jalori Pass around 11:00 Hrs. This place is famous for Mahakali temple also know as Jalori Mata which is visited by thousands of devotees throughout the year. There is a cluster of small shops at the pass. Hike to the sacred lake starts right from here, one can buy food/refreshments and other necessary stuff from these huts.

After parking our car at safe place we slowly started climbing up the trail. Path was broad and well-built for initial 1-2 kms and then a small rocky trail ascending & descending gradually took us further.

It was almost noon. Sun had disappeared behind the clouds. As we kept walking, jungle became dense with trees and foliage. Chirping of birds, ruffle of leaves and sound of wind greeted us as we  barged deep in to the jungle.

And; here we start. Pankaj and Goldy bhaie !!

Snake plant

                                             
                                                                                 Trail to the lake

                                               
                                                                                    Walking Duo

                                                                              Snake plant

Trekkers

Shelter on the way

Shelter 

After a comfortable hike of around one and half hour we finally had glimpses of sacred lake.Sparkling blue water looked amazing. Serolsar Lake is surrounded by trees at the entry and small hills on the sides with a famous ‘Mata Budhi Nagin Temple’ on the edge. This temple is visited by locals of nearby villages who offers first yield of home made clear butter ‘Ghee’ to the Goddess.

We sat there for a while gazing at the magnificent view and wondering how this lake must have been formed. Serolsar Lake is so clean even when it’s surrounded by tress, grass and other natural vegetation and it is said that there are birds that picks up every twig, leaf and any other things that falls in the lake.

Colors of Himachal. Ladies in traditional attire

Eating joint near the lake

First glimpses of Sacred lake

Serolsar Lake

Mata Budhi Nagin Temple

After taking blessings of ‘Nagini Devi’ we headed towards the shacks being put up at the entry of the lake. Had light snacks and we were all set to embark return journey.

While returning, I caught up with some of the women who had come there in a large group from Distt, Shimla. We shared stories of our lives and spoke about Srikhand Kailash yatra.

Journey from Serolsar to Jalori pass felt fairly easy and quick.

After wishing them luck for the further journey, I waited for Goldy and Pankaj bhaie to reach near the car.

Since it was already late afternoon, we started our journey back to Mandi.

We had to drive slowly as it was a steep climb down from Jalori pass till Jhibi otherwise it was an easy drive way back to Mandi.

We all had an amazing day out in the lap of nature and thanked God for making it a success.

Takeaways :-

• It is perfect gateway for one day only. 
• This trip can be clubbed with visit to Waterfalls alongwith activities like river crossing and trout fishing offered in Tirthan valley.
• Do not litter the place, carry small bags to collect personal garbage and drop them in designated dustbins.
• Always check for the weather forecast and condition of roads before planning this trek.