Trekking brings joy! Does it for you? Well, I am someone who loves to walk, and I mean a lot of walking. Especially when you are surrounded by thick pine forest, mountains, and fresh air. So, moderate trekking is something I enjoy. I haven’t done any difficult, long treks so far. So, I was in Jibhi in October 2022 and planned to do the Serolsar Lake trek.
(This blog should serve as a complete, comprehensive guide to Serolsar Lake trekking. If you still need some help, drop a comment or mail me.)
I debuted as a trekker from Triund Trek, which is almost double the distance to Serolsar Lake and more difficult. The trek to Serolsar Lake is largely plain with a little uphill climb, while Triund is known for its steep uphill climb. Since I was staying in Jibhi for almost a week, I even trekked to Raghupur Fort. Jibhi is largely known for these two treks, though there are more treks that start from Jibhi.
I Covered Serolsar Lake Trek in Less than 2 Hours
I was staying at Rudrani Homestay in Jibhi. The owner offered me help that he would ask his guy to drop me at Jalori Pass, from where the trek to Serolsar starts. It was an act of generosity that made my Jibhi trip memorable. So yeah, after spending a day, I was ready for my trek to the famous Serolsar Lake. The guy was ready with his bike. And I was all ready for the trek.
I think it took less than an hour to reach Jalori Pass. The person told me many things on the way which I don’t remember. He told me about the mountain peak at the place where we stayed. It was some viewpoint, and I clicked some photographs. He dropped me at Jalori Pass and asked me to call him 40 minutes before so that he could come to pick me up. So, after reaching Jalori Pass, there were two ways. And I asked locals about the way to Serolsar Lake. And I was right. I visited a small maggi point and had a bowl of maggi for breakfast. The shop owner told me there would be no network on the way to the lake. That’s what the homestay owner told me.
I started my trek, and it didn’t look like a trekking kind of trek for some thirty minutes. It was smooth and pleasant; the surrounding was filled with happy vibes. However, after some thirty minutes, the terrain started to show its color. I was in a thick pine forest, walking on a narrow path. In some places, I even had Wrong Turn feelings. The sun shone on the top, but the forest was thickly canopied. The narrow trek of Serolsar Lake had started to get treacherous in some places, like in patches. At some places, I was even followed up by some poisonous bees. And I don’t have good experience with hill bees.
I had run out of water on the way itself. And there was no water source. I noticed several stalls, but every single one of them was shut. There were benches to sit and relax at places, probably for the trekkers only. However, no water was a challenge for me. Usually, in Himachal, you get water streams and fill your bottle. I never ran out of water there when I was trekking to Barshangarh Waterfall in Shangarh.
Since there was no internet, there was no GPS as well. There came a point where the narrow path diverged into two, and it was difficult to determine which one to pick. Remember the famous quote, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by…” And I was never found. Well, both the trails were looking spookier than each other. I was in thick vegetation with no self-defense accessories, not even a stick. I followed my gut and took the one that looked spookier.
While I was trekking to Serolsar Lake, a random guy in his late 30s showed up out of nowhere and started following me. He even tried communicating. I am sure he didn’t have any bad intentions, but my first defense mechanism was to be on the safer side. So, I pushed the accelerator and trekked faster. After some time, I lost him in the woods. There was a small stretch where two giant stones were put together in a way that looked like a small canyon-kind of passage. That’s where I stopped, checked my phone, saw it had weak internet signals, and found out that I was close to the lake. The destination wasn’t that far.
After gathering up myself and recharging, I started the trek again, and within the next half an hour, I was at the entrance. I passed through this small area with lots of food and other shops. It almost felt like a small market. Next to it was this area which had camps and yet some other Maggi-tea shops. And from there, you must follow a series of steps leading to the lake. The sight of the lake actually diffused my tiredness though the trek didn’t tire me that much. I ran out of water. That was an issue.
Serolsar Lake, also known as Seruvalsar Lake or Serol Sar Lake (sar means pond), is located at an altitude of nearly 10, 170 ft above sea level. Located in the beautiful Seraj Valley of the Kullu region, the lake holds great religious significance for the locals. As per the locals, it is said that even if a small leaf falls in the lake, the birds pick it up to keep the lake clean. As per the locals, the lake is connected with Budhi Nagin, the goddess of all the snakes and all naag deities. There is a temple adjacent to the lake dedicated to the goddess. The locals believe that the lake is very deep, and there was a golden palace at the bottom where the goddess used to live. Pandavas have been said to visit here during their exile period.
There is a walking path around the lake. I spent an hour there. I even took a small nap lying on the grass. And strolled around a bit. I tried to get closer to the lake through a platform, but the temple priest asked me not to go there. However, I saw a local guy sitting there. He even took water from the lake in a bucket. Maybe, outsiders were not allowed to touch the lake.
How to Reach Jalori Pass for Serolsar Lake Trek
The main village to Jalori Pass is Shoja village. From here, Jalori Pass is nearly 5 KM. Shoja is nearly 8 KM away from Jibhi. You can take a local bus from Jibhi to Jalori Pass and come back by the local bus itself. I am unsure about the timings, so you must take care of that. I remember coming back to Jibhi by local bus at 4:30 PM something. Or you can take a cab either from Jibhi or Shoja, depending on where you are staying. I have stayed at both Jibhi and Shoja.
If you have a personal vehicle (car/bike), you will have to park at the trek’s starting point since the trek to Serolsar Lake isn’t motorable. I don’t know whether it is paid parking or free. Since there is Jalori Mata Temple, the place doesn’t remain manless.
Things to Remember Before Trekking to Serolsar Lake
Serolsar Lake trek is an easy trek. It can be easily completed in less than two hours. So, everyone can do it. No big deal! However, there are still things one should take care of before planning a trek to Serolsar Lake.
- Make sure that you have enough water with you for the trek. I didn’t find any good water resources on the way, and all the stalls were shut.
- Carry a first aid kit in case you end up spraining your leg or ankle.
- Try to avoid heavy perfume/scents. You don’t want to invite insects, bees, etc., on you.
- Maybe, it’s a good idea to pack light snacks (sandwiches) for the trek. I didn’t find any stalls open on the way. If you do, lucky you!
- Please don’t litter or throw garbage on the way, especially plastic.
- Better to download your favorite songs and map because you won’t get good internet on the way. Even the network will die.
- If you carry a trekking stick with you, better!
- You don’t want to get lost in the dark. So, make sure that you come back while it’s still daylight.
I hope these points will help you plan your trek. It takes nearly 2 hours from Jalori Pass to Serolsar Lake. So the total trek time of Serolsar Lake is anything from 1.5 hrs to 2 hrs, depending on your speed. I finished it in around 1.5 hours. The total distance of the trek is nearly 5 KM, starting from Jalori Pass.
