Tosa Maidan - Gateway to Kashmir's Greater Lakes |Travel Guide 2026 | Tips | Itinerary
- tribesmentravels
- May 7, 2023
- 8 min read
Updated: Jul 21
The First Time I Visited Tosa Maidan
For months, people had been asking in my YouTube comments:
"Jalib Vlogs, when are you going to Tosa Maidan?"
After Eid, I finally made the trip. My friend Zahid, his cousin and I drove from Srinagar to Sitharan, where we met local guide and vlogger Rahi Clicks. By evening, our camp was set up in the meadow.
The scale of Tosa Maidan was the first thing that stood out — endless grasslands, grazing horses, snow-covered ridges and complete silence.
The next morning brought mist and drizzle. We explored the meadow for a few hours before rain forced us back towards Srinagar.
It was a short visit, but enough to understand why so many people had recommended the place.
What follows is everything you need to know about Tosa Maidan — how to reach it, where to camp and why it remains one of Kashmir's finest high-altitude meadows.
This guide covers Tosa Maidan in Kashmir — including how to reach, camping details, the Greater Lakes trek, and why it is one of the best high-altitude meadows in the region.
Why Visit Tosa Maidan?
One of Kashmir's largest alpine meadows
Gateway to the Greater Lakes
Camping under the stars
Free-roaming horses
Traditional pastoral culture
Less crowded than Gulmarg
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Quick Overview — Tosa Maidan Kashmir
Location: Budgam district (Khag region)
Distance: ~55 km from Srinagar
Altitude: ~11,000 ft
Best time: May to October
Stay: Camping only
Highlights: Vast meadow, horses, Greater Lakes trek
This is a simplified overview — detailed guide follows below.
What Makes Tosa Maidan Special?
Tosa Maidan, also written Toshamaidan, is a vast high-altitude meadow in the Khag region of Budgam district at around 11,000 feet.
Historically, it formed part of an old route connecting Kashmir with the Poonch region and later served as a military training ground.
Today, it is best known as one of Kashmir's largest meadows and the gateway to the Greater Lakes trek.
Tosa Maidan is not one thing. It is a meadow, a trek base, a seasonal home, a historical site, and on a clear morning with mist in the lower valley and snow still on the ridgeline, it is one of the most beautiful places in Kashmir. All of this at once.
Sitharan Village: The Gateway to Tosa Maidan
Sitharan is the last village before the meadow and the most important stop on the route. The road is macadamised to here now a significant improvement over previous years when reaching
Sitharan itself required commitment beyond Sitharan, a rough mountain track continues to the camping areas on the meadow.
Together with Bangus Valley, Gurez Valley, Marwah and Warwan, Tosa Maidan represents a different side of Kashmir — one defined by wilderness, trekking routes and traditional mountain landscapes rather than mainstream tourism.
The summer migration
Every year, when the snow retreats from Tosa Maidan and the grass emerges, the families of Sitharan move up with their herds cattle, horses, sheep to the summer pastures.
This is transhumance: the seasonal migration of livestock between lower winter grazing and upper summer pastures.
The same movement, on the same ground, for generations.What is different today is the mobile school a school that travels with the community, so that the children going up with the herds in summer do not lose their education.
A classroom at altitude, following the calendar and the grass simultaneously. When you pass through Sitharan in summer and see the children, the textbooks, the meadow outside the window it is one of the most quietly remarkable things Kashmir has to show you.
Meet your guide in Sitharan
Rahi Clicks is a local guide and content creator who knows the Tosa Maidan and Greater Lakes region exceptionally well. Travellers attempting the lakes beyond the meadow should always hire an experienced local guide.
The Meadow Itself — What You Will Find
Tosa Maidan rewards slow movement ,the meadow is large enough that walking it without a destination in mind following the contours, stopping when something is worth stopping for takes most of a day. It is not a viewpoint or a lake or a summit, it is a place. The distinction matters.
The horses
The horses of Tosa Maidan graze freely across the entire meadow. They are not arranged for photographs, they are not tethered or managed for visitors.
They move where the grass takes them, and the sight of them in morning mist, in afternoon light, against the ridgeline is one of the unscripted images of Kashmir that no resort can manufacture. Bring a good camera be patient. The light changes every fifteen minutes.
The morning drizzle — do not run from it
Tosa Maidan in the rain is something else the comments on my YouTube channel were right about this. The meadow disappears into mist the ridges vanish, the sounds sharpen water, grass, the distant movement of animals.
It is a different place entirely in the drizzle, and not a lesser one. Bring waterproof gear ,wear it. Stay.
The spring
There is a cold spring near the camping site. The water is clean and genuinely cold in the way that mountain springs are cold a different quality from anything refrigerated. Wash your face in it by all means. Hold your phone tightly while you do.
Greater Lakes Trek from Tosa Maidan
This is what the YouTube comments were really asking about. This is why Rahi left us at the camping site and went higher.
The Greater Lakes of Kashmir seven alpine lakes scattered across the high ground above Tosa Maidan is one of the finest trekking circuits in the entire state. They sit at altitudes ranging from around 11,000 to well above 13,000 feet. It is accessible in summer only.
The full seven-lake circuit
The complete circuit all seven lakes, the high camp between them, the ridgeline crossings takes two to three days from the Tosa Maidan base.
It is strenuous, involves altitude above 13,000 feet, and requires a guide who knows the route. Rahi does this circuit for his content it is not a beginner trek. It is, by every account of everyone who has completed it, one of the most rewarding multi-day routes in Kashmir.
Tosa Maidan without attempting at least one of the Greater Lakes is like reaching Choharnag and not walking to the stone-ringed main lake. The meadow is beautiful ,the lakes above it are why the meadow matters.
Planning a Greater Lakes trek from Tosa Maidan? We connect you with guides who run this route properly. WhatsApp: wa.me/916006464123
Everything You Need to Know Before You Go
Detail | What you need to know |
Distance from Srinagar | ~55 km — 2 to 2.5 hours |
Last village | Sitharan — meet your guide here, last supplies, start of the rough track |
Road | Macadamised to Sitharan. Beyond Sitharan: rough mountain track. 4WD strongly recommended — in rain it is not negotiable. |
Best season | May to October. June–August: meadows at peak green, herds up, mobile school running. September: best light, fewest visitors. |
Stay | Camping only at the meadow. Arrange through a local operator. No permanent accommodation. |
Greater Lakes trek | Base from Tosa Maidan. 7 lakes at varying altitudes. 1–3 days depending on how many you attempt. Guide essential. |
Permit | No permit required for Indian nationals. |
Connectivity | Limited at the meadow. Plan accordingly. |
One honest word on vehicles: The track beyond Sitharan to the meadow is rough. In dry conditions, a crossover can manage it with an experienced driver.
In rain which the meadow produces regularly and without much warning 4WD is not a recommendation. It is the difference between getting back to Srinagar and not. We drove a Creta. We made it. We also learned exactly what 4WD is for. Hire one.
Is Tosa Maidan Worth Visiting?
Absolutely. Tosa Maidan combines three experiences rarely found together in Kashmir: a vast high-altitude meadow, traditional pastoral life and access to a remarkable alpine lake system.
Whether you come for camping, photography or trekking, it offers a side of Kashmir that remains largely untouched by mainstream tourism.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tosa Maidan
Q: How far is Tosa Maidan from Srinagar?
Approximately 55 kilometres taking 2 to 2.5 hours. The road is macadamised to Sitharan village. Beyond Sitharan, the track to the meadow is rough mountain terrain.
Q: What are the Greater Lakes of Kashmir?
Seven alpine lakes scattered across the high ground above Tosa Maidan, at altitudes between 11,000 and 13,000+ feet. The circuit covering all seven takes two to three days from the Tosa Maidan base and is one of the finest trekking routes in J&K.
Individual lakes can be visited on a day walk from the camping site. A local guide is essential for any lake attempt beyond the lowest one.
Q: Can I visit Tosa Maidan as a day trip?
You can reach it and leave in a day. You cannot experience it in a day and you certainly cannot attempt any of the Greater Lakes without an overnight. One night minimum. Two nights gives you a full meadow day and a lake day. That is the right trip.
Q: What is the best time to visit?
May to October. June through August is peak season herds are up, the meadow is at full green, and the Greater Lakes are fully accessible. September gives the best light and fewest visitors. October is closing time beautiful but cold and brief.
Q: Is Tosa Maidan suitable for families?
The meadow itself yes, for families with children comfortable with camping and a rough mountain drive. The Greater Lakes trek beyond the first lake requires fitness and altitude tolerance. For families, a meadow overnight with a day walk to Makhdoom Lake is the right configuration.
Q: Do I need a permit?
No permit required for Indian nationals visiting Tosa Maidan. Standard government photo ID at checkpoints.
Why You Should Come — And What to Do Differently Than We Did
The YouTube comments were right. The meadow at first light with horses moving through the mist is something else.
The Greater Lakes above the treeline, which Rahi reached and we did not on this trip, are something we are going back for. Come with the right vehicle ,come with a guide who knows the lakes route.
Come with waterproof gear and the correct understanding that the weather will do what it wants and the meadow is worth experiencing in all of it. Come without a tight schedule Tosa Maidan does not reward rushing.
If you are a content creator, come with a plan that includes at least two of the seven lakes. The meadow is your establishing shot.
The lakes are the story ,If you are a traveller who has done mainstream Kashmir Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Dal Lake and wants to understand what Kashmir looks like before it was arranged for tourism, come to Tosa Maidan.
The families of Sitharan are not there for visitors. The horses are not there for photographs. The meadow does not have a car park or a souvenir stall. It is simply there, as it has always been, doing what meadows at altitude do.
We are Tribesmen Travels, Srinagar. We run trips to Tosa Maidan, the Greater Lakes, and the full offbeat Kashmir circuit Warwan, Marwah, Choharnag, Gurez. Every trip is built around the people making it. WhatsApp us and we will build yours.
Plan My Tosa Maidan Trip — WhatsApp: wa.me/916006464123 | +91 600 6464 123
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