Tosa Maidan - Gateway to Kashmir's Greater Lakes & A Meadow That Stays With You

My YouTube comments had been asking about Tosa Maidan for months. Jalibvlogs you have to cover this.' 'Have you been to the Greater Lakes from Tosa Maidan?'

After Eid, my friend Zahid, his cousin, and I finally went. We left Srinagar in the late afternoon later than ideal, which is how most honest Kashmir stories begin. At Sitharan village, the last village before the meadow, our contact was already waiting. Rahi Clicks vlogger , guide, someone who knows this mountain the way locals know a place they have grown up beside.

We made camp around evening. The meadow opened in front of us: wide, green, rolling, ringed by ridgelines still carrying snow. Horses grazing freely across the grass. the sound of water from a spring nearby no other sound that mattered.

Morning came with drizzle. I dropped my phone in the spring while washing my face. We explored the meadow through the mist until late afternoon, came back to camp as the rain arrived properly and Rahi, being a professional with a Greater Lakes trek on his schedule and the experience to do it alone, had already left for the high ground. We drove back to Srinagar in the rain, the mountain having made its usual point about respecting the terrain. We came back with great memories and a very clear intention to return. That is the story what follows is everything the meadow itself is which is considerably more than one overnight in the drizzle can contain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUu3OQpecBE

What Tosa Maidan Actually Is

Tosa Maidan also written Toshamaidan is a vast high-altitude meadow in the Khag area of Budgam district, sitting at approximately 11,000 feet above sea level. The name itself has history Tosa Marg, the original name, marked one of the old invasion routes into the Kashmir Valley from the Poonch side a path that both Mahmud of Ghazni and Ranjit Singh attempted to use. The British and Dogra rulers later converted the meadow into a military training ground. The remnants of old bunkers and training infrastructure are still visible in the landscape quiet reminders of what this ground has witnessed.

Today the meadow is returned to what it always was before those centuries of use: a summer pasture of extraordinary scale, a base for one of Kashmir's finest trekking circuits, and a place where the families of Sitharan bring their herds every year when the snow melts and the grass comes in.

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 - Where the Journey Properly Begins

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.

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 was waiting for us here. He is a professional vlogger and local guide who knows Tosa Maidan and the Greater Lakes route the way someone knows a place they have spent years in not just the path, but the weather signs, the soft ground after rain, the right time of day to be at each lake. For content creators coming to document the meadow, a guide like Rahi is not optional. He is the difference between footage and exceptional footage. We can connect you with the right guide for this trip. WhatsApp us before you book and we will arrange it.

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.

The Greater Lakes of Kashmir — Tosa Maidan as Base Camp

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.

 

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

Also read: Choharnag Lakes  |  Warwan Valley  |  Marwah Valley  |  The 7-Day Offbeat Kashmir Loop