Dumail, Naranag.

Dumail, a pristine camping spot is a two hours trek from Naranag in the Ganderbal district of Kashmir. The trail leading up to Dumail runs along the Sind stream and goes through dense coniferous forests which makes it one of the best hiking trails for the beginners. It is also a place where the two river streams, the Sind and the Marchaoi merge into one.

Quite often people who share the same interests as me talked highly of Dumail and always suggested that I go and check out the place but for one reason or the other I never actually got a chance to visit Dumail but as me & my friends were looking for places to explore especially with the onset of Autumn, we finally decided to explore Dumail.

So we left for Naranag which is 50 kilometers away from Srinagar and from where the trek to Dumail starts at about 8 in the morning and by 10 we reached Naranag. Naranag is a beautiful village which is home to the lesser known Naranag Temple which was built by Lalit Aditya Muktapida who was a bold ruler & also an architect.

The Naranag Temple is generally classified into three sections – the eastern, the western and the central. The main shrine or the temple lies on the eastern side and rest of the 11 ones are all built around it. There is also a spring near the temple which is squared by a stone wall.

After seeing the jawdropping masonry and the beautiful ruins of the past, we started our trek to Dumail. There are also some small mud houses built near the water streams.

The trail leading up to Dumail was absolutely stunning as the place is studded with both the coniferous trees as well as the walnut trees and because it was autumn, the walnut trees had started shedding their leaves, so everywhere we looked, our eyes were treated to the yellow shades of the falling leaves.

With each step we took on the fallen rustling leaves, we embraced the charm of the fall season as the place seemed drenched in yellow.

After an hour or so, we saw the wooden bridge from where Dumail starts. We crossed the bridge and rested there for a while. We had planned to trek further but as soon as we hit the ground and saw the golden hues all around us we decided to sit there and relish the beauty which was all around us. With the yellow and orange leaves falling along the water stream as the soothing winds blew past us, we lost count of the time and before we knew it was already 2 in the afternoon. We hadn’t planned a night stay because the temperature drops quite a lot in the night during this time of the year, so we had a light lunch and started our trek back to Naranag.

We reached Naranag at 4 and were back home at 6 in the evening. Dumail remains one of the best one day hikes of mine simply because I could relish the Autumn season which is the golden season of Kashmir there and I’m sure even in the spring season, this place will be as beautiful as it was now. So, for all of you who want to or have just started trekking and exploring the unexplored places, I would highly suggest you a visit to Dumail as it remains a perfect trail for the beginners as well as a good getaway for a day.