Roopkund Trek

The day one of the trek, For Roopkund Trek you begin with the station of Kathgodam to Lohajung, a place situated at the height of 7,662 feet. Its length is 210 km while the time needed to travel through it is approximately 10 hours. Your pick-up is organized for the 6 AM at the Kathgodam railway station. You will be passing through some of the beautiful sites which include Bheem Tal, Almora, Kausani, Gwaldam, and Dewal, before you get to Lohajung. When you are done, you will go to a visitor house you will spend some time to relax. For some miscellaneous or the shop and the facilities are available for any last thing the place has to offer.

The second day of trek takes from Lohajung to Didna Village, which is 6 kilometers in length. 5 kilometers. While emanating fromDidna at an altitude 7620 to 8045 feet, this usually arrives before lunch time. Your lodging will be homestead which will give a village feel to the place that you will be living in. Despite the lack of market, there are some necessities to be availed for bearing the human life in this world. The trek start with a descend for 4 km. Descend further down and after going 5 kilometres you will come across the Ruan Bagad bridge. After reaching the bridge be prepared to cross the gorge which will take 2 kilometers to get to Didna Village and it will take about 2 hrs.

On the third day of the trek, you will engage in a 10-kilometre distance to be covered in the entire trek. 5 Kilometers trek from Didna Village up to the vast pastures of Ali Bugial. Beginning at 8,045 ft you will climb to 11,320ft at the time you arrive at the destination in the late evening. This particular day of trekking comes with its own feel and type of experience as you or change from one surface to another.

Originally passing through the region of oaks and rhododendrons the first part of the journey is quite steep. The sound of the dense vegetation echoes as one climbs giving the forest the tranquility needed in the upward journey. Once you come out of the forest, a stretch of alpine meadows awaits you which is the major highlight of Ali Bugyal. Suddenly they are thrown open into a vast and gorgeous visibility of the mountains which remain rolling. Here also the mountains could be climbed but the sight of the vast green meadow dominating the greenish blue sky interspersed with wildflowers and the occasional sheep grazing makes the effort rewarding. If you have a backpack , walking through those open fields it becomes windy , therefore, one has to ensure that his/her wind breaks and waterproofs are within easy reach. It is also very much exposed, so as you’ll see when you get higher up, the weather can turn on a dime so always be ready for that. Before reaching the Ali Bugyal’s point, one can feel the beauty of the nature and the whole efforts made for the journey gets incredible worth. This is where you will pitch your camp and sleep in tents with hardly any view you can get of the actual natural Himalayan environment throughout.

One should make sure to take enough water/ORS to drink during the day because at this altitude, and when walking, one uses up a lot of energy. This day is really memorable one of the trek because during this period you are changing from the wooded upland to the extensive pastures of the high altitude.

On the fourth day of your trek, you’ll journey from Ali Bugyal to Patar Nachauni, covering a distance of 7 kilometers as you pass through the stunning meadows of Bedni Bugyal and Ghora Lotani. Starting at an altitude of 11,320 feet, you’ll gradually ascend to 12,818 feet, making this one of the easier days of the trek. After leaving Ali Bugyal, you’ll take a gentle 2-kilometer ascent to Bedni Bugyal, where the expansive meadows continue to offer breathtaking views. From Bedni Bugyal, the trail involves a steady climb of 4 kilometers to reach Ghora Lotani, another scenic spot ideal for taking a break and acclimatizing to the higher altitude.

It’s recommended to spend some time at Ghora Lotani, as the area is great for acclimatization, helping your body adjust to the thinner air. From Ghora Lotani, the final stretch is a gradual 1-kilometer descent to Patar Nachauni, where you’ll arrive before lunch and set up camp for the night. You’ll be staying in tents once again, surrounded by the rugged beauty of the high Himalayas.

While this is one of the easier days of the trek, it’s important to wear appropriate clothing and be mindful of the altitude, as this is the section where many trekkers begin to feel the effects of Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). The combination of stunning scenery and relatively gentle trekking makes this day a memorable and enjoyable part of your adventure.

The day’s breakfast is sure to be a lavish affair, after which you begin the trek to Bhagwabasa which is at an altitude of 4300mts. Enroute Bhagwabasa, there is a well-known Kalu Vinayak Ganesha temple which is a huge stone structure revered by the devotees. The trek is quite tiring as the path is quite steep but the climbing is quite rewarding as one gets to see some of the most magnificent Himalayan peaks including of Nanda Devi and Trishul.

If you drive further up the slopes, the vegetation becomes sparse and instead you are welcomed by the highland type of terrain with rocks and boulders. With each step you are going to be surrounded with the fresh mountain air and silence which will inspire you and make feel you are an adventurer. The journey would take you to Bhagwabasa by evening and the camp site allows one to sit undisturbed and soak into the beauty of the surrounding snow capped mountains.

There is such an opportunity at night. On the summit the best part of the day is around early evening when the sun is setting and the colour of the peaks becomes gold and the silence of the mountains is sweet. Finally at night, you can also do some star gazing as there are many stars seen luminous at night because of the clear polluted free sky.

On the sixth day you will be covering the most strenuous part of the trek of about 10kms which goes to Roopkund shrine from Bhagwabasa and back to Bedni Bugyal. From reaching at a height of 14,117 feet early at 4:00 AM, the Roopkund trek covers a height of 1,638 feet to reach Roopkund a glacial lake surrounded by some skeletons. Roopkund trek is up to 3 km in which one needs good stamina and energy as the trail is quite steep and steep for a long time.

As the trekking is slightly on the more challenging side it is advisable to take vitality bars, ORS and a lot of water to help in re-energizing during the day. Breakfast shall be had in the morning at Roopkund top and one can feast eyes with the beauty of Roopkund Lake and glaciers. That is when you will descend from Roopkund and walk back to Bedni Bugyal where you will have your night halt. This day is probably one of the hardest of the trek although it provides some of the most stunning and beautiful scenes in the entire trek.

On the seventh day of your trek you will have to trek from Patar Nachauni to Lohajung which is 15 kms flat walk down from 3859 meters to 2345 meters. It starts with a 1-km gradual climb from Patar Nachauni, via Ghora Lotani. From there you have to go down 4 kilometers to Bedni Bugyal in which you have to cross beautiful meadows as also the terrain slowly begins to change as it is comparatively low altitude now.

Carrying forward from Bedni Bugyal, this 0. 5 Kms from Doliya Dhar. From the journey then moves to Wan then to Lohajung by evening. Lohajung is an equally charming place where you’ll be spending a night at a visitor house and probably look forward to a proper bed after the days of claustrophobic camping. While this last part of the trek is a long one it is also a relatively gradual one as well; it is a welcome easing out of the trek and the ending to your great journey in the Himalayas.

On the eighth day you will have to travel back to Kathgodam starting at Lohajung. The trip that is done on the road stretches for 210 kilometers and takes about 10 hours to be completed. You will be driving along the beautiful terrains; it may be necessary to make a stop over at a place called Kausani. Here one can buy some tea produced in this area as well as buy some souvenirs to mark the trek. You are expected to arrive Kathgodam by about 6 in the evening and from here, bring your thrilling journey to a close and make arrangement for your onward journey.