Adventure Trip to Gangotri Glacier

Gangotri Glacier Trek ::# Spectacular Scenery with rugged mountains
# Challenging Trek of 36 KMs in two days
# Pollution Free Route - Just Hum-Tum & Nature
# Chance to trek to one of India's Largest Glacier at 12000 ftThe Idea : The plan to go to Gangotri Glacier was finalised after considering several short family treks, which could be self-organised without having to pay through the nose to trek operators. The other places which we had shortlisted were Chopta-Tungnath-Deoriatal & Valley of Flowers, all of them in the Garhwal Himalayas.
The decision was clinched based on the feedback by various trekkers on indiamike.com and the beautiful photographs they had displayed of the place.Special Permission is required to be taken in advance for visiting Gaumukh i.e the end point of Gangotri Glacier. Please refer to this link for complete details >> http://travel.saffronstreaks.com/

DAY 1: [07 Jun 2010]
Start Point : Dehradun
Destination :Uttarkashi
Distance : 220 Kms -Drive By Own Car
Time Taken: 7 Hours by Rishikesh Route
The Trip :: The drive from Dehradun to Rishikesh was mostly plain and nice going. From Rishikesh to Chamba, the road is smooth and broad with gentle curves. After Chamba the road becomes little narrow with sharp curves, but it is okay to travel by your own car. After Chamba the route becomes quite scenic with the terraced hills and the huge blue lake of Tehri Dam.
After 7 hours drive we reached Monal Tourist Home, Uttarkashi at about 2 PM.
The DFO office is quite close to this Hotel hence it was very convenient to collect the Permission from the DFO office.

The Permission :: Please contact 01374-223693, DFO Uttarkashi and fax your letter to them for permission. The letter should be addressed to DFO Uttarkashi and should mention, Name/Age/Sex/ Govt ID No and date of visit. The permission will be given by hand at their office which you can collect on your way up. Carry photocopies of your letter and ID Cards.  Link to the letter is here> http://uttarkashi.nic.in/Dept/tourism/goumukh.PDF

The Stay at Uttarkashi. If you believe that the journey in the Mountains should be relished as much as the destination, then Monal Hotel becomes an essential part of this beautiful Journey. Mr Deependra Panwar is a Trekking Enthusiast who has set up this warm and cozy place, which is more like a friends place than a Hotel. [http://www.monaluttarkashi.com/]

DAY 2: [08 Jun 2010]
Start Point : Uttarkashi
Destination : Gangotri
Distance : 100 Kms - Drive By Hired Jeep [ Rs 1500/-]
Time Taken: 4.5 HoursThe Trip :: The road between Uttarkashi and Gangotri is bad at several places. Though some people managed to take their personal cars, it is not advisable.
There is stretch of about 5 kms near Gagnani where the road is extremely narrow, and a car had fallen off the prior evening into a deep gorge of about 500 feet. This part was very scary.
Thereafter the drive became pleasant with some beautiful spots like SUKHI TOP and HARSIL.Just before entering the Gangotri Town there was a huge traffic jam since the road ends at Gangotri and hundreds of Jeeps and Buses were trying to enter and leave the town simultaneously. However the chaos is managed fairly well by the local Police.

The pic is a view from Gangotri Town. On the left you can see the bathing ghats.

The Stay at Gangotri. We stayed at one of the many Hotels littered in Gangotri which provide nothing beyond the basic services. We spent the afternoon and evening walking around and acclimatising. Also we saw the famous waterfall of Gaurikund which is a great site.For those who want to understand the layout of these places - Gangotri- Gaumukh etc. I have uploaded a map

on Flickr. The link is at http://www.flickr.com/photos/riyazk/4709622322/

DAY 3: [09 Jun 2010]
Start Point : Gangotri Town [ Altitude - 9960 ft]

Destination : Bhojbasa Camp [ Altitude - 11500 ft]
Distance : 14 Kms Trek

Time Taken: 7 Hours

The Trek :: We started our trek at 8.00 AM in an uncertain cloudy weather, but we took a chance anyway. After about 2 Kms we reached the Gate to the Gangotri National Park. Here the permits are checked and payment of the fees is done. The rates are Rs 150/- per person including porter. Thereafter we continued with our trek. The path is well defined and is about 3-5 feet wide. It goes along the Valley which starts opening up slowly, unfolding to give a magnificient view of the mountains ahead. After 5 hours of walk we reached a place called CHIRBASA, which is a camping site for a lot of travellers. Ahead of Chirbasa, we came across several herds of 'Bharals' [ Himalayan Blue Sheep ]. The last two hours of the Trek were difficult since there was a lot of

uphill climb and we had to stop to rest nearly every 200-300 yards.

During Preparation for the trek we had done 10, 15 & 20 Km walks in Delhi where we averaged about 4.5 kms per hour, but here in the mountains + High Altitude we could just do 2 kms per hour.

However soon we were very near to the Bhojbasa Camp and as we came atop the last Hill a Spectacular Scene came up before us. The entire landscape was just awesome and the only comparable view I remember is when you enter the Gate of Taj Mahal and all of a sudden the

Stunning Taj comes up in front of you.

In the pic to the left - On top you can see the Bhagirathi Peaks

I,II,III and just below that is the Gangotri Glacier and Gaumukh. The Bhojbasa camp is at the bottom

The Stay at Bhojbasa Camp. There are two options for stay at Bhojbasa. Per person cost is given below :

1. Lal Baba Ashram - Rs 250/- per day including stay & all meals

2. GMVN Dormitory - Rs 300/- per day. Food cost is additional, which is quite a lot.
Tea- Rs 25/- ; Maggi - Rs 50/- etc..

However we stayed in GMVN Dormitory due to the heavy rain and bad weather, which became worse in the evening.

DAY 3: [10 Jun 2010] - Part I
Start Point : Bhojbasa Camp [ Altitude - 11500 ft]

Destination : Gangotri Glacier(Gaumukh) [ Altitude - 12000 ft] & Back to Bhojbasa
Distance : 8 Kms Trek

Time Taken: 4 Hours including time spent at the Glacier

Woke up at 5.oo AM due to the hustle and bustle of other people. Weather was clear, hence we got ready and left the camp at about 6.00 AM. We left the porter and the luggage at the Camp itself and planned to pick it up on the way back. After a walk of about 1.5 hours we reached the

point 500 mtrs short of Gaumukh, beyond which you are not permitted to go. However most of the people moved ahead and so did we. We went to about 200 mtrs short of the snount, but some adventurous people went right upto the cave at the Glacier, which is very dangerous since lot of ice blocks and rocks keep falling off the moraine.

In the pic you can see some people right next to the mouth of the Glacier and one Foreigner Sadhu was even taking bath in the freezzzing water! You can see is the towering blocks of ice of the glacier on top of the trekkers.

The Glacier and the river flowing out of it was a spectacular sight. The scene was absolutely mesmerising and we spent a lot of time there just watching the tremendous forces of nature in action. Thereafter we walked back to Bhojbasa Camp.

DAY 3: [10 Jun 2010] - Part II
Start Point : Bhojbasa Camp

Destination : Gangotri Town
Distance : 14 Kms Trek back

Time Taken: 5 Hours

Going back to Gangotri town was relatively easier compared to the climb. However the fatigue of first days climb took effect and the last part of the trek back was quite stenuous.

We reached back to Gangotri at 4 PM and checked into a Small hotel and

slept and rested and rested our old creaky bones. It was a great relief to be back.

DAY 4: [11 Jun 2010] - Drive back to Uttarkashi in Hired Jeep. Stayed at Monal.

DAY 5: [12 Jun 2010] - Drive back to Dehradun in Own Car

FINALLY
Total Distance Trekked in two days : 36 Kms

Time Taken: 7 + 3 + 5 = 15 Hours

We had planned to go upto Tapovan, i.e at an altitude of 14000 ft, above the glacier, but due to heavy snowfall out there we dropped that plan. Maybe next time...

I would definitely recommend this trek for families looking for some adventure treks.

On the way back we realised that now the Delhi Half Marathon [21 kms] is within our reach because on Day 2 of the Trek we had done 22 Kms, that too in High Altitude.

The photographs of the Trip are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/riyazk/

OK then ... Au Revoir , Sayonara...