“The land north of Gangadwar is known to the wise as Paradise Ground. Apart from this land, the rest is called Earth elsewhere.”
Gomukh, snout of the Gangotri Glacier situated at a height of 4255m, is where Bhagirathi/Ganga river originates and that was our destination for a 10 day trip.
We were a team of four. Initially we wanted to trek till Tavopan [4,400m], a seasonal home for great Sadhus, and we were hoping to gain some brownie points towards enlightenment :) But the Sadhus thought otherwise :(
By the time we reached Gomukh, we realised we were ill equipped for Tapovan and had to return back from Gomukh. Nevertheless, a memorable journey.
Dates: Sep-28 to Oct-7 2012
Day 1 [Delhi -> Dehradun]
We took NDLS-DDN express late in the night and reached Dehradun the next morning
Day 2 [Dehradun -> Uttarkashi]
All set to go!
Dehradun to Uttarkashi is about 190km in Ghat roads. Phewww! If you dont suffer travel sickness, you might even enjoy the journey.
But for the rest of us
I did it!
We reached Uttarkashi by late evening. We rested that night at a guest house.
Day 3 [Uttarkashi -> Gangotri : 99 Kms]
Uttarkashi, is situated on the banks of river Bhagirathi at an altitude of 1352 m. The town center has a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, the Kashi Vishwanath Temple.
We visited the temple in the morning before proceeding towards Gangotri.
Towards Gangotri
Gangotri is at elevation 3100m and river Ganga descends from here. Gangotri marks the starting point of the 19km trek to Gaumukh.
We visited the Gangotri temple and sat on the banks of the holy river for some time under the moon before retiring to our hotel rooms.
Day 4 [Gangotri -> Bhojbasa 14km, trek]
On the first day of our trek we decided to climb till Bhojbasa,“abode of Bhoj trees”, which is about 14 kilometers from the Gangotri temple on a well-marked trail.
Starting the trek
There are a few streams along the way and we also spotted a herd of himalayan goats. We took a break at Chirbasa, “abode of chir trees” and continued further.
The Path and The Bhagirati to guide us!
Surrounded by the Mystic himalayan peaks !
Chirbasa to Bhojbasa had a few loose rocks ready to fall anytime on the path. This was probably due to the heavy rains that hit just a week before our trip. We had to do some rope climbing at times; otherwise it was a smooth trek.
We rested the night in camps pitched in the valley by the river.
The Bhojbasa Camp Site
The Kitchen :)
Day 5 [Bhojbasa -> Gaumukh -> Chirbasa]
The next morning we treked to Gomukh which was 5km one way from Bhojbasa.
The Gaumukh Glacier, finally!
Melting ice :(
The Glacier once looked like “Mouth of a Cow”. A Swami says “Gomukh is receding more than 10 meters per year”; That alarming!
We took a real quick dip and trekked down from Gomukh to Chirbasa. We rested at the GMVN TRH. Warmth is heaven!
Day 6 [Chirbasa -> Gangotri; Gangotri -> Uttarkashi]
The next morning we trekked down to gangotri and reached Uttarkashi in the night. Ghat roads again, break bantha hain!
Our Jeep
Staple food of every Himalayan trip, Maggiee! Dhyan Sighnji so devoted at work!
Rested in the guest house.
Day 7 [Uttarkashi -> Yamunotri]
We had a couple of spare days as we did not make it to Tapovan. We decided to visit Yamunotri.
Yamunotri, situated at an altitude of 3,293 metres in the Garhwal Himalayas, is the source of the Yamuna River.
As we proceeded towards Yamunotri, we could visually experience how drastically different this part of Himalayas is from that of the Bhagirati range [Ganga range].
The mountains are darker with more vegetation. Yamuna is visibly green and dark. Ancient hyms talk about yamuna being of the color of Lord Krishna!
See the rainbow?
Day 8 [Yamunotri -> Haridwar]
The next morning we took kutcher to reach yamunotri and we enjoyed several dips in Yamuna’s ICE cold water and THAT was my take away moment of the trip.
Yamunotri!
Day 9 [Rafting at Hrishikesh; Off to New Delhi]
We reached Hrishikesh by noon on Day 9 and did white water rafting on Ganga.
We took DDN-NDLS express that night and reached New Delhi the next morning.
Some Pointers
- Early October is probably the best time to visit this part of himalayas. The rains generally recede and lesser risk of land slides.
- Travel Sick? Keep yourself hydrated. Sitting on the front next to the driver’s helps.
- Water Bottles: Get the sipper types which is very handy while trekking
- Take loose fitting clothing. Jeans are a big no-no.
- Cover all your belongings with plastic sheets even if your rug sack is water proof. Sudden showers are not uncommon and we could end up with all wet cloths and we don’t want that on a cold night.
- We camped in Bhojbasa next to the river. This is probably not a great idea to follow especially if you have less tolerance for cold. Since the tents were pitched in the open and closer to the river, cold winds gave us a sleepless night :( This resulted in us deciding against Tapovan and cut short the trek to until Gomukh. Sad. A better option would have been to have booked GMVN Travel Rest House in Bhojbasa. Next time!
