Trek to Deoriatal, Chopta and Chandrashila Peak (Uttarakhand, India)
It's been month since I'd finished
another outing in the lap of Himalayas. But, I was too busy to pen down the journey
& experiences of my first outing in Uttrakhand.
‘Churdhar’
in Sirmour district of Himachal Pradesh was the last trek I'd
completed before the fall of winter 2016.
My trek
buddy Navjeet Singh and I have been discussing about next destination
for couple of days and finally worked out a plan to attempt Deorital ,
Chopta, Tungnath and Chandrashila in Tehri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand.
This being
our first excursion in Uttarakhand, we wanted to have feel of culture, people
and geographical situation hence decided to travel by public
transport.
Peep at Itinerary:
13th April
2017 --> Travel from Delhi to Rishikesh
14th April
2017 (Day 1) --> Rishikesh - Sari - Deorital
15th April
2017 (Day 2) --> Deorital - Chopta
16th April
2017 (Day 3) --> Chopta
Circuit ( Chopta – Tungnath – Chandrashila – Chopta) – Haridwar – Delhi
After
necessary arrangements & logistics in place we packed our bags and got out
of the hustle and bustle of
NCR.
Overnight journey from Delhi to Rishikesh
After finishing our day at office we left to ISBT, Delhi from
Gurgaon. Since it was a long weekend (14th being national
holiday) scene at bus stand was utterly chaotic. We have booked a semi-deluxe
(2x2) bus of ‘UK state transport’ from Delhi to Rishikesh which was supposed to
leave at 21:30 hrs but it couldn’t even enter bus stand compound by then
as it was caught in the traffic jams. We finally managed to leave Delhi at
22:45 Hrs. Bus was comfortable, considering I haven’t slept properly for two
nights I crashed as soon it crossed city limits. We reached our destination at
05:45 hrs.; an early morning welcomed us at Rishikesh.
Morning view at Rishikesh
Day 1 : Rishikesh - Rudraprayag - Ukhimath - Sari - Deorital
We inquired from shops at bus stand about the mode of transport available towards Sari, we got to know that there were no direct buses and that we may have to catch multiple buses to reach Sari. They guided us to another small bus stand just beside the main city bus stand . As we reached there, we saw couple of
local buses parked , bus conductors were shouting the names of places we've never heard before ;) . We had to take a bus till Rudraprayag and catch another bus/taxi to Sari via Ukhimath. We boarded the a bus which left Rishikesh at around 06:00 hrs. Early
morning chill , curved roads like snake with Ganga Ji flowing besides, journey was truly amazing even
though we got the last seat :).
Bus halted at Devprag for breakfast and we got our tanks full.
Glimpses
of Alaknanda & Bhagirathi rivers meeting at Devprayag and taking the
name Ganga.
After reaching Rudrapraya at 13:00 hrs we tried to check for
shared taxi to Sari but in vain. We boarded another bus going to Ukhimath which
left Rudraprayag at 13:25 hrs. This was a bumpy & tiring ride.
Somewhere near Srinagar
In the bus
we met couple of guys from Delhi who were also going to Sari. We reached
Ukhimath at 16:10 hrs and took a shared taxi to Sari along with Delhi folks.
Taxi ride was comfortable , it dropped us at Sari around 16:45 hrs.
There were cluster of shops and eateries in Sari village. After freshen up,we stuffed
ourselves with some snacks (biscuits, bread, cookies etc) and started 3kms trek to Deorital around 17:00 hrs.
Valley view from Sari
V
Enroute Deorital
Considering we already had done more difficult trek in past, it was pretty easy for us. As we started hiking weather started changing rapidly , dense cloud
welcomed us with little drizzle to a heavy downpour & hail storm.
We had to take shelter under the makeshift shops on the way,
nevertheless we reached Deorital in less than an hour.
View at the taal was great. There was a forest check post where one had to register and pay entry fee of Rs 50 each and extra Rs 150 for pitching
tent.
First glimpses of Deorial
After all the formalities were completed we decided to search for a perfect place to setup our tent. With little efforts we found a place right beside the lake. To our disappointment the place was already getting crowded and it seemed as if we were at The Ridge @Shimla ;).
Almost getting dark
After walking around the lake and surrounding meadows we took early dinner "Maggi" , while Navjeet wanted to stare at moon,stars & clear sky I wanted to crash as soon as possible ;). Since we were tired, I crashed as soon as entered the tent.
Day 2 : Deorital - Chopta
We woke up at 05:00 hrs. Sky was clear, place was calm, we could hear chirping of birds; whole scene was so serene. 
Morning at Deorital
Camp site
We walked to the other side of the lake where forest dept. has built a rest house and a small elevated structure to have view of the surrounding mountain ranges.
View of Trishul and Nanda Devi Peaks
After spending some time looking at beautiful nature and admiring the creation of God, it was time think about further journey.
We spoke to the forest guard posted at check post to gather details about trek to Chopta, there was a map of the trail which seemed pretty simple to follow hence we decided to continue our journey without
hiring a guide.
We had breakfast at the shops around the
lake, filled water bootless as next water source was 10 kms away from here. Packed our stuff and pushed off at 08:40 hrs.
Path covered with beautiful rhododendrons flowers
Trail to Chopta passes through jungle of oak , rhododendrons, pine and maple trees. After walking for around 8 kms we reached Rohini
Bugyal. Took rest for a while and kept walking for another 2kms to reach the water fall. It was the first source of water after Deorital. Water was cold,clear and sweet.We took this opportunity to fill our bottles and
freshen up a bit. Warm sunny rays and sound of water flowing down the stream made a perfect location to cherish the beauty of the nature.
Rohini Bugyal
Water fall
There was uphill trek for 1-2 kms
from here that took us further towards Chopta. We finally reached there at
15:35 hrs.
Chopta is a small place with
cluster of shops and guest houses, one has options to put up in the tents
or lodge. We went to ‘Moksha Cafe' to have quick snacks. It had nice
ambience and ample space to sit . While waiting for snacks we struck
up conversation with other folks; everyone shared their experiences of
current and past treks. By then we were full of energy and started thinking of
finding a suitable place to spend the night.
We requested the café owner who
allowed us to pitch tent in his compound. He also suggested us to try to reach
at the peak early to witness the sunrise. We went to sleep immediately after
finishing our dinner at 20:00 hrs
All set to call it a day
Day 3 : Chopta Circuit (Chopta – Tungnath – Chandrashila – Chopta) – Haridwar – Delhi
Woke up early and started hiking at 03:30 hrs . Trail to Tungnath was properly built. I guess we were the first one who started journey so early as we did not meet anyone until we reached Tungnath. It was perfect full moon night; I hadn't seen such a beautiful sky with millions of stars. White moon light illuminated the trek so well that we didn’t use flash light while walking. Weather was cool and it was pin drop silence along the path.
Considering we were not carrying our rucksacks but a day hiking bag It just took 2 hrs ( Approx 5Kms) to reach at the chandershila peak.
View from the top was breathtaking
with wind chill of 1-2 degree C. This peak is surrounded by Nanda Devi and
Trishul on one side and Chopta valley on other.
We saw sun rising behind the
mountains and first rays hitting Trishul peak. Site was totally mesmerizing.
After spending good time at the peak came back to Tungnath. We could not get inside the temple as it was closed.
Baba Tungnath
View of the peaks from Tungnath
Journey
to base camp took just 1 hour. After heavy breakfast at a Dhaba at Chopta we
packed our stuff and were all set to return.
Next
big thing was to find transport from here. We were lucky to get one tempo
traveler which was going to Rishikesh and had space for us. We left Chopta at
09:30 hrs, return journey was long but comfortable. Driver dropped us at
Rishikesh at around 16:45 hrs. We wanted to catch bus with comfort
(deluxe/volvo) but didn't find any at Rishikesh so took a local bus to
Haridwar. To our disappointment, scene at the bus stand was too bad; long queues,
no clarity on bus timings and most of them were already booked.
Out
of options we took state transport bus to Delhi. It left Haridwar at 20:15 and
reached Delhi at 01:30 hrs.
Ride to Gurgaon from ISBT
Delhi was conformable as I shared Ola taxi with another fellow who traveled along with us from Haridwar.
Back of my mind I was bracing
up myself to go to office next day and the very thought of it was diminishing all
the energy & positivity I have absorbed from this trip ;)
Notes & takeaways
- Complete trip costed us Rs 2500 per head.
- Enough shared/Public transport available from Rishikesh in case you are not travelling by your own vehicle.
- Plenty of buses from Delhi to Rishikesh & back. I suggest to pre-book tickets if you intend to travel in deluxe buses.
- Do not litter the place. Collect you garbage and drop it in dustbins.
- Last but not the least , have fun and enjoy the nature.
Great experience inspiring me....
ReplyDeleteThanks bro.
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