BHYUNDAR KHAL

The mysterious trail ahead of Valley of Flowers!

Best Time
Summer, Autumn
Duration
9 Days
Destination
Uttarakhand
Trek Altitude
16,732 Feet.
Group Size
12
Trek Distance
58 Km.

Bhyundar Khal Trek

The Bhyundar Khal was mentioned by Sir Frank Symthe in his book describing his successful attempt on Kamet and also during his exploits in the region later in 1937. This pass is part of the Greater Himalayas or the Himadri Range. It goes across the North-South Zanskar Range and connects the Alakhnanda river valley with the Dhauli Ganga river valley. The approach is relatively easy from both sides of the pass but trekkers prefer the Valley of Flowers side due to the beauty of the valley. Retracing the steps of Sir Frank Smythe on his Mt Kamet expedition, the trek initially reaches the popular Valley of Flowers. One can sample the contrasts of nature during this trek as the Bhyundar Valley is green and colourful while the other side is barren and lacks vegetation due to its proximity to the Tibetan Plateau. The pass offers beautiful vistas towards the west, east and south with the Kamet group and the Nanda Devi Peaks rising like spectacle. The trek starts from Govindghat village ahead of Joshimath and progresses through the Valley of flowers before setting up the base camp below the snow col of the pass on the 4 th day. The trail climbs up steadily and takes one to the remote valley of the Tipra. We encounter ice, snow, moraines, rivers, streams, meadows and amazing mountain scenery. The camping grounds of Eri Udyar is like a belvedere and known as the Balcony camp. It offers beautiful vistas of the Banke glacier. One has to negotiate the moraines of the Gauri glacier, Rataban Glacier and Tipra Glacier. Fundamental knowledge of mountaineering is a must for this trek. At certain places rope has to be fixed to cross deep crevasses. The top of the Pass offers close and glorious views of Nilkantha, Hathi, Nilgiri and Rataban peaks. The trek route diverges from the Gupt Khal trek route and goes down straight to exit in the village of Ghamsali.

Itinerary

Leave early at 6 am and drive to Govindghat via Devprayag, Rudraprayag, Karnaprayag, Nandaprayag and Joshimath/Auli. Overnight at rest-house in Joshimath/Auli.

Early morning we drive to Govindghat and start the trek by crossing the river Alaknanda over a bridge at Govindghat and from there walk towards the Bhyundar valley through forest area and a few villages. There are numerous waterfalls and lush green landscape all around. The gradient of the trail is moderate. The 11 kms trek to reach Ghangharia takes about 4-5 hrs, one can also hire a mule to reach Ghangharia. Overnight in rest houses at Ghangharia.

We start the day�s trek with a short ascent to the valley. Gradient is moderate and the landscape soothing to the eye. It will take about a couple of hours to reach the valley. There are unending meadows laden with varieties of alpine flowers, network of streams and big mountains all around. The prominent species are Brahma Kamal, Anemone, Geranium, Marsh Marigold, Primula, Lilium, Potentilla, Ranunculus, Inula, Corydalis, Pedicularis, Arisaema, Ligularia, Morina, Impatiens, Saxifrages Bistorta, Anaphalis, Sibbaldia. One can spend 3-4 hours exploring different corners & vantage points of the valley. We continue our trek to Tipra Kharak and reach by late afternoon.

The day�s trek involves negotiating moraine and technical surfaces. The ascending path is gradual throughout, but challenging at times.

The trek on the glacier continues for about 5 km. The walk is technical and requires use of technical gear. After the glacial stretch, the path goes to the moraine continuously descending to the campsite.

On this day we start before sunrise. The walk again involves technical aspects on the glacier, which continues to the pass. It is a trek of about 8 km to the pass, which takes about 5-6 hours, with a stunning view of the greater Himalayas all around. Dinner and overnight stay in tent.

After a trek of 6 km along the valley, one reaches Edi Udiyar, with a grassy and comfortable place to set campsite.

Today we will descend to the village of Ghamsali. The frontier villages have mostly been abandoned as villagers have been migrating to towns and cities in the foothills and the plains after the 1962 war with China brought their centuries-old border trade to a halt. These villages come up with great culture and old oral tradition. We further drive to Joshimath. Overnight in a guest house.

We leave from Joshimath and reach Dehradun by early evening.

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Inclusion
  1. Transport support from and to Dehradun: starting from pickup on day 1 to drop on day 9.
  2. Guide and cook fees.
  3. Rent for camping equipment.
  4. Forest entry charges.
  5. Porter and mule support to carry camping equipment. Please note that personal luggage can be carried by mules and/or porters on chargeable basis.
  6. All veg meals starting from day 1 dinner to day 9 breakfast.
  7. Tented accommodation throughout the trek. Possible guest house accommodation on Day 1 and Day 8.