ROOPKUND LAKE

Best Time
Summer, autumn
Duration
8 Days
Destination
Dehradun
Trek Altitude
15,748 Feet
Group Size
12
Trek Distance
52 KM

Roopkund Lake Trek

Roopkund is a mysterious lake in the interiors of district Chamoli.The lake is rather shallow having a depth of about 2m with the edges covered with snow for most parts of the year. When the snow melts;human and equine skeleton remains can be seen, some of them with flesh attached. These remains have been preserved in the alpine conditions for centuries. It is believed that these are the remains of about 300 persons who died about 500-600 years ago. There are many theories about these findings but none are satisfying. Hence the lake is known as the Mystery Lake. Some believe them to be those of General Zorawars’ soldiers who died here in a vain attempt to conquer Tibet, while others maintain that they are the skeletons of the zealous pilgrims, who went on the Raja Yatra to the base of Trishul. It is however one of the popular treks in Garhwal as it abounds on spectacular mountain scenery. The trek to Roopkund is very scenic and passes through the magnificent Bedni Bugyal. The trek goes through the outer periphery of the Nanda Devi national park and is one of the best treks to view the magnificent peaks of the Nanda Devi Park.  

Itinerary

We begin the journey early in the day. Its a long drive and after we set out from Dehradun we proceed towards Devprayag, the confluence of River Alaknanda and Bhagirathi. We stop enroute for breakfast preferably at Kaudiyala, at someplace overlooking river Ganges. The drive further provides us opportunity to visit two more Prayags, i.e. Rudraprayag and Karanprayag. We stop for lunch at the latter. Finally we make our to Lohajung. We reach Lohajung by evening and retire to the comfort of a guest house.

The first day’s hike takes us to the beautiful village of Didna, which is situated at an approximate distance of 9 kms, which lies on the opposite, eastern bank of Neelganga river. After we descend down almost all the way to the river bed below, we climb up the ridge towards village Didna. The trail here is marked by the vivd flora all around and Rhododenderon trees can be seen, identified by their disctinc red flowers. The ridge futher up on the eastern side climbs up to Ali Bugyal, to the North of which is located Bedni Bugyal, our destination for the next day. Overnight in camps.

Today we will trek 11 km to reach the Alpine Meadow of Bedni Bugyal (3350 mts), probably one of the best camping sites in the Garhwal Himalayas. There are two trails from Didna to Ali Bugyal, while one trail climbs up straight, cutting through the steepest slopes, the longer trail with lesser gradient goes around the edge of the ridge. It is this trail that we take. Ali bugyal is a massive meadow with the topmost section going all the way up to 3,520 meters. We cover the length of Ali Bugyal and finally reach Bedni Bugyal further ahead. From Ali Bugyal we get great views of snowcapped mountains. Trishul, a seven thousander peak can be seen in all its magnificence. Dinner and overnight stay in tents.

We begin the day at ease and after breakfast we head up the trail clearly visible from Bedni almost halfway to Patar Nauchani. The entire elevation gain is only up to the topmost section that is already visible to us. After reaching this section we get splendid views of the snowcapped Trishul up ahead and Nanda Ghunti to our left. The trail henceforth descends slightly as we proceed further to Patar Nauchani campsite.

After breakfast we trek to Bhaguwa Basa. Bhaguwa means flowery park and Basa means place. And rightly the place is full of variety of flowers including the rare Brahma Kamal(state flower of Uttarakhand), a special godly lotus found only between altitudes of 14000 – 15000 ft. Today we will trek 5 km, to reach today’s campsite at Bhaguwa Basa. Dinner and overnight in tents.

It is a hard day and by early morning we are at Roopkund (4800 mts). Roopkund is a picturesque and beautiful tourist destination in the Himalayas, located near the base of two Himalayan peaks: Trishul (7120 m) and Nandghungti (6310 m). In the afternoon we trek back to Bedni Bugyal for dinner and overnight stay.

Today we set out towards Wan and finally drive to Lohajung. The route taken goes through dense forests with plenty of Rhododenderon trees (Buransh), the red flowers of which are used to extract and make a juice. We descend to Gharoli Patal and further down to the bed of a river stream before we begin climbing towards Wan village. This journey will take 3-4 hrs. From Wan we drive to Lohajung which lies 17 km from here. Dinner and overnight in guest-house in Lohajung.

Today, after breakfast, we return back to Mundoli drive back to Rudraprayag. We visit the confluence of rivers Mandakini and Alaknanda. Continue the journey to Dehradun.

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Inclusion
  1. Transport support from and to Dehradun: starting from pickup on day 1 to drop on day 8.
  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 8 breakfast.
  7. Tented accommodation throughout the trek.