Roopkund Trek

Our journey starts with a drive from Kathgodam to Lohajung (Starting point for the Roopkund Trek). Although this drive is long, it is very scenic for the most part as we will be driving along rivers before turning right into the beautiful Pindar valley. On this route, you will be crossing Almora. Founded in 1568, this is a district in the Kumaon division of Uttarakhand. Overnight stay will happen in the forest guest house/tents.

The trek to Roopkund Lake starts from Lohajung to a village called Didna where we have our first camp. The initial part of the trek is easy with a steady climb up to the Lohajung pass and then downhill to the Bedni River, popularly known as the “Bedni Ganga”. We will cross Didna village and continue walking up to a meadow where we will camp for the night.

Morning will begin with basic stretching exercises so we do not have any muscle problems through the trek. This is where the real trek begins. It is a steep trek through oak trees and large stands of bamboo to reach the Ali Bugyal meadows. We will cross the stunning views of Garhwal Himalayan peaks on the way. Ali Bugyal is as beautiful as Bedni and lies on top of a hill, from where we can enjoy the views of unending vistas in all directions. This is probably one of the finest camping sites in the Garhwal Himalayas. Overnight stay will blissfully happen here in tents.

In a comparatively easy trek, we will be walking while listening to chirping birds and admiring the beauty of our surroundings to the other side of the river. Ghora Lotani on the Roopkund trek is a brilliant campsite and offers you great views all around. We should reach the campsite by the afternoon with enough time to relax and acclimatize to the weather conditions and altitude. Overnight camp is at Patharnachuni.

This is the day of when we move from an altitude of 3810m (12,500ft) to 4420m (14,500ft). This part of the Roopkund Lake trek is to be considered as high altitude trek-king and we can feel the effects of this during trek-king from Ghora Lotani to Bhagwabasa. We will be Trekking slowly and steadily, stopping for water after every hour for 2 to 5 minutes to reach Kalu Vinayak. Compared to the beauty of Ali Bugyal, it is hard to imagine a more desolate, boulder strewn campsite than that of Bhugu Basa (4100m). It is exposed to icy northern winds that whip around the stone shelter huts. Overnight stay is in the tents.

The final day of the Roopkund Trek is here. Roopkund Lake is a 5 km gradual uphill climb from Bhagwabasa. It is a steep climb and would take about 3 – 3½ hours to reach the Lake. A further trek of around half an hour takes us to the highest point of the Roopkund Lake trek, Junar Gali. Then we head back for our campsite at Bedni Bugyal.

This is a steep descend and then a short climb from Bedni Bugyal. On our way back, we will go through a Rhododendron forest, before having a steep descent again for the Neel Ganga. Upon reaching Wan, we get reunited with modern transportation and drive to Lohajung. Overnight stay at Lohajung.

After getting to the base camp at Lohajung, we have an option of spending a day at Lohajung. This is a great place to relax and chill out. The next morning, we start our drive towards Kathgodam where the trek journey ends.