8 days
Specific Tour
16 people
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Arrive at Dehradun by the morning Shatabdi or catch a flight to the Jolly Grant Airport and you will reach by 12 noon. Catching the flight will be the most convenient way to reach and save time. After reaching Dehradun, you will ride a bus/taxi for 8-9 straight hours before finally reaching Sankri. Once you arrive, Rejuvenate with your fellow trekkers at dinner and briefly discuss the trek with your guides and fellow mates.
Have an early morning breakfast and leave your camp by 7 am. The drive will take 2 hours to reach the starting point of your trek. Taluka village is a small one surrounded by concrete houses that look out of sync with the village architecture seen everywhere else. There is also a GMVN guest house for accommodation. The trail descends to the river valley and continues through the thick forests on the true side of the valley. If you visit this place during the spring season, you will get to see plenty of Gujars (pastorals with buffalo herd) camping, as they continue to make their way to the higher pastures. You will be passing through thick forests of chestnuts, walnuts, willows, chinars and a variety of conifer trees. You will also be witnessing a few waterfalls on the way.
The next day, you will trek to Dev Thach at an elevation of 10,016 ft which will take you around 4-5 hours depending upon your speed. Dev Thach is basically a large alpine meadow, the trail continues winding through the forest until the village of Osla appears on the opposite side of the valley. The main trail does not divert to Osla, however, it leads through a row of tea shops and a forest rest house known as Seema which is at 8,202 ft. From there, it will just take an hour to reach up to the beautiful meadow. You will trek through the thick forests of Pines and Oaks. This place has rich alpine vegetation and is home to a variety of Himalayan birds and animals. After a steep ascent, you will reach Dev Thach and will witness the alluring greenery and undulating meadows all around. You will be camping with a great view of Mt. Kalanag or the Blackpeak right in front of you. After having dinner, spend the rest of the night inside your tent.
Today you will reach the Ruinsara Tal by afternoon. From there, to the south-west is the Yamuna Kanta. It is the pass that will take you to Yamunotri which is a very difficult trek. To the East, there is the majestic Banderpoonch peak standing tall at 20,954 ft. When you walk south-east from the lake, it brings you to Kiarkoti with the view of over 20,000 ft of Swargarohini range to the North. After enjoying the lake and the exotic view, come down to Dev Thach. Stay overnight.
Today will be a rest day or a buffer day. Have a relaxed day and laze around appreciating the magnificent view of the snow giants. Listen to some great music or read a book to keep yourself busy while relaxing. If you want to catch a closer look at the Baderpoonch peak, you may walk towards its base camp. You can also visit the Thanga campsite on the opposite bank of the river, if you are lucky, you may also spot Himalayan brown bears around here. After checking out the peak, return back to the camp for an early hot lunch. Stay the night in your camp.
Today will be a long walk down to Bheduka via Seema. You will start the day by retracing your own steps. Enjoy the views while walking down as you will still be able to see the Himalayan giants. The path will be predominantly downhill except for a short and very steep ascent through the forest that you came across the other day.
Wake up early and bid your farewell to this wonderful place until your next hike. Reach Taluka and from there, you will get plenty of buses and cars to drive back to Sankri village. Retire for the day in your hotel and relax. Have some good food, go out for a walk and enjoy the last moments of your trip.
After having breakfast in your guest house, drive all the way down to the busy city of Dehradun. Board the evening Shatabdi for Delhi, have dinner on the train itself. You will reach Delhi by midnight.
During winters the Ruinsara Lake temperature comes down to (-2 to -5 degrees) in the morning and freezing (-5 to -10 degrees) at night. And during summers the temperature rotates at a pleasant range of (5 to 15 degrees).
The months of March to Nov are the best time to do this trek, although March will be comparatively colder than the rest of the months but you will get to see a lot of snow around. In contrast, to the rest of the months, you will get to see the beautiful Rhododendron flowers in full bloom. The Ruinsara Tal altitude is at 11,482 ft and is the highest point that we will trek to.
Yes, this trek is for beginners and it does not require any prior trekking experience. But, you need to be mentally and physically fit before taking up this trek, as it is equally important.
The last ATM point is at Purola, after it you won't be getting any place to draw cash from. Your device will catch full signal at Purola but in Sankri, only BSNL and Vodafone will receive signals however, the connectivity will not be so good. After this point, there will be no network coverage, so complete all your important works and call your loved ones before leaving so that they do not stay tensed.
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