As the source of the Ganga (Known as Bhagirathi until it reaches Devprayag ), gangotri is one of the holiest places in India. Infect, the physical source of river is 19 kms further north at Gaumukh. This 18 century temple is dedicated to Goddess ganga. It is located near a sacred stone where king Bhagirath worshipped Lord Shiva. Tapovan, have a sceneic beauty. It is the base camp for the Mt. Shivling. Mountaineers have their first base camp in Tapovan. The view of Bhagirathi's group of peaks & Shivling is magnificent. The alpine green meadow & a stream flowing down the Tapovan has also something special in it.
DAY 01 :
The day begins with a drive to Uttarkashi – which is small but busy town in the Garhwal hills on the banks of the Bhagirathi River. This place is famous for its temples, including the Vishwanath temple just to the north of the town as well as the famed Nehru Institute of Mountaineering which is placed right above the town. The drive is for 6-7 hours along which you will also pass the famed Tehri dam which holds the Bhagirathi River to form a reservoir of almost 22 Km. This dam is quite essential for the production of electricity in India. In addition, you also get to see the Bhagirathi Mountains from a distance, increasing the anticipation of seeing them up, close and personal.
Making a way out of the town, we stop on the outskirts at a Monal Guest house where we will check for the night. If we arrive early enough, you can take the rest of the day to explore around Uttarkashi.
Gangotri Nandavan Tapovan Trek
Duration : 7 Night 8 Days
Tour Itinerary
DAY 02 :
The drive to Gangotri will take us 4 hours, which we begin immediately after breakfast. Once here, we check in into a hotel for another night. Do make sure to visit the Ganga Temple here – it one of the prime pilgrim locations for the Hindus and the temple comes with its stories to share. Just beyond this temple there us a series of concrete steps leading up to the main trail which we will be taking up to reach Bhojbasa the following day.
DAY 03 :
The day begins with an uphill walk with fairly defined Kilometer marks through dense deodar forests and then opens into a wide unfrosted valley, through which the walk is pretty much gradual till we reach an isolated pine forests at Chirbasa before finally making it to Bhojbasa. After the first 4 Km there are some dhabas for a bite to eat, where a tributary flows into the valley. Bhojbasa has a small temple there and this used be full of Birch tree but unfortunately for us it is not there anymore. Here we camp for the night after completing almost 15 Km in a period of 5-6 hours.
DAY 04 :
Continuing along the grassy hillsides, the trail then curves, to unfold a breathtaking view of meadows studded with wild flowers and crowned by the Bhagirathi group of peaks. We set the camp for you at a sandy beach at Gaumukh, where the Holy Ganga gushes out of the snout of the Gangotri glacier. The Shivling at 6450 m sits looking like an old learned man, while the Bhagirathi I, II and III tower above. The trail leaves its way through the terminal moraine before cutting across the Gangotri glacier and climbing steeply up to the grassy slopes to the vast ablation valley of Tapovan- here the Bhagirathi peaks are almost within touching distance. It is a pleasantly surprising and green meadow with bubbling streams and wild flowers and camp sites below the Shivling. Trek time : 4-5 hours covering a distance of 9 km.
DAY 05 :
This is the second day at Tapovan and is set aside especially for you to just relax and take in as much as you can of the white panoramic giants above you. If you feel adventurous enough then you can walk up to ridge to give a look at Meru glacier or instead take a full day walk to the Kirti Bamak glacier reaching till the base of peaks “Kedarnath Dome at 6850 m”, Kirti Bamak at 6500 m’ and catch a classic view of Shivling from the east.
DAY 06 :
We find our route back to Cheerbasa to spend a relaxed night here after completing 13 Km of distance in 4-5 hours. You will notice here that to the south the peak of Bhrigu Parbat (6041m) looms high above the valley as well.
DAY 07 :
We walk back to Gangotri and board our vehicles to drive to Uttarakashi. Overnight stay at an Uttrakashi Hotel- pretty mundane after the natural habitation you have just left behind.
DAY 08 :
The expedition comes to an end once we drive back to Rishikesh.
Gangotri Nandavan Tapovan Trek
