I still remember those days, when I decided to go on my first Himalayan trek and to add on to that excitement it was an exploratory trek, meaning no other group ever did this before. I have always admired the beauty and mightiness of the Himalayas and wanted to be there amidst nature and peacefulness. The time had finally come, I did prepare for months back home running every day with my rucksack to reach the desired fitness level as it can be daunting due to lack of oxygen. But with all good preparation, enthusiasm I was ready and did set off for an adventurous journey to a lake called Bharaadsar Tal located approximately 4000 meters altitude somewhere in Himalayan ranges of Gharwal region in the state of Uttarakhand, India. As the trek length is more than a week and there are lots to share, I will write it in few articles. Keep following and it will be wonderful journey into the Himalayas. Stand with me till the end, as we go higher more beautiful it gets, I promise you! 😊
Day 1: Drive from Dehradun to Dhaula by jeep (approximately 12 hours)
The starting point for this trek was at Dehradun, a beautiful hill station located at the foot of Himalayan ranges. We as a group organized a jeep from Dehradun to drive to the village of Dhaula that takes around 12 hours of drive through winding mountain roads. Enroute will pass through many beautiful places like Mussoorie also small towns of Purola, Mori and Naitwar. We pass by large pine forests after Purola and the journey by the Tons River after Mori village. This is considered as one of the best mountain drives in India. Crossing Naitwar we drove along the Rupin River to reach the last point Dhaula. From here the hike starts. It was near dusk when we reached after 12 hours of tiring but scenic drive.
Our first day base camp for this exploratory trek is Himri that is around 3 to 4 kilometers from Dhaula village where we got off the jeep and can be reached only by foot. The campsite is nestled amidst the beautiful Himri and other coniferous trees. Hence the name Himri to campsite due to the abundance of trees found there. So we decided to camp at Himri on the banks of Rupin river. Rupin has clear blue water that rumbles down the hill. Certainly, it was a beautiful campsite and great place to start our trek. Himri is at an altitude of 1470 meters above the sea level.
To end the first day, we wrapped up by pitching our tents on the banks of river shown in above photos, cooked some food, enjoyed the night under stars with a campfire and getting to know fellow trekkers.
Day 2: Trek from campsite Himri to Saru Tal via the village of Bhitri
The second day started with a good warmup exercise and light breakfast at the campsite to set off towards the village of Bitri via dense pine forests. The campsite Himri lies at the base and village Bitri is on the mountain ridge.
It was a steep climb through the forests and we had to ask nearly every passerby we met (we hardly met 4 to 5!) about the route as we were not clear which way to take. The people were so kind to help us regain our way towards the village of Bitri.
A Couple of hours later, we passed by this beautiful lone house. I could sense human habitat nearby and be happy as we couldn’t get any source of water in-between. What amazed me about this house is the way how it was built unlike what we see in towns or cities. They were made of wood with flat stones laid as the roof. Never seen something like that until then.
As we move further, the landscape starts to get more beautiful. Time and time again we did pass by few beautiful mountain houses as the ones below, they are built on mountain slopes. Such a peaceful life in here!
After a steady 4 hour uphill climb, we entered the village of Bitri. This little village houses a little more than 60 families. The people were so happy to see us and treated like we knew each other from ages, even if it was the first time we met them!
I have experienced this many a times during my hike through the Himalayas. Every village I pass by was a great experience, people were so kind and caring. They will always be remembered. A quick walk through these beautiful houses, we were already at the center of town with a unique design temple that was carved charmingly with wood and stones.
The temple is built in a typical Kinnaur architecture. This is one of the major attractions in the village.
This is a tradition and it has been followed here from ages. Smoking is considered holy this part of the world! 😉 They say it helps them attain spiritual awakening and makes everyone happy 😊
Outside this temple is also their court where the heads of the village join along with other villagers and solve a case when requires an intervention. Another interesting point is that the village has an open school concept.
There is no classroom and the school is run on a small open play ground. There is one teacher for the whole village, kids sit on the ground and there is a small blackboard in the yard! Spending few hours with the villagers it was time to move on. We continued our journey further after having some light snacks and filling up enough water for the rest of our journey.
After hiking for around next two hours we finally reached a large meadow with a small lake right at the center. So hike for the second day is completed and we arrived at our campsite Saru Tal.
Until now we are done with the second day and we have passed through various beautiful landscapes to reach our campsite, Saru Tal. We still have not crossed the tree line or have seen the first sight of snow-capped mountains, I will continue the rest in upcoming articles. Until then stay tuned, the best is yet to come! 😊
Thanks for reading my post. Hope you enjoyed it.
Your comments/opinions are welcome. Please follow for more interesting articles!
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Chaithra Bhat
Such a beautiful post! I certainly remembered my time driving and riding through the hills and mountains of Uttarakhand! It's such an amazing land and there's so much to be experienced there.
I loved the details in your post, and I learnt something new from it. The temple of Bitri and it's carvings was amazing. People in this state are so warm and friendly. One of the better states to travel through in India.
I'm not very big on hikes or treks as I haven't done it much but I enjoy a good story any time! :)
Looking forward to your next post!
@firepower Thank you so much for reading my post and sharing your opinion :) Yes Uttarakhand is a beautiful place, it is often referred as'Devbhumi' and truly it is! Being at the foothills of Himalayas, there are plenty of places to explore. Not only hike, you can have a bike trip if you are not much into hiking. You could plan sometime :)
The second post is already on my wall, please have a look. The summit climb post is on its way and will upload in a couple of days. Enjoy reading!
cool I spent 1 year in total in Pokhara and Katmandu..read my blog if you feel like it :D Very nice post!!
Thank you! Hope you had a great experience.
Sure will check it out!
Nice pics and post :)
Thank you @briantec01
Amazing ! Love the pictures !
Thank you @canismajoris ! Stay tuned for next episode :)
Amazing shots and interesting story, @chaithrabhat! Mountains is always exciting and fascinating!
Check my last post too. There I tell about my adventure to the Altai mountains. Hope, you'll enjoy it :)
Mountains as always beautiful and refreshing. I need to visit this place soon :P
@arvindsingh - Sure it is! You will love it, the story is not done though. Wait till the end. Next part up soon!
great!! All views captured are breathtaking , excited to see more views and stories in upcoming post @chaitrabhat
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STOPThanks @liberosist for sharing :) Much appreciated :)
Wow! that is amazing!! heart and hearts <3 upvoted