Walking The Length Of The Ganges

Hi everyone

Its been a half-fancied dream of mine for a while to walk the length of the River Ganges from source to mouth.

So I would really like people's opinions, information and advice about this special journey.

The kind of questions running through my mind at this time are:

Has anyone done it, or written about it?
How long would it take?
When would be the best time to do it?
Just how big an adventure would this be?
Any particular risks?
Any particular highly valued experiences available along the way?
If you were doing it ... how would you do it?

I guess that I am looking for a mix of inspiration and hyper-realistic advice at this stage.

Cheers All

Ohhhhh! what a good idea! I too have had such dreams . . . not walking but at least going from source to mouth, or vice versa. Eric Newby floated part of it, wrote about it in "Slowly Down the Ganges" . . . I have recently purchased Stephen Alter's book, Sacred Waters . . . Alter's book is as yet unread, but he seems to have a special link with the project having been born in India . . . Newby's book is old(er) and was a good read 20+ years ago . . . as India is changing, much will be outdated; but as India is in ways Eternal, there is much the same.

How long? Depends on you, how fast you want to do it. The Ganges is over 1500 miles long, even ten miles a day puts you at 6 months . . . I'd personally give it at least nine. Which means starting at the source early enough to get to the glacier by May/June, when the snows clear. This also puts you in central India during monsoon. When I considered such a trip (and I have) I traveled overland by bus/etc for certain sections, then walked/floated the other parts.

I wish you luck and really hope you do it.

You asked about "highly valued experiences" along the way . . . I think every day would be full of them . . .

and then "just how big an adventure would this be?" . . . Really BIG

Walk on!
Namaste
Scott

Great idea. Coincidentally, was thinking about this while reading the 'boat down the Ganges' thread yesterday.

I would say that it can be done faster than the six/nine month period. Should be able to walk 4/5 hours a day on an average... 20km a day?

<cross-posted>

Interesting, I have something similar in mind for (part of) the Narmada some day. I hear that full pilgrimage (up and down its banks) takes 1-2 years. Like Darmabum I'd probably take the easy four- or three-wheeled way for much of it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganges Features some reading tips at the bottom, see also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganga_in_Hinduism . Googling for +ganges +pilgrimage isn't easy as there are so many pilgrimage towns along its course, but there may be something there. I don't think it's a pilgrimage route as such anyhow, but I may be wrong, parts of it could be.

btw From the stating the obvious dept.: Get some walking practice in before you go, in case you hadn't thought of it

the captains' point is well taken, could be done in less than 6/9 months . . . @ 20 km/day for 2506 km, puts you at 125.3 days . . . four months . . . but then again, that's river miles . . . if you walk the banks you would be walking exactly 2506 km . . . in some/many(?) places that may not be possible. I'm pullin' for you! Do it!

Maybe I need to correct myself.. a six month period may be required.

.... and you have to keep time for unforseen things, like the occasional off day or sickness, monsoons, floods etc.

Other threats... safety/security in some states en route.

But do it!

about The Best Time to go . . . the source is usually available from April/May through September . . . given the 4/6 month timeframe (and the source to mouth itinerary you proposed) monsoon rain will find you somewhere along the way. My Ideal trip would (though this is contrary to your proposed itinerary) start at the mouth/Ganga Sagar in the fall/early winter, walk six months, and have you up high when the heat starts to hit the plains, and (Shiva-willing) before the rains start . . . or of course you could do your mouth to source, leaving the mouth late (August or so) and getting down onto the plains after the rain and heat . . .

Years back, there was a British TV series about pilgrimage to the source. I don't think it was Michael Palin, but it was one of those well-known presenters.

Anyone remember the motor-biking sadhu with the rock-music hifi built into his bike?

I have it on video tape, once I get these boxes from London sorted and emptied.

However long it took, I guess that one restriction would be the old tourist-visa six-month thing.

There is also a book called Sacred Waters about the authors journey up the river to the source.

after Haridwar, it's pretty gross, and after Delhi, well, you'll prolly die of yuckitis. But hey, don't let that stop yas!

I must admit that these are my main worries. When you say "gross" what are the kind of things you have in mind?

Basic is OK, but seriously health-threatening is obviously a bit of a concern.

do a little googling . . . look up the Sankat Mochan Foundation (www.swatchaganga.com), the website for the foundation. Run out of Varanasi it has good information about the pollution of the river, and has a list of links. The bodies in the river are small potatoes compared to the industrial waste and human waste. Look at a population density map of the Ganges Valley; Ganga IS the mother, and a large proportion of her children live along her banks . . . and they don't treat their mother nicely. The microbial life in the river is something to pay attention to, though I've spent almost a year of my life in Varanasi, swum in the Ganges many, many times and have had no problems.

I was searching for information about this kind of journey.
Did you go for it? or know people that did?

Hi Lord
I also have been entertaining similar dreams, I recently purchased a walk along the Ganges by Dennison Berwick, I haven't finished it yet but it looks great, set in 1984 (?) it should give some insights. Also check out Alastair humphrey, he walked across india along the Cauvery River recently. Good luck with the adventure. I had originally planned to walk the width of india from Paradeep to Dandi but the instability in Chattisgargh has me reevaluating this plan... I envy you, but please keep posting as one day I will do this and I will value your feedback.

I envy you - do pick the winter to travel..
I read this a year or so ago http://www.amazon.com/Ganga-Journey-.../dp/1597263869 and I found it fascinating, especially the bit about bacteriophages