gangotri tapovan and kedarnath.

phenyle

Hi all,
a group of us are plannning on going from gangotri to tapovan in june.
wanted info on this route to make our trip most interesting and adventurous.
here are some questions

1) do we need a guide or is the trail marked all the way.
2) do we need permits from the indian govt.
3) are there any mountains along the way that have marked trails for us to go hiking. we dont have any mountaineering/mountain climbing experiences, we however are avid backpackers
4) Is there any alternate route back from tapovan to gangotri or we have to come back the same way.
5) Is the pilgrim route to kedarnath around the trail/ or can we include this as a part of our iternary.
6) other tips on what to carry and what will be available along the way would be helpful as well.

thanks
ashish

babuchand

hey ashish,

you can find my posts in the uttaranchal forum about this trek, actually i have been to gomukh previously and now want to got further...... to nandanvan...which is again 4-5 km from tapovan. we r planning to go in october.

regarding your query,

1. the trail to gomukh is well marked, we have gone without guide.…..so if u go upto gomukh u can spare with it, but to reach tapovan u definitely need one…..may be u need one porter also to carry the tent and ration for the days stay in tapovan. U have to put camp there…be prepared for that

2. no permits needed for tapovanor even nandanvan.

3. don’t try for mountain climbing…..anyway on trekking days u will get too tired to do that……….. if u stay an extra day in tapovan then try to explore but gont go to far to get lost forever.

4. as far as I know there is no alternate route to return…and don’t try to find one on the glacier….follow guide.

5. there is no trekking route to kedarnath…….. one 8-10 days expedition route is there….but mind it.EXPEDITION NOT TREKKING. Its better to follow the conventional route to kedar….u can go to chorabarital(Gandhi sarovar)and Vasukital from kedar to add some spices.

trek plan
gangotri – bhujbasa(14km) – tapovan via gomukh(4km+5km) – extra day at tapovan – bhujbasa – gangotri.

If u people are fit enough u can come back to gangotri straight away from tapovan on the same day. ( we got down from gomukh to gangotri in 3.5 hours)

Try to go within 1st -3rd week of june ………i.e. before it starts raining(afternoon rain will put u in problem )…….use rain coat or waterproof jackets.

Take ample woolen garments (not extra) take windcheater jackets, cap for the head (cover ur head its must but don’t cover your ears, it helps in acclimatization), muffler, leather gloves, tent, sleeping bag, long plastic sheets, mattress, water drum, stove, ration, some dry food like chocolates and gloocon D can give u some extra energy. Can use one homeopathic medicine COCA 30 (check spelling)…. It helps fighting high altitude problems like headache, vomiting etc.

That’s all….if u want u can give me your email address through private message….i can send u good maps and some snaps also…..

u can go to http://www.gmvnl.com/trekdetails.html

babuchand

gs_uppal

You can go to tapovan without a guide believe me.
Once you reach Bhojwasa you'll meet 50-100 people there everyday and 15-20 food stalls/tents. Around half of them will go to tapovan.
Be sure to leave Bhojwasa early in the moring to be at Gaumukh by 8/830am, be there for over an hour, and you'll meet 20-30 people who'll be heading for tapovan from there (5km from there)
Even foreigners and ladies go to tapovan without guides. There is an ashram too in tapovan where most of the people stay overnight (i think it is kali kamliwale baba's ashram, they also have an ashram in bhojwasa where they accomodate20-30 people every night, you have to give a donation of rs 110).
Most people believe that Tapovan should not be missed if you are going to Gaumukh, and hence they go there and it really is beautiful. Believe me dont take a guide and save more than a 1000 rs.
Just follow any small group over there, many people will be there who'll be going to tapovan on their Nth trip.

babuchand

fyi

at bhojbasa its Lalbaba's ashram, one can stay at gmvn bunglow or the chatis above the basin like camp-site. but at june if a big group comes they may not have accomodation at kali kamlibaba's asram at tapovan. thats why its better to have tents. again u dont know whether u will get a party going to tapovan and if u can gel with them or not..... its better to take a private porter cum guide.......they wont charge more than 300-350 a day.

and Ashish, I forgot to tell u abt shoes.........better to have trekking shoes..... snikkers/sports shoes with good grip will do but anyway take two pairs of shoes. its from my practical experences (bitter as u guess)..... and later many experienced mountaineers advised me to do so. and u can use knee and ankle caps.....they resist twisting....which is sure to happen while walking on moraine bolders.

take care..

babuchand

gs_uppal

guide will take 300-350 a day, if you take from bhojwasa that will be 2/3 days = 1000 rs,
if you take from gangotri it will be 3/4 days, = 1200-1300 rs.
MY ADVICE - DON"T TAKE A GUIDE, BELIEVE ME THEIR WILL BE A QUEUE OF PEOPLE GOING THAT WAY.
Save that 1000 bucks and send half of that to me on returning from the trip, for my advice, and if you take a guide and on returning from trip feel that you shouldnt have taken the guide, send a bill of rs 1000 to 1200 to Babuchand.

Bothways, enjoy the trip, the view of tapovan with the lake and Shivling mountain behind is marvellous.

babuchand

ha ha ha
nice..............
hey uppal, can u give me idea of getting some 2nd hand foreign trekking geers???


hey ashish,
dont forget to send the pics....coz i will be going there in oct 1st week so ...... try to snap the whole picture ..the road, the people...not only peaks (try to have a high zoom optical camera....i missed that one in prev trip so much)....and please please send to me.... at
k_sayantan@rediffmail.com

have anice trip.

phenyle

Thanks for all the information guys.
we will be at least a group of four backpackers.
and we will be carrying tents and sleeping bags.
I will take a lot of pictures for sure.

i was very keen on visitng the kedarnath temple during this trip
but i only have 5-6 days in the area .. do u think i could speed things up and be able to accomodate it or that is out of the question

gs_uppal

out of question

tok

thanks for the tips!
Great coincidence as we are just finalizing the details around that area in June

We will be arriving there during the last week of june. We will be in Utt. for all of July and August, weather permitting. We will be bringing a tent, stove, sleeping bags, maps, compass, well, all the stuff you need. Plus we have done a lot of reading on the area. Starting there, as a warmup, we will continue on to other treks, perhaps in the eastern regions. Camping at Miliam and so forth.

We will avoid guides at all costs. We prefer taking an easier way, and doing it ourselves.

Cheers,
Tok (Tina n Kris)
In a snowy Sweden

jyotipg

Babuchand,

If you are planning to go to NandanVan in October, then no local guide will be ready to take you there. My friends went till Tapovan in October last year and the whole stretch was covered with heavy snow.. No sadhu was staying in the Ashram in Tapovan that time. And NandanVan is totally out of scope in October. IF you have been to Tapovan and then looked down into the gangotri glacier from the outer ridge just behind "bangali Amma's" Ashram, you could have seen how difficult it is to cross the glacier and go to the otherside to NAndanVan. When I went there with my team in August last year, It was difficult to find guides who would be willing to go to Nandanvan.

Traversing the glacier to reach Nandanvan would actually take much more than 5 kms.. There is no fixed route in glacier and it may become more difficult once covered with snow..

My friend who went in October had a tough time while climbing up to Tapovan. Descent was even difficult. So, they prefferred to take the easier route from Tapovan which descends at Bhojwas and avoids Gaumukh.

I Bhojwas , you can stay in the glass fiber cabin of Hikmat Singh Putrola of SASE. Ask for him in the Lal baba Ashram. HE stay there throughout the year.

TO reach Kedarnath, you have start from Gangotri and then pass near Thalaisagar and the Khatling glacier and then reach Kedarnath via Vasuki Tal and Masur Tal. This is a real tough one..

Other route to reach Kedarnath is from Ghuttu.

babuchand

ok...!!!
will it be a problem (dearth of guide) in the first week of october???
we r leaving from nandanvan to tapovan on 6th october and will stay in nandanvan on 6th and 7th october.

i know thats a prollem after or near diwali....ie late october.
any way i will go only after speaking to concerned persons over telephone...

thanx for the advice.

babuchand

mountaingirl

Two penny for my advice...

1. Season or NO season - if going beyond Gaumukh - TAKE A GUIDE! It takes only few minutes of bad weather to get you killed. Remember you will be walking in the moraine.
2. I personally am not fond of Nandanvan. if heading in that direction go till Vasu Ki Tal. Otherwise stay in Tapovan for few days and hike in the area to get the best views of some of the most beautiful mountains in the world!

3. You can always find a good guide especially in Uttarkashi. I personally prefer hiring people from a realiable agency in Uttarkashi instead of Gangotri. that does not mean that there are all bad people in Gangotri. But I find the others more reliable and ACCOUNTABLE.

Don't forget to visit the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering at Uttarkashi.

jyotipg

Babu,

I am not sure about thing in 1st week of october. My friend were there around 15th of october.. Since you plan to go to NandanVan, I would advice you to go with gaiters and crampons.. dont forget to carry heavy woolens and a good stove in case you want to camp in NandanVan...

I am attaching a link to Pics of my friend's october trek, So that you know what to expect..

http://in.geocities.com/aravindsadaiappan

Dont be confused by the date on the photo.. The camera was misconfigured and showing a wrong date.

I agree with mountaingirl. I would not go to and camp in NandanVan until I plan for a trek on kalindikhal. I would instead stay at tapovan and explore the nearby areas like the "Gadharv Tal or Neel Tal" near Tapovan or visit Sundarban and kirti glacier or trek till advanced base camp of Kedardome peak.

mountaingirl

I agree with Jyotipg - be well prepared!

himadventures

jyotipg & mountaingirl

Both used best words to describe mountain hazards and I congratulate for such a intelligent post. I could not have done it !