Satopanth Tal Trekking

rolling_25

HI ALL,

We have planned for trekking to Satopanth Tal in 1st Week of June'07, can you help me out to clear some quriesof us? it would be a great help............

1) does innerline permit is required? if required then from where its need to be obtained? how much time will take to complete the formalities?

2) a complete Itinerary of the trekking.

with warm regards,

jyotipg

No inner line permit needed for satopnath.

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infinion

i have done the Satopanth-surajkund-swargarohini trek in Sept2006. No permit required.

Badrinath-mana-first camp opposite Vasudhara - second/3rd camp pandudhara (cave) /chakrathirth- final camp at Satpanth - return . max for a fit person , it takes 6-7 days. you'll have to trek alot on boulders, be careful.

you can be discouraged first day itself , since it is the toughest day. many turned back first day itseld. but , be courageous - if i could do it , you will. you have to cross Alaknanda from Mana itself to trek from the other side. updown/updown trek on dangerous slopes/moraine and rocks on first day - i found tough.

on coming back , try to camp at Laxmi van , under bhoj trees - the most scenic spot overlooking Vasudhara falls and Alakapuri glacier which is the source of Alaknanda.

all the best for your trip. practice stamina building excercises. height of satopanth about 4300-4500 meters.
to view pictures - click on http://community.webshots.com/user/sheineshk and select the album.

read my prev posting in the thread , titled Satopanth trek completed
regards

Trishul

As regarding yours programme no inner line permit want in this trek.
thsi is the hard trek so prepair yours selp by physically & mentally.
Day 01 Rishikesh to Okhimath
day 02 Okhimat to kalimat
day 03 kalimath to madmaheshwar
day 04 madmeshwer to camp in beetween satopant tall(14 kms from madmeshwer)
Day 05 Mid cam to Satopanth tal

Klysamik

Hi trekkers,
I want to go for the Satopanth Tal-Surajkund trek in last week of May or 1st week of June. Is the time is right for this trek? Can anyone please give me details of the trek and an estimate of the cost? Please also suggest me a good guide cum cook. If any one have done this trek please help me with the tour itenerary.

Thanx in advance,

Samik

Klysamik

How can the Satopanth Tal trek be done from Madmaheswar side? as far as I know in that case he has to cross the Panpatia Glacier...Then I don't think it will be a trekking it will be a expedition.

Samik

VSK Sharma

Hi,
You are correct. Satopanth is done from Badrinath as has been explained. Okhimath to Helang and Okhimath to Badhrinath is a different trek altogether and hardly few people have done. Photos of Okhimath to Helang are on himalayancamping.com if any one is interested.

joemondal

Hi all
Is it possible/feasible to go beyond Satopanth Tal and cross the Satopanth Col (Shipton-Tilman trail)? Has anyone done it lately, after the Brit team's (Martin Moran) successful attempt in 1998?
Where would the nearest road-head be if one is NOT going to end up at Kedarnath? What would the ideal route be?

Thanks a lot
joe

rolling_25

Dear Mr Infinion,

I should thank you first, for all your information, which is great help to plan our trip, we have finalised our trip as follows:-

2nd june'07 - leaving kolkata for badrinath,

5th june'07 - reaching badrinath

6th june'07 - trek start from mana, night stay at chamtoli or laksmi ban,

7th june - upto shahasra dhara,

8th june'07 - upto chakratirtha

9th june'07 - satopanth taal

10th june'07 - on return stay at bandhar

11th june'07 - mana / badrinath

do you think this Itinerary is alright? we are going in group of four. if we want to do surajkund and sargarohini along with this, how tough is the approch? and if you can add that into Itinerary it would be a great help. not getting any information about surajkund and sargarohini.

i have seen your photograph it is really mindblowing.

once again thanks for all your help.

with warm regards

Klysamik

Dear rolling_25,
I am also planning this trek in May lat week. As far as I know June 1st is the full Moon day. I have a plan in my mind to spend that 1st june night at Satopanth Tal. I think it will be a sight to watch. Can u arrange yoour plan accordingly. May be then I can also join you.

with regards

samik

Bhaswaran

But remember the skies are more prone to cloud formation during full moon, if it is clear, you will see a landscape of a lifetime

Klysamik

Yaa...You are right...but for the sight of seeing satopanth, Swargarohini, Chaukhambha and Neelkanth at full moon I think I will take the chance...then hope for the best..After all it's God's own adobe...So, it's all up to them naa? I can just hope..

Bhaswaran

You are right.........mother nature.......its all upto her

wish you best of luck

rolling_25

Dear Samik,

your idea is fantastic but as height of Satopanth is more than 16000ft so May last week will be a taking of a chance. We have faced lot of problem earlier when we went to kedartaal trek. But its very much true its nature's wish, even in late september and early october we could not complete Mawali pass due to rain and snowfall. so if nature wants you can enjoy the full moon at satopanth taal. Best of luck. for your information we can not change our schedule. happy journey.

regards,

somenath

infinion

to voice an opinion , i do not know whether you have conducted any previous trekkings in the Himalayas.

however fit you ( team members) are , do not forget to take one acclimitization day at Badri. Mana itself is @ 3000 m s l. If you are mountain fit & acclimitized, You might avoid camping at Sahasra dhara and straight away reach Chakratirth, provided you start by 7am and your guide OKs it. ( locals say Chakrathirth is where Sri Krishna's sudarshan chakra fell ,they will even show you the place !!)

take proper excercise , to make your thigh /calf muscles/ lungs strong. walk few Km daily with a 10-12kg weight in the backpack ( even though we can not simulate the high altitude conditions). even an evening stroll on the Park street is enough, if you are from Kolkotta ( in my case , what happened - i was excercising in a beach here in Peak Summer , @ 46-48 degree celcious , I got bronchial infection due to the humidity and in a weeks time I hit the Himalayan temperatures below 10 degree C).

if you are a first timer, better to avoid Suraj kund. distance approx 5-6 km from Satopanth. 1 Day trek - the toughest. but , you'll find only boulders/glaciers amidst the roar of the Chaukumba's avalanches. Experienced guide a must. you may have to cut out your path when you climb up the ridge of Suraj kund. Stay at one of the caves as seen in my snaps. next day climb the ridge and visit the Sargarohini path and offer prayers at the stone hom kund ( which is shaped like the Satopanth and where all those Holy seers offerered prayers for ages). if you have time , go up to the glacier on the junction with Chakuamba , but then you will have to stay back at Surajkund. Max height here is 5300 m s l.

on way back from Suraj kund, you may stay at Swarnkhuni and then walk over the ridge of Satopanth and again stay back at Chakrathirth. Hope i explained everything.

if you need any assistance from Mana village , i'll giv the contact details of my friend - Hira Parmar - the most senior/experienced guide in the Uttaranchal. The Satopanth area is under Mana panchayat. Let the vilagers profit from the trekkings in the area. they ar ethe ones who protect the environment there.

RESPECT THE LOCAL BELIEFS. Suraj kund is a place of roaming atmas/souls before they alight to heaven. Stay in the tent at night. This is one of the holiest part of himalayas. Somewhere up here is , the Mahavatar baba's( 1800 years old living Master Seer ) ashram established in 1950s.

wish you all the best. come back and post.