Some guidance needed on visit to Gaumukh/Tapovan

sourabhs1

Hi,
I am from Bangalore; am planning for Gaumukh and possibly Tapovan and beyond maybe.
Let me know if anyone else is also planning.

Cheers,
sourabh

rtandon

May be but not up to Tapovan or Nandanvan

Been there in 2006 and the place was compelling enough to re-consider.

Rajeev Bora

Hi,

I am also from bangalore and would be very much interested to do this. I want to do it all the way to nandanvan/tapovan..

sourabhs1

Hello,
Since there are lots of people in this forum who have already been to Gaumukh, Tapovan, Nandanvan etc., I wanted to know if anyone had a chance to meet some real spiritual saint. It'd be extremely good if some people can share their experiences. Thanks in advance.

SSG

Hi all,

+1!

I would be interested in trekking on this route in late April/early May, preferably all the way upto Tapovan. What are your plans and when do you intend to go?

Cheers.

rangers

am trying a sadhus trail up there.
tired of going like a tourist to Himalaya.

sourabhs1

Hi,
I have a few questions; since I am a first timer on such a trek so some questions may be dumb; please bear with me:
1. How much prior I need to plan? (excluding the travel upto Rishikesh). Are the acco in Uttarkashi, arrangement of guide etc. need to be done prior to going there? Can I do w/o a guide? I'd like to explore a little bit.
2. Is it ok to go there in early May (reach there on 4th or 5th) considering that the temple of Gangotri opens on 8 May? I am not a hard trekker and would need accommodation, food etc. but its ok even if it is available in an ashram or dharmshaalaa. I am also thinking that this will be good time to visit there as the rush will be less; isn't it? What will be the temperatures like? Will it be below -10C? How about rains/snow in this season? Do landslides happen there anytime or only in Jul-Aug? Will it better to visit after temple opens instead?
3. Is there a weight limit that I can carry with me? Any other restrictions? Do I have to take permission from a govt. office to visit there? Do I need to have some travel insurance or any other insurance?
4. Why isn't going by bus from Rishikesh to Gangotri a good idea? Is the reason that it is too crowded, or it is too long a journey?
5. Is there a place to stay and eat in Tapovan, Nandanvan in case I want to continue up? I assume such places will be there in Gangotri, Bhojbasa, and Gaumukh at least (even though temple would not have opened yet)
6. Any special considerations while buying things like sleeping bag, backpack, hiking boots etc. If someone has specific suggestions on models etc., please share. Can someone suggest a good place (with value for money and not going just by brands) in Bangalore?
7. Could someone suggest a budget GPS model available in India (preferably in Bangalore)? Where to buy from?
8. Do I need to take tent etc. with me? I mean: are the conditions there so uncertain that anytime, anywhere, I may need to camp?!
9. Do mobiles work there? I hear that electricity is not available there so is it at all worth it to take mobile there?

Thanks in advance!

sourabhs1

Hi All,
I'd also appreciate if someone can share a map to Tapovan/Nandanvan trek (with longitude/lattitude details).

Thanks.

Hi rtandon, Rajeev, SSG, rangers,
Thanks for expressing your interest. Does the first week of May look good to plan for?

roy_supratim05

Hi all,

I would like to give some opinions gathered from my little experience, don't take it as advice----

1. amongst you, who are going to do this trek, meet yourselves and know yourselves well before starting the trek.

2. set the same aim for every body. not like one is going to meet saint, one is doing trek, one is going for photography etc.

3. if you have first timers in your team, don't try to explore a lot, it would be fatal, coz. there is no chance to retake.

4. if possible schedule your program as -
day 1: Haridwar -> Hrishikesh -> Uttarkashi (stay)
day 2: Uttarkashi -> Gangotri (stay)
day 3: stay and acclimatize at Gangotri, don't forget to explore Pandu Gufa, it is a nice 1.5 km trail and
a heavenly place to see Sudarsan peak. (don't under estimate this day)
day 4: Gangotri -> Bhujbasa (stay at Lal Baba's ashram - 160/- per head per day)
day 5: Bhujbasa -> Tapovan (stay) [explore Neel Taal/Gandharv Taal]
day 6: Tapovan -> Nandanvan (stay)
day 7: Nandanvan -> Bhujbasa (stay)
day 8: Bhujbasa -> Gangotri (stay)
day 9: Gangotri -> Uttarkashi (stay)
day 10: Uttarkashi -> Hrishikesh -> Haridwar (stay)

5. if you have first timers, think a lot before going upto Nandanvan, upto Tapovan it is just fine.

6. You should probably find melting snow in Tapovan and Nandanvan in May, so don't forget to take guide and porter from

Gangotri.

7. For a group of 4, 1 guide and 2 porter will be ok. (if you can bargain well, you can manage Guide @300 per day and

Porter @150 per day).

Happy Trekking.

__________________
Supratim

Please visit my Homepage.

SSG

@supratim

Thanks for your detailed itinerary!

A query:

What are the stay options at Tapovan and Nandanvan? As far as I can recall there is acco available upto tapovan (although whether it is there in early May is a moot point).

This impacts the number of porters one takes: if acco is there I would say no need at all for porters to carry tents+cooking stuff and utensils.

roy_supratim05

At Tapovan u can stay in a saint's den. But it should not be treated as a type of accommodation and these ashrams may be filled up also by other trekkers. So carrying a tent will be safer. And if you are going upto Nandanvan, then no other way than staying in tents.

Guides normally denies to carry much load. For a group of four and a guide you have to carry foods of five people for 2 days. If you can manage a guide to carry those foods, utensils, stove and tent then no need for a porter.

lakshit

Hi Saurabh,
Plz find the answers to ur questions below. I hope they satisfy most of ur doubts.

1. How much prior I need to plan? (excluding the travel upto Rishikesh). Are the acco in Uttarkashi, arrangement of guide etc. need to be done prior to going there? Can I do w/o a guide? I'd like to explore a little bit.
U can do without a guide till Gaumukh, but if u plan to go to Tapovan, then guide is a must as it involves glacier crossing. U can get guide at Gangotri itself. the one whom I hired was Hikmut Singh Butrola. Ask anyone and they will tell u abt him. Beware of people posing themselves as guides. Accomodation is available in Gangotri and Bhojbasa. At tapovan u can stay at one of teh few ashrams, provided that they are not occupied

2. Is it ok to go there in early May (reach there on 4th or 5th) considering that the temple of Gangotri opens on 8 May? I am not a hard trekker and would need accommodation, food etc. but its ok even if it is available in an ashram or dharmshaalaa. I am also thinking that this will be good time to visit there as the rush will be less; isn't it? What will be the temperatures like? Will it be below -10C? How about rains/snow in this season? Do landslides happen there anytime or only in Jul-Aug? Will it better to visit after temple opens instead?
If u visit the place in May, u will get snow enroute Gaumukh and the route till Tapovan my also be full of snow. Weather is normally ok in May June. Probability of landslide is minimal in May and June. Min temperature will be around -3 to -5 degrees


3. Is there a weight limit that I can carry with me? Any other restrictions? Do I have to take permission from a govt. office to visit there? Do I need to have some travel insurance or any other insurance?

No restriction or permission neede. Free to go with as much weight as u can lift

4. Why isn't going by bus from Rishikesh to Gangotri a good idea? Is the reason that it is too crowded, or it is too long a journey?

The bus will take a long time and it will stop at each location and it will be very crowded. Otherwise there is no other problem

5. Is there a place to stay and eat in Tapovan, Nandanvan in case I want to continue up? I assume such places will be there in Gangotri, Bhojbasa, and Gaumukh at least (even though temple would not have opened yet)

U can stay in Bhojwasa. there is ashram and GMVN guest house. In Tapovan too there are few ashrams that provide accomodation on payment basis. No place to stay in Gaumukh and Nandanvan.

6. Any special considerations while buying things like sleeping bag, backpack, hiking boots etc. If someone has specific suggestions on models etc., please share. Can someone suggest a good place (with value for money and not going just by brands) in Bangalore?
Search for this in the forums. The addresses have already been posted in earlier post

7. Could someone suggest a budget GPS model available in India (preferably in Bangalore)? Where to buy from?
No idea!!!!


8. Do I need to take tent etc. with me? I mean: are the conditions there so uncertain that anytime, anywhere, I may need to camp?!
No need if u wanna go till tapovan. However as a back up tent will always be handy and private

9. Do mobiles work there? I hear that electricity is not available there so is it at all worth it to take mobile there?

No mobiles. Even landlines function in Gangotri at fixed times when generators run.

For any other info mail me.

Cheers
Lakshit

swamis1971

It would be good early May. Less crowded.

I think you would get snow fall some day or the other as well.

I had gone there 2 years back at precisely same timing. I had reached 8 or 9 May, the temple had opened the same day..

we had recieved pretty decent snow fall every alternate day.

Bhojwasa has a GMVN run place where you can stay.. if you can manage tents, that would be better.

Beyond Bhojwasa, I dont think you would get any decent stay option if at all..

Crossing of the Glacier may need some guide/assistance.

Largely up to Gaumukh the trek is very simple.

Swami

Dilliwala

Gentlemen,
There's loads of info on IM about the places u want to visit. Just do a search (top right) with the words Gaumukh (gomukh), Tapovan, Nandanvan. If u then still have unanswered Q's, fire away.

Here's a few threads to help u on your way:

Trek to Gaumukh - Tapovan - Nandanvan
Gaumukh Nandanvan
Gaumukh,Tapovan in May/June
Regarding Gomukh - Tapovan trek....
gangotri tapovan and kedarnath.
Gangotri Gaumukh Tapovan Trek
gangotri, gaumukh, nandanban
Advise on Itinerary
Trekking To Tapovan
Camping equipment in Uttarkashi
Back from Himalayas

You need to be well prepared to go to Nandanvan.

roy_supratim05

some points from me,

1. try to fix your backpacks within 18 kgs.
2. avoid bus, it exhausts you before the trek.
3. carrying tent as an alternative will be preferable.
4. electricity is in both Gangotri and Bhujbasa, but no mobile service beyond Gangotri.
5. Check Bata WeinBrenner shoes, good shoe and good value for money.


happy trekking.