Trip to Gangotri and Gaumukh

livinhimalayas

Sorry for the delay in posting the info was busy shifting into my new house

Ok here is what you need in case you want to go to gomukh, ID proof of the person who is applying for the permit. If the applicant is a foreign national then a copy of the pass port and visa is needed.
For Indian National any photo ID works.
You have to mention the number of people, their names and ages on a written application or covering letter. Long with the required fees. That is it.

__________________
He that would live in peace and at ease must not speak all he knows or all he sees. - Benjamin Franklin

sks551

vardhan.harsh.

Thanks for the information.
How far ahead do I apply for the permission?
Did you apply for your permit weeks before actual visit date?
We will there during first week of Oct, should I apply one week before our arrival?

We are arriving at Delhi -> Haridwar on 6th Oct and after visiting Yamunotri we should at Uttarkashi for one nights stay on 8th Oct.

We are hoping to collect the permit on 8th (Thursday) or 9th (Friday) of October. I hope these two dates are not public holiday in India. Do you know if the DFO’s office is open on Saturday? In case we are delayed we might have to collect the permit on Saturday.

I looked at your trek album; they are so good. What camera have you used?
Can’t wait to visit the place.
I am an advanced amateur photographer; I am sure I’ll be taking thousands of hi-res photos and will be doing HD video as well. I hope to share some of the photos on our return.

sks551

[quote=vardhan.harsh;749201]Getting the permit directly from DFO's office is not a hassle at all. All you need to do is mention explicitly your travel dates to the national park and your requested number of days for the permit. Make a cover letter, along with it send in your ID proof (or a passport and visa) and fax it to their office (Number : +91 - 1374 - 223693).


Could you check the number you have given; is that a fax number or a phone munber?

According to
http://uttarkashi.nic.in/Dept/tourism/goumukh.PDF

the phone number is +91 1374222444
and the fax number is +91 1374222964

Please let me know the phone/fax number you used.
Thanks

livinhimalayas

Those numbers are correct. You can fax your application a week or so in advance and bring the original with you when you go to collect your permit. Best would be to call up the DFO office before you start off on your trip and confirm the receipt of the fax. Have known the DFO people to lose papers before.

sks551

Thanks livinhimalayas,

If this is as simple as this then it will save me Rs 500 for an agent fee to get me the necessary permit.

vardhan.harsh

I applied exactly 3 weeks before my travel date. But if your travel plans are already fixed right to the final date, i believe you can apply even now 3 months in advance.

the 2nd of oct is a national holiday and the diwali holidays start around 16th so you should be safe on the 9th. I believe the DFO's office is open on saturdays as well, but it's best to call and inquire on the number i had provided.

Thank you for your appreciation. It's a Casio Digital Exilim camera with 7MB resolution. 3X zoom. Quite a normal camera, nothing high stuff. We are quite amateur photographers as well. Just learning to capture the beautiful himalayas.

Waiting for your snaps on your successful journey.

vardhan.harsh

This is a phone number that i've given. The guy who answers is the guy who handles all the permit requests. You could call, and ask him for more information and if you need to send a fax. Just request for the fax tone once he picks the phone up. I'd successfully used this number, dont know about the other numbers you had quoted.

Connecting might take several tries though. That's the way it works in government offices. Avoid lunch hours and close to opening and closing hours to avoid frustration.

sks551

vardhan.harsh,

Do you know if this guy who answeres the phone speaks in English? I have a major problem that although I am a born Indian (now in London) can speak very little Hindi.

vardhan.harsh

I'm pretty sure that he wont be able to communicate in english. You could try your luck though

sks551

vardhan.harsh

Just wanted to ask a silly question......

What did you do with the luggage or suitcases while you went trekking for several days?

We are arriving from London and will have suitcases which we will be carrying with us in a hired car/taxi. I am hoping that the taxi driver will be trust worthy so that we can leave our suitcases in the car.

The other option would be, hire a hotel room while trekking and keep suitcases in the hotel room which is a costly option.
What do you think? Does any one else have a view on this?

vardhan.harsh

Actually we drove in our own car (without a driver) to Gangotri, so what we did was keep our one extra bag which we did not on the trek in the car boot and the car was parked in the common parking lot at Gangotri. (we paid 200 INR to a cop for security for the 5 days we were away from the car).

But i guess what you could do, is that book GMVN at Gangotri in advance, so that you spend the night at the hotel before the trek. (it's one of the better staying options at Gangotri, with clean rooms, sheets and bathrooms).

Then i guess you could leave your luggage at the cloak room. Needless to say, do not keep valuables such as jewelery or cash in the luggage. Clothes et all should be safe.

the cloak room charges would be quite nominal, as compared to hiring a hotel room for the days you trek.

sks551

vardhan.harsh

Thanks for the excellent suggestion. We will keep our suitcases in the clock room.
We plan to stay in GMVN lodges where ever we can.
We haven’t booked any lodges as yet, we have plenty of time for that.

I am going to speak to that guy at the DFO’s office with my broken Hindi.
Hopefully he will be patient enough and try and understand what I am trying to say.

sks551

Can someone explain the gate system at Joshimath on the way to Badrinath? I have been reading about this one way system and don't fully understand.
I believe that the gate opens at 6am and closes at 4pm. Does the gate remain open through out this period?
What is the reason for the early closure at 4pm?
Is there a similar rule (gate system) when returning from Badrinath? Do returning vehicles use the same route or different route?

delhiwala

The Two Gate system for ensuring smooth flow of traffic on this tight route. You get another gate at Pandukesar.

You have gate system while returning also.

__________________
Travel only with thy equals or thy betters; if there are none, travel alone. - The Dhammapada

sks551

Thanks Mr delhiwala ,

Is it like the gate opens once every hour for 10-15 minutes and then closes the gate until the next opening time?

If this is a one way traffic system and there is a separate route for the return journey then why is it necessary to control the flow of the traffic? Is it to prevent too many vehicles travelling at the same time in this narrow section of the road?

What is the reason for closing the gate at 4pm? Any idea?