Legend has it that sage Bhagirath performed penance for several centuries
before the goddess Ganga agreed to descend from her heavenly abode to wash
over the bodies of his ancestors. He then did penance for another few
centuries to persuade Lord Shiva to contain Ganga's power, because the force
of her water would split the earth in two. Eventually, Ganga did descend and
Bhagirath's ancestors went to heaven. The river, therefore, is called the
Bhagirathi until it joins the Alakananda to become the Ganges.
On this trek, you follow this river to its source and beyond. The high
altitude pasture called Tapovan, the wonderful Nandanvan and the high
altitude lake at the foot of Basuki Parbat await you. Shivling, the
Bhagirathis, Sundershan and Meru are some of the peaks encountered on the
trail.
Day
01 : Drive RISHIKESH to UTTARKASHI (6,200 ft/1,860 m) - 6 hours
Depart Rishikesh on the drive to Uttarakashi. You get some wonderful views
of the high mountains. Overnight at a simple tourist bungalow at
Uttarakashi.
Day 02 : Drive UTTARAKASHI to GANGOTRI (10,000 ft/3,000 m) - 7 hours
Drive from Uttarakashi to Gangotri. Stop en route at the hot springs at
Gangnani where you can have a hot bath in the pools, then proceed to Lanka.
On this exceptional drive, you get some good views of the Bhagirathi.
Continue up several hairpin bends to Sukki, from where the entire valley
opens out in front of you. The river bed is wide and several comparatively
lazy meandering streams flow down it into a narrow gorge. Camp is set at
Gangotri, with its Ganga temple. Gangotri is an inhabited valley during the
summer months, surrounded by slopes covered with deodar and fir trees. Above
these slopes are the dramatic rock walls.
Day 03 : Trek GANGOTRI to CHIRBASA (10,700 ft/3,213 m) - 5 hours
Start with an easy day walk and follow a well defined trail to the famous
pilgrim route to the sources of the Ganges. Walk through the forest out into
unforested hillside and then back into pine forests to Chirbasa where camp
is set for the night.
Day 04 : Trek CHIRBASA to GOMUKH (13,190 ft/3,963 m) - 4 hours
Leaving
the trees behind, trek towards Gomukh. Just before Gomukh, is a group of
birch trees near Bhojbasa. Just beyond are the green fields of Tapovan.
Overnight camping at Gomukh.
Day 05 : Trek GOMUKH to TAPOVAN (14,210 ft/4,268 m) - 6 hours
Visit Gomukh (Cow's mouth"). This is where the sacred Ganges
originates. Then carry on past the boulder strewn glacier on to the green
fields of Tapovan where you set camp for the night.
Day 06 : Trek TAPOVAN to NANDANWAN (14,718 ft/4,420 m)
Retrace your steps from Tapovan along the glacier till you are almost
across it. Then proceed upstream along its true right moraine and cross both
the Raktwarn and Chaturangi glaciers. Climb the true left moraine of the
latter and find yourself in Nandanwan. From here, over half a dozen
mountains of over 18,000 feet (6,000 m) can be seen. Overnight camping.
Day 07 : Trek NANDANVAN to VASUKI (14,650 ft/4,400 m)
Start trekking upstream in the Chaturangi glacier with the Bhagirathi
Parbat massive to your right, cross the glacier between the massif and the
Vasuki Parbat and come to a beautiful lake at the foot of the Parbat.
Overnight camping.
Day 08 : Trek VASUKI to GOMUKH - 5 hours
Retrace
your steps to Gomukh. Overnight camping
Day 09 : Trek GOMUKH to GANGOTRI - 5 hours
Continue the trek on to Gangotri where you camp for the night.
Day 10 : Drive GANGOTRI to UTTARKASHI
Vehicles await at Gangotri for the drive to Uttarakashi. Overnight in a
simple tourist bungalow.
Day 11 : Drive UTTARAKASHI to RISHIKESH - 6 hours
Continue the drive to Rishikesh, where the trek ends. From here you can go
to Delhi by road or train.
