Brahmatal Trek
About Brahmatal Trek
A trek which is meant only for winters, Brahmatal Trek. May and June, when it is peak trekking season, the smoky haze over the mountains makes the views disappointing. However, in winter, which often extends to March, mountain views are worth dying for! More often than not, you see clear blue skies that stretch across the horizon. From the Brahmatal Top, you see mighty Himalayan ranges in every direction. Summits that rise above 7,000 meters are common and no where else in our country can you see these big mountains at such close quarters. Just to see this magic, one must trek between mid December and March.
Location
Brahmatal trek is situated in Uttarakhand Himalayas.
Distance
Brahmatal Trek covers almost 43 kms in its whole journey.
How to reach
Kathgodam is a very convenient station, where you may reach from any part of India. It is an old station well connected by networks of roads and rails.
By Train: From Delhi, you may board the Ranikhet Express (5014) that departs from Delhi at 10:40 pm and arrives at Kathgodam at 5:30 am (Overnight Journey) or the Uttar Sampark Kranti (5035) departs from Delhi at 4:00 pm to arrive at Kathgodam at 10:40 pm (6 hrs 40min).
From Dehradun you may board the Doon Express (4120) that departs from Dehradun at 10:30 pm and arrives at Kathgodam at 7:10 pm (8hrs).
By Bus: Regular buses set off from ISBT Delhi Anand Vihar station towards Kathgodam. Buses those travel to Nainital, stops at Haldwani which is popular as the twin town of Kathgodam (8 hrs).
If you want to reach Lohajung by your own then follow the instructions:
From Kathgodam there is no direct bus or shared car service to Lohajung. Reach latest by 6 am to Haldwani (The city, 4 Km before Kathgodam) and take a shared Jeep service to Deval. This is is 25 Km before Lohajung. From Deval you may get another shared service to Lohajung or you may have to hire one.
If you travel from Haridwar side, then reach Rishikesh on the previous night (Day 0, 25 Km from Haridwar) and board the bus for Mandoli/Lohajung at 5 am next morning. This private bus takes 12 to 14 hours to reach Lohajung. As this is a privately operated bus so may not operate during the high demand of Chardham yatra season. The route is via Devprayag, Rudraprayag, Karanprayag, Tharali and Deval. 260 Km.
From Lohajung the bus to Rishikesh starts early in the morning by 6 am and reach by 6 pm .
Maximum Altitude
Trail gain the maximum height of 12250 feet.
Level of trek
Trail comes under easy and moderate category.
Region
Brahmatal Trek is the part of Garhwal Himalayas in Uttarakhand
Duration
5 Nights/ 6 Days
Mobile Connectivity & ATM
Kathgodam is the best place to withdraw money from. If you miss that point, Dewal has the last ATM before your trek begins.
You will get mobile signal at Lohajung on most networks. Signal will be intermittent in the mountains. So finish all your important calls at Lohajung and inform anxious family members about limited phone connectivity.
Activity
Trekking: Trekking is one of the way to explore unexplored Himalayas.
Photography: If somebody forget to carry camera on Hampta pass trail it means he made a biggest mistake because trail a.
Camping: Stay under the stars, you can stay in the guest house but camping is more famous.
Itinerary
Day 1: From Kathgodam to Lohajung
Altitude: 7,600 ft
Drive time: 10 hours drive from Kathgodam
The base camp for this beautiful trek is Lohajung. Kathgodam, the nearest railway station connects it to India’s wide rail network. The station is just 25kms away from Nainital. Another popular city, Haldwani is 9 kms away from Kathgodam.
Once you’re at kathgodam, it will take around 8-10 hours to reach Lohajung. So, we suggest you reach Kathgodam by 7am so that the drive to Kathgodam is not hassled.
The journey from Kathgodam to Lohajung takes you through some beautiful locations like Bhimtal which is popular for its serene lake. You will also pass by some famous regions of Uttarakhand including Almora, Kausani and Baijnath. You may wish to take a break at Kausani to soak in the beauty of the Himalayan ranges. Shutterbugs, keep your cameras ready! The peaks you can spot from Kausani start with Kamet with Ghori Parvat, Hathi Parvat, Nandaghunti, Trishul, Mrigthuni, Maiktoli, Nanda Devi, Nanda Khat till Panchachuli group. The tea factory and a shawl woven by local artisans are renowned.
For money matters, you may take the risk of trusting the last ATM at Deval or be a little cautious and choose ATMs at Gwaldam. We also recommend buying necessary medicines from Gwaldam and Deval. (in case, you’ve missed out any while packing. From Deval, you’ll just take an hour to reach Lohajung, where scenery of splendid views like Nandaghunti is waiting for you, if you reach before it darkens.
Just like medicines, we highly recommend you carrying all the apparels, warm clothes that you may need at the trek. But just in case, you can pick jackets, hand gloves, caps, shoes etc. from a local store at Lohajung. Also note that mobile coverage cannot be relied upon in these regions of Himalayas.
Delving deeper in the mythology, Lohajung is the place where goddess parvati had a jung (fight) with the demon Lohasur. Literally translated, Lohajung means ‘ fight with Lohasur ’.
Day 2: From Lohajung to Bekaltal.
Altitude: 7,600 ft to 9,689 ft
Time taken: 5 hours, 5.8 km
Trek gradient: Moderate; gradually ascending through forests on well defined trails
Water sources: The first point where you can refill your water bottles will be around 3 hours into the trek, followed by another at the place where you stop for lunch
At lohajung, we move upwards from Bisht General Stores on a well-marked stone trail. We move on to the upper region of Lohajung, through the beautiful trail of forests lined by a few houses.
Mandoli Village, will reveal itself after a short trek. While you’ll spot the Kail valley as you climb higher. Kail valley is marked by the union of Kail and Pindari rivers. Moving on, your visual guides would be the water pipes that supply water to Lohajung. Next comes Budla, a cluster of a few homes, which are usually lined with Rhododendron trees. If you choose to trek in Feb or March, you’ll spot these trees in full bloom.
As you reach approx 2590 metres, you’ll cross link-gaad, a 10 metre bridge that helps trekkers cross the stream. Its best to take a breather at Begum, a beautiful location that offers splendid views of Navali Bugyal. The views will definitely relieve you off the tiredness.
Once you leave Begum, it should take you just 10-15 minutes before you reach another stream and another hours walk will bring you to Gujrani stream. Just walk for 70 minute more and you’ll reach Bekaltal. The beauty of this trek can’t be described in words. Amidst thick oak forests, the lake gleams peacefully in summer, while in winter, it is frozen. Our Day 2 ends at camping near a beautiful lake, Khopdaliya.
Day 3: Bekaltal to Brahmatal
Altitude: 9,689 ft to 10,440 ft
Time taken: 5-6 hours, 7 km
Trek gradient: Moderate. Initial steep climb for an hour brings you to a meadow where you ascend gently, followed by a gradual descent to Brahmatal.
Water sources: None. Make sure that you fill 2 litres of water before starting the trek since this will be a long day
In the Himalayas, weather decides your trail and campsites. Today, you may decide to trek till the serence Brahmtal lake or camp at Khabekhal. In case of snow showers, you might take 3-4 hours to reach Khabekhal.
When you begin at Bekaltal for Khabekhal, you will pass by a forest of oak trees for a prolonged one hour. The walk will take you to Telandi. If Khabekhal is your destination, continue walking and take a trail that descends towards right. Landmark: a house without any roof.
Day 4: Brahmatal to Brahmatal Peak and Back (3,846 m).
Altitude: 10,440 ft to 12,250 ft
Time taken: 5 hours, 6.4 km
Trek gradient: Moderate; slow zigzag walks while ascending
Water sources: None. Make sure you carry 2 litres of water from the camp before setting off to trek to the top
Today is the most visually fascinating day of the entire trek. It begins with a 40 minute climb through mixed forests. This brings you out in the open meadows and to the base of the big climb to the top.
As you reach the summit, an entire panorama of mountains opens up. You have Chaukhambha, Mandir, Mana, Nilgiri, Neelkanth, Trishul, Nanda Ghunti, Maitoli and mountains stretching all the way to the Panchachuli range.
Day 5: From Brahmatal base to Lohajung.
Altitude: 10,440 ft to 7,600 ft via 10,935 ft
Time taken: 6-7 hours, 8.9 km
Trek gradient: Difficult, mainly because of the long descent
Water sources: You will find one spot to refill your water bottles, near a hamlet, about 4-4.5 hours into the trek)
The descent from Brahamatal to Lohajung takes about 7 hours. We retrace the route to Khabekhal, after which we deviate to the route which gets you directly down to Lohajung.
You will pass by Daldum which is a beautiful location surrounded by trees. After 20-30 minutes, you will reach Malling, which is outside the forest area and is a water source. From here, you can see a few villages below.
After walking further for an hour, you will reach Burali, a small settlement with a few houses. Villagers come here for few months to grow crops (mostly potatoes). From here, you will again find the man-made stone trail leading to Lohajung.
Day 6: From Lohajung to Kathgodam
Depart from Lohajung to Kathgodam.
How to make yourself fit
The Brahmatal trek is classified as a trek of moderate difficulty. You start from an altitude of 7,600 ft at Lohajung and reach a highest point of 12,250 ft at Brahmatal top. You gain around 4,650 ft over two days of trekking. While this isn’t much altitude gain, there is a lot of snow on the trail in the months of January and February, which makes it a trek of moderate difficulty.
Cardiovascular endurance – Target 10 km in 60 minutes before the start of the trek On Pin Parvati Pass trek, you are trekking an average of 10 km each day on very difficult terrain. At the start of the trek itself, you are close to 12,000 ft. On the pass crossing day, you trek on ice fields for a few hours. That’s a long distance to cover, with steep ascents at very high altitude. This requires a good amount of endurance and stamina. You can begin by jogging everyday. Start slow and increase your pace everyday. Swimming, cycling and stair climbing without too many breaks in between can help too.
In order to be prepared for a high altitude trek, you should have a combination of distance and speed targets. In case you’re just starting with a regular fitness routine, you can phase out your targets in the following manner –
Target completing 5 km in 35 minutes when you begin
Gradually bring up your speed to do 5 km in 30 minutes
Start increasing the distance you jog to get to 10 km in 70 minutes
Before the start of the trek, get to 10 km in 60 minutes. Your aim should be to cover 10 km in 60 minutes once a week and 7 km in 40-45 minutes twice a week for 4 weeks.
Prepare for ascents To prepare yourself for the steep climbs, you can add stair-climbing to your routine as well. Start simply by climbing upstairs for two minutes non-stop. Overtime, increase this to five-minute bursts of climbing, and take it to ten minutes with a short break in between.
Strength Work on your core body strength and also your thighs, to take pressure off your knees. You can do some squats. Do three sets of squats, with 8 squats in each set. Apart from this, you can include planks and crunches in your routine. This will help increase your core body strength.
Flexibility When you’re working your muscles a lot, you need to keep them loose and flexible. For this, you can do some stretching exercises – stretch your hamstrings, quadriceps, hip flexors, lower back muscles and shoulders regularly. Carrying a backpack, however light, can become a strain after a while. These exercises will help you to be in good shape before the trek.
What to Pack for this trek
Monsoon months are the best to conquer this trek, you can encounter rainfall or snowfall on your trek. Carry your poncho or rain coat to cover yourself, carry bag cover as well to save your clothes to get wet.
Bare Necessities:
Trekking shoes: Don’t get confused between trekking shoes and sport shoes, Carry only trekking shoes. Several patches will be slippery and will require shoes with good grip and ankle support.
Backpack (40-60 litres): A backpack with sturdy straps and a supporting frame is required for the whole trip to make it smooth. Carry rain cover along with your backpack
Daypack (20 litres): This is a crossover trek, you would only need a daypack if you hire a porter.
Clothes
Three layers of warm clothes: Carry two fleeces or sweater, and a good padded jacket. If you are more susceptible to feeling cold, add another layer.
Three trek pants: Carry light cotton trek pants. One of your pants can be skinny so that you can wear as an inner layer while trekking, especially on the Pass day. Keep one trek pant as spare.
Four collared t-shirts: Carry light, preferably quick-dry, full sleeved t-shirts that prevent sun burns on the neck and arms. Change t-shirt in two days, body tends to sweat a lot in winter as well. Some of the trekkers don’t change their clothes with fresh clothes, and they face little more challenge to complete this trek
Thermals: wear thermals (Top and Bottom) at night only to keep you warm. While trekking, don’t wear your thermals
Accessories
Sunglasses: Sunglasses are mandatory. In June, there will be abundant snow on Hampta Pass, and you would need it to protect yourself from snow blindness.
Sun cap: At high altitude, the sun is extra harsh, as the UV rays don’t get filtered. So, carry a uncap to protect your head.
Synthetic hand gloves: Avoid woolen gloves as they will get wet if you touch snow. You can add a fleece glove as an inner layer, and wear two gloves on each hand if you’re more susceptible to cold.
Balaclava: You’ll need this to cover your head, as most of the heat escapes from your head.
Socks (2 pairs) and a pair of woollen socks: Apart from two sports socks, you can take a pair of woollen socks for the night.
Headlamp/LED torch: Mandatory
Trekking pole: Watch this video to understand why you need a trekking pole.
Others
Toiletries: Sunscreen, moisturiser, light towel, lip balm, toilet paper, toothbrush, toothpaste. If you plan to use wet wipes or sanitary napkins on the trek, make sure you carry a zip lock bag to put used tissues and napkins. Bring this ziplock bag back with you to the city and do not dispose wet tissues and sanitary napkins in the mountains.
Cutlery: Carry a spoon, coffee mug and a lunch box. We insist on trekkers getting their own cutlery for hygiene reasons.
Two water bottles: 1 litre each
Plastic covers: While packing, use plastic bags to compartmentalize things and carry few extra plastic bags for wet clothes. Carry a big plastic bag to use as a innerliner in your rucksack so that your cloth can be safe while rain or snow fall.
