Gaumukh Tapovan Trek
About Trek
Gangotri glacier is one of the largest glaciers in Indian Himalayas about 30 km long. Gangotri Glacier is the source of Bhagirathi, which joins with Alaknanda to form Ganga river at Devprayag. Gangotri is situated at the height of 3046 m. So many trekkers come to experience this amazing trek from all over the globe. Gangotri is the main glacier but trail will pass from some more other glaciers like Meru Glacier and Kirti Glacier. Mt. Shivling Peak, Gangotri group of peaks and Kedardome peak are the leading peaks which are clearly visible from the trek. Gangotri is a place where you can spend a day to listen to the stories about the place from the local. You will listen one of the stories about Raja Bhagirath, who left his kingdom to meditate in the Himalayas and Prayed for Lord Brahma and spend 1000 years in the same position. When Lord Brahma came to him and asked for his wish, he said to send Ganga river on earth. Lord Brahma said to pay for Lord Shiva, and after one year of prayer, Lord Shiva decided to accept his request and received Ganga in his Locks. After the Huge efforts of King Bhagirath, Bhagirathi river came on this earth.
Location
Gaumukh Tapovan Trek is one of the famous trek in Uttarakhand and situated at the base of Gangotri Glacier
Distance
Trek is around 46 Kms but it will be tough sometime and this 46 looks like 100 kms
How to Reach
By Air: Jolly Grant Airport is the nearest airport situated at just 250 kms to Gangotri. Jolly grant is well connected with major cities of India. After reaching Dehradun, you can opt for chopper service to Gangotri
By Road: Gangotri is well connected with road with major places of Uttarakhand. Gangotri is situated at the end of NH108. If you want to opt road journey then you can get a bus from Kashmiri gate, Bus journey will be an overnight journey till Rishikesh and then at 4:00 am bus will leave for Uttarkashi.
By Rail: Rishikesh is one of the closest railway station near Gangotri. Distance between Rishikesh and Gangotri is 234 Kms. Journey from Rishikesh to Gangotri can be done by road only.
Maximum Altitude
Gangotri is situated at an altitude of 3048 mts
Level of Trek
Gaumukh Tapovan trek consider to be a difficult trek because some patches are really difficult during trekking.
Region
Gaumukh Tapovan trek is situated in the region of Gangotri Glacier.
Mobile Connectivity & ATM
Uttarkashi is the last place on the way to the base camp that you will get an ATM.
BSNL network will be available at Gangotri. There will be no network at any other campsite. So make sure you finish all your important phone calls at Gangotri and inform anxious family members about poor 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 01: Dehradun/ Rishikesh – Uttarkashi – Gangotri (approx 10 hours)
Uttarkashi is one of the major towns of Uttarakhand. You can get buses and shared cabs from Dehradun and Rishikesh. If you want to travel to Uttarkashi by bus then go to Bus stand early in the morning either at Dehradun or Rishikesh. If you want to travel with shared cabs then go to Rispana pul at Dehradun. Both the routes will take 6-7 hours to take you Uttarkashi. Meet our representative there and move to Gangotri, it will take more 4 hours. Reach Uttarkashi in the evening and enjoy the Arti at Gangotri.
Meet our representative there and move to Gangotri, it will take more 4 hours. Reach Uttarkashi in the evening and enjoy the Arti at Gangotri.
Day 02: Gangotri to Bhojwasa
Take Last bath before Trek, Wake up at 6 am and roll up your sleeves to take bath in chilled water. Start trekking around 8 am or 8:30 am. Walk through the Gangotri temple and climbed up to the checkpoint at the entry of Gangotri National Park. It took 30 min to reach there, and another 30 min get permit verified and pay the fee.
It was a beautiful trek with mountains surrounding you and Ganga flowing below. Very soon, we got glimpse of Bhagirathi 1,2,3 peaks.
Around Chirbasa (Chir: Pine, Basa: Residence), Mountains are very flexible with weather, it can be harsh in next few second so be prepare always for something bad because in Himalayas nothing goes according to expectation. sometime people come back from Gaumukh because of bad weather and this thing is heart breaking.
You can get so many trekkers during the season because it a tough trek so government also organize regular trek to Tapovan for their employees to make them fit. Tapovan is a place which can offer you so many peaks to see and observe the beauty of Himalayas. On my trek i meet with a guide, his name is "Chimpu", he is organizing trek from last 35 years. he can be the best person if you want to go to Tapovan.
Today, the trail is little easy and you can easily cover this without any major efforts. Set a target to reach Bhojwasa by 2:00 pm or 3:00 pm. you will feel that suddenly weather start turning very cold, windy and cloudy. Set up camp as early as possible after reaching the place. You can find a canteen at Bhojwasa run by Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam, they have the monopoly there so ready to loose more money for basic food.
Never feel hesitate while going solo to Gaumukh Tapovan trek because you will find lot of people there who go on trek during season, We meet around 250+ trekkers during our journey.
Enjoy the dinner early and retire into the tent. It was quite a struggle. Tent felt so small, and I felt stuffed inside the sleeping back in my jacket, gloves and socks. Sandhya and Ananda slept soon, and I was left alone struggling to sleep. Little did I know that this pattern will follow for days to come.
Day 03: Bhojwasa to Tapovan
Next morning, Start trekking post breakfast around 8:00 am. You can help porters to pack your stuffs so you can feel the real experience of trekking . Start trekking with packed lunch towards Gaumukh because trail was easy till Gaumukh. Porters start trekking after you but they can send you back at Gaumukh and reach Tapovan before you. First 200m trail from Bhojwasa is slightly steep, and it merges to trail from Gangotri to Gomukh. Soon you will reach a point where there was a sign board prohibiting going to Gomukh. So, don't get confused just move on the trail and you will find yourself at Gaumukh after sometime. snout where river Bhagirathi emerges from Gangotri glacier, starts its journey. It flows down the slopes of mountain and merges with tributaries, and become Ganga. This is the place where Hindu believe Ganga takes birth. This was the fifth time I was there, but my emotions were as intense as first the first time, and I intensity will not diminish no matter how many times I visit.
Just visit the temple and pray there and take some rest. Now trek will start becoming difficult. You can get the glimpse of ridge of Gangotri Glacier over Gaumukh. now trail becomes rocky and mud on the ice. At this point, if you carry 2 kgs then it look like 20 kgs. It is really a miracle the porter walk there with that much of loads. Take a stop to have lunch and some rest to get some energy because the trail become steeper now. if you see below, it is little scary looking Gangotri glacier filling the gap between Tapovan and Nandanvan, flowing North West.
Tapovan is surrounded by Bhagirathi peaks on one side, and imposing Shivling peak and Meru peaks on the other. you can spend hours just to appreciate the beauty of Himalayas. None of the photos here do any justice to the mesmerising beauty of the place. In the evening, explore the campsite area and alsont to the ashram. It is a modest single room. We sat inside and talked to the Sadhu Baba who stayed there. I don’t much remember what we chatted about, I was still in my own world.
Later in the evening, Budhi took us to the cliff where one needs to decent to Gangotri glacier, and cross it to go to Nandanvan. I confess glacier is a scary sight. The thought that why I had dragged Sandhya along with me did cross my mind.
It is amazing how quickly it becomes cold after sunset. We had dinner and went to the sleep in the tent. In the night again, I felt stuffy and breathless. I opened the tent and got out, it was very cold but I felt better. I finally decided to leave a part of the flap open for better oxygen circulation, and that helped.
Day 04: Tapovan to Chirbasa
This stretch back to Gaumukh is 3-4 km and may take 3-5 hours to traverse depending upon the prevalent conditions. Once at Gaumukh, the route back to Bhojbasa is the same and will only take an hour more. Proceed from here on the same trail back to Chirbasa.
Day 05: Chirbasa to Gangotri
The trek involves a gradual descent and a series of level walks, which can be done swiftly. The trek back to Gangotri is the same trail taken to reach Chirbasa. It’s a very gradual descent, which takes far less time to cover than the ascent.
How to get yourself fit
Gaumukh Tapovan Trek is a difficult trek. If you want to do this trek comfortably and enjoy all the surprises it offers, you will need to prepare well.
Cardiovascular endurance
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.
