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30°43'33.9"N 78°48'30.9"E
Sahastra Tal Trek
Sahastra Tal is located on the western end of the stunning Khatling Glacier. It is a cluster of seven lakes near the glacier, about 30 kilometres away from Mala. The journey to these lakes passes through the panoramic Bhilangna River valley.
Highlights
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Chance to visit Rishikesh, Chamba, Dharasu.
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Visit the evergreen forest.
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Hike amidst oak forests.
Overview
Sahastra Tal lake trek is also known as "the
lake of the gods" and the seven lake
trek. It is situated in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. The trek is
surrounded by beautiful valleys on the west and the east, on the west you will
find the Bhagirathi valley and on the east, you will have the Bhilangana Valley.
On the north of this lake, there is a high ridge called the Kush Kalyan Plateau
which is surrounded by various other small lakes on both sides. The lake is
situated at the top of this ridge. The lake is considered to be very auspicious
by the locals and so they carry out an annual ritual by carrying their deity on
their shoulders through this lake. Another local fable related to this lake is
that once a king after performing a ritual in this lake, offered a thousand
sahastra flowers to lord Vishnu. Trekking
in Uttarakhand is a must go for any enthusiast trekker as this trek offers
you a view of the beautiful green meadows, wild fauna, and flora along with the
chance to view some great peaks like Jaonli, Srikanth and other high Himalayan
ranges. This place is often isolated and not very frequently visited by
tourists or trekkers.
Brief Itinerary
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1 : Drive from Dehradun to Bhatwari
Our day one will begin with our drive from
Haridwar to reach Bhatwari, at a height of 5000 ft. The total distance covered
by us will be 220 km and the time taken to reach our destination would be
somewhere around 10 hours. We will be crossing Rishikesh, Chamba, and Dharasu on
our way. Bhatwari is also the local tehsil headquarters. Our journey will be
alongside the Bhagirathi river. After reaching our destination we will be
staying overnight at a lodge.
Meals : Dinner Only
Accommodation : Hotel/ Homestay
Time Taken : 10 hours
Altitude : 5000 ft.
Distance : 220 km
Day 2 : Trekking to Gairi
Our trek will begin with
descending from Bhatwari to Malla following the Uttarkashi- Gangotri road for
45 mins. Malla is a tiny village and surrounds the Bhagirathi River on both sides.
After we've crossed the bridge over the river we will reach the last village
called Silla. After crossing the village we will climb up a trail passing
through the evergreen mountain forest. After hiking for 4-5 hours, we will reach
our campsite called Gairi, the only place having water after Silla and a cattle
ground for farmers in monsoon and summers. We will be camping here for the
night.
Meals : B, L, D
Accommodation : Tents
Time Taken : 5 hours
Distance : 8 km
Day 3 : Trekking to Kush Kalyan
We will begin our trek by climbing up in the
jungle for an hour till we reach an opening with covered hut-like structures,
providing an amazing view of the north. On crossing this opening we will be
entering into Oak forests. The climb becomes steep from here. We will climb for
3 hours to reach Chuli La pass. After crossing the pass the path becomes tricky
and descends down into the meadows. An important thing to be noticed is that
there is no water source for a long stretch until we reach Kush Kalyan
Plateau. The Kush Kalyan top is near our camping ground. The total trekking
distance for this day is 12 km which can easily be covered in 6 hours.
Meals : B, L, D
Accommodation : Tents
Time Taken : 9 hours
Distance : 12 km
Day 4 : Trekking to Kyarki bugyal
On our fourth day, as we will climb further
up, the tree coverage area starts to reduce and the meadows become more
prominent. We descend for a while and then climb till we reach Bhowani Bugyal,
from this place our destination is just 2 hours away. After we have crossed the
pass we will descend to reach our camping site. The distance covered by us is
12 km and will take around 6-7 hours. On reaching we will retire for the night
to take a much-needed nap.
Meals : B, L, D
Accommodation : Tents
Time Taken : 9 hours
Distance : 12 km
Day 5 : Trekking to Lamb Tal
Today's trek will be a short one. We will
climb up to a trail which is above Kyarki campsite. In June you will start
finding snow from this point and in monsoon, you will find this place covered
with flowers, mainly Brahma kamal and Fen kamal. After passing this ridge we
get into another ridge, which initially has a lot of bends but at later stages, it widens up to form a track called "chhe Phuti Path", meaning six-foot-wide
path and was constructed during the British period. After a while, you will be
able to see small and medium lakes starting to form like, Kokuli Tal and Lamb
Tal. the total distance is around 6 km and can take somewhere around 4-5 hours.
On reaching our destination for the day we will rest at our camps.
Meals : B, L, D
Accommodation : Tents
Time Taken : 5 hours
Distance : 6 km
Day 6 : Trekking to Sahastra Tal and return
On this day we will be undertaking a
relatively challenging climb to Sahastra Tal. we will be beginning with a
zigzag climb towards the ridge. The climb initially will be easy but would turn
from easy to moderate at the later stages. In summers since there will be snow,
trekking becomes even more time taking and challenging. The ridge is called
Kokuli Dhar and the view from the top is amazing. The climb to the ridge will
not be more than an hour, usually, we can clearly see the Sahastra peak from
here but if it gets covered with clouds then the visibility of this peak
becomes difficult. From this point, we move on to Dhoni Tal, which is a medium
shaped lake. After this we climb the rocky trail to reach Sahastra Tal, the
lake is huge and has crystal clear waters. After spending an hour or two we
will be returning back to our camps. Total distance trekked by us would be 12
km and may take 7-8 hours.
Meals : B, L, D
Accommodation : Tents
Time Taken : 8 hours
Altitude : 15,100 ft.
Distance : 12 km
Day 7 : Trekking to Kush Kalyan through Kyari Bugyal
The distance that we will cover is 28km and the total time taken will be 7-8 hours. We will descend from Kyari Bugyal to Kyari
Khal and then move towards our destination, Kush Kalyan.
Meals : B, L, D
Accommodation : Tents
Time Taken : 8 hours
Distance : 28 km
Day 8 : Trekking to Pinswar road and then Drive to Ghansali through Budhakedar
We will descend through the meadows initially
and later enter the dense coniferous forests. While we are trekking we will be
crossing a village called Pinswar. Distance covered will be around 10 kms and
thus would take around 5-6 hours to reach the point from where our car takes us
to Ghansali. The drive will be for 3-4 hours. Ghansali is a low altitude town
and is as a result very congested. We will be reaching by evening and will thus
stay in our lodge.
Meals : B, L, D
Accommodation : Tents
Time Taken : 10 hours
Distance : 10 km
Day 9 : Driving to Dehradun
We will be moving towards Haridwar from where
we began our trip. The total distance is 150 km and should take 8 hours to
reach.
Meals : B, L, D
Accommodation : Not Included
Time Taken : 8 hours
Distance : 150 km
How To Reach
The base camp is Bhatwari for this trek. You will have to reach Dehradun from where we will pick you up and take you to the base camp.
How to reach Shastra Tal Trek Pickup Point:
By Air
Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun, it is just 40 km away from the city. Daily flights from New Delhi are available to this airport.
By Train
Dehradun railway station. Overnight trains hail from Delhi to Dehradun at regular intervals. People often prefer railways over airways because with trains you get to see the landscape in its full glory, it is also cheaper and you will definitely enjoy your way till Dehradun.
By Road
Regular bus service is available from Delhi ISBT Kashmere Gate which plies government buses that are safe and you can rely on them more than the private buses.
Why Trek With Us ?
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