Trek to Deoriatal, Chopta and Chandrashila Peak (Uttarakhand, India)

It's been month since I'd finished another outing in the lap of Himalayas. But, I was too busy to pen down the journey & experiences of my first outing in Uttrakhand.

'Churdhar' in district of Himachal Pradesh was the last trek I'd completed before the fall of winter 2016.

My trek buddy Navjeet Singh and I have been discussing about next destination for couple of days and finally worked out a plan to attempt Deorital , Chopta, Tungnath and Chandrashila in Tehri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand.

This being our first excursion in Uttarakhand, we wanted to have feel of culture, people and geographical situation hence decided to travel by public transport.

13 th April 2017 --> Travel from Delhi to Rishikesh

14 th April 2017 (Day 1) --> Rishikesh - Sari - Deorital

15 th April 2017 (Day 2) --> Deorital - Chopta

16 th April 2017 (Day 3) --> Chopta Circuit ( Chopta - Tungnath - Chandrashila - Chopta) - Haridwar - Delhi

After necessary arrangements & logistics in place we packed our bags and got out of the hustle and bustle of NCR.

Overnight journey from Delhi to Rishikesh

After finishing our day at office we left to ISBT, Delhi from Gurgaon. Since it was a long weekend (14 th being national holiday) scene at bus stand was utterly chaotic. We have booked a semi-deluxe (2x2) bus of 'UK state transport' from Delhi to Rishikesh which was supposed to leave at 21:30 hrs but it couldn't even enter bus stand compound by then as it was caught in the traffic jams. We finally managed to leave Delhi at 22:45 Hrs. Bus was comfortable, considering I haven't slept properly for two nights I crashed as soon it crossed city limits. We reached our destination at 05:45 hrs.; an early morning welcomed us at Rishikesh.

Day 1 : Rishikesh - Rudraprayag - Ukhimath - Sari - Deorital

We inquired from shops at bus stand about the mode of transport available towards Sari, we got to know that there were no direct buses and that we may have to catch multiple buses to reach Sari. They guided us to another small bus stand just beside the main city bus stand . As we reached there, we saw couple of local buses parked , bus conductors were shouting the names of places we've never heard before ;) . We had to take a bus till Rudraprayag and catch another bus/taxi to Sari via Ukhimath. We boarded the a bus which left Rishikesh at around 06:00 hrs. Early morning chill , curved roads like snake with Ganga Ji flowing besides, jo urney was truly amazing even though we got the last seat :).

Bus halted at Devprag for breakfast and we got our tanks full.

Glimpses of Alaknanda & Bhagirathi rivers meeting at Devprayag and taking the name Ganga.

After reaching Rudrapraya at 13:00 hrs we tried to check for shared taxi to Sari but in vain. We boarded another bus going to Ukhimath which left Rudraprayag at 13:25 hrs. This was a bumpy & tiring ride.

In the bus we met couple of guys from Delhi who were also going to Sari. We reached Ukhimath at 16:10 hrs and took a shared taxi to Sari along with Delhi folks.

Taxi ride was comfortable , it dropped us at Sari around 16:45 hrs. There were cluster of shops and eateries in Sari village. After freshen up,we stuffed ourselves with some snacks (biscuits, bread, cookies etc) and started 3kms trek to Deorital around 17:00 hrs.

Considering we already had done more difficult trek in past, it was pretty easy for us. As we started hiking weather started changing rapidly , dense cloud welcomed us with little drizzle to a heavy downpour & hail storm.

We had to take shelter under the makeshift shops on the way, nevertheless we reached Deorital in less than an hour.

View at the taal was great. There was a forest check post where one had to register and pay entry fee of Rs 50 each and extra Rs 150 for pitching tent.

After all the formalities were completed we decided to search for a perfect place to setup our tent. With little efforts we found a place right beside the lake. To our disappointment the place was already getting crowded and it seemed as if we were at The Ridge @Shimla ;).

After walking around the lake and surrounding meadows we took early dinner "Maggi" , while Navjeet wanted to stare at moon,stars & clear sky I wanted to crash as soon as possible ;). Since we were tired, I crashed as soon as entered the tent.

Day 2 : Deorital - Chopta

We woke up at 05:00 hrs. Sky was clear, place was calm, we could hear chirping of birds; whole scene was so serene.

We walked to the other side of the lake where forest dept. has built a rest house and a small elevated structure to have view of the surrounding mountain ranges.

View of Trishul and Nanda Devi Peaks

After spending some time looking at beautiful nature and admiring the creation of God, it was time think about further journey.

We spoke to the forest guard posted at check post to gather details about trek to Chopta, there was a map of the trail which seemed pretty simple to follow hence we decided to continue our journey without hiring a guide.

We had breakfast at the shops around the lake, filled water bootless as next water source was 10 kms away from here. Packed our stuff and pushed off at 08:40 hrs.

Long way to go

Trail to Chopta passes through jungle of oak , rhododendrons, pine and maple trees. After walking for around 8 kms we reached Rohini Bugyal. Took rest for a while and kept walking for another 2kms to reach the water fall. It was the first source of water after Deorital. Water was cold,clear and sweet. We took this opportunity to fill our bottles and freshen up a bit. Warm sunny rays and sound of water flowing down the stream made a perfect location to cherish the beauty of the nature.

There was uphill trek for 1-2 kms from here that took us further towards Chopta. We finally reached there at 15:35 hrs.

Chopta is a small place with cluster of shops and guest houses, one has options to put up in the tents or lodge. We went to 'Moksha Cafe' to have quick snacks. It had nice ambience and ample space to sit . While waiting for snacks we struck up conversation with other folks; everyone shared their experiences of current and past treks. By then we were full of energy and started thinking of finding a suitable place to spend the night.

We requested the café owner who allowed us to pitch tent in his compound. He also suggested us to try to reach at the peak early to witness the sunrise. We went to sleep immediately after finishing our dinner at 20:00 hrs

Almost there

Day 3 : Chopta Circuit (Chopta - Tungnath - Chandrashila - Chopta) - Haridwar - Delhi

Woke up early and started hiking at 03:30 hrs . Trail to Tungnath was properly built. I guess we were the first one who started journey so early as we did not meet anyone until we reached Tungnath. It was perfect full moon night; I hadn't seen such a beautiful sky with millions of stars. White moon light illuminated the trek so well that we didn't use flash light while walking. Weather was cool and it was pin drop silence along the path.

Considering we were not carrying our rucksacksbut a day hiking bag It just took 2 hrs ( Approx 5Kms) to reach at the chandershila peak.

View from the top was breathtaking with wind chill of 1-2 degree C. This peak is surrounded by Nanda Devi and Trishul on one side and Chopta valley on other.

We saw sun rising behind the mountains and first rays hitting Trishul peak. Site was totally mesmerizing.

Magnificent View

After spending good time at the peak came back to Tungnath. We could not get inside the temple as it was closed.

Journey to base camp took just 1 hour. After heavy breakfast at a Dhaba at Chopta we packed our stuff and were all set to return.

Next big thing was to find transport from here. We were lucky to get one tempo traveler which was going to Rishikesh and had space for us. We left Chopta at 09:30 hrs, return journey was long but comfortable. Driver dropped us at Rishikesh at around 16:45 hrs. We wanted to catch bus with comfort (deluxe/volvo) but didn't find any at Rishikesh so took a local bus to Haridwar. To our disappointment, scene at the bus stand was too bad; long queues, no clarity on bus timings and most of them were already booked.

Out of options we took state transport bus to Delhi. It left Haridwar at 20:15 and reached Delhi at 01:30 hrs.

Ride to Gurgaon from ISBT Delhi was conformable as I shared Ola taxi with another fellow who traveled along with us from Haridwar.

Back of my mind I was bracing up myself to go to office next day and the very thought of it was diminishing all the energy & positivity I have absorbed from this trip ;)

Notes & takeaways

Complete trip costed us Rs 2500 per head. Enough shared/Public transport available from Rishikesh in case you are not travelling by your own vehicle. Plenty of buses from Delhi to Rishikesh & back. I suggest to pre-book tickets if you intend to travel in deluxe buses. Do not litter the place. Collect you garbage and drop it in dustbins. Last but not the least , have fun and enjoy the nature.