According to the Hindu Mythology, Brahmatal Lake is special because one can find Lord Brahma meditating there. Brahmatal trek is best done in winters as you will find all the way complete climb routes covered with a blanket of untouched snow. Perhaps Brahmatal is the only high altitude Alpine lake which can be reached in peak winters! It is located at an altitude of 3180m and normally trekking organizations take 4 days to complete the trek from Lohajung.
We completed this trek in January 2022. We completed it in DIY style and in 2 days. Taking a private cab from Rishikesh all the way to Lohajung. It takes 8-9 hours to reach Lohajung from Rishikesh. The local drivers avoid night travel due to the road conditions. Same conditions are valid for the return also. You can easily get all the other details regarding the trek on the web but I'll tell you the minor details which will make it easier to execute.
1. Try to depart from Rishikesh as early as possible and reach Lohajung on time.
2. There are no luxury hotels in Lohajung. It is a small hamlet with decent homestays and lodges sufficient to spend the night with home- like simple Indian food.
3. There are rental shops in Lohajung from which you can rent trekking gear if you want to. They even have microspikes!
4. You will need a permit for the trek. The office is right above the Lohajung market and you can get the permit on the spot! In case of any doubts, consult the locals. They are really sweet and welcoming.
5. Once the permit and gears are sorted, start your trek. The starting point is from the main chowk. You can ask anyone there and you're good to go!
We got the permit by 9:00am and started our trek at 10:00am. The normal itinerary suggests to camp at Bekaltal for the first night and then move forward to Brahmatal. But having researched a bit, we had planned to camp at Tilandi for the first night. It is because the Bekaltal campsite is usually crowded with all the organizations and there is no view to admire from there. Also, the next day you will have to cover more distance!
On the other hand, Tilandi campsite overcomes all the cons of Bekaltal. Tilandi is a flat ridge with amazing views and it is right below the Chhota Jhandi Top. The only drawback is there is no water source nearby. But you have plenty of snow so it works.
The initial trail walks out of the village and it is a gradual ascent all the way till Bekaltal. The snow patches started a kilometer before Bekaltal campsite and once you change the hill, it suddenly offers you ample of snow.
It took us 3 hours to reach the Bekaltal campsite from Lohajung. We took a halt and put on our gaiters and spikes as it was a snow show from here onwards. The Bekaltal Lake is another 10-15 min highly muddy trail walk from the Bekaltal campsite. The is no camping space there and it is a moderate steep climb.
The trail further climbs up to the Tilandi campsite. It was not far but it was a moderate ascent and after crossing the tree line, You enter the Tilandi campsite.
We pitched our camps here and cooked dinner for the night. It is a really cold and windy campsite.
The next day started at 7:00am and we planned today's agenda. We decided to directly hit the Brahmatal summit and descend back to Lohajung on the same day. We started our trek at 8:00am sharp and reached the Jhandi Top in 1.5 hours. The climb of Jhandi top is moderate.
From the Jhandi Top, you get a spectacular view of the Himalayas. We could also see the Brahmatal Lake but diverted directly to the summit.
We could see the summit right infront of us but could not make it because of deep fresh snow! We returned back to Tilandi, packed up our gear and descended all the way down to Lohajung.
Rested for a night there because night travel is not recommended.
If you have any doubts regarding this trek, please hmu on Instagram: sid_j99
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