Gaumukh Tapovan Trek

Short Itinerary

Day 1:- Dehradun to Gangotri

Day 2:- Gangotri (10171 ft) to Chirbassa (11680 ft)

Day 3:- Chirbassa (11680 ft) to Bhojwasa (12435 ft)

Day 4:- Bhojwasa (12435 ft) to Khada Pathar via Gaumukh (13452 ft) & Tapovan (14600 ft)

Day 5:- Tapovan (14600 ft) –Chirbassa(11680 ft)

Day 6:- Chirbasa (11680 ft ) to Gangotri (10171 ft) & Depart for Dehradun

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Dehradun to Gangotri

It’s the first day of your trek journey. We leave for Gangotri from Dehradun by 6 am. It will be a long day as you’ll cover 241 km. An 8-hour drive along the majestic mountains. First, we stop at Mussoorie about 35 km away from Gangotri. It’s a popular hill station with enormous beauty. From here you’ll get the stunning view of Shivalik ranges.

After resting here and passing through Dhanulti, Chamba you’ll finally arrive Uttkarshi; “the land of Gods.” Since there are all religious places around Uttarkashi. River Bhagirathi falls nearby to Uttarkashi. From Uttarkashi, you’ll go to Harshil village, another scenic village. Best known for apple orchards which are a visual treat. An ideal spot to spend quality evening time.

After a strenuous journey towards Gangotri, your heart would still not be satisfied. Near Bhagirathi River falls Gangotri where the pilgrim resides. Stroll around the local market, interact with people, and explore the culture. Watch out for Gangotri temple, India’s biggest temple built back in the 18th century. Also, visit BhagirathShila; a sacred rock where King Bhagirath offered prayers to Lord Shiva. Explore PandavGuha where the Pandavas used to rest. The network is really good here. Rest at Gangotri in the guest houses.

Day 2: Gangotri to Chirbasa

Be prepared for a journey from Gangotri to Chirbasa. It will be a trek through the mountains. Walk amidst pine forests along River Bhagirathi. It’s a 5-hour trek with gradual steep ascents. The beautiful Sudarshan Parbat will accompany you through the trek. There are several streams and lakes from where you can fill your bottles. You will walk among Gangotri National Park. You explore a rich variety of flora and fauna.

At the end watch out for boulders from Sudarshan peak. Cross them to reach the campsite. This campsite is the most beautiful one with the Bhagirathi River flowing on the right amidst mountains and pine trees. View the amazing Bhagirathi sister peaks together with Manda peak, Bhigru, and much more. Have a proper lunch to enjoy the blissful evening. Explore the whole scenic area. Set up your tents here to rest for the night. Enjoy the day as much as you can.

Day 3: Chirbassa and Bhojwasa

On day 3 wake up early to experience the mesmerizing sunrise in between mountains. Refresh yourself under the bright sun rays.  An easy trek that will cover 3 hours of journey. As you walk further the trail widens and you get a more clear view of the Bhagirathi peaks. You will walk in the landslide area to reach a plain terrain; Bhojwasa where you’ll set up tents.

Bhojwasa is home to Bhopatra trees in abundance. From here you’ll get the first view of Mount Shivling. This place holds ashram, police posts, rest houses, and igloos. With prior permission, you can choose to stay in these houses. After having a delicious lunch enjoy the peaceful afternoon. Nights will be cold make sure to carry warm clothes.

Day 4: Bhojwasa to Khada Pathar crossing Gaumukh and Tapovan

Day 4 will be the longest day of all. Today will be a strenuous journey with tons of adventure. Excitement is waiting ahead for you. Gather enough strength to trek forward. At the end of Gangotri glacier lies Gaumukh, the source of the holy Ganga River. Gaumukh in a literal sense means “cow’s mouth.” People believe the snout looks similar to a cow’s mouth. Several tourists feel blessed to visit here. If not a religious matter, you’ll still feel how huge the snout is in front of you.

The trail path turns steeper from here with many rock boulders. Be careful with several rocks that fall on your way. Yet you don’t need any technical equipment to walk through. But use a trekking pole for an easy climb. Cross the rocky terrain to reach Tapovan. It’s a scenic green meadow with a close view of the mighty Mount Shivling.

This place is famous for Sadhus. These are holy saints who dedicate themselves to God. Their lifestyle is different from normal humans. Sadhus come here to meditate. Experience the direct view of Mount Shivling; the most sacred and splendid mountain. Make sure to not miss Bhagirathi peaks and Mount Meru. Tapovan is an ideal place to spend quality time alone. Spot mountain goats roaming around freely. After a strenuous day, this place is perfect to rejuvenate yourself.

Day 5: Tapovan to Chirbassa

Wake up early to cherish the last moments of a blissful trek. Pass adjacent through the beautiful Mount Shivling and other incredible peaks. These sights are worth remembering. Further, there are no water sources so carry enough water. Once again cross the glacier and rocky terrain. A marvelous sight to cherish forever. Descending is more difficult than ascending here due to the presence of more boulders. Be careful and move slowly. Do not move in a hurry, it may affect your health.

After descending from Gaumukh reach a terrain near Bhagirathi River. Trek for 7 hours to reach Chirbassa. Back in the same pine forest again. Camp in between the mountains, amidst pine trees over the green meadows.

Day 6: Chirbassa to Gangotri to Dehradun

The last day of your memorable trek. You will trek for 5 hours to cover 9 km. Enter the Gangotri National Park again. Refill your water bottles with the help of streams and lakes. See the disappearing of huge peaks and Bhagirathi. Pack your bags to return Dehradun. Rest enough in the guest houses.

Say goodbye to the mighty land of Dehradun. Click enough pictures to take along with you. Return back to Dehradun via car through mountains, valleys, and Bhagirathi River. Once at Dehradun you are ready to leave for your respective destination. Thus, an adventurous trek comes to an end.

How to prepare yourself for Gaumukh Tapovan Trek

Gaumukh Tapovan Trek is not an extremely hard trek, however, you need to prepare yourself physically as well as mentally to achieve the demanding trails of this exotic journey. You will have to cover around 9-10 km and the altitude will go high from 5,100 ft to a maximum of 14,202 ft in a short span of mere 5 days. To make this whole excursion, smooth, joyful, and less tiring, train yourself accordingly.

Cardiovascular stamina:

You need to develop the endurance to run almost 8-10 km in one hour. Stamina doesn’t build in a day. You need to start exercising at least a month prior to the commencement of the trek. Sprint is the best choice to boost your stamina however jogging will help to keep your energy up during the longer paths. Also, if you are just starting to maintain a fitness regime then jogging is the basic workout you should begin. You may add cycling and swimming in your routine to avoid boredom and to make your body more adaptive.

Strength:

Another area to cover in the process of your body development is to train your mind and body to tackle with the roughness of odd and unsteady tracks of mountains. You will have to walk these detours carrying your backpack on your shoulders, which can cause muscle soreness and ache. Strengthening your legs by working out regularly is the only option to prevent it. Squats can make back thigh and lower legs muscles so start doing 2-3 sets of squats regularly with 8-10 repetitions.  Walking up and downstairs is another option to add in your daily routine to strengthen your muscles.

Flexibility:

Flexibility is just like an extra topping on the Pizza in your schedule of body training. It does not only relax the muscles but helps you to open your body easily which will lead you to walk at a fast pace and cross even the roughest terrains comfortably. Flexibility can be induced by stretching muscles on a daily basis. This will help you lose extra inches on your body so you will be lighter to embrace this detour of Gaumukh Tapovan Trek.

Essential Things to carry for Gaumukh Tapovan Trek

Essentials are the first priority without them trek cant be started

• A Backpack:

For this extraordinary trek, your first requirement is a tough and strong backpack. A 50-60 liter bag is sufficient for the journey. The bag should be of waterproof yet light weight-stuff and must have good shoulder and hip support with ample small quick-access pockets.

Tip- Backpack can be bought of any brand like Decathlon, Wildcraft, Woodland, etc.

• Shoes:

Shoes are the next important item for the preparation list of Gaumukh Tapovan Trek. We need a pair of shoes that are rough from the outer side but soft from the inside, to make the journey comfortable and reliable. Good grip, adequate ankle support, water-resistance, and snow handling are the other qualities we should look for in our trekking shoes.

Tip- Decathlon has a good series of trekking shoes you can purchase from there. Eg- Trek series and MH series are good options.

• Clothes:

Trekking can be the best adventure of one’s life, however, it could be a disaster without the right choice of layers for the uncertain weather of the mountains.

• T-Shirt as a Baselayer:

Carry at least 3-5 t-shirts as per the length of the excursion. We prefer you to wear full sleeve collared t-shirts as they help to protect the body from the sun's harmful rays. If you don’t like to wear full sleeve t-shirt then you may buy sleeve covers, that will help to protect the skin from the sun. Dry-fit t-shirts are easy to carry as they tend to be light in weight and they dry quickly as compared to 100% cotton.

• Woolens and Jackets as an Insulation layer:

A padded jacket is appropriate for this trek which can be of non-water resistance material. But an outer padded jacket would serve the purpose of keeping the wind and the cold out. A couple of thin layer sweaters too can be handy in the high cold temperature at the altitude of 15000 ft. We discourage to pack the hand-knitted bulky sweaters.

We don’t prefer down and fur jackets as they are very costly and need maintenance.

• Trek Pants:

2-3 pairs of pants in this trek are suggested for the whole excursion. Pure cotton pants and jeans are to be avoided while shopping for trekking because hard and heavy stuff of these pants will create difficulties during the hill climbing. Cargo and quick-dry trousers top the list for trekking pants, apart from these stretchable pants can serve as thermal bottoms. Pants with zipper pockets prove to be useful to keep the tiny essentials for the way. You should always buy dark colored pants for trekking as they will not get dirty quickly.

Other Mandatory Accessories, Without these Trekking, Seems to be Almost Impossible:

• Caps:

Our head is most vulnerable to heat, whether it is sultry hot or too cold conditions. So, suncap and woolen cap or Balaclava make the next compulsory item on our list. The suncap protects the eyes and head in the sharp direct sunlight, while, woolen caps protect the head and ear from the attack of cold wind and snow in the winter seasons during the trekking.

• Glasses:

  Glasses do not only protect eyes from high-speed wind, but they become a crucial item to carry along to shield eyes from snow blindness (occurs by overexposure in high-frequency sun rays inside the wide snowfield). Only half an hour of exposure of naked eyes can make lead to this severe condition. We recommend buying sunglasses with UV protection for extra protection. 

  In case you wear spectacles, buy oversize glasses which can be worn over them. If you wear contact lens, you don’t need to worry about them, because you can easily change them in your tent if you are habitual and the lens solution doesn’t freeze up there. However, you need to carry enough cleaning solution to clean your fingers and lens.

• Socks:

  It is best to carry woolen socks along with the regular sports socks. Sports socks provide the stuffiness to the feet in the shoes to walk the longer detours comfortably and woolen socks help to keep the body warm while sleeping. Two layers of sports socks can also work equally well in the dearth of woolen socks. You should always buy synthetic socks or at least mix with synthetic stuff because they dry quickly and do not soak much water as compared to pure cotton socks.

• Headlamp: 

  The handheld torch is often the first choice to carry along in the trek, but a headlamp is more useful. I would help you to keep your hand free in the time of night to handle things like man tents, do dishes and carry other essential things.  Do not buy headlamps with a beam light, instead buy a headlamp that covers large areas.

• Trekking Pole:

  A trekking pole (A Pair ) for hiking is as helpful as a finger held by an infant while learning to walk. The unsteady trails and steeps of the mountains can be arduous to walk but a pole can make your journey pleasant. The usage of a pole, while climbing can almost reduce physical fatigue by 40-50 percent  People use only one pole as a normal practice but using two poles makes you walk even faster by supporting body balance.

• Raincover or Rainwear:

  The weather in the hills is so uncertain that it can rain to floods in some minutes even on a sharp sunny day. So carry a rain cover for this trek. Saving your backpack is also very important because your bag is the only support you can rely on during the whole trek. Some people carry different rain covers for them and their backpack however recommend you to carry a Poncho. It is a large size rain cover which can cover your body along with your backpack till knees. We discourage carrying rain pants, they will hinder your pace by making you walk uncomfortably and also the dry fit pants dry quickly.

• A daypack:

  A daypack can be used when you can't access your main backpack. Some people tend to offload their backpacks to the porters and for the hiking, you will have to keep the backpack at the campsite. In these scenarios, a 20-30 liters small daypack will help you to carry the essential things for the day.

Other Important Requirements

• Cutlery and Water Bottles:

  Carrying cutlery is also mandatory on this trek. Carry lightweight steel cutlery(a tumbler or mug, a plate, and a spoon) and avoid having plastic cutlery on your packing list. Plastic things tend to attract more germs and hard to clean. Along with these pack two  1-liter water bottles to keep yourself hydrated for longer hiking. We recommend carrying one of the thermal water bootle which can help you carry warm water in the cold weather.

• Toilet Kit:

  You should gather only basic toiletries like toothpaste and toothbrush, a soap, a moisturizer, a toilet roll, a deodorant, a facewash, oil, a paper soap, or sanitizer in your toilet kit. Collect the small size and quantity of all these above-mentioned things to keep it light. Taking a bath every day is not feasible up there so do not load your kit with soap and shampoos.

  Women can carry sanitary pads or menstrual cups if in case their periods are falling in during the trek date. Always carry 4-5 plastic poly bags to bring back used pads or any other waste generated during the whole journey. Keep in mind not to throw your used items to preserve the environment in the mountains.

• Medical Kit:

• Diamox - To prevent AMS
• Dolo 650 - For Fever
• Avomine - For motion sickness
• Avil 25mg -  For allergies
• Combiflam - Pain killer
• Disprin - For headache
• Digene - For acidity
• Norflox TZ & Lomofen - (diarrhea)
• ORS
• Omez/ Rantadine - (antacids)
• Crepe bandage - 3 to 5 meters
• Gauze - 1 small roll
• Band-aids - different sizes
• Cotton - 1 small roll
• Betadine or any antiseptic cream
• Moov/Volini spray (aches, & sprains)
• Knee caps
• Hot water bag in winter if needed

Cancellation Policy at Eco Freaks Adventure 

• Cancellation up to 30 days prior to the starting date of the trek - 15% Deduction on cancellation.
• Cancellation between 30 days to 15 days prior to the starting date of the trek - 50% Deduction on cancellation.
• Cancellation up to 15 days prior to the starting date of the trek - No monetary refund on cancellation.

Your Trek Fees Includes :

1. Accommodation - Your stay is included for the entire trek from Day 1  to Day 7 (Gangotri to Gangotri ). You will be staying in a lodge on Day 1 at Gangotri and on Day 7 at Gangotri and camping on the remaining days of the trek.
2. Meals - Your meals are included from dinner on Day 1 to Breakfast on Day. We provide vegetarian nutritious food throughout the trek.
3. Camping Charges - Forest Permits and camping charges are included. 
4. Trekking Equipment - All our trekking equipment is of high quality. Our tents and sleeping bags can withstand temperature as low as -15 ºC. You will also be provided gaiters, crampons, ropes, axes, etc. as required.
5. Safety Equipment- In case of emergency, first aid and medical kit will be available at every campsite.

Your Trek Fees Does not Include :

1. Transport To and Fro Base Camp- Transport to reach the base camp and back. If availing transportation from EcoHikingIndia then you will be picked and drop back to Dehradun.
2. Food- Any extra food purchased during the journey to reach Basecamp and back.
3. Backpack Offloading- If you wish to offload your backpack there is an additional option mentioned.
4. Any type of Personal Expense 
5. Accommodation at DehradunAny Expense apart from the Inclusion list.