Har Ki Dun Trek

Short Itinerary

Day 1: Dehradun to Sankri

• Altitude: 6,455 ft (1,920 m)
• Distance: 190 km
• Time: 8-9 hrs (Drive)

Day 2:  Sankri to Gangad via Taluka 

• Altitude: 8,855 ft (2,700 m)
• Time: 7-9 hrs trek

Day 3: Gangad to Kalkatidhar

• Altitude: 10,826 ft (3,300 m)
• Time: 5-7hrs trek

Day 4: Kalkatidhar to Har ki Dun (3,510 m) & Marinda Tal (3,794 m)- Back to Kalkatidhar

Day 5: Kalkatidhar to Gangad 

• Altitude: 8,855 ft (2,700 m)
• Time: 5-7 hrs trek

Day 6: Gangad to Sankri 

• Altitude: 6,455 ft (1,920 m)
• Time: 6-7 h trek + 1 h drive

Day 7: Sankri to Dehradun - 8 h drive

• Time: 8 h drive

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Dehradun to Sankri

• Altitude: 6,455 ft (1,920 m)
• Distance: 190 km
• Time: 8-9 hrs (Drive)

On the first day, we start early morning from Dehradun to a very famous hill station Mussoorie, situated at a distance of a mere 35 km. It’s a small but dynamic hill station with hundreds of places to visit. Gun Hill, LakeMist, Mussoorie Lake, Kempty falls, Bhatta falls, Jharipani falls, Mossy Falls, Happy Valley, Nag Devta Temple, Jawalaji Temple, Sr. George Everest house, Benog Wildlife Sanctuary are the majorly known places to explore in Mussoorie. Mall Road is a renowned shopping district in the valley, where you can find the most crowd of tourists.

On the way, there are three big streams, and Tons and Yamuna are the major rivers that merge near Naugaon and accompany us till Purola, the last settlement with a market and mobile network. Trekkers can buy any stuff, missed out while packing. Here we will have a halt, and enjoy the local cuisine lunch. It is also the last station for connectivity and ATM points. After driving a little over 54 km we reach Sankri, a small village comprised of 250 houses, a few Dhabas, and some shops. In the peak season, it is usually bloomed with multiple trekking activities as it is a chief base camp for ample treks, such as Kedarkantha peak, Bali pass, Borasu pass, and Har ki doon trek as well. Though, in the winter it is mostly covered with a thick blanket of snow, yet, it brings out the finest delights of mother nature in the rainy season. The land full of Apple and Buransh trees, verdant fields, meadows, orchids, rhododendrons add a diamond to the charm of the countryside during the monsoon. The Supin river passes silently through this village, and there is an ancient temple, entirely made of wood a piece of the antique structure never seen before. Sankri is the base camp of Har Ki Dun Trek. The route passes through the jungles of Wild Roses, Irises, Bamboo, Chestnut, and Cedar trees. Apart from exquisite vegetation Taluka is known for its bird species. 

Day 2:  Sankri to Gangad via Taluka 

• Altitude: 8,855 ft (2,700 m)
• Time: 7-9 hrs trek

Post breakfast, we start the journey towards Taluka through the forest trails. The route passes through the jungles of Wild Roses, Irises, Bamboo, Chestnut, and Cedar trees. Apart from exquisite vegetation Taluka is known for its bird species. The trek is full of thrills i.e. initial descend followed by hiking alongside the Rupin river through the ecstatic forest and vegetation. Later the trek ascends through the fascinating Chestnut, Walnut, and Willow forests to the village of Gangar. We camp nearby the village and rest for the day. Camps will be provided to relax during the night, and it is an astonishing experience for someone to enjoy the proximity of nature, with the breathtaking views of rivers, peaks, glaciers, and galaxies.

Day 3: Gangad to Kalkatidhar

• Altitude: 10,826 ft (3,300 m)
• Time: 5-7hrs trek

After breakfast, we head on a trek towards the thick and lush green forest of the Govind National Park. The park is situated at the confluence of the Rupin and the Supin Rivers offers a sight of many wildlife species like Snow Leopard, Himalayan Bears, Musk deer, Monal, and many more. From there the trail climbs towards the ridged Kalkatti Dhar which is the camping site for the day.

Day 4: Kalkatidhar to Har ki Dun (3,510 m) & Marinda Tal (3,794 m)- Back to Kalkatidhar

Post breakfast we start our trek to the Har Ki Dun valley which is the highlight of the trekking trip. The Har Ki Dun valley route is a balance of sharp climbs accompanied by hikes. It is situated on the foothills of Swargarohini Peak with engaging views of mountainous landscapes. From there we gradually trek our way to the Marinda Tal and its surrounding lush green meadows. After spending some of the leisure time at the Marinda Tal, we trek our way back to the Kalkatidhar for the night stay in the camps.

Day 5: Kalkatidhar to Gangad 

• Altitude: 8,855 ft (2,700 m)
• Time: 5-7 hrs trek

Post breakfast we descend our way down towards Gangad through the mildly exposed section of the trek. This part of the trek offers some leisure time to spend with the native village families and to delve into their Garhwali culture.

Day 6: Gangad to Sankri 

• Altitude: 6,455 ft (1,920 m)
• Time: 6-7 h trek + 1 h drive

The final day of the trek is devoted to the trek expedition to the Sankri. The hike is mostly downhill and hence will commence shortly once we get accompanied by the River Supin on our way to Taluka. Once we reach the establishment of Taluka, we will drive our way to Sankri which is the night stop for the day.

Day 7: Sankri to Dehradun - 8 h drive

• Time: 8 h drive

After breakfast, we leave via road for Dehradun.

How to prepare yourself for  Har Ki Dun Trek

Har Ki Dun 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 5100 ft to a maximum of 16,207 ft in a short span of mere 4 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 Har Ki Dun Trek

Essential Things to carry for Har Ki Dun 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 20-30 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 Har Ki Dun Trek. We need a pair of shoes that are rough from the outer side but soft from 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 sun harmful rays. If you don’t like to wear full sleeve t-shirt then you may buy sleeve covers, that will help to protect 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 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 thermos 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 Tripophilia

1. Cancellation 30 days beforethe start date of the trek — Get a cash refund with 10% cancellation charges.

2. Cancellation between 29 days and 15 days beforethe start date of the trek — Get a cash refund with 30% cancellation charges.
3. Cancellation between 14 days and 1 day beforethe start date of the trek — Get a cash refund with 50% cancellation charges.
4. Cancellation on the start day of the trek, or no showon the start day of the trek — Unfortunately, no refund or voucher.
5. Cancellation on the start day of the trek, or no showon the start day of the trek — Unfortunately, no refund or voucher.

Your Trek Fees Includes :

1. Accommodation - Your stay is included for the entire trek from Day 1  to Day 6 ( Sankri to Sankri ). You will be staying in a lodge on Day 1 at Sankri and on Day 6 at Sankri and camping on the remaining days of the trek.
2. Meals - Your meals are included from Dinner on Day 1 to Breakfast at Day 7. 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 basecamp and back. If availing transportation from Tripophilia 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 additional option mentioned.
4. Any type of Personal Expense 
5. Accommodation at Dehradun
6. Any Expense apart from the Inclusion list.