Mountains had always been my call whenever I decided to take a break from the hustle of city life. Treks being my first favorite, I’ve always been fascinated to explore the Mystery Lake, Roopkund. Scaling this glacial lake at such a height is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that is sure to leave you speechless. That one on one experience with those thrilling heights is an experience I’d give in anyway for.
Thanks to team Indiahikes, my dream of exploring the Roopkund Lakes along with my friends has been a success and one of the best hikes I have ever done. While I was not very sure about the right company to opt for, thanks to our group discussion, I and my friends decided to go for Indiahikes.com as our planner. The way they have explained the entire trekking experience on their website was like an actual walkthrough for us. Moreover, the catchy website design, with such alluring images of the trek had caught our attention the moment we saw it.
Well, that’s not all, the major reason we chose Indiahikes was for their budget experience that came under our pocket pinch. To my surprise, their well-planned itinerary and the affordable prices were just perfect, I loved it!
So, here it starts…
Top Places on the hike
While Roopkund Lake was the primary focus of the hike, we got to see many beautiful places on our way there. We trekked through the oak and rhododendron forests of the Garhwal area, saw the rolling meadows of Ali Bugyal, saw snow-clad mountains, and also the Kalyuvinyaka temple. While it had already been an experience of its kind, the cherry on the cake was when we spotted the snowy peaks of Mt. Trishul and the bell-shaped Mt. Nanda Ghunti, in parts and pieces throughout our journey.
My experience
Since this was my first solo trip with a travel group, I was a little skeptical about the people I would encounter. But I never thought that I would end making so many friends there! I met people from different parts of India, some solo travelers like me, some couples, and some groups of friends. We even planned a hike together after some months. Fast forward to the trekking experience; it was a matter of spine-chilling fun. Why? Well, we camped in the most extreme, sub-zero temperatures and played games like Antakshari to boost up our energy levels every evening.
All the windy, chilling, and picturesque experience aside, there was one specific experience that I can’t get over. We played football with the locals at 13,000 ft above mean sea level! The feeling of playing my favorite sport surrounded by mountains is something I’m always going to cherish.
Even though the hike was a little difficult with steep slopes, the picture-perfect scenes made it worth the effort. I have only dreamed of such breathtaking views. Not just the Roopkund lake, the entire journey itself was filled with excitement, thrill, and beautiful landscapes. We hiked through dense forests, saw the lush, beautiful meadows of Ali Bugyal, and walked through isolated mountain trails.
Even amidst all the exhaustion, our insta-worthy images are something I’ve not been able to get over.
All-in-all, Roopkund trials were one of a kind experience with Indiahikes.
Itinerary
It was a hike of 7 days with a mixture of gradual and steep ascent.
Day 1
We first drove to the base camp at Lohajung at 7,700ft from Kathgodam Railway at 6:30 AM in a traveler organized by the trekking team. We stayed there at night.
Day 2
The day was crisp and clear; we continued our mobile journey from Lohajung to Wan, from where we began our trek to Gehroli Patal at 10,000 ft. It was an exhilarating trek through forests, and we even got to see the serene Neel Ganga!
Day 3
We made our way from Gehroli Patal to Bedni Bugyal via Ali Bugyal at 11,500 ft. The journey was exceptional – one minute, we were traveling through dense forests, and the next, we came upon acres of the lush green meadow of Ali Bugyal. We stayed at the Bedni Bugyal campsite, made bonfires, and stayed up late singing and dancing around the fire.
Day 4
We made our way through the meadows of Bedni Bugyal to the Bedni Top at 12,200 ft. We got to see the beautiful Neelkanth, Mrigathuni, Maikotli, and Chaukhambha.
Day 5
Leaving behind the beautiful meadows of Bedni Bugyal was a tough task, but we had to move our way to Patar Nachauni at 12,700 ft. This was when we started to see snow on either side of our trail. We camped at Ghora Lotani, which was extremely isolated yet gave a strange sense of contentment.
Day 6
The day was tough as we made our way to Bhagwabhasa at 14,100 ft. with a rather steep climb. This was the most thrilling part of our climb- every bend would bring us higher up the rugged mountains. We camped at Bhagwabasa and slept very early as next morning we had to wake up at 3 am and start our final ascend towards Roopkund
Day 7
We left Bhagwabasa at almost 4;30 am and made our way to our final destination to Roopkund at 15,700 ft. Our guide insisted we visit the Junargali mountain top at 16,000 ft which was just 15-20 minutes away from the glacial lake.
Why everyone should go for a hike
Earlier I used to make fun of my friends who said that hiking had changed their outlook on life. But after going on one hike, I realize how true it is. Not only did it allow me to take a respite from the busy chatter of the city, but it also allowed me to reflect upon myself. As I encountered isolated mountains, trails, and remote valleys, I realized how little I have seen of the world. I have come back as a changed human, in love and at one with nature.
Review of Indiahikes
The best part about this hike, apart from the views, was the experience I got with Indiahikes. Everything about this trip was very well planned, and they delivered everything they promised. The process was more like ‘from paper to real-life experience’.
Our guide was an excellent fellow who kept telling us stories about the places we covered and helped us throughout the journey. The best part was that team Indiahike knew their job and took good care of us, maintaining safety protocols, telling us about all the gear we need to take beforehand, and providing every service imaginable. The food here was an added bonus – we even made gulab jamun at 13,000 ft!
To sum it up: One life, adrenaline gushing experience, and Indiahikes!
