Marvel Adventure–feel the excitation

ROOPKUND TREK ---
THE SKELETON LAKE TREK

Trek Cost :

₹ 13,000 + 5% GST (Rishikesh to Rishikesh)

ABOUT THIS TREK

Grade : Moderate

Region : Uttarakhand

Altitude : 4785 m

Trek Distance : 54 Km

Trek Days : 8 Days

Best Season : May to June & September to October

Nearest Railway : Kathgodam

Nearest Airport : Jolly Grant

Roopkund – may be the most popular trek in India because of it mysterious skeletons found beside the lake. It is still unknown about the skeletons, how they died here, how they came here. It is assume that there was a mass execution happened years ago. More than 500 skeletons can be find just beside the lake. The actual reson still unknown even after lots of research. It is a must do trek, as you find on the trail lots of beauty. It consists of breath taking campsites, Asia’s largest bugiyals i.e Ali-Bedini Bugiyal, snow & ice patches, highest ganesh temple Kalu Vinayak & large view of Mt. Trishul, Mt. Chaukhaba, Mt. Nanda Ghunti, Mt. Kedarnath & the great Mt. Nanda Devi snow capped peaks. The trail is also one of the awesome trek route in Uttarakhand. The roopkund lake situated at an altitude of 15700 ft, makes it a moderate to difficult trek, located in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. Most of the trail consists of hard climb, you need proper trek experience & regular fitness to this trek. In summer you may find snow on this trail & also at Roopkund lake. But in post monsoon all the snow melts. The coniferous forest, lush green meadows, snow trails at higher altitude & grand views of the well known himalayan peaks are the main beauty & attraction of this trek. On the bugiyals horses, sheeps & goats grazing is a pure wild experience, beautified more by the flowing Pindar River along the way. In one word this is a heart pounding thrilling trek. You can access the base village Lohajung from Kathgodam/Rishikesh. Which is around 210kms away. Same entry exist point.

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WHY YOU SHOULD DO THIS TREK

Didina Village

The remote Didina village is the first attraction of this trek. Didina village itself is a great view point. You can see Lohajung village and many other settlement right in front from our stay. A beautiful village worth staying a afternoon.

Ali-Bedini Bugiyal

Your eyes and legs will be tired to find the end of these two bugiyals. The bugiyals are so vast with snow peaks in the background are real beauty of the Himalayas. The long range green bugiyals is medicine to refresh your soul.

The views of the White Mountains

Both of the bugiyals offers us to gulp snow capped peak. You surely haven’t seen such grand views from any bugiyals. When you observe the evening rays falls upon the Mt. Trishul from the Bedini bugiyal top your eyes will cann’t stop to break into tears. Mt. Nandaghunti will appears right infront of you.

The Mysterious Lake

Roopkund tops our list in attractions. The skeleton lake is the main target to see. The view of the lake from far is picture perfect, make it your most memorable trek. And when you reach at the edge of the lake, you will find Scarry skeletons here and there, that is also a big adventure.

ITINERARY

DAY 1 | Pickup to you from Kathgodam/Rishikesh railway station – Drive to Lohajung – 210 Km (9/10 Hours)

Pickup from Rishikesh, drive to Lohajung. Expected to reach before evening. You will be Received by our trek leader. Documentation & briefing, followed by dinner.
Meals: Evening – Tea & snacks, Dinner – Dal Rice Roti veg/chicken papad, sweet dish.
Stay: Homestay
Altitude: 7,663 feet

DAY 2 | Trek from Lohajung to Didina village(6 km) (4/5 Hours)

After breakfast our cab will take you to the trek start point Kulling, then trek to Didina village. Easy ascending uphill. Expected to reach by 1/2PM.
Meals: Breakfast & Tea, Lunch Evening – tea & snacks, Soup, Dinner – dal rice roti veg papad, sweet dish.
Stay: Homestay
Altitude : 10,100ft

DAY 3 | Trek from Didina Village to Ali Bugyal (10 km) (5/6 hours)

After breakfast start trek as early as possible. Pack lunch on the way. Easy uphill then flat on the ali bugiyal. Expected to reach by 4PM.
Meals: Breakfast & Tea, Lunch, Evening – tea & snacks, Soup, Dinner – dal rice roti veg papad, sweet dish
Stay: Camp
Altitude : 11500 ft

DAY 4 | Trek from Ali Bugyal to Patar Nachauni (10 km) (4/5 Hours)

Have breakfast, lake pack lunch, head towards Next camp. Mostly easy trails. Expected to reach by afternoon.
Meals: Breakfast & Tea, Lunch – Dal rice achar salad , Evening – tea & samosa, Soup – veg soup, Dinner – Dal rice roti veg papad, sweet dish
Stay: Camp
Altitude: 12,800ft

DAY 5 | Trek from Patar Nachauni to Bhagwabhasa (4.5 km) (4/5 Hours) via Kalu Vinayak

A bit late start after breakfast, Short distance for today, but a bit moderate route. Hot lunch at the next camp.
Meals: Breakfast – Tea, Lunch, Evening – Tea & snacks, Dinner – dal rice roti veg papad, sweet dish
Stay: Camp
Altitude: 14,100ft

DAY 6 | Trek from Bhagwabasa to Roopkund, further Junargali Top. Return to Patar Nachauni (10 km) (8/9 Hours)

Long & strenuous route on this day. Moderate to difficult trails. Early morning breakfast, take your pack lunch & go for the mysterious lake. Come back to the camp by evening.
Meals: Breakfast – Tea, Lunch Evening – Tea & snacks, Dinner – Dal rice seasonal mix veg papad, sweet dish
Stay: Camp
Altitude: Roopkund-15,700ft ; Junargali-16,100ft.

DAY 7 | Trek from Patthar Nachauni to Lohajung (15 km) (7/8 Hours) via Bedni and Wan and back to Lohajung

After breakfast start your last day trek, strenuous & hard, descend down mostly. Last 2kms uphill to reach wan. Our cab will take you back to Lohajung Homestay.
Meals: Breakfast & tea, pack Lunch, Dinner – dal rice roti seasonal veg/chicken, Sweet dish
Stay:Homestay

DAY 8 | Drive from Lohajung village to Kathgodam (210 km) (8/9 Hours)

Meals: Breakfast & Tea. Good bye to mountains, have breakfast and depart for Rishikesh. Cab is included.
Stay: No

HOW TO REACH THE BASE VILLAGE LOHAJUNG

The trek base for Brahmataal is Lohajung. Lohajung is located at a distance of 217 km from Kathgodam and 260 km from Rishikesh. You can come via Haridwar railway station or Kathgodam railway station. Reaching Lohajung from Rishikesh. There is a bus from Rishikesh that leaves early morning at 5 AM and takes 12 hours to reach Lohajung, which will cost you 300-350. Otherwise, you can book a cab, will cost you 8000-9000 for a 6-seater bolero/sumo. Reaching Lohajung from Kathgodam: The Ranikhet Express leaves Dehli by 8 PM and reaches Kathgodam by 5 AM. Uttarakhand Sampark Kranti Leaves Delhi by 4 PM and reaches Kathgodam by 10:45 PM, NDLS – Kathgodam Shatabdi leaves at 6:20 AM and reaches Kathgodam at 11:40 AM. Advisable that reach Kathgodam on the same day so that you can stay a night at Kathgodam instead of on an overnight journey. From Kathgodam you can book a cab sumo/bolero via route Almora-Gwaldam-Tharali-Dewal-Mundoli-Lohajung. Many drivers may not know this route so aware. There is no direct bus or shared cab for Lohajung from Kathgodam. Take the 4:30/5 AM bus from Kathgodam bust stop to Gwaldam, you will reach by 3 PM, which will cost you around 500. The bus stand is just opposite to the railway station. After Gwaldam there are no buses further. So, you have to take a shared cab to reach Lohajung. As you reach Gwaldam look further quickly for the Lohajung shared cab. It will take only 50-100. The last shared taxi leaves for Lohajung from Gwaldam at 3:30 PM. In case you miss the bus to Gwaldam, you can break your journey via Tharali and Dewal by shared cab. The nearest airport is Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun. You can easily reach Rishikesh from the airport.

FINEST TIME TO EXPERIENCE

Roopkund is a high altitude trek in lap of Mt. Trishul. There are only two season roopkund permits us. The summer season i.e mid may to june & Autumn season i.e mid September to October. In the summer season you find a bit cloudy weather as clock hit 12PM. Snow remains on the lake and trails. May occurred few afternoon showers. Temperature ranges between 18-24° day time, 5-10° at night. Mostly clear sky. In Autumn season, after rainfall lush green meadows and thick forest. More clear views of sunrise & sunset. Temperature ranges between 15-20° at day time, 0-5° at night. No snow on lake & trails. Now choose your season wisely.

HOW DIFFICULT IS THIS TREK

Roopkund is considered as a moderate+ trek. This trek will test your stamina & endurance as you need to cover 56kms in total at an high altitude. If you consider the highest altitude i. e 15700ft is quite high to get acclimatized. Few parts of this trek lies on loose rocky area. The main challenge is the low oxygen density as there are no trees from the second day. Many parts of the routes are continuous uphill and zigzag trail. And when weather conditions get worse the whole trek turns more difficult. So you can understand this trek is moderate to difficult. And not for the beginners, not for the children below 16 years of age at all.

TREK INCLUSIONS

TREK EXCLUSIONS

WHAT TO CARRY ON GOECHA LA TREK

Like other treks bring all the trek gears and personal hiking gears. But the first thing you need to carry on every trek is a bit fitness and endurance. So before attempting a trek always do some Cardio and other endurance exercises to build your exercise. And in the list of hiking gears includes Rucksack, Waterproof Trekking shoes, warm layers of Jackets, Thermal Inners, Woolen and sun caps, Sunscreen(SPF 40) and toileteries, good quality waterbottle, multiple pair of socks, lighyt wieght rain poncho or jacket, warm gloves, a day pack Headlamps with extra cells, sunglasses etc. If you are checking for this trek we believe you are a pro trekker, so you know better what to bring on a trek as of previous experience. At last if you have any queries or its confusing what to carry, please feel free to contact us. Don’t overwaight your backpack, otherwise trek will seem to be very difficult.

IS THIS TREK SAFE FOR CHILDERN

The Roopkund trek is a moderate graded trek demands a lot fitness and endurance with mental stamina. The distance to be covered on each day is quite long and steep also. The altitude
gain in one day is more than any other trek. So choosing this trek for your child is not a cup of milk. This trek has only one entry and exit point, which make it more wilderness in
emergency situation. So it is advisable not to bring any childern below 16 years of age. And your child should have al least one easy or moderate kind of trek experience. Your child
should have sporting ability with fitness and stamina. Don’t do this as their first trek. The main obstacles to overcome on this trek is steep hard climb, high altitude-low oxygen,
extream weather. So it is upto you and your child if he/she want to take the challenges or can bear the weather conditions or not. observe your child and tell to drink enough water to
acclimatise properly, bring enough warm clothings for them. Mountain is all about acclimatisation, if you acclimatise properly nothing illness will touch you. Prepare your child prior,
teach your child about mountains, weather, layering, acclimatisation, mountain hazards, safety guidelines and mountain illness. Any how if your child don’t feeling well, please do not
hide your illness and report our guide/ Trek leader immediately. We mountaineers always follow the golden rule to save lives or counter mountain illness Descend – Descend – Descend.

Frequently Asked Questions

Acclimatisation is the most important part of high altitude trek. Acclimatisation is the process where your body start getting cope up with mountain weather & atmosphere that is different from your hometown. This change of environment may affect your normal performance in that environmental conditions. So you need to be well acclimatise to safely do the trek. Not every time depend on the high altitude medicines to avoid AMS, go for natural acclimatisation. Otherwise your body will depend permanently on the medicines whenever you go to the high altitude. The natural acclimatisation is more powerful than medicines. We need to accept the himalayas as it is challenging. It is not that himalayas are unbeatable, but requires to follow rules and systematic approch. How do human body actually acclimatise to the high altitude? In the high altitude the air pressure gets lower so the density. That is why the molecules spreads out in more space and get apart from each other. This affects lower oxygen consume per breath. Our body reacts with that change and starts to take more breath that is hypoxia. We often called it breathlessness in laymen term. Then body try to take more breath to reduce the level of carbon dioxide in our blood. This results increase pH of blood, making our blood more alkaline and body starts urinate more for exerting of bicarbonates. On the other side the body starts to produce more hemoglobin count which are the oxygen carriers in our blood. This thickens our bloods and now our heart need to pump more to throw the blood in the distant organs hence the blood pressure gets higher. This indicates slight high pressure and pulse rate is normal in high altitude areas. There are three golden rules to acclimatisation in the field of mountaineering is –
1. Climb high sleep low
2. Ascend slowly, take your time. And do not over exert.
3. Hydrate & hydrate yourself more & more.

Our expert justified few ways to acclimatise naturally are discussed below-
At first check your itinerary. Trekking is not a game in hurry. You need time to complete. It is not anything you achieve but enjoyed. This is a sport that is away from any competition. Any trek should not be judge by time & distance. Do not over exert yourself, don’t go beyond your limits. Fix your itinerary comfortably. Do not try to cover more distance and altitude gain in one day to minimize the trekking days and cost. On the very initial days approach slowly even you are fit enough to trek faster. Take more time to gain altitude. This allows your body enough time to adjust with the atmosphere. Always bring a well hydrated body in the Himalayas and keep hydrated yourself on the trek days. Drink 3-4 liters of water every day on trek, and consume enough tea, soup, dal and other liquid includes in your meals. Do not consume any type of alcohol drinks 2/3 days before you start the trek, and also don’t on the trek. We do not allow any trekker to consume alcohol on the trek, if found he/she will be sent back then and there. We do not also advise to consume any hard drinks, too much coffee is also not good. ORS and other energy/glucose tablets are best on the trek. After arriving on trek base, trekkers may feel cold weather. But do not cover yourself fully with all of the woolen cap, muffler, neck warmer and all. Let your body to sense the atmosphere change with the sense organs. It will help in natural acclimatisation. Allow your skin to feel the cold. your ears to sense the pressure change. Keep that open while gaining altitude, unless there is a blizzard or bad weather condition. Don’t be a show off man, don’t show unnecessary bravery. Keep your body protect from cold weather. Protect your body from cold wind, cover your head at night & bad weather, cover your neck, tonsils and body tip like fingers, toes etc. Get proper sleep at night. It doesn’t mean that you should sleep at day time or in the afternoon as soon as you reach the campsite. Sleeping is important on every trek to get refresh and rest for next day trek. If you find difficulty in sleep bring immediate notice to the trek leader or guide. As you reach the trek base try to keep yourself dry, do not loose the body heat. Do not skip your soup in the evening. The garlic soup & other helps in blood circulation, keeps your body warm. You remain active on the high altitude. After reaching campsite everybody gets tired, this is normal. But do not get into your sleeping bag & take a nap. This will not help you to get acclimatise. Have some rest for a while, then explore the nearby places, go for the acclimatisation walk. You need to follow the golden rule ‘climb high sleep low’. Climb a bit higher in acclimatisation walk and get back to the campsite. You can indulge yourself in games, or can go for photography. Eat proper meals throughout the day, but lite. Not so much spicy foods, consume easy to digest foods more.
Trekking is a adventure sports, you need to bring a sportsman sprit and fitness on any trek. There is a big worry in many trekkers that how much they need to be fit for a trek. The himalayas are full of steep uphill, rough terrain, walking in the snow all these can be very challenging for trekkers specially for beginners. We will discuss here how to get fit for any trek with a complete training guide. Trek to uphill mountain is not in our daily routine so it is simple that we will find it tough to climb uphill. And with a backpack it seems very challenging. But only a month of regular exercise can make you fit for the trek. Cardio exercise is the best for pre trek exercise. Do some cardio exercise like jogging, swimming, cycling, jumping jacks etc will help you to build your endurance. Don’t forget to do some leg exercise like squats, lunges, stair climbing etc to build stamina of your legs. Now we made a routine exercise for you –
1. Cardiovascular endurance : On your trek you will constantly gaining altitude with your backpack in low oxygen atmosphere. Your heart will do more effort in this condition. So you need to go through cardio exercise at least for one month regularly to counter this constant uphill climb comfortably, infact you will find it bit easier. Jogging for 4 kms in 30 minutes is your first target for this. Start with slower jog and continue to fill the target.
2. Leg exercise : After one week of jogging add some leg exercise like squats and lunges to your routine. This exercises will build stamina of your leg that will help you on steep uphill climb. Start with 10 squats and 10 lunges of 2 set in first week. Then increase to 3 sets. Try to fulfil your target to do 3 sets of 15 each before the trek.
3. Strengthening the core : For strengthening your core body plank and hip raise are best. Do plank for 20 seconds for first three days and then start increasing by 10 seconds till 60.
Along with that do 10 hip raises 2 sets, and increase for 3 sets of 15 each. That should be the goal. So, get ready for your next adventure, make yourself fit enough to do the adventure activities.

There are three level of fitness we categorise :
Level 1 : It is the minimal fitness with that you just able to finish the trek. You struggle a bit, but not too much to do the challenging section. We find most of the trekkers with this much of fitness.
Level 2 : This is one level up fitness you bring on the trek, that you find the trek not very difficult or moderate but easy. And you can carry your own backpack easily throughout the trek. You don’t feel exhausted at the end of every day trek. You are find yourself still not tired and active after reaching the destination. You enjoy the other activity and enjoy exploring the nearby or involving yourself in some game.
Level 3 : This is the fitness we admire most & the ultimate mountaineer like fitness. The trekkers with this fitness finds trek easy for them and they are still very active after the whole day trek even with their rucksack. Not only that these people are fit enough to tolerate bad weather conditions, contribute in some work like tent pitching & kitchen activity, bringing water from nearby water source. Give a hand if other trekkers are in trouble or in some rescue operation.
Rucksack is a most important equipment on every trek & packing your rucksack is a important task for your trek. On a typical trek you need to carry your own rucksack, and if your rucksack is not comfortable to carry you will eventually start hating your backpack and also the trek. A rucksack need to be perfectly pack that it should be comfortable to carry on your back. It should not hurt you anyhow. The mordern day designed rucksacks are very light weight and have many chambers to pack seprately. A good quality rucksack have well paded for comfortable carrying in waist and shoulder. If you are planning to buy a rucksack, please keep the things in your mind and don’t forget to check the strength of rucksack and other straps.
Before you pack your rucksack go through our basic rule. This will help you to pack easily as a beginner. You just can not do every day packing and unpacking on multiple day of trek. Imagine how irritable and time consuming that will be. The A B C D E rule to pack your rucksack—

A – Accessibility = While packing your rucksack pack in such way that every thing are easily accissible for you. Use the different parts to achieve different things easily. For an example use different chambers for toileteries, different for your dry fruits and snacks, different for clothes, different for small items like gloves, socks, woolen caps etc. Keep the items at top or side pockets that you may need on the way like rain wears, sunglass, sunscreen etc.
B – Balance = Your bag need to be packed in such way that it can stand straight when you leave your backpack alone on a flat surface. The more your backpack is balanced the less it will hurt your shoulder. The weight distribution on both shoulder should be equal in order to comfortable carry.
C – Compression & Compartments = While packing your backpack compress all the cloths and the things that can be compresed. It will give you more space inside your rucksack. But remember don’t do more compress or less, do as much as it needed. Compress till it gives you more space to adjust other things. Now use more compartments or make more compartments by using different colored plastic bags, like for socks and underwear use red color plastic bags, for inner and thermal clother use yellow bag, for woolen cap & gloves use green one. It will not only give you another layer of waterproofing but also help you recognise all the different things. This will also help you to find your stuffs quickly.
D – Dry = Always keep your backpack dry from outside and inside also. Use rain cover from outside. And from inside all of your stuffs should be kept dry, otherwaise it will be more heavier than usual. Wet rucksack is not only heavier but also prone to damage, not good for rucksack maintenance. Use rain cover to protect from get wet.
E – Environment = Make a list of your stuffs that need to be packed inside the rucksack according to the environment of the trek you are going. Keep in mind the weather in that perticular month you choose to trek. Pack your backpack with stuffs you need in that weather conditions.

EXPERT’S ADVISE:
-> Always keep the heavy things in the middle of the rucksack and closer to your back.
-> The medium weight things should be kept in the lower compartments & liteweight items should be kept in top section of your rucksack.
-> Use plastic layer from inside to keep the stuffs dry.
-> Don’t forget to put rain cover from outside in rain and snow.
-> Adjust the shoulder straps to balance weight on both shoulder. Put the waist starps also to get better support and balance.
-> You can use you rucksack as a pillow inside the tent, or can rest your leg on rucksack.
Lots of trekkers are very worried about their accomodation on trek days. Wheather it gonna be comfortable or not, safe or not. Here is the answer. We have the good quality tents and sleeping bags for high altitude treks. Our mattress are very soft and thick to provide a comfortable sleep at night. But you should keep in mind that trekking in wilderness in himalayas are not any four or five star category. This is an adventure trip, if we provide a homely/hotel feeling on your trek, then there will be no adventure left for you. But obviously we will definitely provide a safe and cozy tent for your stay. Our tents are tested in bad weather conditions also. Sleeping bags are very warm to spend nights with a good sleep. And at the trek bases we arrange the best homestay available at the village. Homestays are sanitised and clean from inside. Toilets are well maintained and hygiene.
We go to the each and every trek base we organise and choose our guides on the basis of their experience, behaviour, past record, knowledge, abilities and good personality. They knows all about the routes and reacue & evacuation plans. They know how to handle in bad weather conditions. Our guides are well trained for work in the mountains, knows about the camping gears. They have years of experience in safety methods and protocols on the trek. Our guides are very happy to help and eager to serve you better. They always maintain health and hygiene. They are very friendly and make the more enjoyable for you.