Gaumukh Tapovan Trek

Today is the first day of your trek. We’ll be waking up early, having breakfast, and start our trek towards Chirbasa. The entire trek is in the Gangotri National Park. 

The trek today is of gentle and easy ascent. It is a well-paved path and you will also meet several pilgrims on the way to Gaumukh and Gangotri glacier. The views of Sudarshan Parbat will accompany you soon after starting your trek. You will be trekking beside the Bhagirathi river. You can hear the gentle and meditating sound of the Bhagirathi river flowing down below.  

Once you reach Chirbasa, rest and have some tea and snacks on the bank of the river with the mighty views of Mt. Sudarshan. You can also see the Bhagirathi massif and Gangotri glacier in the distance. We’ll be camping in Chirbasa for the night.

This is the second day of the trek, and so you’ll be well acclimatized today after having a good night’s sleep. We’ll be waking up early and doing breathing exercises to help with the natural acclimatizing process.  After having breakfast, start your trek towards the Bhojwasa campsite. 

As soon as you start from the campsite, the valley starts to open up, and you are sure to be overwhelmed by the views of the snow-clad mountains. The trail to Bhojwasa has several landslide-prone sections as well so we will need to be careful and watchful for any falling rocks. Maintain a few feet of distance between yourself and your teammates and avoid resting on these sections. After crossing these sections swiftly, you can rest. 

Just before you reach Bhojwasa, you will see views of the whole valley ahead of you. This is an amazing viewpoint. Once you reach Bhojwasa, you can get the first views of Mt. Shivling. The Bhagirathi river flows just beside the campsite.

It is amazing to note that the water you’re drinking in this trek is coming from the mighty Gangotri glacier. 

The trek to Tapovan is going to be the hardest day of the trek. It helps to be mentally and physically prepared for this section of the trek. The trail also takes you to Gaumukh (the snout of the Gangotri glacier), the point where the Bhagirathi River originates from.  

We’ll be starting early after having breakfast. The whole trail is full of moraines and boulders so you will need to be careful while trekking. The trail to Gaumukh is easy. We’ll be crossing several glacial streams on the way to Gaumukh. Once you reach Gaumukh, you’ll be astonished by the sheer size of the glacier.

We’ll be crossing the river to the other side. It is advisable to cross early in the morning because the water level increases significantly in the afternoon. After crossing to the other side, we’ll continue trekking towards Tapovan. From here, the trek becomes steep. You’ll come across a steep rock face, known as Khada Patthar. The trail is filled with boulders and loose scree. Once you complete this climb to Tapovan, you’ll be rewarded by incomparable views of Mt. Shivling right in front of you. 

There is a reason why Mt. Shivling is considered to be the most beautiful peak of India. Tapovan is the closest you can get to Mt. Shivling as a trekker. Not just Tapovan, Mt. Bhagirathi, and Mt. Meru also dominate the views. You’re basically surrounded by the mighty mountains of the Indian Himalayas on all sides. As a mountain lover, it is an overwhelming sight.  

In the evening, you will be amazed by the sunset and the alpenglow on these mountains. Once you’re done admiring the views, have dinner and rest for the night. 

We will be waking up early in the morning to see the sunrise on the mountain peaks surrounding us. After that, we’ll have breakfast and start descending towards Bhojwasa. 

We’ll be retracing our steps back and you’ll need to be extra careful on the steep sections to avoid any injuries to you or to your teammates. 

Once you reach Bhojwasa, rest your legs and have a hearty meal. We’ll be staying at Bhojwasa for the night. 

This is the last day that you’ll be trekking amidst the mountains on the Gaumukh Tapovan trail. So, take your time while descending. Remember to look back and relive the days of the trek and the majestic views that you experienced. 

You can expect to reach Gangotri by evening, and make it back before the evening aarti. We’ll be staying and resting in Gangotri for the night. Spend the last night with your trek mates and your trek leader reminiscing about your trek. We’ll also have a debriefing session where you can share your experience with your trek mates. 

Today is the day you’ll be parting ways with your trek leader and trek mates. It is sure to be an emotional moment for everyone after spending a week in the mountains together on the Gaumukh Tapovan Trek.

If you opt for transportation with us, your vehicles will pick you up in Gangotri in the morning and leave you at Dehradun I.S.B.T by 7 PM. If you plan to continue your travels. you can say goodbye to us at Gangotri. 

We keep a buffer day in our pass-crossing treks or long treks because of any hurdles we might face during the trek, like bad weather including heavy snowfall, or rain. In such situations, it becomes risky to cross the pass or to carry on trekking.

In such situations, it must be a unanimous decision to use the buffer day. All the participants will be required to pay 2,999/- INR (exclusive of 5% GST) if the group decides to use the buffer day. The amount will be collected by your trek leader in cash.