Har ki Dun
Trek
Multiple Batches | 6:30AM
Dehradun Railway Station, Dehradun
₹9500
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- About
Har ki Dun
Trek
Multiple Batches | 6:30AM
Dehradun Railway Station, Dehradun
₹9500
Sorry, this show is already over but head here for other fun events!
Invite your friends
and enjoy a shared experience
Invite your friends
and enjoy a shared experience
Har ki Dun, which means Valley of Gods, is situated deep inside Govind Pashu National park. Rich in flora and fauna, the trails are quite often covered in different shades of orchids and other wild flowers. The area was made popular by the Doon school master Jack Gibson after his Banderpunch expeditions.
The path winds up alongside the Tons river from Netwar village. The trek is along the Supin river through the scenic Garhwali villages of Taluka, Gangad and Osla. Har ki dun has numerous camping places and one Forest Guest House. An extra rest day is ideal to explore several trails which continue from the Har ki Dun camp. From Har ki Dun one can see the entire North Face of Swargarohini I (6,252 m) peak. This face drops to about 2,000 m in less than 2 km distance and is yet to be climbed. The legends associated with it say that Swargarohini is the path to heaven that was followed by Pandavas of the epic Mahabharata. Though, the same story is also associated with the Swargarohini steps seen from Satopanth Lake, which lies ahead of Badrinath.
Post breakfast we are transported from Sankri to Taluka. The drive is a bit bumpy. The trek commences from Taluka on a stony path. The fragrance of cedar trees can be felt around Taluka. Sometimes during winters, or especially during periods with rather heavy spells of rain, the road to Taluka may be too dangerous for vehicles, as streams run across the road and thus one may be required to walk a stretch of around 8 km up to Taluka, albeit it is only ocassional. After Taluka we are met with the river Supin gushing through rapids beside us, under the shade of walnut, pine and other trees, the walk is quite pleasant. In autumn we can often find walnuts lying around. One must avoid touching the vegetation on the sides for there are Stinging Nettle plants here locally known as 'Bichhu ghas' or 'scorpion grass'. Often the passing villagers greet us on the way. High up above on the true left, we get to see the village of Datmer. It is lined by series of step farms. The path crosses over a few streams which merge with Supin. After a few hours of walk the village of Gangad can be seen towards the left, across the river. We can find edible fruits of seabuckthorn in this area. We continue our trek and soon, the quaint village of Osla unfolds itself. One comes across a small hut with a water mill on the right of the trail. Water mills use the power of streams to grind grains. After less than an hour, we reach Seema which is a tiny settlement opposite to the river from Osla. We set camp here.
The area surrounding Osla is full of terraced farms. The colors of the farms are different in every season. The red farms of Cholai (Amaranth) look amazing and can be seen from late monsoon. From Osla the trail gradually rises higher. We come across a temple some distance below the trail. We pass through bushes of flowers like orchids, fleece flowers and sunflowers. The ascending path climbs high above the confluence of Supin river and the river from Ruinsara valley. Walking high above this confluence, we get a view of the snow-clad peaks of Ruinsara valley including Black Peak.
After traversing higher up along the true right of the river, we camp at a very panoramic spot in Har ki Dun, located at the junction of two valleys: one originating from Jaundhar glacier and the other from beyond Hata glacier. Higher up towards the North we can spot the Forest Rest House, while the wood crafted GMVN guest house lies further up in the distance. The minor ridge to our right, lined with a few scattered himalayan birch trees (Bhojpatra) that seperate us from the massive Har Ki Dun valley that goes up all the way to the base of Swargarohini Peak. The paper like bark of these trees was used in ancient times to write scriptures in Sanskrit.
We can choose to relax and soak in the environment or we have several trails as options. The vast open meadows following the course of the Supin river can be explored. Further ahead of the meadows one can walk among the forests of Bhojpatra trees (Himalayan birch) or get a closer glimpse of the Jaundhar glacier and Swargarohini peak, for which we will have to head updwards the Har Ki Dun valley, towards the Swargaroini peak in the eastern direction. It is also possible to walk till the base of Swargarohini peak. Being a long journey for the day, it would require to carry along sufficient food supplies, water and some cloths to aid against an abrupt weather change. The first rays of the sun can be seen falling atop the Swargarohini peak. One can visit the Marinda Tal, in the north, just 2-3 km away from Har ki Dun. The trail is gradually ascending here. It is a small lake formed by a huge boulder obstructing the river which flows down from the base of the Borasu Pass. The little-known valley of Hata can be explored which lies in between the above two valleys in the North East direction. It also has some large meadows and a close view of the Hata glacier and Hata peak. The journey back to Seema is an easy walk. We take the very same route which we used to reach to Har Ki Dun. After the initial descent through the forest we trace back our way towards Kalkatidhar, the rather exposed section of the trek. On the route we come across a good view of the trail all the way to Osla and see the valley descend towards Taluka, around the curve of the ridge where the two streams comng from Har Ki Dun and Ruinsara respectively, converge. A little short of this intersection we can get a glimpse of a trail to our left marked by a sight of a bridge down over the stream. This trail goes to join the trail to Ruinsara lake and is rarely taken. After reaching Osla, one can roam about in the village, talk to locals and soak in the Garhwali culture. Again we can either set camp or stay with a local family.
Early in the morning, we leave the settlement of Seema and trek till Taluka. The walk is downhill and hence takes lesser time than before. We walk to the true left of the River Supin until we finally arrive at Taluka, from where a vehicle takes us back to Sankri. We retire for the day in camp alongside the river or in a guest house in Sankri. The trek to Har ki Dun concludes today as we leave Sankri and reach Dehradun by late afternoon
DAY 1: DEHRADUN TO SANKRI (1950 M) - 7-8 HRS’ DRIVE: 187 KM
DAY 2: SANKRI TO SEEMA (2600 M) - 1 HR’ DRIVE; 5-6 HRS’ TREK: 14KM
DAY 3: SEEMA TO HAR KI DUN (3510 M) - 4-5 HRS’ TREK: 10 KM
Har ki Dun
Trek
Multiple Batches | 6:30AM
Dehradun Railway Station, Dehradun
₹9500
Sorry, this show is already over but head here for other fun events!
Invite your friends
and enjoy a shared experience
₹9500
Sorry, this show is already over but head here for other fun events!