A Walk Remember To Deoriatal Chopta Chandrashila Trek :

The Deoriatal chandrashila trek is situated in the Rudraprayag District of Uttarakhand in the Garhwal Himalayas Region. The trek is famous for the Tungnath Temple, which is the Highest Shiva temple in the world, and the top chandrashila trek where you can experience amazing views of mighty Himalayas peaks like Mt Trishul, Manda Devi, Chaukhamba, Kedarnat peak, and major Himalayas peaks as well as the beauty of the trek. It also lies on the lake called Deoriatal Lake, which is famous for the reflection of the mountains during sunrise and sunset.

How to reach Deoriatal Chopta Chandrashila Trek

The Deoriatal chopta chandrashila trek is located in the Garhwal Himalayas, in the Rudraprayag district. The trek begins at Sari village. There are two routes to reach Sari village.

If you are starting your journey from Dehradun, Rishikesh, and Haridwar. You will get a direct taxi from the respective Railway Station, Bus Stand, and Dehradun Airport to the Sari Village. It generally takes 8 to 10 hours

If you are comfortable using shared taxi, have sufficient time, and want to travel budget-friendly, then you can take a bus to Ukhimath from Dehradun or Rishikesh, then from Ukhimath Sari village is 12km to 13 km, where you can share a taxi, which is readily available from Ukhimath.

Route from Dehradun to Deoriatal Chopta Chandrashila trek

We started our journey from Dehradun in early morning for Sari village where we passed through Rishikesh, through the window we saw many vehicles were carrying Raft for river rafting, Rishikesh is very popular for river rafting as well as the cold fresh air felt very peaceful, and the view was very captivating and then when i felt sleep even i didn't know when i woke up we were at Devprayag. Devprayag is a sacred place where two Holy River Bhagirathi and Alaknanda, meet to form the Ganga River. When you witness this amazing spiritual confluence of these two holy rivers, it feels blessed, The journey continues to Ukhimath.

“In Ukhimath, it is a home for the idols of Lord Kedarnath and Madhyamaheshwar. In winter when the temples are closed the Idol of Lord Kedarnath Moved to here in Ukhimath temple which is known as Omkareshwar Temple”

After passing the Ukhimath, we reached Sari village. Sari is the village where we started our trek Deoriatal Chopta Chandrashila trek.

Trek Route and Difficult Level of Deoriatal Chopta Chandrashila trek

Trek route of deoriatal chopta chandrashila trek is eye-catching, and the difficulty level of this trek is easy to moderate. When you start your journey from Sari village to Deoriatal Lake, which is a pristine, beautiful lake, the trail from Sari village is a stone-pitched trail (a man-made path where flat rocks are carefully placed to form a walkable trail), which is a single steep trail of approximately 4 km to Deoria Tal Lake. The lake is surrounded by maple, rhododendron, and pine trees, and behind the lake you can see those majestic peaks covered with snow going further.

From Deoria tal lake to Rohini Bugyal the trail is normal (Earthen Trail) natural surface of soil and small rocks, along the trail you will experience of passing four mountains, starting from Jhandi Top then passing from the dense forest to steep down to the beautiful water stream then gradual ascent to the Rohini Bugyal, this journey from Deoria Tal Lake to Rohini Bugyal make you little tired because of long walk on this particular day then when you reach chopta to summit Chandrashila again the trail from there is stone pitched to the Tungnath temple, the way to Chandrashila is beautiful surrounded by trees and amazing view of mountains all the way to summit as well as witness different types of beautiful birds along with Monal (Monal is a state bird of Uttarakhand) after reaching Tungnath temple Chandrashila Top is only one km from there, which is the tough part of this trek; the way is steep, and also the summit push makes it a little difficult.

Trekking From Chopta to Tungnath

Trekking from Chopta to Tungnath Temple takes 2 to 3 hours from starting, and generally you start the trek at midnight so you can reach the summit before sunrise. At night, around 2 AM, you start the trek. Along the way with other devotees. It's a steep climb to the top, and as it is dark at night, you must have a head torch so you can see the path clearly. After reaching near the temple, you start to see things more clearly in the soft morning light, and you will also get to see tea, snacks, and prashad shops from there, and you can also see the top of the temple from there. Then, when you reach the Tungnath Temple, as you take the final steps on the stone trail, you will witness the ancient, tall, powerful Tungnath Temple standing proudly at 12,000 ft. with its small stone structure and tall black shikara pointing to the sky. At the entrance, bells are hanging, flags are fluttering, and the sound of Om Namah Shivay.

Trekking from Tungnath Temple to Chandrashila Peak

After taking a blessing from Tungnath Temple, the trek to summit Chandrashila from here gets a little difficult. The steep, rough terrain to the summit is enough to make you feel tired, so get ready for it. But when you reach the Chandrashila top, first you will see a temple of Devi, and then you will witness a 360 view of tall, snow-capped mountain peaks. The view you get after reaching the top will really be worth it.

Sunrise at Chandrashila 

As you stand at the summit of Chandrashila, you can feel the cold wind, so when you reach the top, get layered. The blue shade of the sky slowly turns into golden yellow when the sun starts rising up, and mountain peaks turn golden, and you will see those tallest peaks. Nanda Devi, Trishul, Chaukhamba, and Kedarnath Peak light them up one by one. The 360-degree view of these majestic peaks makes you see them for hours and hours. When you are at the top, you don't feel like going back; you want to stay there. Spend your time up there and enjoy the beauty and peace of the mountains. When you head back to Chopta, don't forget to experience the view when you are descending. When you headed up that time, it was night, and so the view was not visible, but now you can enjoy this beautiful view of the valley, trees, and pretty flowers.

Essential Packing list for the Deoriatal chopta chandrashila trek?

These are the common packing lists for Summer, Monsoon, Autumn, and Winter for Deoriatal chopta chandrashila trek

Clothes and Layers

• Rain Jacket and Pant/ Poncho   1pcs
• Dry Fit T-shirts        Min 2pcs
• Dry Fit Trek Pants   Min 2pcs
• Fleece Jacket          1pcs
• Padded Jacket        1pcs 
• Gloves                    1 Pair 
• Undergarments      Min 2 Pair
• Socks                      Min 2 Pair
• Woolen Cap           1 pcs
• Balaclava/ Scarf       1 Pcs

Trek Gear and Accessories

• Backpack
• Day pack
• Trekking Poles 
• Head Lamp
•  Water Bottle 
• Sunglasses 
• Sun cap
• Trekking Shoes 
• Slippers

• Toiletries 
• Light Weight Towel
• Toilet Paper
• Toothbrush/Toothpaste
• Facewash
• Lip Balm/ Sunscreen

Read more: Chopta chandrashila trek guide