Gaumukh Trek: The Ultimate Adventure Experience

August 29, 2023

Adarsh Ojha

I am a solo traveler and I love trekking, I have experienced a lot of treks in Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Ladakh but I have never been to Uttarakhand so I decided to trek in Uttarakhand, I am a bit confused about this. Was wondering whether to trek Har Ki Dun or Gaumukh, later I decided to do the Gaumukh Tapovan Trek.
So I contacted Himalayan Shelter as one of my friends had done a Kedarkantha trek from there and his experience with that company was great.

How Do I Reach Gangotri?

Delhi to Dehradun

Boarded the bus from Kashmere Gate in Delhi at 1 pm and reached Dehradun at 6 pm and then stayed at the hotel.

Dehradun to Gangotri For Gaumukh Tapovan Trek

The next day started the journey from Dehradun to Gangotri. Team Himalayan Shelter’s tempo traveler picked me up from my hotel, along with other people who joined me on the journey, who were going to become my family in the next 8 days.

We started the journey from Dehradun to Gangotri and after a few moments I felt sleepy so I reclined the seat After that when I looked outside the window, the valleys of Mussoorie as well as the cold wind blowing on my face made my sleep disappear. and seeing the mountains and flowing rivers from the window, I did not know when Gangotri Dham arrived.

Reached Gangotri Dham

After reaching Gangotri, the atmosphere there felt very positive, as well as many devotees had also come to Gangotri Dham.
The very next day we had to leave early for Chirbasa, so had dinner and stayed at the hotel which was booked by Team Himalayan Shelter.

‌Day Hike to Pandav Gufa

The next day when we woke up, we saw that the weather was not good and it was raining, due to which permission was not given to start the trek that day, but immediately the team Himalayan Shelter team decided to take us to Pandav cave near Gangotri Dham.

Pandav Gufa

Pandav Gufa is an ancient natural cave. It is said to be the site where the five Pandavas during the period of Mahabharat meditated while they were going to Kailash.

the way to reach the Pandava Gufa is quite scenic and captivating and is enveloped with lush greenery and endless natural bounties.
After the day hike we had lunch at the hotel then after resting for some time we went to Gangotri Dham.

‌Gangotri Dham

Gangotri Dham is one of the four sites in the Chhota Char Dham pilgrimage circuit, It is also the origin of the goddess Ganga The origin of the holy river is at Gaumukh.

Prayed in the temple for clear weather tomorrow took blessings of Ganga Maa and attended Ganga Aarti which is performed to thank the river godess.

Finally Starts Our Gaumukh Trek

Gangotri to Bhojbasa – ( 3,048 m to 3,800 m )

‌
The next day the blessings of Maa Ganga came in handy and the weather was clear and we started the journey from Gangotri to Bhojbasa which was 14 km.
In which the first 9 km were interesting we saw
Some waterfalls, fragrant flowers, and snow-capped peaks, and the most amazing thing was crossing the stream over the wooden bridge.
After walking for four hours we reached Chirbasa

CHIRBASA

Named after the pine tree forest,chir is called pine in English famous and most common tree in Uttrakhand.
Where we found Maggie Point. We had tea there
And went ahead for Bhojbasa.
the way was initially ascent to get back on the trail then very gradually ascent all the way to Bhojbasa. we also crossed the rock fall zone between Chirbasa to Bhojbasa. Our Trek leaders already warned us about the way before so we crossed that path carefully and reached Bhojbasa.

BHOJBASA

Named after a tree called Bhojpatra which is considered a sacred tree as per Hindu mythology it is believed that Ramayan and Mahabharat were written on the bark of this tree

Along with the staff of the Himalayan Shelter, we helped them by pitching tents, then had hot soup in the evening and went to sleep after having dinner so that we could get up early to enjoy the morning view.

‌Bhojbasa to Tapovan – (3,800 m to 4,435 m )

When I woke up in the morning and opened the chain of tents, the view of Bhagirathi I II III peaks in front as well as the sound of the flowing Bhagirathi river was very soothing and peaceful

After breakfast, our trek leader told us that today’s journey was going to be 6 km to Tapovan, in which we would cross the Bhagirathi River from Bhojbasa with the help of a trolley.

And when we crossed the river with the help of a trolley, that experience was very exciting for us. especially when we were in the trolley in the middle of the river and the sound of water and the beautiful view from there was amazing.

it took half an hour for us and the staff of the Himalayan shelter to cross the river with the help of a trolly. After that, we left for Tapovan.
After trekking 6 km, out of which 2 km was a steep climb, we reached Tapovan.

TAPOVAN

The two root words tapas are’ penance’ spiritual practice and vana means forest.
“Forest of penance”
Basically, Tapovan was a meditation place for Rishi and Yogis.

The view of Tapovan was very beautiful where the beautiful meadow which is why Tapovan meadows are considered one of the best high-altitude meadows in India, huge mountains and a small stream named Akash Ganga the nectar of the Ganga flows into the glacier which made the view outstanding specially Mt. shivling 6543 metre followed by Mt. Bhagirathi I II III and Mt. Sumeru 6350 metre.

After that we had tea and the staff of Himalayan Shelter told the story behind the Bhagirathi river, after that in the evening we sang local songs and also danced, which made that moment forever happy and memorable for me, as well as before going to sleep. I wanted to see Mt. Shivling once more and kept on gazing at the beauty of Mt Shivling for about 10 minutes. It got cold at night the temperature was around 3°c or 5°c.

‌Tapovan To Bhojbasa- ( 4,435 m to 3,800 m )

By the time we got up a little late in the morning, the sun had risen, the weather was fine, and at the beginning of the morning, looking at Mount Bhagirathi, Mount Bhagirathi was looking very beautiful because the sun’s rays were falling directly on its top.

At 8 o’clock we left for Bhojbasa via Gaumukh from Tapovan, after descending a 2-kilometer steep path we reached Gaumukh.

GAUMUKH

Gaumukh Snout which resembles the face of a cow is the source of the Bhagirathi River.
The views from Gaumukh will leave you awestruck and transport you to an enchanted world of ice, glaciers, and majestic views.

There, we took a Holy bath in the Bhagirathi River which is one of the sacred ceremonies and everyone brought some holy water of the Bhagirathi river with them.
After that, we left for Bhojbasa and after trekking for three hours once again crossed the river with the help of a trolley and reached Bhojbasa where we found the tents already pitched so we took a nap and then had dinner. And then slept because the next day we had to leave for Gangotri which was 14 km.

‌Bhojbasa To Gangotri – (3,800 m To 3,048 m)

The next day we all got up early, didn’t feel like going back from the mountains, but we had to go, so leaving Bhojbasa, we went ahead where we had packed lunch at Chirbasa and reached Gangotri.
After going to Gangotri, first of all, we went to the temple, thanked Maa Ganga, and after taking her blessings left for Dehradun.

When I left home for the Gaumukh trek, there was some fear in my mind, but as people started joining, I did not know when this journey was over. I would like to thank my fellow trekkers and especially the team of Himalayan Shelter for such good hospitality and Delicious food at an altitude of 4335 meters I would love to trek further with Team Himalayan Shelter

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