My Dayara Bugyal Trek Experience With Our Chef and Himalaya Shelter

July 16, 2024

ria-bishwa

Here again, I had an amazing trekking experience on the Dayara Bugyal Trek with Himalaya Shelter and the people with whom I find peace. 2nd June 2024, Dayara Bugyal Trek; Dayara Bugyal, a Himalayan alpine meadow in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, is a popular trekking and camping destination in India.

DAY 1: Drive From Dehradun to Raithal

Drive Distance: 185 km | Drive Duration: 9 hours

My journey began as I was picked up from Dehradun ISBT by one of the great trek leaders of Himalaya Shelter and my good friend Nitin Sir. Though I had already had the wonderful trek experience of the Kedarkantha with Himalaya Shelter under the leadership of Nitin Sir, I was fortunate that he was our trek leader for the Dayara Bugyal trek as well.

Himalaya Shelter offers comfortable transportation through Tempo Traveler, despite the fact that I was not at my best due to motion sickness. Nitin Sir and the staff who boarded with us took very good care of me. We drove through Mussoorie, despite it being quite sunny, the chilled breeze was enough to ignite the soul. We reached Raithal at dusk; I was also accompanied by fellow trekkers. It was a group of 7 who had booked a customised package with Shelter. We stayed the night at a cosy homestay called Sky Homestay; our chef, Subhash Sir made us a warm hearty meal to ease our tiresome journey and after enjoying the tasty dinner, we headed off to bed for the night.

DAY 2: Trek from Raithal to Gui

Trek Distance: 4.5 km | Trek Duration: 5 hours | Altitude Gain: 7,142 ft to 9,630 ft

After a nice relaxing sleep, we woke up early. Surprised to see our chef had prepped a wholesome breakfast. After the delicious breakfast, we got ready for our trek to Gui. The weather was delightful, with a refreshing chill in the breeze. We hiked up to Gui. On the way we had a breathtaking and scenic view of the greenery of the grasslands and rhododendrons tree. The family who accompanied me were very sweet and kind, amongst them was a 10 year old kid who was being underestimated that he would draw others back and they wouldn’t be able to trek. However, I was amazed so were the others to see that the kid trekked up to Gui with ease.

towards the gui campsite of dayara bugyal

We reached Gui, had our packed meal prepared by our chef early in the morning. The camps were ready when we reached and tents were set up. From our camp we had a sceptical view of the ranges and were surrounded by the peaceful ambiance of the meadows. In the evening, the weather changed suddenly and was blessed with heavenly rain. Despite the heavy rain with hailstorm and incredible thunder and lightning; our trek leader took care of our safety and had advised us not to run along near trees and switch our mobile phones on flight mode. Our chef prepared evening snacks for us and after an hour we were graced with soups to warm ourselves. We had a great chat and our trek leader briefed us about do’s and don’t in the forest. Most importantly not to litter or disturb nature. We had a lovely meal again!! The chef made utmost homely meals for us; he understood each trekker’s needs and made us feel like home. We were full with an incredible meal where all our tiresome hike was eased and we retired to bed eagerly anticipating the summit the next day. !!

Day 3: Trek from Gui to Dayara Top

Trek Distance: 7 km | Trek Duration: 6-7 hours | Altitude Gain and Loss: 9,630 to 11,830 ft

I woke up to a beautiful morning. It was a bright sunny day and we started our trek at 8 am in the morning. On our way we took the route to Chilapada where most trekkers were setting up their camp in the alpine meadow. It was a clear blue sky hence we could see the Greater Himalayan range in all its beauty. The majestic summits of the Gangotri range, including Bandarpunch, Kala Nag, Srikanth, Jaonli, and Draupadi Ka Danda, seem so close that you can almost touch them. We stayed in the top for a wild and enjoyed the chilled breeze where one can find themselves amongst nature and find peace.

taking a break on the trek of dayara bugyal

We stayed there for quite a while, however weather in the mountains is always unpredictable and it started to rain. We took shelter in the huts made by the locals and we indulged in the scrumptious lunch that was packed for us by our amazing chef.

After a wholesome meal, we started descending back to our camp. It started to rain heavily again with hail storms accompanied by thunder and lightning. Perfect weather for chai and pakora which was already prepared for us. This was our last night of the trek where we also celebrated one of the trekker’s birthday. Our chef baked a stunning cake especially for him, which was mouthwatering and everyone relished. Night fall and we had our dinner, it was a great trek however to my dismay it ended sooner then it seemed. All the memories of each hike we took, each conversation we had and how we were taken care of like a family; I smiled to myself and went to sleep hoping this day would never end.

Day 4: Trek from Gui to Raithal

Trek Distance: 4 km | Trek Duration: 4-5 hours | Altitude Loss: 9,186 ft to 7,142 ft

The descend seemed much easier and faster than the hike. We reached Raithal at 10 AM; I went to the homestay and took a good shower.

My heart was heavy as I didn’t want to leave the place. The time I spent with the staff and fellow trekkers had brought utmost joy and was filled with immense happiness which will always be memorable. The trekking experience of the Dayara Bugyal Trek with Himalaya Shelter has an effect on one’s spirit that makes it harder to leave and return to the monotonous hustle and bustle of city life. It makes us curious to either stay back with the team or plan the upcoming treks soon. Hence, Himalaya Shelter has always been close to my heart.