Har Ki Dun Bali Pass

Post breakfast we are transported from Sankri to Taluka. The drive is a bit bumpy. The trek commences from Taluka on a stony path. With the river Supin gushing through rapids beside us, under the shade of walnut, pine and other trees, the walk is quite pleasant. Often the passing villagers greet us on the way.

From Osla the trail gradually rises higher and passes 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.

After traversing higher up along the left side 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.

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.

One can visit the Marinda Tal just 2km away from Har ki Dun. It is small glacial lake formed by a huge rock obstructing the river which flows down from Borasu pass.

The little-known valley of Hata can be explored which lies in between the above two valleys. It also has some large meadows and a close view of the Hata glacier and peak.

In this day we initially follow the trail coming back from Har ki Dun to Osla. After about 1 km we follow a path downhill on our left which leads to a small bridge and cross over to the opposite side. The path is through a dense forest for about 2 km. Then it turns left and enters the Ruinsara valley. From here it takes about 2 hours to reach the camping ground near the waterfall.

We ascend into the Ruinsara valley. There is a stark difference in the vegetation with pine and fir giving way to birch and rhododendron. Ruinsara lake is a lovely lake surrounded by meadows and rhododendron bushes. It is considered sacred by the locals. Since, the trek is short, we have sufficient time on this day to acclimatize and explore the trails nearby. Overnight in camps near the lake.

We start the day early and can explroe the trail to Black Peak and Swargarohini basecamp before going towards our destination. We walk across the valley below Ruinsara lake and cross the river over a bridge. There is a steep ascent from the bridge to a ridge. The trail from here to the campsite passes through some beautiful meadows. We get a view of Swargarohini peak behind us from the campsite.The camp is set We camp below the pass along the glacial moraine. This is one of the best locations for a camp with the valley below and the pass behind you. Camping at this altitude is a new experience which very few treks offer.

From the camp we turn right and ascent towards the pass. The trails have boulders and rocks. After about 1.5 km, we walk on a narrow and ascending ridge which ends near our campsite. We camp below the pass along the glacial moraine. This is one of the best locations for a camp with the valley below and the pass behind you. Camping at this altitude is a new experience which very few treks offer.

We start very early, before sunrise on this. The steep climb to the pass commences just after a short walk. We reach the top of the pass by early morning. We get a gorgeous view of various peaks from here especially of the Banderpunch peaks on a clear day. From the pass, we descend down into the alpine zone and reach the camping grounds of upper Dhamni. This place has water nearby.

We descend to the forested trail leading to Yamunotri. After a quick visit to the famous shrine of Yamunotri, we make our way down the conventional pilgrim trail to Janki chatti. Overnight in guesthouses in Janki Chatti.

This is the final day of the trip and we drive back to Dehradun.