Garhwal Trek & Raft
A trekking trail steeped with links to the Pandavas from the Hindu Epic Mahabharat, an ancient temple of Lord Shiva considered the highest Shiva temple in the World, a vantage point at 3700m with 360 degree views of both Garhwal and Kumaon mountains, and a rafting trip down the classic Ganges section from Devprayag to Rishikesh. Garhwal trek packs in a solid punch in the short span of a week! This adventure is for anybody who does not have the time but still wants to experience a big slice of the Himalayan pie.
₹39,600
Overview
A trekking trail steeped with links to the Pandavas from the Hindu Epic Mahabharat, an ancient temple of Lord Shiva considered the highest Shiva temple in the World, a vantage point at 3700m with 360 degree views of both Garhwal and Kumaon mountains, and a rafting trip down the classic Ganges section from Devprayag to Rishikesh. This trip packs in a solid punch in the short span of a week! This adventure is for anybody who does not have the time but still wants to experience a big slice of the Himalayan pie.
“The land north of Gangadwar is known to the wise as Paradise Ground. Apart from this land, the rest is called Earth elsewhere.”
Haridwar, is the Gangadwar where we begin our journey and spend the next 5 days in the Paradise Ground of Garhwal Himalaya. The trip is paced extremely well combining multiple elements of driving, hiking and rafting. The trip ends with a spellbinding spiritual experience at Rishikesh witnessing the Ganga Aarti as the sun sets on the day of Mahashivrathri(Feb 24th)
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
- Devriyatal Lake and views of Mt.Chaukhamba on Chopta trek
- Walk the path with rich links to Pandavas of epic Mahabharat
- Classic Rafting section on the Ganges with class 3+ rapids
- Tungnath, highest Shiva Temple and one of the Panch Kedars
- Evening Ganga Aarti in Rishikesh during Mahashivrathri
ITINERARY AT A GLANCE
Day 01: Night train to Haridwar
Day 02: Arrive Haridwar. Drive to Sari(2000m). Trek to Devriyatal(2400m)
Day 03: Trek to Chopta(2500m)
Day 04: Trek to Chandrashila top(3700m) & back.
Day 05: Drive to Devprayag. Raft to Mahadev Chatti
Day 06: Raft to Rishikesh. Ganga Aarti
Day 07: Morning Shatabdi to Delhi. Depart
Cost Inclusions
COST:
INR 39600; USD 590
COST INCLUDES
- Accommodation:
- Entire Accommodation during the trip
- 1 night at Hotel in Rishikesh on twin sharing
- 4 nights in tents during the trek on twin sharing
- Food:
- All Meals starting from Breakfast on Day 2 till Breakfast on Day 7
- Transportation:All Transfers as mentioned in the itinerary
- Train tickets from New Delhi- Haridwar-New Delhi
- Transfers to and from Trek start/end Points
- Experienced Trek Crew:
- Qualified Trip Leader, Assistant, Cook, Kitchen Helpers and Horsemen
- Porterage:
- Of camping gear and personal luggage on trek over mules/horses
- Permits and Taxes
- Kedarnath National Park entry fees
- Includes service tax
COST EXCLUDES
- Personal equipment and sleeping bags
- Any additional transport or activities apart from the trip itinerary
- Travel Insurance
- Expenses rising through unforeseen conditions like bad weather, natural calamities, flight cancellations, etc
- Rescue and evacuation services
- Expenses of any personal nature like phone calls, drinks, cigarettes, souvenirs, laundry, etc
- Tips
Itinerary
Day 01:Night train to Haridwar
Board the overnight Nanda Devi Express(12205) which departs New Delhi railway station at 2350 Hrs.
Overnight Train journey.
Day 02:Arrive Haridwar. Drive to Sari(2000m). Trek to Devriyatal(2400m)
Arrive Haridwar Railway Station by 4am early morning. We hop onto our waiting vehicles to drive towards Sari Village, our start point of the 3 day hike. The drive to Sari is initially along the Ganga till Devprayag after which we follow Alaknanda till Rudraprayag, and then the Mandakini till Kund. At Kund we take a right towards Ukhimath and then onto Sari. The drive takes about 8 hours and crosses a large part of Garhwal where garhwal trek will be done.
We have lunch at Sari while the horses get loaded with camping equipment and luggage. After lunch, we slowly make our way through the beautiful forest to reach the green lake of Devriyatal beside an undulating meadow.
Devriyatal is linked to the mythical epic Mahabharat in that, this is where the episode between Yaksha, the nature spirit and the thirsty Pandavas take place.
Overnight Camp, Meals: BLD
Day 03:Trek to Chopta (2500m, 8 hrs)
The morning views at the lake is fantastic with peaks of Chaukhamba and Kedarnath in the distance. After breakfast, we start our long hike through the forest to Chopta, another beautiful campsite on meadows. The trek is mostly over an undulating ridge through dense rhododendron and Oak forests with clearings that spring up once in a while giving us majestic views of both the snow mountains and the Valley on either sides. During spring time the whole forest is filled with blooming rhododendrons of varied colours – shades of pink, red, yellow and white. We will pass by women from the village gathering wood, local shepherds with their huge flocks of goat and sheep, and other trekkers along the walk. Lunch is almost midway at a huge clearing where shepherds normally camp. Post lunch, we hit a beautiful waterfall, where we spend sometime soaking our weary legs and then gradually make our way up to the roadhead and then onto camp.
Overnight Camp, Meals: BLD
Day 04:Trek to Tungnath/Chandrashila Top(3700m) & back.
We wake up early morning and start off on the path that leads to the highest Shiva Temple in the World. The 1000 years old Tungnath temple is one of the Panch Kedars and is a holy place for Shiva Devotees.It has some rich legend linked to Pandavas of Mahabharat. The path to the top is well paved, but is mostly covered in snow during early Spring. The temple opens for pilgrims mostly around the second week of May, when the residing idol is brought to the temple from Ukhimath. The walk upto the temple takes about 2.5 hrs. We have our packed breakfast there before heading further on to Chandrashila Top at 3700m with 360 degree views of both Garhwal and Kumaon mountains. When the skies are clear, the sight from here is so heart-warming.
We descend slowly back to campsite for lunch. Rest for the latter half of the day.
Overnight Camp, Meals: BLD
Day 05:Drive to Devprayag. Raft to Mahadev Chatti
Today we get onto our next part of the adventure – Rafting. Making an early start, we drive down for about 6 hrs to Devprayag the holy confluence of Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers. Here, we hop onto our rafts after a safety briefing and enjoy the rafting session over class 2 rapids to reach our camp on the sandy beach at Mahadev Chatti.
Overnight Camp, Meals: BLD
Day 06:Raft to Rishikesh. Ganga Aarti
The end of our trip is filled with top class action as we raft down the last section over class 3-4 rapids with interesting names- Daniel’s dip, The Wall, Three Blind Mice, Roller Coaster and Golf Course. This is the classic long day section on the Ganges passing some beautiful scenery and ashrams along the river. We end our rafting trip just before Lakshman Jhula and change to our dry clothes. From here, we walk towards the other side of Lakshman Jhula with its numerous temples, ashrams and eateries. The Ganga Aarti happens in front of Parmerth Niketan Ashram in the evening in front of the Ganges as the sun sets. The atmosphere created is serenely soothing and is a great end to a perfect trip. Rest into the cozy hotel beds for the night.
Overnight Hotel, Meals: BLD
Day 07:Morning Shatabdi to Delhi. Depart
We transfer to the railway station for an early morning(6:50am) departure via Dehradun Shatabdi. We reach Delhi by noon. Trip Ends.
Gallery
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- Chaukhamba Range from Devriyatal
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- Temple above Sari village
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- Rhododendrons in spring on the path to Tungnath
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- Verdant forests between Devriyatal and Chopta
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- View as we descend from Chandrashila Top
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- Enchanting Devriyatal
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- Devprayag – one of the most holy sangams in the country
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- Chilling in the Kayak
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- River Ganga at Kaudiyala
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- Devriyatal Lake and the Garhwal ranges
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- Tungnath – highest Shiva temple in the World
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- Rhododendrons – Spring is here
Extended Gallery on Facebook
Prana Active Retreat – Feb,2020
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