Bali Pass & Darwa Pass Exploration

Detailed Itinerary

Day 01: Dehradun – Sankri
Drive – 200kms, 8hrs
Arrive at Sankri Village, meet our host at Meraki Triangle, Homestay. If time permits you can explore this beautiful village or just walk around Sankri. Sankri is 200 kms from Dehradun.

Day 02: Sankri – Taluka – Chillud Gaad/Seema
Drive: 12kms | Trek: 12-13kms
There is a 12kms jeepable road connecting Sankri with Taluka. The trail goes through dense forest of chestnut, walnut and chinars. Taluka village is situated at an altitude of 2,410mts above sea level. The trekking route from Taluka to Seema stays on the right side of Supin River. You’ll need to cross wooden bridges over streams and do occasional climbs which doesn’t last for long.

While trekking you will encounter couple of alternative routes that leads to different villages of that region. After 9kms of trekking you will see a beautiful village with unique wooden houses on the left side of the river, Gangad Village. It takes another 1-2 hours from this point to reach ChilludGaad OR Seema depending upon the camping ground availability and weather we will choose a campsite.

Day 03: Chillud Gaad/Seema – Debshu Bugyal – Rainbasera
Trek – 10kms
Start off early for a long day of trekking. Follow the trail on right after walking past Seema. Do not take the bridge over Supin River on left, that route leads to Harki Doon Valley. After gradually climbing for 2 hours Debshu Bugyal comes into view. Dev Thatch is a beautiful meadow 2kms in length but not that wide. It is a delight to walk on this meadow mainly because the route turns out demanding from the end of Dev Thatch meadow.

After crossing Dev Thatch you will have to cross couple of wooden bridges over the gushing Ruinsara Gad. Ruinsara forest area is rich in vegetation but it keeps on receding as you climb up. After crossing the river and further incline of couple of kilometres we will reach the camping grounds of Rainbasera.

Day 04: Rainbasera – Ruinsara Tal
Trek – 8kms
Ruinsara Tal is one of the most scenic lakes of Garhwal Himalayas over looking lofty Himalayan peaks. Surrounded by birch trees, RuinsaraTal (3630mts) makes a perfect camp site but this region is exposed to cold winds. The lake is surrounded by bhojpatra trees which adds to the lake’s beauty. The trek to Ruinsara Tal from Rainbasera is a pleasant walk and not tiring.

Day 05: Ruinsara Tal – Bali Pass Base Camp
Trek: 5kms
Cross the bridge near Ruinsara Tal and climb to reach Thanga meadow. Swargarohini group of peaks look staggering from this region as you climb on its opposite side of the mountain. While reaching Odari won’t take much time but reaching Bali Pass Advance Base Camp will involve a long walk on the sharp ridge exposed to crevasse area and lofty peaks on either side. Traversing snow will also be required while reach base camp. You can also trek to advanced base camp if well fit and acclimatized.

Day 06: Bali Pass Base Camp – Bali Pass – Damini Forest Camping Ground
Trek – 14kms
Start at around 4am so as to reach Bali Pass before any sudden weather change. This is the toughest day ofthe Bali Pass Trek and it requires assistance of technical gears like crampons and rope. Watch out for crevasses after crossing Advance base camp. Widespread and steep snowfields will take you Bali Pass (4950mts). Trek down towards the Yamunotri side. There is one steep and tricky descent involved while reach Damini camping ground.

Day 07: Damini Forest Camping Ground – Yamunotri – Janki Chatti
Trek – 10kms | Drive – 12kms
Trek down from Damini to the sacred Yamunotri temple, one of the Char Dham of Uttarakhand and source of the holy Yamuna River. After visiting the temple, trek down to Janki Chatti.

Day 08: Rest Day / Buffer Day.
Today we visit Kharsali Village to see the ancient temple of Shani Dev, rare architecture of decades old houses and newly made SomeshwarDevta Temple. This will be a leisure day / Buffer Day in the itinerary. By evening we drive back to Hanuman Chatti.

Day 09: Hanuman Chatti – Kandoli
Trek –8kms
Start the trek from Hanuman Chattito Kandoli. There is constant altitude gain and it takes around 4-5 hours to reach Kandoli. After the steepdescent from Bali Pass, climbing up would be a pleasure. There are a few chhanis (temporary shelters) of the villagers at this place. If its your lucky day and the villagers are here with their herd then you may get some local buttermilk here.

Day 10: Kandoli – Kanasar
Trek – 9kms
This days walk will take you to alpine meadows blooming with flowers and introduce a different perspective of the Bandarpunch Massif stretching out all the way to the source of Hanuman Ganga at Bingad. While hiking midway at Seema we halt as it makes an ideal spot for having packed lunch. Kanasar at 3900mts is a beautiful campsite that offers amazing night sky.

Day 11: Kanasar – Darwa Top – Darwa Pass
Trek – 8kms
Climb towards the alpine meadows and sharp ridges while unobstructed views of Banderpunch Peak accompanies you. While the staff sets up camp below Darwa Pass, you can approach Darwa Top at 4150mts to summit the peak. The amphitheatre of peaks makes it a top of the world campsite hence we kept this laidback day in the itinerary. It is fairly possible to reach Dodi Tal on this day, but remember we are here for chhotavanvaas and not in any rush. Hence spend a calm day in the high altitude with amazing views.

 

Day 12: Darwa Pass Ridge Exploration – Dodi Tal
Trek – 3+5kms
Explore the ridge walk extending towards the Bingad Valley to get the aerial view of Dodi Tal Trek. Descend down to Dodi Tal through the rhododendron trees to spend rest of the day at a picture perfect setting. There are couple of temporary shelters and forest bungalow at Dodi Tal. The vibes of Dodi Tal is always welcoming and has a certain charm of its own that leaves a deep impact. Do visit the temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha and complete the parikrama of the lake to see the view of this mysterious lake from each end.

Day 13: Dodital – Manjhi – Agoda
Trek – 16kms
Couple hour from Dodi Tal the view opens up after reaching Manjhi, a beautiful village with shepherd huts. After resting heretrek down toBebra and thereon to Agoda Village. This fairly easy trail goes through dense oak and deodar forest. Rhododendron trees are also found in abundance here. The trek offers scenic views of deep gorges and wide valleys with broad and narrow paths altogether. Stay at Meraki Triangle after reaching Agoda Village, a beautiful village overlooking Barahat Forest Range.

Day 14: Agoda Village – Sangam Chatti – Dehradun
Trek – 06kms
Final stretch of the trek to reach Sangam Chatti will take around 2 hours. Once you reach SangamChatti, cross the bridge to reach the roadhead. Drive back to Dehradun after completing ChhotaVanvaas of 14 days into the wilderness.