Deoriatal, Chopta &
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Difficulty level: It can be done by anyone but having a decent fitness level is advised. You will not face much difficulty if you are relatively fit- walk or do some activity regularly.
If you are not that fit then you will be comfortable if you start walking regularly or get physically active in the lead up to the trek. We will be happy to consult you on a good preparation routine. Suitable for children? Yes, suitable for children, but with certain extra precautions for very small children. Certain extra logistical support is also recommended. The youngest kid to do this trek with us and reach Deoriatal was 4 years of age then. Happy to give you advice on this No of Days: We recommend 4 days ex Dehradun/Rishikesh/Haridwar. There are route modifications that can be made to increase or decrease the number of days as well as modify the difficulty level Is it a good option for first time trekkers and families?: Yes, we can recommend this trek for people with little or no trekking experience and/or families. The trail is well marked and does not have tricky patches. A well planned itinerary for you will also mean it isn't too tiring and you spend more time enjoying the place * Cover photo: At Deoriatal with Mt Chaukhamba in the background. Catching the reflection of this range in the lake makes for some beautiful photos
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Maybe the fastest and easiest way to view prominent glacial mountains of the Himalayas from fairly close. An alpine lake with camps lining dense forests is an added attractions,
It is a popular route though and you will come across alot of trekkers.
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Details & pics
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Trek advice
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Book or contact us
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Region: Garhwal Himalayas in Uttarakhand
Maximum height during the trek: Approx 12,000 ft Distance you need to travel by road in hilly areas winding roads: Around 220 km one way Price range for a fixed departure/custom group with 4+ people: Trek cost is in the range of ₹ 1500 per person per day with budget facilities, around 2,200-2,500 per person per day with premium facilities which are typically more recommended for beginners. Our thoughts on this trek and area: This is one of those Himalayan treks where you may not go that deep into Himalayan terrain- to glaciers or sources of rivers, but you go further enough to be in pristine wilderness and are able to see some of the most prominent mountains in the Himalayas from very close. These mountains include Mt Chaukhamba(23,500 ft), Mt Kedarnath(22,800 ft), Mt Nanda Devi(25,650 feet), Mt Trishul, Mt Neelkanth(21,600 ft) and Mt Bandarpunch(20, 700 ft). The sight of these mountains itself from this close is quite inspiring and in addition you touch significant altitude when you reach Chandrashila- at a height of over 13,000 ft. You camp on beautiful meadows lined with dense oak and pine forests, you catch the reflection of these mountains in a beautiful alpine lake- Deoriatal which is also lined with dense forests, breathe in the early morning sun rays with their golden hues kissing these mountains. During the drive you cross some of the most important confluences in the Himalayas- Rudraprayag, where the river Alaknanda meets the river Mandakini and Devprayag where Bhagirathi meets Alaknanda to form the Ganga, our most sacred river. All things put together, when it comes to beginners, who do not have the time or the inclination to trek deep into the Himalayas can use the trails on this trek to test themselves on how much they like the outdoors and the Himalayan wilderness. You are never too far away from civilization on this trek and all the creature comforts pretty much go with you thanks to the facilities that we are able to provide during this trek. The trek distances are also not very long and while they will tire you, you are unlikely to find yourself overly exerted or exhausted. For these reasons this is also a very good option for beginners, kids and families. Typical itinerary that we recommend(happy to modify and personalize this based on your preferences) Day 1: Drive from Dehradun/Haridwar/Rishikesh to Chopta(220 km from Dehradun, typically a 8-9 hour drive), camp at Chopta Day 2: Short drive to Sari village(20 km), trek to Deoriatal(3 km, 2 hour trek approx). Preferably leave as early as possible to catch the sunrise at Deoriatal. Return to Chopta Day 3: Trek to Chandrashila(5 km, 3-4 hour trek), return to camp by evening Day 4: Drive back |
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Advice and things to keep in mind for the Deoriatal & Chandrashila trek based on frequently asked customer questions and feedback over the years.
How comfortable are you with road travel in the mountains?
Mountain roads are normally quite windy and twisty, occasionally bumpy and for those who are not used to mountains roads, drives may be uncomfortable. Keep this in mind while choosing which trek you are doing and while planning your itinerary. If you are uncomfortable with long drives and think you may get motion sickness, then you could plan a trek with a short travel time in the mountains, or you could look at splitting your travel time into extra days. There are also certain suggestions such as taking a car with a low body-roll, home-made remedies that have worked for us that we will be happy to share with you to help you in your journey.
One downside to the Deoriatal and Chandrashila trek is the long drive. To reach Sari village which is the base of Deoriatal you will be in mountain roads for about 7-8 hours which is on the longer side. Chopta which is the base for the Chandrashila trek is a further half an hour drive. Look at some of the suggestions above or speak with us on how to make your long drive in the mountains tolerable.
You could also break your journey into two days, if long drives in the mountains is a no for you then there are other treks that we can suggest.
Are you looking at something leisurely or something challenging?
Leisurely treks have well marked trails, have between 2-4 hours of trekking a day and can be managed without much difficulty. These are better for beginners or those who come with the intention of enjoying themselves more than exerting. Challenging treks can have difficult terrain, 6-7 hours of walking a day, go to high altitude and therefore have to plan their itinerary very well so that their body is well acclimatized. They not only require a high fitness level but high mental endurance.
On less challenging treks we are also able to offer better facilities because carrying things up is easier and less expensive. Facilities get more basic as the trek challenge levels go up because carrying additions gets harder.
Typically, if you want your first taste of the mountains and Himalayan wilderness, then we recommend a more leisurely trek and you will enjoy that trek much more. Too much challenge first time may put you or your family off. Take is slow is what we suggest. Start with a leisurely trek where you aren't that exposed to the extremes, can spend more time at camp with your loved ones, enjoy the great food, the scenery, walk around, click photographs, play some games et so that you soak in the experience. On challenging treks you are likely to be too tired to do most of this stuff.
The trek to Deoriatal falls in the leisurely category. The route is well marked, the trail, while steep is short and you will reach in about 2 hours. The climate is moderate so you aren’t very exposed to the cold. The trek between Chopta and Chandrashila is longer and you will take between 4-5 hours.
Are you coming with a family/young kids who you want to initiate to the Himalayas?
On similar lines with our previous point. If you are coming with family/trying to initiate your children to the Himalayas, the first experience should not be to difficult that puts them off. Keep the first experience light which gives them limited exposure where they are spending more time enjoying their surroundings.
For reasons mentioned above, the Deoriatal and Chandrashila trek is among our more recommended treks if you are in this category.
What sort of terrain do you like? Glaciers/meadows/forests/villages?
This is a personal choice without any right or wrong answers. Some may prefer glaciers and base of mountains with permanent snow, others may want meadows and forests, others will want to spend time in local villages.
As we have mentioned previously, you get to see some of the most prominent mountains in the Himalayas. But not from very close. The terrain is forests and meadows. Deoriatal is a decent size lake.
Popularity:
This trek is unfortunately quite popular and hence crowded compared with other treks. It is very unlikely that you will find less people anywhere on that route. During a recent long weekend in October 2017, there were about 150 people at Deoriatal and we found it hard to find place to camp. If you are ok with encountering a number of other people then this is fine, if you want a trek where you do not want to encounter too many people then there are other treks that we can recommend.
Routes:
The trekking distances and difficulty level can be easily modified as there are a number of routes. While for beginners we recommend camping near Chopta, trekking up to Deoriatal and returning, then trekking up to Chandrashila and returning. You could camp at Deoriatal as well. You could also do an all trekking route that goes from Deoriatal to Chopta. Happy to personalize this for you as you prefer.
How many days do you have?
You can do both Deoriatal and Chandrashila treks in one day each and need between 1-2 extra days of travel time. It is ideal if you have 4 days ex Dehradun/Rishikesh/Haridwar for this. If well planned you do not require too much extra travel time from Delhi/Bangalore/Mumbai as there is a good set of connecting flights and trains. Happy to help you plan this.
Time of the year?
If you want snow then a good time to do this trek is Jan/Feb/March. April, May and October offer the most moderate climate, but the trek can be done pretty much on most times of the year barring the monsoon months of July, August and first two weeks of September.
Budget?
Trekking can be expensive. You are paying for your flights, booking a taxi to get to the trek base and then the trek. Because everything needs to carried up, because we have highly trained staff and include all facilities to make your experience enjoyable, there is a decent cost to trekking.
While there are companies that are doing treks at low costs, there are certain compromises to quality that we do not make to our facilities, to the number of people we take in our fixed departures to ensure a personalized experience.
We have mentioned the price brackets for the Nagtibba trek in the previous page, while we can do it at budget facilities, more premium facilities at a slightly higher cost are what we recommend because we have tailor made them to maximize enjoyment in the mountains.
Training:
While anyone with a decent fitness level can do this trek, we recommend a good fitness routine in the lead up to the trek, it always helps. We also recommend that you continue with this fitness routine after the trek is done. Use this trek as a beginning to healthier times :)
How comfortable are you with road travel in the mountains?
Mountain roads are normally quite windy and twisty, occasionally bumpy and for those who are not used to mountains roads, drives may be uncomfortable. Keep this in mind while choosing which trek you are doing and while planning your itinerary. If you are uncomfortable with long drives and think you may get motion sickness, then you could plan a trek with a short travel time in the mountains, or you could look at splitting your travel time into extra days. There are also certain suggestions such as taking a car with a low body-roll, home-made remedies that have worked for us that we will be happy to share with you to help you in your journey.
One downside to the Deoriatal and Chandrashila trek is the long drive. To reach Sari village which is the base of Deoriatal you will be in mountain roads for about 7-8 hours which is on the longer side. Chopta which is the base for the Chandrashila trek is a further half an hour drive. Look at some of the suggestions above or speak with us on how to make your long drive in the mountains tolerable.
You could also break your journey into two days, if long drives in the mountains is a no for you then there are other treks that we can suggest.
Are you looking at something leisurely or something challenging?
Leisurely treks have well marked trails, have between 2-4 hours of trekking a day and can be managed without much difficulty. These are better for beginners or those who come with the intention of enjoying themselves more than exerting. Challenging treks can have difficult terrain, 6-7 hours of walking a day, go to high altitude and therefore have to plan their itinerary very well so that their body is well acclimatized. They not only require a high fitness level but high mental endurance.
On less challenging treks we are also able to offer better facilities because carrying things up is easier and less expensive. Facilities get more basic as the trek challenge levels go up because carrying additions gets harder.
Typically, if you want your first taste of the mountains and Himalayan wilderness, then we recommend a more leisurely trek and you will enjoy that trek much more. Too much challenge first time may put you or your family off. Take is slow is what we suggest. Start with a leisurely trek where you aren't that exposed to the extremes, can spend more time at camp with your loved ones, enjoy the great food, the scenery, walk around, click photographs, play some games et so that you soak in the experience. On challenging treks you are likely to be too tired to do most of this stuff.
The trek to Deoriatal falls in the leisurely category. The route is well marked, the trail, while steep is short and you will reach in about 2 hours. The climate is moderate so you aren’t very exposed to the cold. The trek between Chopta and Chandrashila is longer and you will take between 4-5 hours.
Are you coming with a family/young kids who you want to initiate to the Himalayas?
On similar lines with our previous point. If you are coming with family/trying to initiate your children to the Himalayas, the first experience should not be to difficult that puts them off. Keep the first experience light which gives them limited exposure where they are spending more time enjoying their surroundings.
For reasons mentioned above, the Deoriatal and Chandrashila trek is among our more recommended treks if you are in this category.
What sort of terrain do you like? Glaciers/meadows/forests/villages?
This is a personal choice without any right or wrong answers. Some may prefer glaciers and base of mountains with permanent snow, others may want meadows and forests, others will want to spend time in local villages.
As we have mentioned previously, you get to see some of the most prominent mountains in the Himalayas. But not from very close. The terrain is forests and meadows. Deoriatal is a decent size lake.
Popularity:
This trek is unfortunately quite popular and hence crowded compared with other treks. It is very unlikely that you will find less people anywhere on that route. During a recent long weekend in October 2017, there were about 150 people at Deoriatal and we found it hard to find place to camp. If you are ok with encountering a number of other people then this is fine, if you want a trek where you do not want to encounter too many people then there are other treks that we can recommend.
Routes:
The trekking distances and difficulty level can be easily modified as there are a number of routes. While for beginners we recommend camping near Chopta, trekking up to Deoriatal and returning, then trekking up to Chandrashila and returning. You could camp at Deoriatal as well. You could also do an all trekking route that goes from Deoriatal to Chopta. Happy to personalize this for you as you prefer.
How many days do you have?
You can do both Deoriatal and Chandrashila treks in one day each and need between 1-2 extra days of travel time. It is ideal if you have 4 days ex Dehradun/Rishikesh/Haridwar for this. If well planned you do not require too much extra travel time from Delhi/Bangalore/Mumbai as there is a good set of connecting flights and trains. Happy to help you plan this.
Time of the year?
If you want snow then a good time to do this trek is Jan/Feb/March. April, May and October offer the most moderate climate, but the trek can be done pretty much on most times of the year barring the monsoon months of July, August and first two weeks of September.
Budget?
Trekking can be expensive. You are paying for your flights, booking a taxi to get to the trek base and then the trek. Because everything needs to carried up, because we have highly trained staff and include all facilities to make your experience enjoyable, there is a decent cost to trekking.
While there are companies that are doing treks at low costs, there are certain compromises to quality that we do not make to our facilities, to the number of people we take in our fixed departures to ensure a personalized experience.
We have mentioned the price brackets for the Nagtibba trek in the previous page, while we can do it at budget facilities, more premium facilities at a slightly higher cost are what we recommend because we have tailor made them to maximize enjoyment in the mountains.
Training:
While anyone with a decent fitness level can do this trek, we recommend a good fitness routine in the lead up to the trek, it always helps. We also recommend that you continue with this fitness routine after the trek is done. Use this trek as a beginning to healthier times :)
Interested? Do get in touch with us, we would love to hear from you
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Trekking with
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