Roopkund trek |
Difficulty level: While it can be done by anyone, we recommend prior trekking experience with a high level of fitness. The trek is steep and you touch significant altitude. Training prior to the trek is also recommended along with willingness to exert yourself
Suitable for children? No, we do not recommend this for small children as it is steep with significant height gain No of Days: We recommend 7 days. Is it a good option for first time trekkers and families?: You need to be fit and willing to exert to do this trek. There are other treks that we recommend that will more enjoyable for families looking at a relaxing trek. It can and has been done by first time trekkers, but it can get tiring, so we recommend a high level of fitness and willingness to exert. This trek is recommended more for those who have a high level of fitness and are up for a challenge. * Cover photo: The meadows of Bedni Bugyal with Mt Trishul in the background. Copyright: My Himalayan Adventure
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The Roopkund trek is among the most popular, beautiful and rewarding treks anywhere in the Himalayas.
The biggest attraction of this trek is this deep sense of mystery and aura that surrounds it.
Of course, the endless meadows and stunning views
on route are no less of an attraction. This is a trek that has to be experienced by any and every outdoor enthusiast at least once.
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Region: Garhwal Himalayas in Uttarakhand Maximum height during the trek: Approx 16,000 ft Distance you need to travel by road in hilly areas: Around 280 km one way Price range for a fixed departure/custom group with 4+ people: Trek cost is in the range of Rs 1500 per person per day with budget facilities(triple sharing in budget hotels, around 2,500 per person per day with premium facilities recommended by us-typically more enjoyable. Do get in touch with us to discuss what is more suitable and enjoyable for you. Roopkund is another one of those Himalayan treks that we don't really need to write much about. Blogs across the internet have written extensively about it. Numerous magazines regularly publish articles about this trek. National Geographic has made an extensive documentary about it. The aura of mystery that surrounds this trek sees thousands of trekkers come and attempt this trek and experience its intense beauty. In case you are not aware of this aura of mystery that we are talking about, at Roopkund, you will find thousands of human skulls and other remains. There are numerous theories about how they got there, the most popular of those theories talk about an ancient king and his troop that were crossing the area and got stuck there. Like we say, lots of theories, none that have been correctly proven. The conspiracy theorists among you should have alot of fun exploring these theories on the internet or in books. The trek is located bang center of the Garhwal and Kumaon regions of the Uttarakhand Himalayas and hence is equally easily approachable from each of those regions. You can use Kathgodam as a base and equally conveniently use Rishikesh/Haridwar as a base. The trek passes the base of prominent Himalayan Mountains including Mt Trisul (7120 m) and Mt Nandaghungti (6310 m). Another feature of the trek are the beautiful Bedni Bugyal grasslands with miles of endless meadows. While it is a very beautiful and rewarding trek, please do remember that this is also a fairly difficult trek and we personally do not recommend this for a first time trekker. While first time trekkers are welcome to attempt this with us, the trekking distances are long, the drive to the base camp is long as well and the maximum altitude reached is above 5,000 meters or 16,500 ft which is well into high altitude and hence requires people to be well acclimatized to the trek. Chances of encountering snow are high irrespective of the time of year you attempt this. If you are a first time trekker, do get in touch with us to get some recommendations from us regarding treks that will be most enjoyable for you, or in case you really want to attempt this particular trek, how you should best prepare for it. While the itinerary we prepare makes sure that you get well acclamatized that gives you the best chance of being able to reach Roopkund, weather you are a first time trekker or a seasoned trekker/climber, do get yourself physically in good shape and be mentally prepared to get tired. If you are able to get past these hurdles, then as mentioned earlier, one of the most rewarding Himalayan treks awaits you. |
Sounds like a great trek, but what are the things I should consider before going for the Roopkund trek?
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 Roopkund trek is the long drive. To reach Wan you are looking at a drive upwards of 8 hours in the mountains. While it is a very beautiful drive and you cross the confluence of the Bhagirathi River and Alaknanda where the Ganga is formed, you also cross other important river confluences and are driving along the river for quite a while followed by beautiful mountain terrain, for reasons mentioned above, it can get tiring. Look at some of the recommendations we have mentioned above of speak to us to see how best we can customize your journey to make it enjoyable.
If long drives in the mountains is a no for you then there are other treks that we can recommend to you as well.
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 Roopkund trek falls in the moderate to difficult and not so leisurely category. While it is a very beautiful trek and we have already talked about how amazing the experience is, but it is a strenuous trek with long hours of trekking and steep terrain. You are also gaining altitude at a rapid pace. This is something you should be prepared for if you plan to go for this trek.
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 too 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, Roopkund is not our most recommended first trek if you are in this category. Our personal suggestion in this is to look at a simpler trek as a first taste and look at this as a subsequent trek once you know what to expect and are mentally prepared for something more challenging.
It is a beautiful place and an amazing experience, but you will enjoy it more as a second or subsequent trek in our opinion.
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, and others will want to spend time in local villages.
During the Roopkund trek, you get very beautiful and up close view of the Trishul range, Nanda Ghunti, Raonti, Bithartoli mountains from here. The base camp for expeditions looking to climb these peaks is about 2-3 day trek from here so that should give you an idea of how close you are to prominent 20,000 ft. + mountains.
So you are very close to glaciers as well. And as the name suggests and as we have written previously, Bedni Begyal is thought by many to have some of the most beautiful meadows across Himalayas.
The first day of the trek gives you very dense tall forests, the second day gives you lush green valleys, the third day gives you snow and glaciers. If you like that kind of terrain then this is a good trek.
And of course, the alpine lake of Roopkund with the aura of mystery surrounding it.
Popularity:
Roopkund is a very popular trek route and it is very unlikely that you will not find other trekkers on this trail. During season or long weekends you will find a lot of trekkers and during those times we have occasionally found it difficult to find a decent place to camp as well.
Some are fine with this while some want a trek where they encounter very people. Happy to help you with finding options for yourself.
Routes:
Apart from the regular Rookund route, you could also look at doing 5 day round route where go till Bedni Bugyal. As we mentioned, Bedni Bugyal is considered to be one of the most beautiful meadows in the Himalayas and that patch is less stressful than the Roopkund stretch. As always, happy to help with options.
How many days do you have?
You need about 5 days of trekking time for the Roopkund trek. Add at least 2 days of travel time. If your travel from your city- Delhi/Mumbai/Bangalore is optimised you will probably require a total of a week for this. Happy to help you plan this and optimize your leaves.
Time of the year?
End of April, May, first two weeks of June, October and the first two weeks of November are the only times of the year that we can recommend this. Other times there is too much snow/rain/too cold for us to recommend this trek to anyone.
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 Harkidoon 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 Roopkund trek is the long drive. To reach Wan you are looking at a drive upwards of 8 hours in the mountains. While it is a very beautiful drive and you cross the confluence of the Bhagirathi River and Alaknanda where the Ganga is formed, you also cross other important river confluences and are driving along the river for quite a while followed by beautiful mountain terrain, for reasons mentioned above, it can get tiring. Look at some of the recommendations we have mentioned above of speak to us to see how best we can customize your journey to make it enjoyable.
If long drives in the mountains is a no for you then there are other treks that we can recommend to you as well.
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 Roopkund trek falls in the moderate to difficult and not so leisurely category. While it is a very beautiful trek and we have already talked about how amazing the experience is, but it is a strenuous trek with long hours of trekking and steep terrain. You are also gaining altitude at a rapid pace. This is something you should be prepared for if you plan to go for this trek.
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 too 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, Roopkund is not our most recommended first trek if you are in this category. Our personal suggestion in this is to look at a simpler trek as a first taste and look at this as a subsequent trek once you know what to expect and are mentally prepared for something more challenging.
It is a beautiful place and an amazing experience, but you will enjoy it more as a second or subsequent trek in our opinion.
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, and others will want to spend time in local villages.
During the Roopkund trek, you get very beautiful and up close view of the Trishul range, Nanda Ghunti, Raonti, Bithartoli mountains from here. The base camp for expeditions looking to climb these peaks is about 2-3 day trek from here so that should give you an idea of how close you are to prominent 20,000 ft. + mountains.
So you are very close to glaciers as well. And as the name suggests and as we have written previously, Bedni Begyal is thought by many to have some of the most beautiful meadows across Himalayas.
The first day of the trek gives you very dense tall forests, the second day gives you lush green valleys, the third day gives you snow and glaciers. If you like that kind of terrain then this is a good trek.
And of course, the alpine lake of Roopkund with the aura of mystery surrounding it.
Popularity:
Roopkund is a very popular trek route and it is very unlikely that you will not find other trekkers on this trail. During season or long weekends you will find a lot of trekkers and during those times we have occasionally found it difficult to find a decent place to camp as well.
Some are fine with this while some want a trek where they encounter very people. Happy to help you with finding options for yourself.
Routes:
Apart from the regular Rookund route, you could also look at doing 5 day round route where go till Bedni Bugyal. As we mentioned, Bedni Bugyal is considered to be one of the most beautiful meadows in the Himalayas and that patch is less stressful than the Roopkund stretch. As always, happy to help with options.
How many days do you have?
You need about 5 days of trekking time for the Roopkund trek. Add at least 2 days of travel time. If your travel from your city- Delhi/Mumbai/Bangalore is optimised you will probably require a total of a week for this. Happy to help you plan this and optimize your leaves.
Time of the year?
End of April, May, first two weeks of June, October and the first two weeks of November are the only times of the year that we can recommend this. Other times there is too much snow/rain/too cold for us to recommend this trek to anyone.
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 Harkidoon 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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