Har Ki Dun Trek

The Journey to the cradle shaped valley starts from Dehradun. Dehradun rests between the Ganga and the Yamuna, and attracts a large number of tourists each year for its magnificent landscapes. Your journey starts in the morning, picking you up at 7.00 AM from the Dehradun Railway station. We drivie to Sankri passing through the queen of hills i.e. Mussoorie. On the way you get an opportunity to have a splendid view of the of Snow-clad hills from Mussoorie onwards. You will also have the astonishing view of “Kempty Falls” en-routing Sankri. Sankri helds as base camp for many treks and one of them is Har Ki Doon. It is a village with jaw dropping view of the Mighty Himalayas.
It is located 13 km inside the Govind Wildlife Sanctuary which itself does not need any introduction.
The beautiful sun setting behind the Himalayas with the scenic view of the Swargarohini peak makes Sankri one of the most popular base camp.

After a sumptuous breakfast, we take a short drive to Taluka village where we begin our 15 km trek through the dense forest trails of Gangaad. At first, the trek descends, we walk alongside of the river Rupin and then we move uphill through forest full of Chestnut, Walnut and Willow trees. The trail winds upwards and continues to the village of Gangar. And then we come across sceneries within the prominent mountain backdrops. On our way ahead we reach the Temple of Duryodhana, which is believed to have a significant historical significance by the locals. The tears shed by the locals are believed to have formed the River Tamas when the demise of Duryodhana occurred at the battle of Kurukshetra. we stay overnight in camps directly under the magnificent stars with stimulating Campfire to release our stress.

After breakfast, we will head out on the next 12 km trek through the thick forests of Govind National
Park which is a wonderful mixture of flora & fauna. The main wildlife fauna include Snow leopard,
Himalayan Black and Brown Bears, Tahr, Bharal, Musk deer, Serow, Mousedeer, Snowcock, Monal, Tragopan, Chir, Chiker, Koklas and Kaley pheasants. There are about fifteen species of large mammal in the sanctuary as well as about one hundred and fifty species of bird. The colourful Himalayan Monal, the state bird of Uttarakhand, is found in this forest. The Har Ki Doon Valley route will be a balance between steep climbs, descending walks and brisk walks. Har Ki Doon is situated on the foothills of Swargarohini Peak with scenic views of nature. It is home to the silent Jaundhar Glacier which fascinates every traveller. The Har Ki Doon is called the ‘hanging valley of gods’ with high chances of sighting wildlife. The smell of pine combined with the sight of deodar trees will aromise your senses. We then trail through terraced mountain fields, conifer forests, and lush green grasslands. The coniferous flora on the opposite side of the valley is awesome and is a shutterbugs
delight. The trail climbs to the ridge locally named as Kalkatti Dhar. We stay overnight at Kalkattiyadhaar; above the clouds and closer to the sky!!!

Today is the most appealing day where we will be trekking completely on white snow and grass patches, as we continue our trek to Har ki Doon and Jaundhar glaciers. Including north and south glaciers of Jaundhar, the total range of 55 kilometres fully covered with snow and some tiny little green grasses. In our mythological scriptures it is mentioned that Pandavas went to heaven (Swarga) through the Swargarohini. What a divine feeling, to sit there in a place that is so far away from your daily routine and just feeling the touch of the in the lap of mother nature. We will descend back to Har Ki Dun that day and we relax with a bonfire snacks which will occupy you for the rest of the evening before you enjoy a nice and hot freshly cooked dinner before going into your sleeping cocoons with lots of mesmerising memories of the valley.

Today after breakfast we mark our return journey to Paunigaraat and take the same path to reach the destination. While descending, you get to have greater view of scenic landscapes and enjoy the natural beauty as much as you wish and ready yourself to head towards home. Well, the downhill trek is fun and easy, covers 14 km and takes a handful of hours. A restful night is pretty much guaranteed in the base camp as all the co-trekkers will be becoming your best companions now and it’s time to spend some quality time together gathering memories ending with one last night campfire & stay in tents. Spend your night with peace and rest your hamstrings.

After dawn, we Start from PauniGaraat, the rays of rising Sun will pave our way to Seema and then to Taluka. The route lies by the side of Supin River. The history of Seema Village reveals fascinating and often charming aspects of the culture and life of the people of the Village. Once you set foot in Seema Village, you will see the traces of the historical events that happened here. The best way to understand the culture and lifestyle of the people of the Village is to get familiar with the enriching history and culture of Seema Village. This trek back to Taluka will give us opportunity to take a refreshing bath in tantalizing chilled water of the many streams we cross/pass by. This overnight will be on comforting Bed of a good hotel at Sankri!

Today is the last day of the memorable trip where we take away a bag full of memories cherishing the whole life. We head back from Sankri to Dehradun with a heavy heart remembering those nights under the clear sky on the lap of the Himalayas.