The Mystery Lake Trek - Roopkund Lake

RoopKund becomes famous when large number of Human bones was reported. After that explorers and scientists have tried to explain the mystery but it helped in deepening the mystery rather solving it. Two theories have emerged and one is that these bones are of Gen. Zorawar Singh of Kashmir and his men who were coming back after raiding China-Tibet in 17th Century. Second opinion, which is also believed by locals, is that large numbers of people visiting Hemkund were trapped in avalanches and snowstorms and got killed. Not even a single man survived to tell the true story.

Situated at a height of 5029 mts in the lap of Trishul massif, Roop Kund Lake is situated at eastern part of chamoli district of Garhwal in Uttaranchal, This area is usually called the 'Mystery Lake', since human skeletons and remains of horses from the age of paleolithic age were found here. The lake is surrounded by rock-strewn glaciers and snow clad peaks. The starting point of the trek is Debal.

The route passes through lush green grassy land and conifer forests clinging onto the slopes of hills. The trek thereafter winds it's way along the Pinder river. Then to round off this trek, one can approach Hemkund via Shail Samudra glacier and then move on to Ghat or Nandprayag (in Chamoli district in the Garhwal region). For the round trek, services of a guide are advisable. Famous Bedni Bugyal(meadow), on the way to Roopkund, attracts nature lovers around the world. The attractions of the treks are bhagwawasa and bedni bugyal. You will found a lot of "Bramhakamal" at trekking routes. The best time for trekking in roop kund trek is August to October."

Detailed Itinerary:

Day 1: Kathgodam to Loharjung

You can reach Kathgodam through one of the most famous trains reaching the destination, which is the Ranikhet express. The Roopkund trek has its starting point from here. The mystery lake trek would give you a incredible experience. It is just living your dream.

Day 2: Loharjung to Didna Village

Just behind the bus stand in Lohargunj, take the trail that takes you to Raun Bagad. It is a fairly marked trail that descends through mixed forests. It is a moderate trek and you would take around 2-2½ hrs to reach the Ruan Bagad. There is an iron bridge across the famous Neel Ganga river. There is also an alternative route to reach here from Loharjung which is through the road towards Wan. It is an easy 6km walk to Kulling Village where after there is a steep slope towards Ruan Bagad. You can opt for the latter, which is easy to travel but you would certainly miss on the beautiful mixed forests. Hereafter the climb to Didna starts once you cross the iron bridge. With a relatively tough time in the beginning, you would reach Didna in about and an hour and a half’s time. This climb will teach you some pretty good mountaineering skills.

Day 3- Didna Village to Ali Bugyal 

To reach Ali Bugyal from Didna, there are two alternative routes. If you look in the direction of the valley, you would look at Tolpani, which is a cluster of huts that belong to the shepherds. It is almost 3 kms away and 1000 feet high. From Tolpani, you take a trail that climbs to Tolkaan in the northern direction. The meadow trek goes through a series of switchbacks and grassy oak mountains. From Tolkaan, you take a sharp left towards the south and steer through the ridge to come out of the forest at Ali Bugyal.

The alternative route is to climb directly towards Ali Bugyal without going through Toplani. You would certainly save on distance but it a relatively much steeper and tiring climb. It takes nearly two and a half hours to reach Ali Bugyal on this route.

To enjoy the seductive views from Ali Bugyal, you need to reach there before afternoon. It is a great post monsoon trek as well as a pre monsoon trek.

Day 4- Ali Bugyal to Ghora Lotani

The trek from Ali Bugyal to Ghora Latoni is an easy trek. You would follow a straight line ahead of you for about 3 kms. On your gradual increase to the slope, the trek brings you to the other side of the ridge. The view from this point is absolutely marvellous.

Ghora Lotani is a brilliant campsite and offers you great views all around. It is an easy day and you will get time to relax and acclimatize to the weather conditions before going ahead with your trekking. In fact, you could consider spending a day here to adapt to the altitude and atmosphere.

Day 5-Ghora Lotani to Bhagwabasa

This is the day when you make a steep dash to gain altitude and finally trek in the snow line. The day’s snow trek will bring you to an altitude of 14,500 ft from 12,500 ft. It is an high altitude trekking and you would start feeling the effects of weather change and thin air and definitely the effects of high altitude. You would have to start your day early as you would like to reach Bhagwabasa as early to acclimatize to the weather. Your route takes a climb to Kalu Vinayak, which is a steep and zigzag way to take you up the mountain. Go through this section carefully and slowly.

It takes around one and a half hours to reach Kalu Vinayak. The route from Kalu Vinayak to Bhagwabasa is simple and gradually sloping downwards. Bhagwabasa is 2 kms away and you can have a view of the Bhagwabasa huts from here. The trail towards Bhagwabasa goes through snow patches and you would enjoy the journey.

Day 6- Bhagwabasa to Roopkund

You have to start the day as early as 5 AM. The sooner you start, the better it is for you as the snow is still hard, while later in the day, it would get soft and your feet would start sinking in. Roopkund is a 5 km gradually up-hill climb from Bhagwabasa. You will have steep climb towards the end of the trail to reach Roopkund. It would take about 3 - 3½ hours to reach Roopkund.

Once you climb to Roopkund, you must climb up to Junargali. Trekkers must visit unless the weather is very harsh and does not permit you. The climb to Junargali is not long. It is around 200 ft and doesn’t take much time. It is hardly a climb of 25 - 30 min. You can start off early to return back to Bedni Bugyal via Bhagwabasa. You need to be careful in trekking back as the snowy slopes may trick you.

Day 7- Bedni Bugyal to Loharjung via Wan. Bedni to wan (trek) wan to Loharjung (drive)

It is a great journey back to Lohajung via Wan. The path is fairly simple and you would not feel any distress throughout. You would cross the oak forest as you go and the scenic beauty is just mesmerizing. You would see the end of meadows after a few minutes. On a clear day, you would be astonished by looking at the Trishul on your way back from Bedni Bugyal to Wan. You would go down the Rhododendron forest. You would have a steep descent for the Neel Ganga. Faster trekkers reach there in approximately one and a half hours. However you should take your time and enjoy the beauty as you go by.

Day 8- Loharjung to Kathgodam

After getting to the base camp at Loharjung and finishing the Roopkund trek, you might think of spending a day at Loharjung. This is a great place to relax and chill out after your high altitude trek that has left your adrenaline pumping. You would enjoy the weather but definitely miss what you had at Roopkund or on its way. Travelling back to Loharjung is pretty simple and doesn’t really require any skill.