Let's Go Travel: Treks of Uttarakhand "Treks From Rudraprayag"

Treks of Uttarakhand "Treks From Rudraprayag"

TREKKING

The hilly terrain of Uttarakhand provides plenty of opportunities for mountaineering, trekking and rock climbing. The easternmost hill district Pithoragarh, bordering Nepal and Tibet, often dubbed as ‘Miniature Kashmir’, is abundant in natural beauty, making it

the perfect base for many an exciting trek. Several interesting treks interlace the Gori Valley with some of the well-traversed trekking routes running along the Munsiyari – Martoli – Milam – Ralam Glacier. These treks are not just walks of adventure, but are also an interesting way to interact and understand the social and cultural life of the people in the Chaudans, Byans and Darma Valleys. The Bageshwar – Sunderdhunga – Pindari – Kafni Glacier trek is another highly preferred trekking route in the area.The Garhwal region also offers several thrilling treks, some of them being the Panch Kedar trek, Kedarnath – Vasuki Tal trek, Gangotri – Kedarnath trek and the Gangotri – Gaumukh – Nandanvan – Tapovan trek. The Panch Kedar trek passes through the five Kedars represented by Kedarnath, Madmaheshwar, Tungnath, Kalpeshwar and Rudranath. The fascinating routes are profusely intermingled with the widest range of flora and fauna. The Valley of Flowers and Hemkund trek start from Govindghat and lead to Badrinath. Other treks like the Kalindikhal trek, the Khatling – Sahasratal – Masartal trek, Har Ki Dun trek, Rishikesh – Pauri – Binsar trek and Roopkund trek are equally invigorating for both the eager amateur and the veteran mountaineer.

THE NEHRU INSTITUTE OF MOUNTAINEERING (NIM)

For the past 40 years, with the aim to produce trained mountaineers and mountaineering enthusiasts, NIM has trained thousands of Indians and hundreds of foreigners. The --------

proposal to set up such an institute was first declared by the Ministry of Defence in 1964. NIM was established on November 14, 1965 at Uttarkashi to honour the desire of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, who was passionate about mountains. Bachhendri Pal, the first Indian woman to climb Mt. Everest, was trained at this Institute. The core of the training covers a high degree of technical exposure and expertise, along with safety applications to instill the correct mountaineering ethos. Although it is one of India’s youngest institutes, it has managed to get ahead of most others and has become a trusted anchor when it comes to mountaineering training. The excellent training standards, good administration, along with dedicated staff, make it one of the finest mountaineering institutes in the world.

Treks From Rudraprayag
Named after Lord Shiva (Rudra), Rudraprayag is situated at the holy confluence of Alaknanda and Mandakani rivers, at a distance of 34 km from Srinagar (Garhwal). The presence of two separate routes for Badrinath and Kedarnath Dham from Rudraprayag render great importance to the place. The entire region is blessed with immense natural beauty, places of religious importance, lakes and glaciers. Rudra Prayag is a small town that is located in the state of Uttarakhand and in the district of Rudraprayag. The town is situated at the confluence of the River Alaknanda and River Mandakini. It has a special religious significance for many people as well. It is said that the place where the two rivers meet resembles two sisters embracing each other and there is a unique beauty about the place. Many visitors travel to the place to witness this phenomenon every year. The entire area is surrounded by immense beauty and one can see many lakes, glaciers, rivers and streams here. There are a few temples that are located in the town as well and these are a must visit while travelling to Rudra Prayag. The main temples are the Jagdamaba Temple and the Shiva Temple. The town of Kedarnath which is an important pilgrimage center for many Hindus is located around 86 km from the town of Rudra Prayag and this can be visited as well. The Koteshwar Temple can be seen on the banks of the Alaknanda River and this is also a popular site in the town. Son Prayag and Okhimath are present outside the town and are important religious sites as well.
S. No.	Name of Trek Route	Distance in Kms.	Duration of Trek	Gradient of Trek
1	Kedarnath-Basuki Tal Trek (Altitude 4300 Mtrs.)
Gaurikund - 14 km Trek - Kedarnath -8 km. Trek - Basukital		22 Kms.	5 day	Strenuous
2	Punch Kedar Trek (Altitude 3810 Mtrs.)
1) Kedarnath
Gaurikund - 14 km Trek - Kedarnath
2) Madmaheshwar		58 kms.
Guptkashi - 10 km motorable - Kalimath - 10 km motorable - Uniyana - 4 km Trek Ransi - 19 km Trek - Madmaheshwar		14 kms. 23 kms.	14 day	Strenuous
3) Tungnath
Ukhimath - 30 km motorable - Chopta - 3 km Trek - Tungnath		3 Kms 15 Kms
4) Rudranath
Gopeshwar - 5 km motorable - Sagar - 15 km Trek - Rudranath		3 KMs
5) Kalpeshwar
Joshimath - 22 km motorable - Urgam - 3 km Trek - Kalpeshwar
3	Kartik Swami Trek
Rudraprayag - 34 km motorable - Kanakchori - 3 km Trek - Kartik Swami		3 Kms.	2 day	Normal
4	Devariyatal Trek (Altitude 3000 Mtrs.)
Rudraprayag - 54 km motorable - Sari - 3 km Trek - Devariyatal		3 Kms.	2 day	Normal
5	Tungnath Chandra Shila Trek
Ukhimath - 30 km motorable - Chopta - 3 km Trek - Tungnath - 1 km Trek - Chandra Shila		4 Kms.	3 day	Normal
6	Maithana Devi Trek- (Altitude 7000 Mtrs.)
Rudraprayag - 28 km motorable - Ghainghankhal - 5 km Trek - Maithana Devi -		5 Kms.	1 day	Normal
7	Badhani Tal Trek- (Altitude 7000 Mtrs.)
Rudraprayag - 60 km motorable - Dharkudi - 100 mts Trek - Badhani Tal		100 mts.	2 day	Normal
8	Panwali Kantha Trek- (Altitude 3963 Mtrs.)
Rudraprayag - 82 km motorable - Triyuginarayan - 22 km. Trek- Panwali Kantha		22 Kms.	9 day	Normal
9	Hariyali Devi Trek
Rudraprayag - 40 km motorable - Jasoli - 4 km Trek - Hariyali Devi		4 Kms.	1 day	Normal
10	Kalishila Trek
Rudraprayag - 45 km motorable - Ukhimath - 9 km motorable - Mansoona - 6 km motorable - Raoolainkh - 4 km Trek - Kalishila		4 Kms.	1 day	Normal