Deoria
Tal - Trek & Travelogue
Deoria
Tal Chandrashila Trek
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River Ganga and Me |
In these blog, Deoria
Tal - Trek & Travelogue & 2, I am sharing my travel experience to offbeat destinations of Deoria Tal, and Chandrashila
Peak in North India. The blog recounts our trip to Deoria
Tal and Chandrashila from Delhi. Enjoy the overwhelming Deoria Tal-Chandrashila Trek.
Why Deoria Tal Chandrashila trek?
My Friend Manish demanded "Mujhe hare nahi
safed pahaad dekhne hai (I don’t want to see lush but snowclad mountains)"
and my younger brother asked "Central Himalaya ke Pahaad dikhenge na?
(Will the Central Himalayan peaks be visible?)".
I knew that both of them are not very keen on
trekking for long hours. We had only four days to complete the trip. Also, we
all wanted to watch the Snowclad Central Himalayan Peaks (a bit of Geeky
language!! I know).
A trek to Deoria Tal and Chandrashila for the weekend trip was an ideal choice. The treks are small with unparallel views of Garhwal
Himalayan range. The treks are open in all season. Also, the
treks are easy to access and well connected. One can reach easily on public
transport. So, I described them about the Chandrashila and Deoria Tal trek.
How difficult is Chandrashila and Deoria Tal trek?
Deoria Tal is an untouched emerald lake at an altitude of 2438 meters (7999 ft) with
lush green, woody surroundings. It has a gorgeous backdrop of peaks like
Chaukhamba, Kedar range, and Thalay Sagar.
The trek route is about 2.5 kilometers and starts from
Sari Village. It involves easy to moderate grade trekking. The trek from Sari
to Deoria Tal usually takes 1 to 1.5 hours since it includes some steep ascent.
The trail is rocky but well defined.
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Deoria Tal at sunrise with Chaukhamba peaks in the background |
Chandrashila is the summit of Chandranath Mountain at an altitude of 3682 meters (12077 ft). Chandrashila literally means “Moon Rock” which offers a 360° view of Heavenly giants like Nanda Devi, Trishul, Chaukhamba, Kedar range, Neelkanth and many more.
The trek is famous for Tungnath, one of the Panch Kedar temples. The others are Rudranath, Madhyamaheshar, Kedarnath and Kalpeshwar. Tungnath, the Highest Shiva temple is situated on this very mountain.
The trek is about 4 kilometers (shortest trek of all Kedar) and starts from Chopta. The trek from Chopta to Tungnath is on a cemented pilgrim trail with benches at regular intervals to rest and enjoy the scenic beauty. The climb from Tungnath to Chandrashila is steep and rocky. It involves easy to moderate grade trekking and usually takes 3-4 hours to complete.
What is the best time to Visit Chandrashila and
Deoria Tal?
The best time to visit is mid-March to June and
September to mid- November. As Snowfall and sub-zero temperature are common
during Winters. One can go for Winter trek to Chandrashila and Deoria Tal
in December to February as well. Winter trek takes longer as you need to tackle
the snow. Monsoons months could be tricky in the Mountains with landslides and roadblocks.
I prefer and recommend October end - early November
to visit the mountains. The weather usually remains stable with clear blue sky and
bright sunshine. No rain clouds, dense fog or snow to block the view.
We chose October 31st to avoid the weekend
crowd. The forecast showed stable weather for the next three days. Winter came
early last year ending the regular season abruptly. (Thankfully without the
White Walkers). That meant a lesser crowd altogether.
How to reach Deoria Tal and Chandrashila?
Itinerary for Deoria Tal Chandrashila trek
- Day 1 – From Delhi reach Haridwar (225kms) or Rishikesh (24kms), overnight stay
- Day 2 – Reach Ukhimath (182kms) or Sari – (14kms),
trek to Deoria Tal, overnight stay at Sari
- Day 3 – Reach Chopta (16 km), trek to Chandrashila,
trek down and overnight stay at Chopta
Budget for Deoria Tal Chandrashila trek
We decided to travel on Public transport and make
it a low budget trip. It was not comfortable but we wanted to travel with the
locals. Our route plan was flexible, so we did not book any hotels/guest house
in advance. There were many budget options to stay in Chopta. Haridwar,
Rishikesh, Devprayag and Ukhimath and other en-route towns had a range of staying
options too.
So, our Journey began
Delhi
to Rishikesh – Day 1
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Parantha and chai
while departure from Kashmere Gate |
I left my Office in Gurgaon at 8 o’clock in the morning. I had only 2 hours
to reach Kashmere Gate Bus Terminal. The bus tickets were already booked with its
departure at 10 o’clock. Delhi Metro was our only hope. (What!! Crowded??).
Remember, traveling with the locals!!
I managed to reach the bus station with 10 minutes to
spare. Shaan and Manish were already waiting anxiously at the Bus station. Ready
to make excuses to delay the departure of the bus.
The journey started from Kashmere Gate bus station at 10 am in the morning
to reach Haridwar – The next destination on our long journey. The Plan was
simple for the day, Reach Haridwar, taste local food, watch Ganga Aarti
and then leave for Rishikesh or DevPrayag for the overnight stay.
Haridwar
We reached Haridwar by 3:30 pm and found the
initial trace of Shivalik hills. The life-giving Ganga emerges from hills and
reaches the Northen plains here (Yes! Geography). There was a slight change of
plan en route Haridwar. The Ganga Aarti usually takes place around 6 pm and
that would mean waiting here for 2 and a half hours. Watching the Aarti and
taking photos of Ghats could have halted our journey today. So, we decided that
we will rather reach Rishikesh to watch the Ganga Aarti and advance towards
DevPrayag thereafter without waste of time. We boarded an Auto Rickshaw to reach
Haridwar.
Rishikesh
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Diya offered to River
Ganga at Triveni Ghat shot from Cell Phone |
The road towards Rishikesh goes through Rajaji National park as soon as you
cross Raiwala. The change in weather and landscape was apparent. The temperature dropped 4-5 degrees with the thick foliage around and Shivalik foothills in the
backdrop. We were in the territory of “The Himalayas”. We silently watched the
trees and hills going by with little streams emerging occasionally. We reached
Rishikesh by 4:30 pm. The local Phat-Phat autowala took us to the local bus stand
to find out the options to reach Devprayag. No public transport leaves for the
upper hilly region after 5 pm and only private cabs were available. So, we
decided to stay in Rishikesh and leave early in the morning. The Autowalla
again helped us to find a Hotel right next to the bus stand. We dropped our
baggage and left for Triveni Ghat right away. We gave some extra tip to our
"Auto Waley Bhai Sahab" for his guidance.
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Rishikesh - wandering in alleys |
Ganga Aarti at Triveni Ghat, Rishikesh
After a small walk through the market, we reached the Ghat, the Aarti was
about to commence. It was twilight and the glittering river bank started to
resonate with bell sounds and prayer chants. The Pujaris (Priests) lined up and
started waving the fire stands animatedly, in sync with the live Bhajan (Hymn)
and claps. People, priests, and everything was paying homage to Sacred Ganga.
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Fire Stands at Triveni Ghat after the Aarti |
The scene was spellbinding and we stood there enchanted. The settings on my
camera did not allow me to capture the hallowed moments but nonetheless, our
visit to Rishikesh was rewarded in full. The Aarti ended with "Har Har Gange, Jai Maa Gange" chants. We left
the Ghats with people dancing and singing along the Bhajan.