Uttarakhand Trek of the Year – Chaainsheel Bugyal

Uttarakhand Trek of the Year – Chaainsheel Bugyal

 

Uttarakhand is very well known for its divine and spiritual land. Maybe that’s the reason why it’s known by the name – Mighty Land of Lords. Nature has many secrets buried under, which can only be known to the mankind once they are explored. Trekking is one medium to explore all such secrets scattered somewhere in these mountains. Chaainsheel Bugyal Trek has a wide range of forest beauty and meadows.

Scenic beauty is a dose of divine pleasure which is experienced by every trekker who takes part in such trekking programs. Uttarakhand Tourism recently launched this trek in the summers of 2017 but due to heavy rainfall afterwards, they planned their second batch for trekkers in the late September. It was a proud feeling for all of us after getting the fact that we were the second most group to trek Chaainsheel Bugyal. It was a moderate level trek which begins from Balawat.

Day Zero: Home stay at Balawat

A new initiative has been taken with the combined efforts of Uttarakhand Tourism and the locals of Balawat village. It is a small village in Uttarkashi situated at about 6,283 ft altitude. The village has a total population of around 350 people. Sharing a shelter is a pretty good initiative to know more about the daily lifestyle of the local people of Balawat. People of Balawat were friendly and caring that we did not miss much of our homes when living with them.

Day One: Balawat to Khala Thach

First day was hectic and challenging in terms of stamina. Khala Thach was there at around Nine thousand & something feet. Imagine, we had to increment 3000 ft in a day before evening. We started at around 10.30 am and reached Khala Thach at around 3.30 pm.

The journey from Balawat to Khala Thach was a steep ascend and we covered it well in time. Entire route was filled with lush green forest, water flow, meadows and a bridge. It’s a moderate level trek but quite interesting if you care even a bit about flora. We explored a wide range of berries, mushrooms, plants, flowers, tea leaves, etc.

Day Two: Rest and Exploration Day at Khala Thach

Although we had no rest mentioned in our given schedule but due to overnight rainfall, our trek leader decided to halt for a day. I slept like a baby and woke up early to such an eye pleasing view. Overnight rainfall did something good at least. Our camp site was covered by clouds for a while and all we felt was continuous drizzling. It was a beautiful refreshing day for all the trekkers. We sang some songs, played a few games and explored that place a bit.

Day Three:

We headed upwards to explore our new destination and we crossed a forest to reach Sunaooti Thach. Crossing 10,000 feet literally filled our souls with greatness. It was one hell of an achievement for all of us. After crossing that milestone, we were few miles away to conquer Sunaooti Thach. After a trek of 400 feet, we finally conquered Sunaooti Thaach which is situated at 10,400 ft above ground level. We were practically astounded by that mesmerizing view. It was completely magical for us because that single view suppressed all the fatigue.

A small lake was also there known by the name of Sunaooti Lake. Clear view of Swarg Rohini and many more popular peaks of Uttarkashi were all visible from Sunaooti Thach. We halted for like half an hour there and it was super refreshing. Later on, we trekked a few miles more and reached somewhere at 11,005 ft of altitude and decided to put our camps there only because of the bad weather condition.

Day Four: Trekking back to Balawat­­­

It was a sudden plan and due to bad weather condition, we couldn’t move further to conquer all the remaining Bugyal. Sadly, we had to trek back to Balawat which was at 6,283 ft. Imagine a descending trek schedule from 11,005 ft to 6,283 ft in a day. We started at around 10:30 in the morning and reached Balawat at around 4 in the evening. Indeed, we would say that it wasn’t easy descending 4700 ft in a day. But, it was one hell of an adventurous trip and a golden achievement for all of us. Seriously, nobody would ever forget this once in a lifetime experience. If you’re looking for a trek full of adventures and unlimited dose of nature, we would highly recommend you Chaainsheel Bugyal. We stayed a night in those warm n cozy home stays at Balawat and headed to our new destination next morning.

Day Five: Bye Bye Balawat

Balawat was so nice to us and it became even harder for us to say goodbye to such lovely people. They cooked us meal and brought us special tea every morning. They cared so much that resulted in a family bond. The saddest part of any trip is leaving that one destination which secured a bigger space in your heart. Anyhow, we had to do that. As we’ve already mentioned about the bad weather, the after results of the weather weren’t that gorgeous either. There were landslides in certain areas near Dehradun as well which resulted in road blocks. That’s the reason why we took the Mussoorie turn.

We left Balawat at 11:30 in the morning. It was an Eight and a half hours long journey from Balawat to Mussourie including all the halts we took for lunch, tea and snacks. We know the fact that long drives are too much hectic at times. But, it doesn’t matter much when the outside view is eye pleasing the entire time. One can’t get over such mountain beauty for months.

We reached Mussoorie mall road at around 8 pm. Checked in to The High Wall hotel at around 8.30 pm and slept like a baby after having dinner.

Day Six: Good Morning Mussoorie

Woke up at 6 in the morning, thanks to our trek schedule which was still there somewhere in our subconscious minds. Went for a jog, as who’d miss the opportunity of jogging in the streets of Mussourie especially Mall Road. After a while, ran into a shop for some tea and maggi.

 

Later in the day, discovered some new places like Company Garden which can be ignored (if planning a short trip for Mussoorie). True glamour can be found only at Mussoorie Mall Road especially in the evening hours. Be it food or some random shopping items. Everything can found there at Mall Road.

After spending our evening in Mussoorie, we took a Bus ride from Mussoorie to Dehradun which lasted around 2 hours. We rushed to Delhi afterwards. And that’s how one beautiful yet adventurous journey comes to an end.

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P.S.:  This outreach program is organised by www.crazemag.in and questrails.com and sponsored by Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board. Special thanks to Arpit Gunecha who represented RoadtoTaste on this trek.

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