Day 1: Reach Sankri

Sankri, base camp for this trek, is a small but pretty village with 250 houses. A few dhabas and shops make up the commerce scene in Sankri. In peak season, it is usually bustling with trekking activity as it is the basecamp for many treks – Kedarkantha, Bali Pass and Borasu Pass.  The village offers a beautiful view of the sun setting behind the greater Himalayas. The peaks of Swargarohini shimmer in the evening sun, standing tall over the ridges beyond Sankri.

The drive to Sankri will take you through Nainbagh, Naugaon, Purola, Jarmola, Mori Naitwar (a left turn from Naitwar will lead you to Dhaula, which is the base camp for Rupin Pass and Bharadsar lake trek), and finally Sankri.

• Altitude: 6,397 ft (1,950 m)
• Time taken: Sankri, the base camp, can be reached in 8-10 hours from Dehradun. Transport will be arranged from Dehradun Railway station at 6.30 am.

Day 2: Sankri to Sikolta

• Altitude: 6,397 ft (1,950 m) to 9,300 ft (2,835 m)
• Time taken: 5 hours
• Trek gradient: Moderate. Ascending trail throughout.
• Water sources: A small stream near the broken bridge, around 3.5-4 hours into the trek

The initial ascent is through the lovely pine forest. The trail is wide and marked well. An hour and half of ascent on the trek, you cross a small concrete bridge. Keep your ears and eyes open on the ascent as you spot a lot of birds on the trial. Right from barbets, drongos, treepies, woodpeckers and a lot more. Later, you cross a broken dhaba on the trail. Follow this trail for another 30 mins. This is where you come to the first clearing. It is known as ‘Jainol Thatch’.

Another 10 mins of ascent, you come to the second prominent clearing. This place is called ‘Marikoda’.  As you look to the left, one can see the peak of Dhunda. The Phulara ridge can also be spotted from this point.

There are two forks in the trail now. If you follow the trail straight ahead, it’s the one to the famous Juda Ka Talab. You can either follow this to JKT and then take a left from the lake or the better exciting trail which is to explore the trail to the left from this fork. This takes you through the lovely pine forests. The aroma of the Himalayan Cedar or Deodhar Cedar is filled around the area as your legs enjoy a soft crunch through the forest floor. You will hear the tiny bees buzzing, resonating all around the forest. A nice half an hour on the forest path, you reach the main trail. This the trail which comes from JKT. Take the left over here and follow the trail in the forest.

You will be surprised to see a ridge to your right. The sun light cuts across the canopy beautifully here. You start seeing snow-capped peaks being visible now to the left. You will pass a small broken bridge. A stream is flowing down the hill where you can fill your water bottles.

The ascent continues from here for another 40 minutes. The Trail has Yellow Marsh Marigold and purple lilies blooming around. You come across a lovely large rock – The Gecko rock. It resembles the shape of a lizard having its head held high. The trail takes the right which leads to clearing of ‘Sikolta’. A nice meadow patch with broken Gujjar huts. There is another good clearing to the left where you can pitch your tents. To the right, you have the water source. The streams will be running with water post monsoon.

Landmarks on the way:

• A small bridge crossing in the ascent to Marikoda
• Marikoda is the second clearing on the trail
• A broken bridge where the water flows down.
• The meadow of Sikolta

Day 3: Sikolta to Bhoj Gadi

• Altitude: 9,300 ft (2,835 m) to 11,600 ft (3,536 m)
• Time taken: 4 hours
• Trek gradient: Easy-moderate. Ascending trail throughout.
• Water sources: A stream near the bridge, around an hour into the trek.

A good ascent from Sikolta for about 30 minutes through the forest patch. The forest is a bit dark and dense. Watch out for few trees fallen down on the trail. You spot a bridge at down along the trail. A small descend to the bridge and a sharp ascend through a small section of the landslide terrain. This section is just about 100 meters. A nice stream is flowing underneath the bridge where you can fill water. The bridge and the stream separate the valley. Continue the ascend for another 15 minutes to reach a bigger clearing known as ‘Karsu Thatch’. The grass is filled with yellow flowers.

As you enter this big clearing, to the right you see the Kedarkantha peak. You see the decline in the tree line from here. You need to take the gradual ascent and keep to your left. The ascent is a gradual one for another 30 minutes. The rohdo type trees with some Bhoj trees are filled on the trail now. The flowers bloom after the monsoon. The clearings start to open up and you enter the lush green meadows. A treat for your eyes and legs, one can enjoy walking on the green cover now.

The Dhunda Top is the highest point of this hill. A small gradual ascent of 15 minutes and a trek for another 10 minutes on the trail to the left, you enter a nice flat meadow patch. This will be your campsite. You have a stream flowing down the valley. This will be your water source.

You can go for an excursion/acclimatization walk to the top of the hill. It’s a long ridge at the top which can take you all the way to Kedarkantha as well. From here you will see Purola region, the peaks of Kedarkantha, Swargarohini, Devkyara, Lekha Top, Vijay Top and few others. The sunset, rising of the moon and early morning sunrise is a beautiful spectacle to watch out for from this campsite.

Landmarks on the way:

• Bridge after the forest patch
• Karsu Thatch clearing
• Green meadows of Bhoj Gadi

Day 4: Bhoj Gadi to Pushtara via Phulara ridge

• Altitude: 11,600 ft (3,536 m) to 9,500 ft (2,896 m) via 12,127 ft (3,696 m)
• Time taken: 6 hours
• Trek gradient: Easy-moderate. Ascend trail upto the ridge. Flat trail at the ridge followed by descent to the Pushtara.
• Water sources: None. Carry at least two litres of water from Bhoj Gadi

The top of the ridge can be seen from the campsite. To start the day, there is a nice ascent. It takes about 45 minutes to reach the top of the ridge. A lot of Himalayan Monals can be spotted on this trail. I saw seven Monals on this day and when approaching the ridge.

The view from the ridge is amazing. The view of the snow peaked mountains of 250 degrees. You can see the ridge going ahead with slight ascents to reach the end of this beautiful trail. As you are trekking, you feel the snow-capped mountains moving along with you.

Another hour of trekking, you come to the end of this trail where it takes a right turn. Few stones kept along the pathway, make you feel like you getting a grand entrance to view the majestic view. The peaks from right to left are Hanuman Top, Sarutal Top, DKD, Bandarpoonch, Kalanag, Swargarohini, Hata Peak(HKD), Ranglana, Devkyara valley, Lekha Top, Vijay Top, Kedarkantha. Take the right from this point where the trail leads. An intermittent signal of Vodafone can be caught at the top. You can see multiple descents and ascents one has to take. The base of Sarutal is where you need to cross.

The trail takes a bit of descent and follows a gradual ascent. To the right is a drop. In the distance across the tall pine trees, is the valley of Purola. This section is not possible to take during the winter months because of snow. This section also does not have water sources. Crossing the snow section during the month of April, May itself is a difficult, tricky section. It took about an hour and 50 minutes with snow. Without snow, it would take about 30 minutes to complete and cross the Sarutal section. Watch for wildflowers and Monals through this section.

Once you cross this valley, you enter the right side of the hill. Few big mountains right in front of you. Take the descent and keep to your right. You will be blown away by the vastness of Pushtara meadows. It’s on the edge and a beautiful place to set up your campsite.

If you cross this valley, you have Taloti. A medium sized gorgeous lake formed by the melting glaciers. Pushtara has a good amount of water to the right side. A small graveyard by the Gujjars can be seen gives a nice chill to the bones. A good place to come up with stories for the night.

Landmarks on the way:

• Top of the ridge. Pathway with stones
• A prominent right turn towards Sarutal valley

Day 5: Pushtara to Taluka. Drive to Sankri

• Altitude: 9,500 ft (2,896 m) to 7,953 ft (2,424 m)
• Time taken: 5 hours trek + 1 hour drive to Sankri
• Trek gradient: Easy-moderate. Descending trail all the way to Taluka.
• Water sources: There is a stream just before you enter the forest, around 1.5 hours into the trek.

The trail would be a complete descent to the village of Thaluka. The first 30 minutes is the descent through the meadows. You see some broken Gujjar huts here. You see the trail coming from the Taloti valley to the right. Take the descent and join this trail. Keep descending and going towards the right. The tree line starts to increase. The floor is laden with beautiful yellow flowers. It feels like a bed to just lie down.

A descent for another 30 minutes, you enter the forest. Wide good trails entering the forest at first. The forest is a big one and is easy to get lost if you go off trail. Initially, trees are spaced with a good amount of light coming through the cover. Later big pine trees dawn over you. You seem like a tiny individual trekking in the big forest. You need to cross some trees which have fallen down on the ground. A troop of curious langurs stares at your trekking technique while they jump effortlessly from one tree to another.

Keep an eye to the right, you see a small village. You won’t be going to this village but gives you the reassurance of following the trail. The descent goes for about an hour and 30 mins through this forest. The last stretch of thick untouched forest and you hear few bells. You spot a herd of cows, goats grazing and also few logging activities indicating that you are close to civilization. Follow the same trail and you see a pathway and a collecting pipe from the stream. There is a big water tank and you see wooden huts with stoned roofing. This is the village of Tumrikot. A beautiful village walks for 30 mins and you reach the end of your trek. The small village of Thaluka has a couple of shops. You can see a clear marking for the Har Ki Dun trek.