Distance: 177Kms | Time: 10 hours drive

Arrive at Dehradun railway station. Dehradun is the last point where you can make last minute purchases before you head out for your trek. Ideally, make all the purchases from your city.

From Dehradun Railway station, one can get a bus directly to Sankri. The first bus for Sankri leaves at 5.30 am in the morning and then another bus leaves at 7. 30 am. It takes about 10 hrs to reach Sankri on a public transport. Fare ranges from Rs 330-400. Alternatively, one can take a bus till Purola that runs till 1 pm.  Reach Purola before 2 pm to catch the last bus out to Sankri. Otherwise, you may have to stay at Purola for the night.

Altitude: 6955 ft  to 8380 ft

Distance: 12 km drive. 9 km trek

Duration:  6-7 hrs. 

The trek starts from Taluka, a village 12 km away from Sankri.  There are shared vehicles from Sankri to Taluka available at 50-100 bucks, or else book a full vehicle at a price of Rs  800-1000. It takes one hour to reach Taluka from Sankri. Make sure to get your forest permissions done from local forest check post before you leave.

Taluka is a small village with concrete houses. There are a couple of dhabas where the food is very basic.  You may find intermittent BSNL/Vodaphone network here – if you are lucky.

The trek starts from the wall adjoining the forest office. The trail is properly paved. It is the very same trail used by the villagers of Osla, Gangaad and connects to the trail of the famous Har Ki Dun trek. The trail hugs along the river valley of Thamsa. The river stays on your left while fields are on your right.  A kilometre into this level walk along the river, you enter a mixed forest of Chirgoza Pine, Maple, Horse Chestnut. 

After 3 kms of walking along, you will come across a concrete bridge. Once you cross over this bridge, you enter the clearing known as Bhida Ka Thatch. From here,  take an upward right turn to reach Dhatmeer village. The climb to Dhatmeer is on steep but properly paved trail. The climb will feel unending and is a bit taxing. It is another kilometre on this steep slope to Dhatmeer.

Altitude: 8380 ft  to 10722 ft

Distance:  5.5 km

Duration: 4-5 hours

From Dharkot, the trail will ascend southeast towards Batgoera. After ascending for about 100 meters, stop to soak in the full panoramic view of Dharkot village. Continue along the trail as it enters into the forest interspersed with multiple clearings while walking into the trail. Some of the clearings are private farms. There are plenty of water sources along the way.

Altitude: 10,722 ft  to 12,250 ft

Distance: 6 km

Duration:  5-6 hrs. 

Wake up to the view of snow clad peaks that surround the campsite. You can see the sun rise from behind the Hata peak. The trek today will take you above the treeline with stunning alpine settings all the way to Rashi. 

Right after  you leave the campsite, you enter into a forest composed mostly of Abies Pindrow. The trail remains flat for most part as it weaves through the jungle.

rom this clearing, the forest walk continues till the trail meets it’s end at a river crossing. This river is about 10-15 metres wide and doesn’t pose any challenge for crossing.  Climb out from the river to reach the treeline, mostly comprising of  White Rhododendrons. There are high chances of getting lost as the way is east uphill but it is not possible to climb the wall at this point. Follow a trail towards Bhitri Gadi where there are a couple of big rocks. These rocks are seen from the river.

After reaching the big rock, climb uphill towards north, following the only available water stream. It’s a steep climb of 100 meters but also rewarding. The new landscape greets you at the top. 

The top most point is called Rashi.  The campsite is about 500 metres downhill from this point. From the campsite, on your west, witness the sun setting on the ranges of Himachal Pradesh. On your left will be the valley of Bhitri Gadi and behind you, will be the mighty mountains. Batgoera campsite is below you, shaped like an arrow on the hill.

Altitude: 12250 ft  to 13188 ft

Distance: 6 km

Duration:  5-6 hrs. 

Today will be the toughest day of the trek. The campsite doesn’t get sunlight in the morning, making it cold. 

The trek begins with an upward climb towards north east. It continues on a grassy slope and reaches a boulder section.  After you cross the boulder section, the walk begins along the ridge. The ridge walk continues for a kilometre after which you reach a high point called Rashi Top.  From here, you will get a panoramic view of the Har ki Dun Valley with the Osla village underneath. Spot the ranges of Himachal behind the valley. On the other side, you get a downward view of steep valley.

The descent from Rashi Top is the scariest part of the trek. It’s a vertical descent with bounders and occasional grassy patches. The gradient is almost 60-70 degrees! Snow will pose a great difficulty on this stretch. Proper steps will have to be made before keeping the feet down.

After a vertical descent of 200 meters, there will be a tiny trail which will take you through a series of gullies. In this section, you will be descending and then ascending on several occasions.   However, the depression the trail is extremely thin and there are place where you might have to walk on slope without a trail on grass. This is the actual adventure on this trek.

The day finally ends with an ascent to the Maldaru base camp which is placed at the feet of the valley just below this lake. In front of you  is the mountain housing the Maldaru lake and behind you,  is the view of the Har Ki Dun valley and on. The rocky mountain peaks stand guard on either side.

Altitude: 13188 ft  to 14,338 ft to 7770 ft

Distance:  4 km to the lake + 9 km to Chilurgaad

Duration:  4-5 hrs for the lake + descent to Chilurgaad is another 4-5 hours. 

It’s roughly 2 km walk to Maldaru lake from Maldaru base camp. The trek walks through a flat path meandering through a water stream initially. The last one kilometre goes through rocks and boulders. Even between the rocks, the trail is properly paved and quite easy to undertake. One can feel the thinning of air. At the neck of the mountain, you will be surprised to find bed of Brahmakamals during autumn. They are in such huge number that for a moment you will not believe your eyes.

After completing last hundred meters, you will finally witness the divine beauty – the Maldaru lake. The locals treat the lake as a form of a goddess.  So much so, it is said that women during their menstruation aren’t allowed near the lake. There are several rocks erected around the lakes, acting as religious symbols.   There is a deafening silence in this location.  The water is crystal clear and takes on a shade of blue under clear sky.

Just above this lake are unnamed peaks. If you happen to climb to the shoulders of one of these, you will see the Swargarohini and other Gangotri ranges. It is very cold at this place,  so jackets are a must. After spending a few hours here,  descend through the same trail to your campsite.  Wind up your campsite to leave for a long descent.

The  journey from here is a long, continuous descent but highly rewarding. The jungle is on full bloom during spring with the rhododendrons. In autumn, you will observe the vivid colors of dry leaves.  The forest is full of Silver Birches, Abies Pindrow, Maple, Oak. We spotted a lot of Monals, Woodpeckers on the way. After descending half way through, the Osla village will be at your eye level.

Altitude: 7770 ft  to 6955 ft to 6397ft

Distance: 11 km trek + 12 km drive

Duration:  5- 7 hrs. 

This is the final day and the easiest one. The trail will go along the existing Har Ki Dun trail. This is flat trail with Thamsa river flowing along. Be ready to cross paths with friendly villagers. Greet them with a ‘Namaste’ and they will surely ask you to come to their homes for tea.

The trail will be covered with colourful trees such as Spruce, Pine, Abies Pindrow, Seabuckthorn. You will also come across another ancient village called Gangaad.  The trail ends at Taluka where you will be again taken back to Sankri for your final day.

Distance:  177 km drive

Duration:  10 hours

Back to dehradun.