Gaumukh Tapovan Trek is a 46 Km hike that takes 6 - 8 days and takes you to an altitude of 14,640 ft. (4,463 m). Gaumukh is a popular trekking destination and people from all over the world visit this location for its beauty and spiritual appeal. The trek lies in the state of Uttarakhand in India and begins at the pilgrim town of Gangotri.
This is a moderate difficulty trek and will take you through the Gangotri National Park amidst the towering Himalayan mountains and can be attempted by beginners if the preparation is well. Gaumukh is one of the best high altitude meadows in India.
On the trail, you will find yourself crossing meadows, streams, cascading waterfalls, pine forests, mesmerizing Himalayan views all along the way. The nights offer a sky full of stars, ideal for astrophotography.
On the first day of the Gaumukh Tapovan Trek, we will be driving to Gangotri via Uttarkashi district from Dehradun. The 258 Km drive will take 10 hours and we will be passing through Mussoorie, offering scenic views of the outer Himalayas.
Another 4-hour drive from Uttarkashi will take you to the pilgrim destination at Gangotri. You can attend the evening aarti at the Gangotri Temple and go for any last-minute shopping for the trek.
Post breakfast, we will start our trek across the Bhagirathi River on a well-defined trail to Chirbasa. You will find yourself walking in the shade of a towering mountain across the forests. Trekking for about 10 Km from Gangotri we will reach our destination for today at 11,630 ft. Overnight stay will be in camps alongside the river.
On the third day of the Gaumukh Tapovan Trek, we will start walking towards the source of the Holy River Ganga. Today’s trail will offer you magnificent views of Bhagirathi peaks & Mout Shivling. After resting at Bhojbasa for some time we will push further towards Gaumukh. After trekking for about a couple of kilometres from Bhojbasa we will reach our destination at Gaumakh - The Source of the Holy Ganga. Overnight stay at camps.
After having early breakfast in the morning we will start towards Tapovan. Today is the longest day of the trek and we will be traversing about 14 Km from Guamukh to Chirbasa. A 5 Km trek from Gaumukh will take you to the Gangotri Glacier and you will be able to view a panoramic view of the majestic peaks of Mount Shivling (6,543 m.), Mount Meru (6,630 m.), Kedar Dome (6,808 m.), Mount Sudarshan (6,507 m.) & Bhagirathi I, II & III. After spending some time at Gomukh, we will trek back to our campsite at Chirbasa.
After having our breakfast we will trek 9 Km. back to Gangotri. Overnight stay in a guest house.
A 258 km ride on the final day will take you back to Dehradun and will take around 10 hours. You are expected to arrive at Dehradun by evening, make your further travel plans accordingly.
May to June (Summers) & September - October (Autumn)are the best months to visit Gaumukh Tapovan Trek. You can easily find snow even during the summers. The trail remains covered with snow and you will get a chance to cross rivers on naturally built snow bridges. You will see the Bhagirathi river flowing with full might as the snow melts and feeds the river. As the monsoon reaches the valley during June, the heavy rain makes the trail slippery and prone to landslides.
During autumn, you will be able to see more colours in the valley, with some vegetation growing after the monsoon season. October brings in heavy snowfall in the area which makes this trek untenable.
Gaumukh Tapovan Trek is rated as a moderate difficulty trek, it takes you to a maximum altitude of 14,000 ft. The high altitude of the trek makes it a moderate difficulty trek. Even the starting point of the trek is at Gangotri which is located at an altitude of 10,000 ft above sea level. Apart from this, the trail is straightforward and this trek can also be attempted by first-timers with preparation.
This is a very safe trek, every year thousands of pilgrims visit this place to visit the source of the holy Ganga and they complete the trek without any problem but you need to be physically fit in order to complete this trek because of the high altitude.
This is a brief list of things that you should carry on the trek to make the experience more memorable and much more comfortable -
Network & Connectivity
Good connectivity of all major service providers like Airtel, BSNL & Jio is available, however, beyond Gangotri, network connectivity is almost non-existent.
ATM
The last ATM is available at Uttarkashi, make sure to withdraw any cash you might need before Gangotri.