Nanda Devi Trek

The Nanda Devi Experience

The spectacular Nanda Devi National Park in the Himalayas, a World Heritage Site, which has five of the highest peaks in the world, has re-opened after 20 years. Since last year, restricted numbers of wildlife and trekking enthusiasts are being allowed inside till Dharansi pass and Debrugheta, which offer spectacular views of the Nanda Devi, Trisul and Pancha Chuli peaks along with some of the rarest high altitude mammals like the musk deer, serow, blue sheep, Himalayan tahr, black and brown bear and even the snow leopard.

To provide employment to the local people, and to ensure that the large number of tourists coming to this area, get a culturally rich experience, Earth Camps has set up home stays with the people of an idyllic village at about 9000 feet, called Tolma, on the boundary of the national park. The guests stay in village homes in separate rooms built for them, tasting the local fare and making it their base for forays into the park and its surroundings.

Location

About 500 kilomteres from Delhi. About 15 kilometres ahead of Joshimath, on the road to Tibet, in the Garhwal Himalayas, past Tapovan, is the little village of Suraithota. From here a mule track climbs up three kilometres to the Tolma village of 15 tribal homes. Flanked on one side by thick Deodar, Birch and Cypress forests, and on the other by the towering snowcapped mountains led by the 23,000 feet Dronagiri peak, the village has a population of less than 100 people.

The village provides the easiest and the best access to the National Park, as opposed to the one from Lata, which is the traditional route and mentioned in every travel book or trekking map.

Geography, History

Declared a World Heritage Site in December 1988, NDNP has the history of being one of the most difficult as well as popular climbing spots in the Himalayas. But much before that it has been revered for thousands of years as a manifestation of Shiva's wife, Parvati.

An amazing sight to see on a clear day, the basin is like a shallow cup rimmed by an array of mountains and peaks, some above 6,400m (21,000ft). These include Dunagiri (7,066m), Changbang (6,864m) and Nanda Devi East (7,434m), Nanda Devi West, (India's second highest peak, lies on a short ridge projecting into the basin and rises up from Nanda Devi East on the eastern rim), and the Trisul (7,120m), in the south-west. The upper Rishiganga Valley, often referred to as the 'Inner Sanctuary', is fed by glaciers called Changbang, North Rishi and North Nanda Devi, South Nanda Devi and South Rishi. There is an impressive gorge cutting through the Devistan-Rishikot ridge below the confluence of the North and South Rishiganga rivers. Every 12 years the Nanda Devi idol is taken in a massive procession to her home at the base of Trisul in a journey fraught with risks.

The first recorded attempt to enter this sacred basin was in 1883, but it was not until 1934, that Eric Shipton and H. W. Tilman discovered a route to the 'Inner Sanctuary' by forcing a passage up the gorge of the upper Rishiganga. Two years later, Tilman and N. E. Odell made the first ascent of Nanda Devi. Since then many lives have been lost on this route, where the approach march to the base camp is reputed to be tougher than the climb to the peak. It was accounts by Tilman and Shipton, which led to the establishment of a game sanctuary in 1939 called the Nanda Devi Sanctuary.

By the late sixties and early seventies of the last century, the sanctuary had become so popular with trekkers and climbers that more than 4000 people were entering the park annually apart from shepherds and local people from the neighbouring villages. In time this became a rich source of income. However, alarmed by the piling garbage and the heavy ecological damage, the government banned the entry of people into the park in 1982 after it was declared a NP. Since then only a few expeditions, calling themselves scientific or otherwise have managed to go up to the base camp or climb the peak.

The ban, however, led to strong protests from the people of the area, who were denied their traditional rights. In the late nineties a violent movement spearheaded largely by the residents of Lata and Rainee villages led to huge fires and burning down of some ancient virgin forests. However, the protests also led to some administrative reforms and participative forest management practices. In 2004 the government partially opened the park to trekkers, who can now go up to the alpine meadows of Dharansi and Debrugheta.

Highlights of theVisit

· Visits to the villages of Rainee and Lata the birthplace of the Chipko movement in the Himalayas along with treks through the forests that they hugged and protected
· Home stays with exposure to local lifestyle and food
· Opportunites to view rare and endangered mammals like the musk deer, blue sheep, serow, Himalayan black bear, tahr and snow leopard.
· A paradise for birdwatchers with over a 100 species of high altitude birds
· Treks around the village and into the park till Dharansi or Debrugheta with expert guides and porters from the Tolma village
· Interaction with villagers adjoining the park to understand the human-animal coexistence, crop depredations and their dependence on the forest
· Drive along the pilgrim route to Badrinath looking at Deoprayag, the confluence of Bhagirathi and Alakanadna, where the Ganga is formed; apart from Rudraprayag, Nandprayag and learning about the mythological significance of this route

Travel, Accommodation & Facilities

Guests travel by train between Delhi and Haridwar, and by cars to Rudraprayag where they stay the night. After a drive to Suraithota in the morning, the guests walk up three kilometres to Tolma on an easy track, with porters and local guides.

Participants stay in traditional/modern rooms inside village houses on a single, twin or three sharing basis with attached toilets..

High quality Alpine or dome tents are provided during treks with mats and toilet tents.

Wholesome and tasty, locally and organically grown vegetarian and non-vegetarian food is cooked in the households to suit participant tastes, at the same time introducing them to the local food and flavours. There are expert expedition cooks accompanying the team on treks.

Eligibility & Group Size

The park permits a group of 05 trekkers inside the park everyday. The participants have to be above 14 years of age to enter the park. There are no restrictions on numbers to stay at the Tolma village and do short treks around it. However, the minimum number for this is 02 and maximum 10.

Best Time to Visit

For trekking : May 15-August 15
For Wildlife viewing: October 15-November 30

Costs

The cost for an 11-day summer itinerary inclusive of transport (non-AC Qualis or Sumos), stay, food(BLD), equipment (living and toilet tents, sleeping mats, basic camp furniture like chairs and stools, petromax lights, kitchen equipment, fuel), porters, camp staff, guides, permits, tips, Shatabdi (Del-Haridwar-Del)rail fare, works out to approximately Rs 70,000($ 1630 ) per head for a minimum of two persons and max three. Four to six pax Rs 60,000( $ 1395) per head on a twin-sharing basis. Other travel arrangements in India can also be easily arranged. For those interested in white water rafting or ayurvedic spas, this area is excellent with facilities to suit every budget.

Detailed Itinerary for the Nanda Devi National Park Summer Trek

Day From-To Transport & time Description
1 New Delhi-Haridwar By train 250 kms App 04 hours Board the fast Dehradun Shatabdi at 0650 hrs (subject to confirmation) in AC Chair cars. Breakfast en-route. Arrive Haridwar 1120 hrs

1 Haridwar (300 m) - Rudraprayag (1200m) 160 kms 07 hours drive on mountain roads Transfer to SUVs to drive through picturesque mountain roads to stop for lunch at Kaudiyala. Stop at Deoprayag to see the point where River Ganga or Ganges forms. Overnight Hotel Monal
2 Rudraprayag (1200m) - Joshimath (1890m) - Suraithota (2303 m) 150 kms 05-06 hours Start early around 0630 hrs after a light breakfast, Brunch at Joshimath, before driving app 30 kilometres to Suraithota, which takes about one hour

2 Suraithota (2303 m) - Tolma village (2575 m) 03 kms walk up from road head to the Tolma village. App 02-03 hours Reach Suraithota around 1300 hrs to walk up to Tolma a hamlet of 15 homes where people offer basic but very comfortable home stays. Day at leisure to relax, walk around, taste local food and make friends. For the next five days this will be the last human habitation on the trekking route. Overnight in village.

3 Tolma village (2575 m) An easy five kilometre walk across the Lama river to acclimatise and check the surroundings The day largely at leisure to acclimatise and explore the surroundings. Visit the excellent high altitude herbs and medicinal plants garden maintained by the village and meet its knowledgeable keeper. Walk to the river and beyond with the village children as they take the cattle to graze. Look for wild Blue Sheep or Bharal, as they are locally called, on the slope opposite the village. Overnight in Tolma village

4 Tolma-Karichaun (3030 m) 05 kms (four hours) Start around 0800 hrs on a relatively gentle climb through Deodar, pine, Cyprus and birch forests to a water source called Karichaun for the first day to prepare for the long haul the next day. Relax, acclimatise, bird watch. Overnight in camp

5 Karichaun(3030m) -Himtuli(3636) - Jhandidhar (4200) 12 km (08 hours) We start at 0700 after a light breakfast for a climb to Himtuli through shaded birch and Yew forests trying to spot the Monal pheasant, musk deer and others. After lunch and rest at Himtuli we go up a steep climb to Jhandidhar, the entrance of the Nanda Devei National Park. Overnight at Jhandidhar in tents

6 Jhandi Dhar(4200m) - Bagfyana - Satkula - Dharansi Pass (4250 m) 08 kms trek (05nhours) After breakfast trek begins with a steep climb up to Bagfyana pass. From Bagfyana the trail passes through a very narrow gorge of Satkula with steep ascents and descents to reach the meadows of the Dharansi pass, which is an excellent spot to watch mammals like Blue Sheep, Musk deer and Tahr. Dharasi pass also gives stunning views of Nanda Devi and other peaks. Overnight in tents.

7 Dharansi Pass (4250 m) Debrugheta (3500 m) and back to Dharansi Pass 14 kms (07-08 hours) A day to either relax and spend time in Dharasi to look for wildlife. Best to wake up early and walk around with the guide. For those who are interested, there is a 14 km trek to Debrugheta and back.The Malthuni-Bethartoli ridge, between Dharansi Pass and Debrugheta, drops down to the Rishiganga river in a steep gorge. Till Donidhar is a gradual descent and then from Donidhar to Debrugheta is a steep fall of 750 m till one crosses a makeshift bridge over the stream. Afternoon return trek to Dharansi Pass. Overnight in tents at Dharasi.

8 Dharansi Pass (4250 m) - Satkula, Bagfyana - Jhandi Dhar -Lata Kharak (3689m) 12 kms trek (05 hours) Return through familiar territory and then we branch off from Jhandidhar towards Latakharak continuously descending with a few minor ascents. The forest hut at Latakharak is on a high plateau surrounded by rocky peaks. Overnight in tents or the hut, if it is unoccupied.Latakharak has lovely views of Bithartoli-Himal (6354 m), Nanda Ghunti (6309 m), Ranthi(6003 m) and Dronagiri (7066 m) as well as broad views of Kunwari pass, Auli, and Lata Village.

9 Lata Kharak - Lata village (2317m) 8.5 kms trek (04 hours) After a leisurely morning descend to the Lata village with its unique culture. Visit the famous Nanda Devi temple. Overnight in tents close to the village

10 Lata village(2317) - Lata roadhead (2000m) - Rainee village (1980m) - Joshimath (1890m) - Rudraprayag 1.5 km trek (01 hour) to roadhead - 15 minutes to Rainee village - 40 minutes to Joshimath - 04 hours to Rudraprayag After a quick walk to the roadhead and good byes to the team drive in waiting vehicles to the Rainee village to visit the memorial to Gaura Devi, who organised the women of her village to hug the trees in the nearby forest in protest against their being felled, to start what was later known as the Chipko movement. Continue driving to Joshimath and after refreshments proceed to Rudraprayag, Overnight at Monal 11 Rudraprayag to Haridwar.

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