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Gaumukh Tapovan
Gaumukh
Gangotri Glacier is one of the largest glaciers in the Himalayas. This glacier is located in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand state of India. By the way, Gangotri Glacier holds religious importance as well as being geographically important for India.
The place where Gangotri Glacier ends in the Himalayas looks like the mouth of a cow. And in the Hindu religion, cows are considered mothers, for this reason, the mouth of the Gangotri glacier is known as Gaumukh. Apart from this, Gaumukh is also the origin of the most important water stream of Ganga, which is known as Bhagirathi River, the holiest river of Hinduism.
Due to this, the religious importance of Gaumukh (Gangotri Glacier) in Hinduism increases even more. The height of Gaumukh is only 4023 meters (13200 feet) above sea level. The Gangotri Glacier, spread over an area of about 27 cubic kilometres, is considered to be the largest glacier in the Himalayas. The length of this glacier is 30 kilometres and the width is around 2 to 4 kilometres.
From Gaumukh, located at a distance of about 19 km from Gangotri Dham, you can see the huge mountains of the Himalayas like Mount Shivling, Mount Thalai Sagar, and Mount Meru and Bhagirath III. And there is a meadow situated only a few kilometres away from Gaumukh, which is also known as Tapovan.
Before talking about Tapovan, I would like to tell you about some such developments related to Gaumukh, due to which Gaumukh (Gangotri Glacier) has got a different identity on the world stage. In 1972, when the then Prime Minister of Mauritius Sir ShivSagar Ramgoolam was on his visit to India, Ganga water was brought to him from Gaumukh (Gangotri Glacier) which he later mixed in the Grand Basin of Mauritius.
At that time he named this place Ganga Talav in honour of the Hindus living in Mauritius. Apart from this, due to a cloudburst in Uttarakhand in the year 2013, large cracks occur in the glacier. And because of these cracks, on July 26, 2016, when Uttarakhand received very heavy rains, a large part of the mouth of Gaumukh (Gangotri Glacier) collapsed due to rain.
Tapovan
Now when we talk about Tapovan, I would like to tell you that this place is the area above Gangotri Glacier. Situated at an altitude of just 4,463 meters (14640 ft) above sea level, it is believed that sages and sadhus used to come here to do penance.
Geographically, the Tapovan Kshetra in the Himalayas is a grassland located at the foothills of Mount Shivling. It is believed that this place is the seasonal home of sadhus living in caves and huts, and for this reason, this place is also called Tapovan because once upon a time this place was visited by sages to perform penance. .
Presently Tapovan is known as a very famous trekking destination. Most of the trekkers also prefer to go to Tapovan as it is located only a few kilometres away from Gaumukh. And this is the reason why this entire trek is known as Gaumukh Tapovan Trek.
Due to the severe floods in the year 2013, the road leading to Gaumukh and Tapovan suffers a lot, due to which it has become even more difficult to reach here. The Tapovan area is also considered the base camp for many mountaineering expeditions like Mount Shivling, and Bhagirathi Peak.
Apart from this, Tapovan is considered to be one of the highest altitude grasslands in India. Here you get to see large meadows and a variety of flower species. A stream named Amrit Ganga flowing from the glacier in Tapovan also flows.
A short distance away from this area is a place named Nandanvan which is another vast grassland situated in the foothills of Bhagirathi Massif. Many trekkers and pilgrims love to visit this place.
Gaumukh Tapovan Trek
If you want to see the largest mountains of the Himalayas together, then you must do the Gaumukh Tapovan Trek. Gaumukh Tapovan Trek is considered to be one of the most favourite treks in India. And the simple reason for this is the huge mountains of the Himalayas visible from here like Mount Shivling and Bhagirathi Sisters etc.
Although treks like Roopin Pass, Roopkund and Humpta Pass have gained a lot of popularity in recent years, Gaumukh Tapovan Trek remains the first choice for many trekkers. The total distance of the Gaumukh Tapovan Trek starting from Gangotri is about 46 km which takes about 06 days to complete.
Gaumukh and Tapovan both fall within the bounds of the Gangotri National Park in Uttarakhand, and Tapovan is also the base camp for the mountaineering of many giant mountains of the Himalayas such as Mount Shivling and Bhagirathi Peak. The base camp of Gaumukh Tapovan Trek is Gangotri at an altitude of about 3415 m (11204 ft) above sea level.
And when you reach Tapovan after starting this trek from Gangotri, you reach a height of about 4,463 meters (14640 feet) above sea level. The distance from Gangotri to Tapovan is about 23 kilometres and while completing this trek, you have to pass through many difficult roads.
It is not that only trekkers do the Gaumukh Tapovan trek, but in Hinduism, Gaumukh is considered to be the origin of the Ganges river and for Tapovan it is believed that many saints have done penance at this place. Because of this, you can also get a lot of devotees during this entire trek.
During the Gaumukh Tapovan Trek starting from Gangotri, you will come across places named Deogarh, Chirbasa and Bhojbasa, in which Bhojbasa is the last place in this entire trek where you will get the arrangement to stay and apart from this, the Forest Department here. A check post has also been made.
In the year 2013, there was a landslide in front of Chirbasa, due to which it has become a bit difficult to complete this trek now. Overall, you should prepare yourself physically and mentally to do the Gaumukh Tapovan trek so that you do not face any kind of problems in completing this trek.
Apart from this, one of the most important things here is that without an experienced trekker or a good trekking agency, you should not do this trek alone in any way. Although the Gaumukh Tapovan Trek is considered a moderate to difficult trek, you should not do this trek alone.
In today’s blog post, I would like to answer some common questions related to this trek, which must be coming to your mind before going on this trek…..
01 Where does the Gaumukh Tapovan Trek start?
02 How long does the Gaumukh Tapovan Trek take?
03 What facilities are available during Gaumukh Tapovan?
04 Is Gaumukh Tapovan Trek Safe?
05 How much does the Gaumukh Tapovan trek cost?
06 What is the best time to do the Gaumukh Tapovan Trek?
07 What is the history of Gaumukh Tapovan?
08 How difficult is the Gaumukh Tapovan Trek?
Gaumukh Tapovan Trek – Day 1 – Dehradun to Gangotri (Distance 242 Kms) – Duration (7-8 hrs) By Road
Almost all trekking agencies fix Dehradun for the Gaumukh Tapovan trek. This is because Dehradun is such a point in this trek where all the trekkers can gather together and start the Gaumukh Tapovan Trek. Now you and your entire trekking group leave for Gangotri with the help of a shared cab from here (Gangotri is also the base camp of the Gaumukh Tapovan trek).
It is worth noting here that some trekking agencies stop at a place named Gangnani located near Uttarkashi while going from Dehradun to Gangotri. Gangnani is a hot spring where you can take a bath. After taking bath here, you can leave for Gangotri and we have to do the rest of the night in Gangotri itself. If you are doing this trek with a tracking agency, then they book a room for you in the hotel or guesthouse in advance.
Gaumukh Tapovan Trek – Day 2 – Gangotri to Chirbasa (Distance 09 Kms) – Duration (6 hrs) by Trek
On the second day of the trek, you can leave for Chirbasa from Gangotri early in the morning. Today you trek from Gangotri which is situated at an altitude of 3415 m (11204 ft) to Chirbasa which is situated at an altitude of 3650 m (11975 ft) above sea level.
While trekking from Gangotri to Chirbasa, you have to be a little extra careful as there is a straight gorge on one side of you during the entire trek which makes this trek difficult. Whenever you cross this part during the entire route, work as a team to cross this part of the track. After reaching Chirbasa, you can stay overnight here.
Gaumukh Tapovan Trek – Day 3 – Chirbasa to Bhojbasa (Distance 05 Kms) – Duration (3 hrs) by Trek
On the third day of the trek, you have to trek from Chirbasa to Bhojbasa. The distance from Chirbasa to Bhojbasa is only 05 km, which may take you 3-4 hours to complete. After Chirbasa, as you move towards Bhojbasa, the trees and plants get reduced and the path becomes desolate and barren.
The altitude of Bhojbasa is 3800 meters (12467 feet) above sea level. During this entire trek, you can see a tree named Bhojpatra, for which it is said that in mythological times, sages used to write shlokas on the bark of this tree. Bhojbasa is the last place in the Gaumukh Tapovan trek where you can get an overnight stay and food.
If you are doing this trek with a trekking agency, then they make arrangements in advance for your stay, food and night stay at Bhojbasa. On this day you can enjoy the temple located in Bhojbasa and the huge mountains of the Himalayas located nearby.
Gaumukh Tapovan Trek – Day 4 – Bhojbasa to Gaumukh (distance 04 km) / Gaumukh to Tapovan (distance 05 kms) – duration (7 hours) by Trek
The fourth day of the trek is very tiring for you because on this day you have to reach both Gaumukh and Tapovan on the same day. Here you also start feeling the lack of oxygen because as you go up in height, the air starts getting thinner. You trek directly from a height of 3800 meters to a height of 4462 meters in a single day, which becomes a very tiring task.
The height of Gaumukh is 4023 meters (13200 ft) above sea level and that of Tapovan is 4462 meters (14640 ft) above sea level. Although you can see the huge mountains of the Himalayas from Chirbasa itself, as soon as you reach Gaumukh and Tapovan, all those mountains feel very close to you.
Tapovan is an alpine meadow situated in the foothills of Mount Shivling in the Himalayas.
Gaumukh Tapovan Trek – Day 5 – Tapovan – Rest Day
If you have extra time, then you can keep the fifth day of the trek as a rest day so that the many huge Himalayas mountains located around this place like Mount Shivling, Bhagirathi Sisters, Mount Meru and Mount Sumeru can be comfortably visited. able to observe.
If you wish, you can go up to the Meru Glacier today and return to your campsite in Tapovan. The mountaineers who come for the mountaineering of Mount Shivling and Bhagirathi III, those people start climbing these huge mountains from this place.
You can say that the Tapovan area is also considered the base camp for many mountaineering expeditions like Mount Shivling, and Bhagirathi Peak.
Gaumukh Tapovan Trek – Day 6 – Tapovan to Bhojbasa (Distance 07 Kms) – Duration (6 hrs) by Trek
On the sixth day of the Gaumukh Tapovan trek, you start your journey back to Gangotri. On the sixth day of the trek, you have to come from Tapovan to Bhojbasa. From Tapovan to Bhojbasa, you have to trek for a total of 07 kilometres this time, which may take you about 5-6 hours to complete.
Gaumukh Tapovan Trek – Day 7 – Bhojbasa to Gangotri (distance 14 km) – duration (8 hrs) by Trek
On the seventh day of the trek, you start the trek to Gangotri early in the morning because on this day you have to cover the maximum distance during this entire trek. However, this time you are coming down, so you do not face any kind of difficulty in completing this distance. After reaching Gangotri, you can rest for the night.
Gaumukh Tapovan Trek – Day 8 – Gangotri to Dehradun (distance 242 km) – Duration (9 hrs) By Road
On the last and eighth day of the Gaumukh Tapovan trek, you reach back to Dehradun by shared cab with your trekking group.
Permission for Gaumukh Tapovan Trek
For all the tracks in Uttarakhand and Himachal, you have to take permission from the concerned department for all those tracks. By the way, if you are doing this trek with any tracking agency, then they already do this work for you.
On the other hand, when you do this trek with a trekking guide, then you have to take permission from the concerned department for the trek on your own. Before starting the Gaumukh Tapovan Trek, you have to take permission from the District Forest Officer (D.F.O.), Uttarkashi.
Apart from this, you can also take permission for the Gaumukh Tapovan Trek from the Forest Department’s office located in Gangotri. The Forest Department issues only 150 permits per day for the Gaumukh Tapovan Trek, so before starting this trek, you should take information about the permit. If you want, you can also book online for Gaumukh Tapobhoomi Trek.
( https://www.swstourismuki.com/ )
Gaumukh Tapovan Trek Permit Cost
Indian trekkers are charged Rs 150/- for Gaumukh Tapovan trek. And Rs 600/- is charged from foreign trekkers. Apart from this, the duration of the Gaumukh trek permit is only 02 days. And if you are going from Gaumukh to Tapovan, then you can also extend this period.
Best Time for Gaumukh Tapovan Trek
Gaumukh Tapovan is one of the few treks in Uttarakhand that remains open for a short period throughout the year. The biggest reason for this is the uncertain weather here which can change at any time. There are only 4 months in a year to do Gaumukh Trek when you can do this trek safely.
So when we talk about the best time to do the Gaumukh Tapovan Trek, first of all, you can do this trek from mid-May to the last week of June. And after that, you can do this trek from the second week of September to the last week of October. Overall, these four months of the year are such that you can do this trek safely and well.
Being situated at a high altitude, the Gaumukh Tapovan trek can experience snowfall at any time of the year. And by the end of October, a lot of snowfall starts here, due to which this trek is not considered safe in any way at this time of the year.
Apart from this, the possibility of landslides increases a lot during the monsoon season, due to which it is not considered safe to do this trek even at this time of the year.
Note: – While trekking to Gaumukh Tapovan, you have to keep in mind that the weather can change at any point of time during the entire trek. In summer, where the average daytime temperature ranges from 15° to 20°C, the night temperature drops to 0°. Apart from this, snowfall can happen here at any time.
Temperature of Gaumukh Tapovan
01 Gaumukh Tapovan Temperature in Summer
May to June month – Max: approx 15℃ / Min: approx 0℃
02 Gaumukh Tapovan temperature in Autumn
September to October month – Max: approx 10℃ / Min: approx -5℃
Gaumukh Tapovan Trek Cost
You can do the Gaumukh Tapovan Trek in two ways. The first way is that you can do this trek with an experienced trek guide or you can do this trek with a good trekking agency. According to me, you should do this trek only with a good trekking agency so that you can only enjoy the trek during the entire trek.
And apart from this, it is always safer to trek with a good trekking agency. If you are doing this trek with a tracking agency, then you have to keep only the things you need with you. During the rest of the trek, all the facilities like night stay, food, medical and trek guide etc. are provided by the trekking agency.
Whereas when you do this trek with a trekking guide, then your luggage increases during the entire trek and you have to carry all kinds of things related to the entire trek with you. Now when we talk about the Gaumukh Tapovan trek cost then all trekking agency charges around Rs 15000/- to Rs 20000/- for this trek.
Now it is completely up to you how much money you want to spend on Gaumukh Tapovan Trek. All the trekking agency that conducts the Gaumukh Tapovan trek, have experienced trek guides, there is a slight difference in the facilities you get during the trek, so all the trekking agencies charge different trek cost for the Gaumukh Tapovan trek.
Facilities included in Gaumukh Tapovan Trek Cost
01 Arrangement to stay from the first day of the trek till the last day.
02 Arrangement of food from the first day of the trek to the last day. (Most trekking agencies provide only vegetarian food)
03 Camping Fee – All types of trekking permits and forest camping charges are included in the trek package.
04 Tracking Equipment – High-quality camping tents and sleeping bags are provided by the tracking agency for you guys during the trek. Apart from this, you are also given a rope, ice axe, garter and microspikes if needed.
05 Safety Equipments – The Tracking Agency makes arrangements for medical kits, stretchers, first aid and oxygen cylinders in advance in all the camps to deal with any emergency during the trek.
Facilities not included in Gaumukh Tapovan Trek Cost
01 Transport to and from Base Camp – We assume that the trekking agency arranges to take you from Dehradun to Gangotri by shared taxi. Now all the trekkers have to bear the equal cost of a taxi to go from Dehradun to Gangotri.
02 The tracking agency does not include the charges for the food purchased during the trek in the trek cost.
03 If you have a backpack, you will have to pay an additional fee for the same.
Note:- 01 Before trekking Gaumukh Tapovan Trek with any kind of tracking agency, know about all the conditions.
02 Before starting the trek, go through all the facilities available during the Gaumukh Tapovan Trek.
03 The cost of the Gaumukh Tapovan trek is different for almost all the trekking agencies.
04 All the costs mentioned above are approximate, on which we are not liable in any way.
05 The terms and conditions of all trekking agencies and the facilities offered during the trek may vary.
Tips For Gaumukh Tapovan Trek
01 Identity Card
02 muffler
03 water bottle ( 3-5 litres)
04 Dry Fruits and Packet Food
05 Warm Clothes ( Sweater / Jacket / Pull Over )
06 Poncho / Rain Coat ( For Rainy Season )
07 Sunglasses
08 Extra Battery for Flashlight / Power Bank / Camera
09 Camping supplies if possible. ( Mat / Sleeping Bag )
10 Waterproof bags to protect electronic items from rain.
11 lemon and salt or electrolyte powder/drink (Electoral/Gatorade/Glucon D)
12 Tracking Shoes / Tracking Pant / Quick Dry Tshirt / Cape
13 whistle (for emergency)
14 First Aid Kit:- Scissors, Sunscreen (SPF 50+), Band-Aids (Water Proof), Analgesic Spray (Relispray, Volini), Antiseptic Liquid (Sevlon, Dettol), Antiseptic Powder (Povidone-Iodine Based Powders like Cipladine, Savlon) ), bandage, cotton, crepe bandage etc.
15 medicines:- Fever, headache, motion sickness, loose motion, vomiting and acidity etc.
16 Before starting the Gaumukh Tapovan trek, do check the weather.
17 If you do not have experience of trekking in the mountains, then you can take a local guide with you.
18 Before starting the trek, the trekking agency with which you are doing this trek, then you must first take the information about the itinerary.
19 Before starting the trek, definitely take information about the rules related to the Gaumukh Tapovan Trek.
20 If you are not doing this trek with any trekking agency, then you must take a local trek guide with you. (Take this trek as far as possible with a good tracking agency)
21 During the Gaumukh Tapovan trek, it would be better if you ask the trekking agency about the things you have to carry with you during the trek.
22 If you are not an experienced trekker, then do not forget to do this trek alone.
23 You do not get any kind of mobile network during the trek. Also, you will not have the facility to charge your electronic devices, so you must carry a spare battery and power bank with you during the trek.
24 The trek gets slippery during the monsoon season so be a little extra careful during this time.
25 Before going on the trek, do check the weather once and keep clothes and belongings accordingly.
(Note:- Before taking any kind of medicine, please consult your doctor.)
Hotels in Gaumukh Tapovan
Gangotri is considered to be the base camp of the Gaumukh Tapovan trek. And Gangotri is considered to be the most important part of the Chardham Yatra of Uttarakhand, that is why whenever you go to do the Gaumukh Tapovan trek, you can book a hotel for yourself in Gangotri and a room in Dharamshala.
By the way, if you are doing this trek with a tracking agency, then those people have already booked a room in a hotel for you. Bhojbasa is the last place where you can get an overnight stay and food during the Gaumukh Tapovan trek. Apart from this, there is no place to stop and eat anywhere during the entire trek.
How to Reach Gaumukh Tapovan
How to Reach Gaumukh Tapovan By Air
Gaumukh Tapovan is not directly connected by air. The nearest airport to Gaumukh Tapovan is Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun. From Dehradun, you have to first come to Gangotri by road. And from Gangotri, you can trek to reach Gaumukh Tapovan.
The distance of Gangotri from Jolly Grant Airport of Dehradun is just 265 km. This airport is well connected to the major airports in the country. From Dehradun, you can easily reach Gangotri by taxi and cab service. Apart from this, helicopter service is also available from Dehradun to Gangotri.
How to Reach Gaumukh Tapovan By Train
Haridwar and Rishikesh railway station is the nearest railway station to Gaumukh Tapovan. You can easily reach Gangotri from Haridwar and Rishikesh and after that, you can start the Gaumukh Tapovan trek from here. The distance from Rishikesh to Gangotri is just 267 km.
Haridwar railway station is very well connected to major cities of India by rail. You will get regular bus, taxi and cab services to Gangotri from both these cities Rishikesh and Haridwar.
How to Reach Gaumukh Tapovan By Road
Gangotri, the nearest town to Gaumukh Tapovan, is well connected by road to the major cities of Uttarakhand. You can easily reach Gangotri from Haridwar, Rishikesh, Dehradun Tehri Garhwal and Uttarkashi by bus, taxi and cab service.
If you want, with the help of your vehicle, you can reach Gangotri very easily by road. After reaching Gangotri by road, you can start the trek to Gaumukh Tapovan.
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