Har Ki Dun Trek

Har Ki Dun trek is a few of the treks in India that remains accessible both in winter and summer. This trek is a fascinating journey into the gorgeous valley of Har Ki Dun. Owing to its beauty, the valley is known as the valley of gods. This trek is in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarkhand and lies in the Garhwal Himalayas.

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Short Itinerary
Day 1 – Dehradun to Sankri
  • Drive Time: 10 hours
  • Drive Distance: 220km
  • Sankri Altitude:1950m

Day 2 – Sankri to Pauni Garaat via Taluka

  • Drive Time: 1 hour
  • Trek Time: 6 hours
  • Trek Distance: 10km
  • Altitude:1950m to 2500m.

Day 3 – Pauni Garaat to Kalkattiyadhaar via Osla

  • Trek Time: 5 hours
  • Trek Distance: 8km
  • Altitude:2500m to 3024m.

Day 4 – Kalkattiyadhar to Har Ki Doon & back to Kalkattiyadhart

  • Trek Time: 9 hours
  • Trek Distance: 10km
  • Altitude:3024m to 3566m (summit altitude)

Day 5 – Kalkattiyadhar to Pauni Garaat via Osla

  • Trek Time: 5 hours
  • Trek Distance: 8km
  • Altitude: 3024m to 2500m

Day 6 – Pauni Garaat to Sankri via Taluka

  • Drive Time: 1 hour
  • Trek Time: 6 hours
  • Trek Distance: 10km

Day 7 – Sankri to Dehradun

  • Drive Time: 10 hours
  • Drive Distance: 220km
  • Sankri Altitude:1950m
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Day 1: Dehradun to Sankri

  • Drive Time: 10 hours
  • Drive Distance: 220km
  • Sankri Altitude:1950m

The trek journey for Har Ki Dun begins with a long drive from Dehradun to Sankri. Sankri is the base camp for the trek and is very much famous for many other treks as well. From Dehradun, you will have to leave early morning at around 6 in the morning. The drive takes around 10 hours and is around 200km.

The drive of the day is fantastic and scenic. The drive goes through the beautiful landscape of Uttarkashi. The drive winds through Mussoorie. It goes through other villages like Naugaon, Purola, Mori. The drive is all scenic with forests and mountain ranges welcoming you all the way. Since the drive is long, you will have to stop at some lunch spot. There are many go-to lunch spots for trekkers, you will stop for the delicious lunch on the way.

By evening you will reach Sankri. Gear yourself for tomorrow’s trek, get your trekking stuff on rent, or buy whatever you want to that can help during your trek days. There is a beautiful bazaar at Sankri.

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Day 2: Sankri to Pauni Garaat via Taluka

  • Drive Time: 1 hour
  • Trek Time: 6 hours
  • Trek Distance: 10km
  • Altitude:1950m to 2500m.

On the second day, there is a short drive from Sankri. The drive is to a place called Taluka. From Taluka is what your trekking starts. This short drive is quite thrilling as it goes through thick forests and water streams.

Before you start trekking now, fill your snacks properly, and don’t forget to fill your water bottle. The trail starts beautifully along the river Tons and enters into a conifer forest. It then reaches the bridge. There is a river crossing, and then a wooden bridge comes up after a walk of around 20 minutes and that leads to the waters down.

The hike then becomes pleasant with many shades. This is ideal for photography as it is devoid of that killing brightness of the day. As you will be walking under the canopy of the forest, you will hear the music of the river stream and birds chirping.

In summers this trail is busy with load ferrying by locals. And in autumn you will see them hoarding the essentials for the winters.

A few hours into the trek, you will see a quaint village called Gangar. Here you will find some snack shops. This is unique to a few of the treks in India. Stop here for your lunch break.

Post lunch, your trail will have a fantastic view of long potato and maize farms. Immediately afterward, you will be reaching your campsite at Pauni Garaat.

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Day 3: Pauni Garaat to Kalkattiyadhaar via Osla

  • Drive Time: 1 hour
  • Trek Time: 6 hours
  • Trek Distance: 10km
  • Altitude:1950m to 2500m.

On the second day, there is a short drive from Sankri. The drive is to a place called Taluka. From Taluka is what your trekking starts. This short drive is quite thrilling as it goes through thick forests and water streams.

Before you start trekking now, fill your snacks properly, and don’t forget to fill your water bottle. The trail starts beautifully along the river Tons and enters into a conifer forest. It then reaches the bridge. There is a river crossing, and then a wooden bridge comes up after a walk of around 20 minutes and that leads to the waters down.

The hike then becomes pleasant with many shades. This is ideal for photography as it is devoid of that killing brightness of the day. As you will be walking under the canopy of the forest, you will hear the music of the river stream and birds chirping.

In summers this trail is busy with load ferrying by locals. And in autumn you will see them hoarding the essentials for the winters.

A few hours into the trek, you will see a quaint village called Gangar. Here you will find some snack shops. This is unique to a few of the treks in India. Stop here for your lunch break.

Post lunch, your trail will have a fantastic view of long potato and maize farms. Immediately afterward, you will be reaching your campsite at Pauni Garaat.

4

Day 4: Kalkattiyadhar to Har Ki Doon & back to Kalkattiyadhart

  • Trek Time: 9 hours
  • Trek Distance: 10km
  • Altitude:3024m to 3566m (summit altitude)

This is the summit day. You will be leaving the campsite early morning. Savor the delicious breakfast, get yourself geared for the beautiful and most delightful day of the trek. This day has some different landscapes. You will be traversing some moraines and fantastic meadows. The glacier basin walk could be challenging but rewarding at the same time. The trail has long pine trees.

The trail of the day is a blend of steep and mild ascends. There are frozen waterfalls during winter cold temperatures and covered in thick snow. In early summer, the waterfall is all cascading beautifully. With the final push, you will reach the summit of Har Ki Dun. Behold the entire view of the beautiful valley down and the snow-capped mountains in the surroundings. The summit gives a gorgeous view of the peaks of Swargarohini, Hata, Black mountains.

Spend some time at the summit. Savor the beauty of your surroundings. You will not be seeing nature at its best in cities and hometowns. Post lunch, you will walk the same route. And descend to the same campsite of Kalkattiyadhar.

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Day 5: Kalkattiyadhar to Pauni Garaat via Osla

  • Trek Time: 5 hours
  • Trek Distance: 8km
  • Altitude: 3024m to 2500m

This starts your return journey. The trek towards Sankri is the same as you followed before. So the trek is the repeat. You will be now ascending and losing the altitude till your last day. This however offers a chance to relive those moments in valleys and landscape again. Try to capture every landscape, scenery, and moment with your camera. You will be cherishing these moments later.

The campsite is at Pauni Garaat and it goes via Oslo village.

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Day 6: Pauni Garaat to Sankri via Taluka

  • Drive Time: 1 hour
  • Trek Time: 6 hours
  • Trek Distance: 10km
  • Altitude: 2500m to 1950m

Repeat the trek on the same trail. By now you are familiar with the trail and you will be gossiping around on the trail. The hangover of the trek will remain for long with you.

You will be trekking to Taluka which will take around 6 hours. The distance is 10 km. Once you reach Taluka, there is a short drive to Sankri. As all along you will be descending, be careful with your steps. Be firm with your steps and tie your laces ankle-high.

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Day 7: Homwas – Aru – Srinagar

  • Drive Time: 10 hours
  • Drive Distance: 220km
  • Sankri Altitude:1950m

This is the last day of the trekking journey. This is what you took on your first day. A long drive from Sankri to Dehradun and then to your respective locations. This is a 10-hour drive and will make you reach Dehradun by evening only. However, the drive is quite scenic and winds through beautiful jungles and landscapes.

What is the best time for Har Ki Dun Trek?

Har Ki Dun trek is doable in almost all seasons. Here is how it looks in different months and seasons:

Winters: This trek is beautiful in the winter. Enjoy the fresh snowfall here. Since the gradient of the trek is easy to moderate it is doable in winters as well. However, in extreme snowfall cases, the trek gets canceled.

  • Har Ki Dun in December: As December is the start of the winter and snowfall, this trek has December as the ideal winter month. Come and enjoy your Christmas, New Year in the scenic landscape of this valley. The temperature this month isn’t as freezing as in January. Har Ki Dun trek is very much possible in December.
  • January Har Ki Dun is cold and freezing. You will see ponds and waterfalls frozen and the icicles formed around. Cherish the trek in the fresh snowfall of the valley. This month receives quite a fair amount of snowfall which is frequent.
  • Har Ki Dun in February: This month is somewhat similar to January. However, there is a cold chill during this month. The nights are very much freezing. During the days the temperature also hovers around below zero degrees.
  • Har Ki Dun in March: This is the start of the end of harsh winter. In this month you will see a fair increase in the temperature. Although the temperature is still cold, it gets relatively bearable. This is also the best month in winter to do this trek.

Summer

  • April: April Har Ki Dun is pleasant. This is the perfect season to see both snow and pleasant weather without harsh freezing cold. This is the month the snow has started melting and the grass is starting to grow again. This month will give you a glimpse of both the summer and winter seasons while on this trek.
  • Har Ki Dun in May: This is the month when the sun will be out with its sunshine. The weather is mild. There is no summer heat and no winter cold. This month is ideal as it provides you with the best of its flora and fauna. The fields are full of greenery, the meadows and alive and the streams are thriving with water.
  • Har Ki Dun in June: If you do this in early June, this will be similar to May and better in terms of greenery and temperature. However, by the end of June Monsoon winds start to hit this place causing heavy rainfall. And from July this makes the trek afterward quite tricky and difficult to maneuver.
  • Har Ki Dun Trek October: This is the best season for an autumn trek to this valley. The entire valley is covered in its autumn colourful vibe. This is quite a different and colorful month to do the Har Ki Dun trek. The temperature is neither hot nor cold. It is moderate.

Har Ki Dun weather?

This trek runs through almost three seasons. One is winter, the second is spring, and then the summer. In January and February, the temperature is cold and harsh. And it frequently receives snowfall. In December, the weather is cold but not harsh and it doesn’t receive frequent snowfall. The same is with March. The temperature is cold but not as cold as in January and February.

In the spring month of April, the temperature is pleasant and mild which is also in the month of October. However, October has all the autumn colors and in April you will see the spring colors of bloom.

In June the temperature is of summer and there starts the rainfall as monsoon winds start coming.

So, the temperature of the Har Ki Dun trek varied depending upon the month in which you are doing this trek.