The Har Ki Dun means Valley of Gods and it is considered as the best beginners trek in Himalayas. Har Ki Dun Trek is a moderate trek which takes you to the one of the least explored and remotest places in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand.
Destinations Covered in the Har Ki Dun Trek: Dehradun, Purola, Mori, Sankri, Govind Wild Life Sanctuary.
Brief Har Ki Dun Trek Itinerary:
Day 1: Dehradun to Sankri (220Kms/ 10 hrs drive approx)
Day 2: Sankri to Taluka (12 kms/ 1hrs drive) Taluka to Pauni Garaat (10 Kms/ 7 hrs Trek)
Day 3: Pauni Garaat to Kalkattiyadhaar (7 kms/ 6 hrs trek)
Day 4: Kalkattiyadhar to Har Ki Dun & back to Kalkattiyadhar (10 kms/ 9 hrs trek)
Day 5: Kalkattiyadhar to Pauni Garaat via Osla (7 Kms/ 5 hrs trek)
Day 6: Pauni Garaat to Taluka (10 Kms/ 5hrs trek) Taluka to Sankri (12 kms/ 1hrs drive)
Day 7: Sankri to Dehradun (220kms/ 10 hrs drive approx)
The very first day we will meet at Dehradun railway station at 7:00 in the morning for our journey through curvaceous roads of the Shivalik Himalayas. Today’s journey from Dehradun to Sankri is about 200 kms long and takes around 10 hours. Enroute we will stop for breakfast and lunch before we reach our basecamp. Reach Sankri late in the evening and take full rest at the camp for the Har Ki Dun Trek.
On day 2, we will begin our journey to Taluka right at 8 am after a hot and nourishing breakfast at Sankri. This short 1 hour drive through thick forests following small streams will introduce us to the terrain of our trek closely. Reaching Taluka, a small village, we will start our trek around 9 am. The first interval on today’s trek is a descent to the banks of the beautiful streams and then the trail enters thick forests which end upon reaching the first cemented bridge. Crossing a small river, the trek route leads up to a wooden bridge with a slight slope that goes down to the river. Here you can fill your bottle and move ahead. At around 2 in the afternoon, we reach the rest point for lunch by the Supin stream that we crossed before. Moving ahead, we encounter numerous harvest fields of potato, millet, and maize thoughout the way. We arrive at Pauni Garaat a little late in the afternoon as the Sun goes down—this our first campsite.
We will start our third day right at 7 in the morning in order to cover the distance from Pauni Garaat to Kalkattiyadhar of 7 km in about 6 hours. The trek route crosses 3 “garaat” or hydroelectricity units which are used by the locals for separating husks of millet and maize followed by grounding of the flour. The trek moves through harvest lands, cattles, and roofed huts. After crossing a small log bridge, there is a slight ascent. On this slope, you will get fabulous views of the Dhauladhar Range out front. Bendy trails to Borasu Pass and Baspa Valley can also be made out from here. The trek leads further down to a green stretch—Kalkattiyadhar, our campsite for day 2.
From Kalkattiyadhar, the valley divides itself into 2: one way leading towards Har ki Doon and other one towards Balli Pass, Yamunotri. Our day would start at 6:00 am with early morning tea followed by breakfast at 8 am. We will start our trek towards Har Ki Doon at 9 am. First 1.5 kms of the trek route is a bit steep and post that route descends for approximately 200 metres over 2 kms through the forests and the last 2.5 kms is a gradual ascent. The final section of the trek receives comparatively less sunshine, so one can expect a little snow just after winter season. You also might encounter some waterfalls which are completely frozen during winters. After exploring the beauty of Har ki Doon, we trek back to Kalkattiyadhar and replenish ourselves with hot dinner.
Today will the easy part of the Har Ki Doon Trek but going downhill is always a tricky one. We will be trekking by the same route so you have an idea about the landscape. After a tiring day of trekking, we will stop at Osla for a sumptuous lunch and then explore the area while you can admire the village again, and take pictures of the beautiful views at Osla. After that, you head downwards to Pauni Garaat. You’ll camp overnight in tets , put to sleep by the sound of the river.
A 5-hour trek to Taluka alongside River Supin will start in the morning after the morning tea; we will be climbing down by the same route. We expect to reach Taluka at 12:30 pm where shared cabs would be waiting for us at the end of the dirt road to drive back to Sankri. Sankri will be reached just in time for tea and snacks.
