Best and Cheap Har Ki Dun Trek March April May June 2023

Himalaya Shelter, near Anant Tennis Academy, Kailashpur, Jai Colony, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248171

Har ki Dun, is a valley that is situated in Govind Wildlife sanctuary, Uttarkashi district in north-west Uttarakhand. It was a cradle shaped valley that can only be reached by trekking to the valley. The distance to the Har ki Dun valley is 25 KM from the road head. Thus the total trek distance is 50 KM. It takes 2 to 3 days to reach the valley and return in another 2 days. In 1937, Doon school master Jack Gibson along with Tenzing Norgay and his colleague John Martyn climbed Bandarpunch peak. Jack Gibson made several expeditions in the region and trained young Indian mountaineers. The flora, fauna and Garhwali culture of Har ki Dun region thus became known to the outside world. The name "Har Ki Dun" is interpreted in two different ways. First is the literal translation, i.e. Valley of Gods - Har is the name for Shiva, one of the trinity gods as per Hinduism. Dun means a valley. The other name has more resemblance with the local culture and traditions. The second translation is "The sound of Shiva or the Sound of God". Every year to welcome Lord Someshwara (a form of Shiva) a festival is held in the valley, where a Dhaki (drummer) plays the drum. It is said that ages ago a Dhaki had disappeared in the Valley above and every year during the festival month one can still occasionally hear the Dhaki playing drums far up in the valley in the early hours of the day. Many village elders mention of several accounts throughout their lives about hearing these drums.
Har Ki Dun Trek Route
Sankri village acts as a base camp for Har Ki Dun. It is located 190 KM from Dehradun and the drive goes via Mussoorie, Kempty Falls, Naugaon, where the route to Yamunotri & Sankri diverge. Purola, Mori are two important towns ahead of Naugaon. From Mori expect little to no netowork coverage and bumpy road as we enter Govind Wildlife Sanctuary.
The Har Ki Dun trek starts with a drive from Sankri to Taluka, from where we trek to the Har Ki Dun valley. It is situated approximately 25 KM further ahead of Taluka. The entire trek is 50 km and additional 2.5 km to the Marinda Lake.
The trek is along the Supin river and goes through Garhwali villages of Taluka, Gangad and Osla. The trekking route is densely forested till Osla, the last village. In Har Ki Dun one Forest Guest House & one Garhwal Mandal guest house (GMVN) are situated. Camping in the Har Ki Dun valley is prohibited since Uttarakhand high court ban on camping in meadows in 2018.
From Har ki Dun one can see the entire North Face of Swargarohini I (6,252 m) peak. This face drops to about 2,000 m in less than 2 km distance and is yet to be climbed. Some associate it the path to heaven that was followed by Pandavas of the epic Mahabharata. However, the story is actually associated with the Swargarohini steps seen from Satopanth Lake, which lies ahead of Badrinath.
The beautiful Marinda Tal formed by a huge boulder obstructing the river, can be trekked in an hour from Har Ki Dun, at a distance of 2.5 KM. We can explore the Hata Valley to the north of Har ki Dun. The hike to Jaundhar Glacier view point that takes us to the Swargarohini Base is not feasible owing to long distance.
There are many passes in this region and a few of them cross over into Kinnaur, Himachal, such as Rupin Pass & Borasu Pass. Those towards Yamunotri & Gangotri, such as Bali Pass, Fachu Kandi & Dhumdhar Kandi, which goes to Gangotri valley.