Garhwal resembles other parts of the Himalayas where various ethnic groups live side by side. Following chiefly the agrarian-pastoral way of life, native Garhwalis make their living from the hilly land the best they can. Some, like the Bhotia traders, migrate far and wide, although the ancient trade routes with Tibet have been closed since 1950. Most of the indigenous people like Jaunsari, Bhotia, Buksha, Tharu, and Raji are heterodox Hindus and Buddhists, while Sikh migrants from West Punjab have settled in the lowlands since 1947. A few Muslim groups are also native to the area, although most of them have settled recently. The Muslim Gujjar herders also migrate to the hills
Best Of Garhwal Along The
Pilgrimage Trail
Best Time to visit : April-may / Sep-october Nov
Duration : 10 Days / 08 Nights
Destinations Covered : Delhi - Haridwar - Uttarkashi -
Lata - Belak Khal - Bhaironchatti - Ghutt - Rishikesh
Day 01: Arr Delhi
transfer to hotel. pm city sight seeing
Day 02: Delhi/haridwar/Uttarkashi/lata
early morning transfer to railway station to catch shatabadi
express to haridwar. on arrival commence drive by coach for
lata, 170 kms 07 hours from haridwar . the initial part of the
drive runs through the lower garhwal hills till the ancient
town of tehri, which was once the capital of garhwal kingdom
and now is a controversial site for the famous tehri dam being
built by the government. from tehri the road winds its way
along the mighty bhagirathi river till one reaches the most
important town of this area called "uttarkashi". uttarkashi is
an important stop for people making a visit to the famous
gangotri temple. lata is a small village on the main road to
the holy temple of gangotri and is about 28 kms from uttarkshi.
camp is set across the lata village on the banks of the
bhagirathi river. arrive late evening to the comforts of our
pre set camp. on arrival warm water is served for washing etc
followed by tea and snacks. evening trip briefing by india
insight trek manager followed by dinner and bonfire..
overnight in tents. Day 03: Lata/Belak Khal
after breakfast begin trek on the old pilgrimage route which ends at kedarnath (the holy temple shrine of shiva). this route runs through the heart of garhwal region and is punctuated with remote villages untouched by modern civilization. this route was used in the old days by the pilgrims to visit kedarnath after their visit to gangotri, when there were no roads. even toDayone finds some holy men taking the same route to kedarnath. our days walk is over a well laid out path passing through thick forests. the path gradually climbs into a side valley with trees of oak,pine, fir & rhododendrons lining the path. belak, is a high mountain meadow with summer settlements of villagers from the valley who move up with their cattle's for grazing. arrive in belak around late afternoon, where camp is set for the night. in the evening you can explore this beautiful meadow. meals & overnight in camp.
Day 04: Belak Khal/Bdhakedar
after
breakfast, commence trek over a well laid out path which
gradually descends to jhalla chatti (chatti means a place of
rest for overnight pilgrims) where one can stop at a local tea
shop for refreshments. from here, an hour's walk on almost
level path gets you to the village of budhakedar, an important
place in garhwal which houses the old temple of kedar (shiva).
the people of this village are mostly farmers. in the evening
visit the temple for a special prayer ceremony. later visit
the village which has some of the most traditional houses from
this part of garhwal. evening bonfire & local dances in camp.
dinner & overnight in camp. Day 05: BudBakedar/Bhaironchatti
after breakfast commence trek. the first hour of the walk takes you to the beautiful village of benakhal, situated right on top of a hill, with another impressive temple. this part of the walk is through a pine forest and climbs gradually to benakhal. from here one gets some very impressive views of the valley below. from here the walk is almost level through a number of villages, which give an insight into the way of life of these mountain people. the last one hour of steep climbing through a forest of rhododendrons gets you to the beautiful high mountain meadow of bhaironchatti where camp is set for the night. this meadow has a local village temple dedicated to the hindu god bhairon, where the newly weds from the nearby villages come to take the blessings of the god. the view of the mountains from this high meadow are breathtaking. on a clear Dayone can see the snowy peaks of the distant himalayas. meals & overnight in camp.
Day 06: Bhaironchatti/Ghutt
after
breakfast commence trek with a two hour descent through a pine
forest, over a well laid out path. enroute visit a sheep &
rabbit farm run by the government. the villages one passes
through are very interesting. the last part of the walk is
over the road to ghuttu, a small village very popular with the
trekkers and pilgrims. in the evening, visit village which
houses another very interesting temple and has an ashram for
the pilgrims. meals & overnight in the camp/tourist bunglow.
Day 07: Ghuttu/Rishikesh :
after breakfast drive to rishikesh 05 hours. drive 16 kms upstream to the comforts of our white water rafting camp on the ganges beach. on arrival lunch . afternoon at leisure to explore the beautiful nature around camp. meals and overnight at camp.
Day 08: Rafting Camp
after breakfast commence half Daywhite water run on the ganges. the days run is through some of the most interesting rapids on the ganges. beach lunch is served. late afternoon visit rishikesh temples and ashrams. evening return to the comforts of the camp. meals and oevrnight at camp.
Day09: Rishikesh/Haridwar
after breakfast commence drive to haridwar, 01 hour from rishikesh. visit of haridwar. after lunch, commence 05 hours drive to delhi. over night hotel in delhi.
Day 10: Delhi /Departure :
in time departuer transfer from hotel to international airport catch flight for international destination
