India is a country that cannot be described, but must be experienced. Nature alone overwhelms the senses. In the north, the Himalayas rule, in the south dream beaches attract and in between deserts, tropical rainforests and cultural landscapes alternate. Due to its diversity, India is a trekking paradise at its best. Here we present you an impressive trekking tour to the source of the Ganges in the Himalayas.
Already the journey to the starting point of this 10-day trekking tour is an experience. By train and jeep you will travel from Delhi to the north in two days – more precisely to Gangtori in the district of Uttarkashi. On the way, the climate and landscape change significantly compared to Delhi – it becomes pleasantly cool and the first mountains of the Himalayas rise up.
Day 1 to 2: Trek with pilgrims
The tiny village of Gangtori is one of the four stops on the Char Dham pilgrimage trail. Don’t miss visiting the Ganga temple and performing a puja ritual in honor of the gods. As an offering, float incense sticks, flowers and a butter light on the river Bhagirathi (which later becomes the Ganges). A great way to get in the mood for the trekking tour!
After an overnight stay in one of the small guest houses, we set off the next morning surrounded by more than 40 six-thousand-meter peaks. Gangtori is located at about 3,000 meters and in the course of the next two days you hike relatively leisurely through a slightly ascending valley at 4,000 meters to the first destination of the tour, the Ganges spring. You will spend the night in a tent.
The Tatonka Yukon trekking backpack with large case opening, hydration system preparation and rain cover included.
And the best: The V2 carrying system relieves your spine. This allows you to wear the Yukon even over longer distances without any problems.
On the rock walls along the way you will find many religious images that give you an insight into Hinduism. The tree line in the area is over 3,700 meters, so you will walk through small forests of cedar and birch trees – always accompanied by the sound of the river. By the way, you have to cross the river once by means of wobbly planks.
On the way you will meet pilgrims who have the same goal as you: the glacier cave Gaumukh. Translated, the name means cow’s mouth. The Ganges, which at this point is still called Bhagirathi, rises from this cave. In the icy waters, pilgrims perform ritual ablutions in their sacred river.
Day 3 to 5: Green meadow at the foot of Shivling
Now is the time to leave the pilgrims behind you, as the second part of the trekking tour begins. The next destination is Tapovan Meadow at the foot of Shivling at 4,300 meters. Through pathless terrain, you will climb steeply over boulders and gravel on rock faces, until suddenly a large green meadow, surrounded by a huge stone moraine, lies before you. Pure idyll – a small stream meanders through the meadow and a herd of mountain deer passes the tent in the evening light.
For two days the meadow remains the camp for tours into the surrounding glacier world and you have time to get used to the altitude. With every step, new impressive mountain massifs open up before you: the ice-covered 7,000-meter Satopanth, Mount Meru, Shivling and the Gangtori Glacier.
Day 6-10: Glacier crossings and ABC camp Satopanth
Over this glacier we will go to the next camp at almost 5,000 meters. The way across the glacier is strenuous and involves a lot of climbing. After a last steep ascent, you suddenly find yourself on a green meadow with a mountain lake after a desert of ice and scree. Time to pitch the tent in the shade of the mighty Bhagirathi and give your feet a rest.
The next morning, after a breakfast in impressive mountain scenery, it goes off in the direction of ABC camp of the Satopanth. Lunch break you make directly on the glacier. Afterwards we walk back to the tent – our starting point for the next day tours. Finally it’s time to take down the tents again. With melancholy, but also anticipation of civilization, we return to the starting point Gangtori with three more intermediate camps.
And this tour will not only leave you heavily impressed – after 10 days in ice, rocks and scree you will look forward like a little child to little comforts like fresh fruit or a piece of chocolate.
