The Deoriatal-Chandrashila Trek is a gorgeous trek in Uttarakhand that takes you through Deoriatal Lake, Chopta, Tungnath and Chandrashila peak. You may embark upon this short trek to revitalize yourself with some of the elegant offerings of nature in the form of soothing climate, numerous species of birds, dense forests with maple, rhododendron and oak trees, and captivating views of all the major summits of Western and Eastern Uttarakhand. Standing on top of the Chandrashila summit is a blessing. This five-day plan is unmatched in nature’s beauty, exhilarating challenges, time-efficiency, and convenience.
The Deoriatal Lake would mesmerize you with its charm and here you’d get to see animals and birds drinking slurping its shimmering water. While the trail to Chopta is all about luxuriant meadows and mountainous dwellings amid the Himalayan ranges, the further trail takes you to the Tungnath peak which sits at a height of about 12,073 feet. Tungnath also features the highest Lord Shiva shrine in the world. Deoriatal-Chandrashila trek is recommended for the post-monsoon season where the snow-clad mountains would let you admire and experience the bliss of eternity.
For the level of difficulty, the trek is considered as a quite easy, although some suddenly climb and rugged terrain may test your trekking skills from time to time. The trek to the summit of Chandrashila at about 13000 ft. and marks the last leg of your uphill journey, whereupon it would be a return to Chopta, the base camp. This five-day trail would involve trekking almost 30 km and with salubrious weather in this region, one can always expect a great time here.
Best Time to Visit: Deoriatal-Chandrashila Trek is best for all the year to visit. Best time to visit Chandrashila is in summers (April-May) and winters (October-December). Best time to trek on Snow to Chandrashila Peak is from January to March.
Reach Sari, the base camp of the Deoriatal-Chandrashila trek. Transport will be arranged at an additional cost from Dehradun Railway station at 06:30 AM. Cost of the cab – Rs. 5,500/- per vehicle. During the drive, you will be surpassing the Yoga Capital of the World and sacred town of Rishikesh and also pass Devprayag where the confluence of rivers Alaknanda and Bhagirathi to form river Ganga. The river will keep you company throughout, reaching you at Sari by 06:00 in the evening where you will have an overnight stay at a Guest House/Camp/Home Stay. Roam the village, learn some words of the local language, this is appreciated and often results in getting more out of the experience. Ask for permission before taking pictures from the respect of local people. Enjoy the areas you go to, but if possible, try and leave in a better state than you found them in.
The first day is easy and the shortest day of the trek with mixed ascends and descends which involves 3 km hike; this is about to take 2-3 hours to reach Deoriatal. Pass through the dense thickets thriving with abundant bird species and continue climbing upwards. As soon as the lake comes into your sight, you could see some beautiful reflection of the entire surroundings in the clear water of this lake. A splendid vista of Chaukhamba massifs is unveiled in the background of the lake. Deoriatal Lake is also referred to as ‘two worlds at one place’, the first one being the real world and the other one being the reflection of the beautiful surroundings on the lake. Settle down right here in the comfort of your camps and get a very good night time’s sleep.
This is the longest day of the trek has rolling terrain beginning with initial gradual ascends and then rapid descend which involves 14 km trek; it takes about 7-8 hours to reach Chopta village. Today’s trail will familiarize you more with the Mount Kedar and Chaukhamba massif Summit, rising closely as you process. It will be through dense forests of oldest oak, maple and rhododendron trees of the Kedarnath Sanctuary and trail moves to Chopta through the meadow of Rohini Bugyal may be quite an experience amid the enchanting weather. At the same time, the surrounding beautiful mountains are snow-clad that will provide a pleasing background to this captivating adventure. You may find yourself lucky enough if you manage to spot a local stunning bird named Monal. After a long day, overnight stay here that would rejuvenate you for the next days’ trek.
The final day of trekking would mark the last leg of this eventful trek. Get up early morning preferably before sunrise, so that you can treat yourself to a sunrise view from Tungnath and the Chandrashila peak. Beginning from Chopta, you would be reaching a sacred place named Tungnath which has a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and is one of the Panch Kedar. It also features the highest Lord Shiva shrine in the world. Once you reach Tungnath Temple, take some time to admire the beauty of architecture and hard work put in by those Artisans who built it a millennium ago when there had been no modern tools and facilities available in the remotest part of the world. To get the 360° view of snow-clad peaks of Chaukhamba, Bandarpoonch, and Kedar, then go ahead and climb to Chandrashilla which forms the backdrop of Tungnath Temple on the eastern side. It takes an hour to reach the peak from here and the distance is around 1 Km. The climb is not so steep however the altitude makes is little difficult to make quick advances to the summit. The entire trek is mesmerizingly beautiful and the views are simply breathtaking. This pretty easy trek would allow you to appreciate the natural beauty of the Himalayas while having a great time in the homestead of nature. This fateful day ends as you return to your base camp at Chopta for night stay.
Depart from Chopta to Haridwar Railway Station early in the morning. Expect to reach Haridwar by late evening. Transport will be arranged at an additional cost from Chopta at 06:30 AM. Cost of the cab – Rs. 5,500/- per vehicle.
