Roopkund - An Ultimate Himalayan Adventure

Visited in May 2026

I was dreaming of a Himalayan trek for the last 2 years. For some or other reasons, this was getting postponed. Finally, this year, we planned the Ali Bedni Bugyal trek in May. As this was our first trek in the Himalayas, we thought to keep it to a moderate one. The decision to go was taken in less than 2 weeks’ time, so there wasn’t a lot of time to prepare. We bought a really nice pair of shoes from Decathlon as they are absolutely needed to keep our toes happy for a happy trek.

We booked the trek with Raftaar Adventures. We flew from Kochi to Dehradun and stayed in a hotel closer to railway station. We chose this place to stay because the pick up next day early morning was from these premises.

Day 1: Dehradun to Lohajung base camp - 10 hour drive

We woke up by 4am, got ready and checked out from hotel and walked to our pick up point where Pujari ji was waiting for us with his Innova car. We met our fellow trekkers, five of them, from West Bengal. It was a long drive, the entire day to reach Lohajung by evening. In between we stopped for breakfast, lunch and snacks. We introduced ourselves to each others in the group. Rajib da, our trek team leader is an experienced trekker who has by far done many treks. He fondly asked us not to just do till Ali Bedni, but continue the trek until Roopkund! For us this was something to think about, we had a bit of inhibition in mind. But the way Rajib da, Sumit da and Buku inspired us, we finally decided to go up until Roopkund!

We bonded well with the group by the time we reached Lohajung. Rana ji from Raftaar Adventures was at the home stay and helped us check in. He also gave us some nice tea and snacks and briefed us about the trek. We were introduced to our trek guide and support staff. We walked to the main market of Lohajung to a nice rental shop to rent a few gears for our trekking.

We made our payments to Rana ji and after dinner, slept well to be fully energised for our long-awaited adventure the next day.

Day 2: Lohajung to Didna - 7 km trek

We woke up, got ready all set to explore! We had a nice breakfast and the target for the day was to walk through the village and jungle to reach Didna village by afternoon. We crossed rivers, hiked over the terrain, took enough breaks, energized with electrolytes and snacks. Finally, we reached our home stay at Didna village.

Didna is a beautiful, cosy village with very few residents. The villagers live in farming. We strolled around the village to a beautiful spot that offered a perfect view of the entire village. After dinner, we slept well in our well-kept room.

Day 3 : Ali Bedni Bugyal - 10 km trek

One of the most anticipated days of the trek. We were to walk many kilometres through the jungle to finally reach the Ali Bugyal - a long endless stretch of alpine meadows!

We got to see the beautiful mosses in the giant oak trees in the jungles which were also full of rhododendron trees.

We had our pit stop at a Maggie point where we savoured the ‘pahadonwali Maggie’, nice hot tea, some of us had rhododendron juice as well. After taking enough rest at the Maggie point, we further walked ahead to get the first glimpse of the meadows ahead.

The views started getting spectacular as we walked through the meadows… it seemed to be absolutely endless! Every time you see a peak, you walk up to the top only to find another even higher peak ahead! Finally we walked up until the Ali top to catch views of Himalayan peaks of Trishul and Nanda Ghunti.

We then hiked down to our campsite. For the first time in life, we were to experience tent stay on the mountains and valleys. The campsite at Ali Bugyal was cosy and calm. We checked into our tent… our cosy home for the night. A hot cup of tea was served with snacks and later dinner as well. It was a firstly cold night but the tent and sleeping bag kept us warm enough.

Day 4: Ali Bedni Bugyal to Pathar Nachuni - 7 km trek

The next morning, we walked through Ali Bugyal, crossed Bedni Bugyal and reached Pathar Nachuni campsite. The bright sunny weather changed by the time we checked into the tent. There was a heavy hailstorm and we were all inside our tents. It was terrifying to some extent to hear the hail stones falling over the tent and a little bit of water oozing inside the tent momentarily. After about an hour, the weather turned better, but it was too cold outside to step out even for dinner. The crew served tea in the tent and so was dinner.

By late night, when we stepped out for loo, the weather was clear with perfect views of Milky Way up above.

Day 5: Pathar Nachuni to Roopkund via Bhagwabasa and back - 17 km trek

This was the day we all were waiting for, the day to summit Roopkund.

There was a discussion at Rajib da’s tent the previous night to plan the next day. As it was summit push, all of us did our oxygen level checks and was decent. The plan was to start at 3 am with our first stop at Kalu Vinayak temple, and then Bhagwabasa, and finally Roopkund.

The trek from Pathar Nachuni to Kalu Vinayak was really tough. I felt dizzy, numb and weak as we climbed. It was high altitude as well as we were ascending higher and higher. I almost felt like giving up, when the team not only motivated me but also helped me overcome the challenges.

I felt immensely better, I believe it’s the blessings of Vinayakji. Also, the excellent and uninterrupted views of Himalayas! What a beauty!! No words to say… no picture taken can do justice to the beauty of these views , its etched in my mind. The peaks of Trishul and Nanda Ghunti were clearly visible and these are beyond words to express. I don’t think anyone can give up mid way after seeing these magnificent views. It urges you to bring out your best, Himalayas are powerful mountains and the true intention to explore will definitely be granted by the nature.

We walked ahead…the terrain changed right after the Kalu Vinayak temple. We now started to see snow.

After walking ahead, we reached Bhagwabasa. This used to be a campsite earlier, but is not one now. We wore our final gears like snow gaiters and crampons. Our guides gave us ropes to hold and they used snow axe to cut way for us to walk ahead.

Time was a concern, it had already started to get warmer and snow around would soon start to melt. Our guide advised that we will go as much as we can.

These images would speak for themselves, but what we saw and experienced cannot be measured or expressed in words.

Climbing down on the already melting snow was difficult and dangerous. Our guides helped us all the way and we reached Bhagwabasa. Took some rest and then headed back to Kalu Vinayak temple. After resting well, we walked further towards our campsite at Pather Nachuni. It started to rain heavily and somehow we managed to reach the forest department’s asbestos tent about half a kilometre from our campsite. We took shelter there for sometime and then headed back to the tent. It was a super eventful day, physically tiring but mentally super satisfying. It was a visual treat to our eyes and mind. The picturesque view of mighty Himalayan peaks not only lifted our spirits but also left everlasting memories in our minds.

Day 6: Pather Nachuni to Wan - 15 km trek

We slept like babies! Body was exhausted, but mind was recharged. With a good night sleep, we all got physically ready for the final day of our trek. It was a day again of long walk from Pather Nachuni via Bedni kund to Wan village. After a good breakfast, we started off our way back.

The picturesque Bedni Bugyal was a treat to our eyes. The lush meadows, grazing sheep, old temples of Maa Nanda Devi, terrific views of Trishul peak and Nanda Ghunti… what more to feel overwhelmed with happiness and satisfaction!

Once we reached the village area, we got chance to meet some local residents , had a cup of hot chai and snacks from a little cafe on our way. Finally, we reached Wan village and got to see a car after 6 days!!! Yaar!!! we got a drive back to our base camp at Lohajung.

We had a nice little dinner party at Lohajung base camp, slept well. Honestly, the humble home stay at Lohajung seemed like a wholesome luxury after a few days of camping in nature :)

Day 7: Lohajung to Rishikesh

This was again a long drive day, all the way from Lohajung to Rishikesh. We started off by 8am and by the time we reached Rishikesh, it was already quite late in the evening.

On our way, we got excellent views of Devprayag, the holy confluence of River Alaknanda and River Bhagirathi which then flows as Maa Ganga.

We offered our prayers from far at Dhari Devi temple. Devi is considered as the protector of Uttarakhand and Char Dham.

We got down at Rishikesh and bid farewell to our dear trek mates who were headed to Dehradun. We crossed the Janki Setu and checked in to our hotel at Swarg Ashram area of Rishikesh.

Day 8: Rishikesh and train to Delhi

We started our day very early morning at around 5am and walked towards the beautiful ghats on the banks of River Ganga. The calmness of the morning was very pleasant. After spending some time at the ghat and witnessing the sunrise over Ram Jhula, we walked towards the sand beaches nearby. It was so pleasant and soothing for our mind.

We had our breakfast from a small tea vendor, it was deeply satisfying. The chai and bun masks with a plat fill of fruits was quite filling and energising. We strolled around the ashram lanes, did some shopping, had lunch at a cafe facing the beautiful Ganga, enjoyed our day at Rishikesh.

Then, we took auto to Haridwar railway station to catch our train to Delhi. From Delhi, we flew back to Kochi carrying tonnes of memories which will stay with us forever!

Many people might wonder about the toilet facilities available during an extended trekking journey. It's straightforward—it's a dry toilet. A temporary tent will be set up with a hole dug in the ground for use. You use paper tissues instead of water, cover it with soil afterward, and ensure it's clean for the next person.

While the sceneries and experience were priceless, we also earned a few really good friends from this trekking trip. They were so friendly, warm, helpful, fun loving which made our first trek very memorable. Thank You Rajib da, Sumit da, Raja da, Buku and Reena for giving us such great company throughout the trip. Our trek guide, Khalip, was incredibly helpful. He was always ready to assist when someone was tired, even carrying their luggage until they felt okay. Surender - I don't know when and where he joined our trek group. He is proper mountain guy. The way he climbed up and down the mountains was unbelievable. I had felt very low on energy during the last leg of the hike to Roopkund. He ensured my safety throughout until we were back in the campsite. I cannot thank him enough for the help that day.

Overall, this has been an incredible experience and I would highly recommend people who have a Himalayan trek in their bucket list to not delay it any further, as its gonna give you some of the best moments in life!