Changsheel Trek

Day 1: Pick up to you from Dehradun Railway Sation to Dhaula Camp (1500 Mt.) Overnight stay in tents 

Pick you to you Dehradun Railway Station Drive in from Dehradun, very early in the morning to beat traffic. Lunch on the way Purola market and after lunch drive to Reach Netwar forest check post Unite . Dhaula Reach Dhaula late in the evening Camp enjoying to beautiful camp near by Rupin River for the night stay in tents.

Day 2:After breakfast from Dhaula camp to Akhoti thach by trek (12km) (5/6hrs)(2700mt) over night stay in tents

The first day of trek from Dhaula campsite is a 6 hour walk through the Dhaula village (the last village on the trail) and forests. The trail will require us to cross stream multiple times. The forest is full of Deodar, Silver Birch (bhoj patra) and rhododendron. April is also the rhododendron flowering season and the forest should hence be colorful.

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The trail head is the same as the one for Rupin Pass; you cross the Rupin river and take a left turn towards Akoti thach (the right goes to Rupin pass).  The trail today is through the Estari gad, a delight for bird watchers; look out for the beautiful looking Monal which are plenty on this trail. The climb is gentle and takes you past apple orchards and a few village homes built entirely of wood. You will cross the stream and walk past a water mill used for grinding flour. After that there is a gentle climb to the forest rest house.

Beyond the forest rest house (FRH), you will climb a steeper gradient through thicker forest; the sun hardly seems to reach the floor and in our case it was cloudy as well. Water is scarce commodity after the snow melts and before the monsoon; hence fill up water at the FRH. The trail becomes tougher in same places due to fallen trees, forcing you to take steeper short cuts. From FRH to the Akoti Thach campsite is a 3km walk but 400m of altitude gain.

The camp for the day is in a wide clearing in the forest. Enjoy a nice camp fire tonight.

Day 3:After breakfast from Akhoti thach to Gujar hat by trek (5km)(283hrs) over night stay in tents 

After breakfast we leave the camp with our rainwear in backpacks (sudden rains are common). There are few water sources and you are better off filling up your bottles wherever you see water source. The trail today is again through thick forest, made difficult by fallen trees and damage from snow /rain.  The forest has plenty of birds and animals. We saw a couple of yellow throated marten and a large variety of birds.  A 2 hour trek brings us to 3000m and a large clearing. This stretch involves a bit of climbing and the path can be slippery and tricky, though remaining straightforward and risk free.

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The clearing provides a good place to rest before continuing the journey. A short climb up from the clearing and we come to the first patches of snow in the forest. The trees are tall and the sun rays hardly reach the ground, a key reason for snow being present in April.

The campsite is below the meadows in the clearing and is decided purely on the basis of availability of water. The campsites aren’t the greatest but the crew will put in all efforts to make it as comfortable as possible. You will be rewarded with incredible views though

Day 4:After breakfast from Gujar hat to Changsheel meadow (6km) (3/4hrs) (3845mt) over night stay in tents .

Day 5:After breakfast from Changsheel meadow to Akhoti thach by trek (12km) (4/5hrs) night stay in tents

Day 6:After breakfast from Akhoti thach to Dhaula Camp (12km) (4/5hrs) over night stay in tents 

Day 7:After breakfast Drive from Dhaula camp to Dehradun by taxi (210km) (7/8hrs) take the overnight train to Delhi

After the Bali pass ridge, half of the trek distance is descent. You will get a summit view of Bandarpoonch, Black peak, and the Yamunotri. You will be given cooked lunch on the way and stay in a tent