Black Peak Base camp – Har ki Dun trek

Day 01: Dehradun to Sankri – 8 h drive

We start the journey early from Dehradun and drive iniEally to the famous hill staEon of Mussoorie. We follow the river Yamuna upstream. Purola is the last big seQlement on the route with a large market. So, it is recommended that the trekkers can buy anything they might have missed out by Purola itself.

The drive acer Purola is through a beauEful forest of pine trees. From near the village of Mori, the river Tons flows beside us Ell about Netwar. The fall in temperature can be felt from here. We officially enter Govind Pashu Vihar Wildlife Sanctuary acer we cross a check post at Netwar. It can be considered the southern

gateway to the sanctuary as most of the treks across the region are accessed from here onwards. The northern border of the sanctuary merges into Himachal Pradesh. Close to here, the rivers of Rupin and Supin merge to form Tons, which is the largest tributary of Yamuna and in fact larger than Yamuna itself, in terms of volume of flow. The peak of Kedarkantha can be seen from various points along the way from here.

We reach Sankri by early evening or late acernoon. It is a small village with a central market lined with a few shops. The village has numerous apple orchards which are harvested starEng from monsoon. The market area is new compared to the old village area, a part of which is known as ‘Saud’. The village also produces peaches, apricots, potatoes and other vegetables. One can see the Swargarohini peak from here on a clear day. We rest at night in a guest house.

Day 02: Sankri to Seema (2,600 m) – 1 h drive + 2-3 h trek (~4 km)

Acer breakfast we board an SUV and drive through forests and villages for about an hour. This is a new road. The trek commences from the village of Dhatmir or Dharkot on a stony path. We walk downhill for a short distance Ell we reach the river. The village of Gangad is visible not the opposite site of the river. From here, the path crosses over a few streams which merge with Supin. We reach the small seQlement of Seema and camp here.

Day 03: Seema to Ruinsara lake (3,600 m) – 15 km

To get to the holy Ruinsara Lake, we walk along a spectacular alpine trail. From the meadows of Debsu, the views of the Swargarohini Range are especially stunning. Acer a short descend and further upstream along the river, we get our first glimpse of Black peak. A forest of Himalayan Birch trees greets us on the way. The final stretch ascends away from the main river and we reach our campsite beside a wooden hut. The lake lies a few meters ahead of us. From here we can see the route towards Bali Pass on the opposite side of the valley.

Day 04: Ruinsara lake – KyarkoF (Base Camp) (4,200 m) – 7 km

The trail starts over meadows conEnuing from Ruinsara lake. There are a few streams on the way. Slowly, the landscape becomes patched with boulders. We also traverse a rocky ledge. The last part is over waves of rolling meadows strewn with boulders.

Day 05: KyarkoF (Black peak basecamp) rest day

KyarkoE is a grassy patch of land on a shelf, located right at the boQom of Swargarohini peak. Below the shelf, a glacier feeds into the river we saw at Ruinsara. On all sides, it is surrounded by snow-capped mountains. From the base camp, you can see Black Peak clearly. We soak in the nature and beauty surrounding us. We can also have a day hike further and come back.

Day 06: KyarkoF to Waterfall camp (3,000 m) – 15 km

We walk back via the familiar route to cross Ruinsara lake and camp further down near a waterfall.

Day 07: Waterfall camp to Har ki Dun (3,400 m); Camp at Boslo (3,200 m) – 15 km

From our campsite we walk along the river downstream. Skipping the diversion towards the bridge on our lec, we take a trail into a dense forest. Further ahead we cross a bridge to reach our campsite Boslo. From here, Har ki Dun is a short distance. We trek back to our camp.

Day 08: Waterfall camp to Har ki Dun (3,400 m); Camp at Boslo (3,200 m) – 15 km

An easy walk on the popular trail from Har ki Dun leads us to the village of Osla. We can roam in the village. Our stay will be in a homestay.

Day 09: Osla to Sankri to Dehradun – 4 km trek + 9 h drive

From Osla, a downhill trail leads us back to the first day’s route. The trek should take around an hour. A vehicle takes us to Sankri. From Sankri, we shic to another car which drives us all the way to Dehradun.