Bali Pass / Yamunotri Pass
Region: Garhwal, Uttarakhand | Grade: Difficult | Max. Altitude: 15900 ft | Age Group: above 18 Yrs
Duration: 9 Days | 8 Nights | Trekking Days: 7 Days
This pass was an old trekking route from the Tons river valley to the Yamuna river valley. It continues to attract trekkers during the monsoon season when the snow melts and the pass is approachable from both sides. The pass is more approachable from the Har-ki-dun valley as the gradient is less and gives a good time for the trekkers to acclimatize to the altitude. The trek starts from Sankri and passes through the GovindPashu National Park, which is famous for its wildflowers. It also gives you an opportunity to visit the sacred lake of Ruinsara on the way and to explore the less-traveled path over Yamunotri pass to Yamunotri temple. The meadows near the lake are an ideal place to rest and explore the nearby peaks and passes.
Another highlight of this trek is that it gives you the experience of camping above 4000m. The area is surrounded by the Banderpoonch range and some of the famous peaks are Kalanag, Banderpoonch west and Ruinsara. This region was made popular by Jack Gibson, a teacher at the Doon school in the late 1940’s. The surrounding peaks and glaciers in the Swargarohini Range and Banderpoonch range are a mountaineer’s delight.
Itinerary
Day 01 : DEHRADOON to SANKRI (1920m) – 210 km (7hrs)
The drive from Dehradoon to Sankri passes through the town of mussorie and the villages of nainbagh, damta, naugaon, purola, mori and netwar. We enter the forest (Govind National Park) after Netwar and the final 20km are through the forest. The drive to Sankri is very beautiful, past pine and deodar forest.Overnight in camp along side the river in Sankri.
Day 02 : Trek Starts: SANKRI (1920m) to SEEMA (2560m)via TALUKA (1800m) – 12km (4hrs)
There is a motorable road connecting Sankri to taluka, but the walk through the forest is also delightful. However the path is a bit tricky and you may face blocks. Taluka is a small village with some shops, dhabas and a GMVN hotel.We cross taluka and continue along the true left of the river. It is a lovely walk along the true left of the river, passing through forests, apple orchards and fields. There are many small tea shops on the way. The town of Seema has many dhabas and a GMVN hotel. We camp alongside the river or on the open grounds near the village.
Day 03 : SEEMA (2560m) TO ROILTIA or WATERFALL-CAMP(2900m) – 4 km (4hrs)
Continue along the true right of the valley along the tons river. The trail ascends through the fields and climbs high above the confluence of the tons and Ruinsara gad. After crossing the meadow of DevsuBugyal we reach roiltia. With the village of Osla&Puoni in front and the waterfall nearby this is a perfect place to camp at night.
Day 04 : ROILTIA TO RUINSARA LAKE (3350m) – 9km (5hrs)
We ascend into the Ruinsara valley. There is a stark difference in the vegetation with pine and fir giving way to birch and rhododendron. Ruinsara is a lovely lake surrounded by meadows and rhododendron bushes. It is considered sacred by the locals. The walk through the forests is beautiful, with Kalanag (6387) visible straight ahead in the valley. Overnight in camps near the lake.
Day 05 : REST DAY AT RUINSARA
Today we rest near the lake and spent the day exploring the nearby glaciers and valleys. This will help us to acclimatize before the next day’s climb to the pass. We reach kyarkoti which is the base camp for black peak (kalanag) and dumdarkandi pass. By evening we are back at the camp.
Day 06 : RUINSARA LAKE TO GODARI (4100m) – 4km (5hrs)
We start the day early so as to reach before afternoon. We camp below the pass along the glacial moraine. This is the one of the best locations for a camp with the valley below and the pass behind you. Camping at this altitude is a new experience which very few treks offer.
Day 07 : GODARI (4100m) TO UPPER DHAMNI (4000m) VIA BALI PASS (4850m) – 15km (7hrs)
We start very early today. The trail heads down south, over the ridge. It is a fairly short but steep climb up to the Bali pass on the southern ridge. A lot of glacial scree will be encountered here. We reach the top of the pass by 8am. You get a gorgeous view of various peaks from here especially of the Panchachuli peaks on a clear day. From the pass, we descend down into the alpine zone and reach the camping grounds of upper dhamni. This place has water nearby.
Day 08 : UPPER DHAMNI (4000m) TO YAMUNOTRI TO JankiChatti (2400m) Trek Ends
We descend to the forested trail leading to Yamunotri. After a quick visit to the famous shrine of Yamunotri, we make our way down the conventional pilgrim trail to hanuman chatti. Overnight in guesthouses in Yamunotri or in Hanuman Chatti/JankiChatti .
Day 09 : JANKI CHATTI TO DEHRADOON 180km Drive (7hrs)
Best Season: May-June, Sept-Oct