Who does not want to experience trekking amidst the snow to witness the jaw-dropping views in the North of India? But we always have our excuses ready. While some find the treks in the North of India as time consuming, the others fear the difficulty level of the steeper climbs. But what if you find out about a heavenly walk on the snows without much struggle or burn in your pocket?
Located in Uttarakhand, Nag Tibba Trek is one such paradise. Nag Tibba Summit is the foothills of the Garhwal Himalayas. With a historic temple, the Summit is a perfect blend of scenic beauty and religious string. One just needs 3 days in hands to explore the beauty. The best time to visit the place is during the winters.
Cost : the cost from Dehradun and back is from Rs. 3500 – 4000 for 2-3 days.
Route:
The base of the trek is in Pantwari village. There are several ways to make your way to the base.
If you have two days to devote to the trek, either take the
Dehradun – Pantwari- Nag Tibba Summit- Pantwari- Dehradun route or the
Mussoorie- Pantwari- Nag Tibba Summit- Mussoorie way.
And if you have 3, or more days in hand and want to make the most of the place, Dehradun- Pantwari- Nag Tibba Summit- Aunter Village- Dehradun is apt.
Dehradun-Pantwari-Aunter- Dehradun route
Day 1
Dehradun- Pantwari (30 km)
If you are travelling from Delhi or Mumbai, there are several buses and trains that go to Dehradun.The nearest is the Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun.
The journey from Dehradun to Pantwari is 3-4 hours via road. Thus, it is advisable to reach Dehradun early morning so that you don’t waste more time travelling. This way, you reach Pantwari by afternoon. The road journey also provides you with hilltop views of flowering trees.
Pantwari Village- Nag Tibba Mandir (base site)
The distance from Pantwari to the base camp is approx 3 km. Thus, it takes approx an hour to reach the base.
Once you touch down Pantwari by afternoon, grab some lunch. Post that, trek up to the base camp so that you get to catch the glorious sunset over the hills.
To experience the uninterrupted views, rather than camping at the edge of the forest, camp at the Nag Mandir. By crossing the barren stretch,walk through the beautiful forest area for 2 hours and you reach the camping site. The advantage to camp here is that you get the view of the Himalayan Ranges and a better sunset. And you are not surrounded by flocks of people, thus you have your own private time after a night.
Day 2
Nag Mandir- Nag Tibba Summit- Nag Mandir
This is the day, why you travelled all the way to Uttarakhand. Dedicate an entire day to make the most of it.
The journey from Nag Mandir to the Nag Tibba Summit is for approx 2 hours.Start the trek early in the morning to catch the glimpse of the breathtaking view. The view comprised of Higher Himalaya peaks like Nanda Devi, Bandar- Poop Chand and many more. Live the most the views and then scale down back to the camping site at Nag Mandir.
If you have just two days in hand, continue your trek till the Pantwari village and broad a taxi to Dehradun station.
And if not, camp at the Nag Mandir and spend your night with the twinkling stars.
Day 3
Nag Mandir- Aunter- Dehradun
The distance from Aunter to Dehradun is 30km shorter as compared to Pantwari to Dehradun.
Thus, rather than travelling back to Pantwari get to the other side of the mountain Aunter. Aunter is a road ahead so leave in the morning. The good part of this trek is that it is flat and thus you don’t struggle to breathe your lungs out. While walking down through this patch, you come across changing landscapes. For once you see the snow covered forest trails as you cross the hill to the other side, you witness the white-green lush trees amidst the mountains.
And once you reach the base of the village, get a ride back to Dehradun with the splendid landscapes imprinted in your heart.
Writer – Radhika Shah.
