New Groups Opened to our latest Ranthan Kharak trek in Kumaon
New Groups Opened to our latest Ranthan Kharak trek in Kumaon

Dates Full? Choose Ali Bedni Bugal for April

The Only Meadow Trek With Stunning Mountain Views.Click here to read more about Ali Bedni Bugyal trek

QUICK INFORMATION ON BRAHMATAL

TREK DURATION

6 days

HIGHEST ALTITUDE

12,250 feet / 3,734 meters

TRAIL LENGTH

Approx 21.8 km

TREK STARTS FROM

AGE GROUP

8 to 62

WHAT TO CARRY

Up to 8-9 kgs backpack which contains .

RENT GEAR

High quality gear available on rent

CLOAKROOM

A cloakroom is available to keep one bag (No valuables must be kept)

TREK DURATION

6 days

HIGHEST ALTITUDE

12,250 feet / 3,734 meters

TRAIL LENGTH

Approx 21.8 km

Brahmatal Trek

The Trek with Best Views of Mt Trishul and Mt Nanda Ghunti

Some of our top treks are favourites because of the mountain views they offer. Think of Chaukhambha from Deoriatal Chandrashila or Bandarpoonch from Dayara Bugyal. It is difficult to find such magnified views of big mountains like these. However, Brahmatal is a trek that takes the cake. It has a view that beats all of these!

Here is why. Right on your second day, you climb out of the beautiful rhododendron and oak forest to see a white wall of the Trishul massif. And these views only come closer as you traverse the ridge towards Jhandi Top.

At Jhandi top, you are almost at the center of the mountain views. To your right rises the massive Mt Trishul and to your left stands Mt Nanda Ghunti. You even see the Ronti Saddle, the ridge that connects Mt Trishul and Mt Nanda Ghunti!

That is not all. At the highest point of the Brahmatal trek, Brahmatal Top,  a new set of mountains open themselves up before you. You see Mt Neelkanth, and Mt Hathi Ghoda… while Trishul and Nanda Ghunti are to your right. Always there.

Mt Trishul and Mt Nanda Ghunti, are your companions throughout the trek. Even the highest point of this trek is approached from the side that is exposed to Mt Trishul and Mt Nanda Ghunti.  This trek deserves to be talked about among treks with the best mountain views.

To top it all, Brahmatal has lovely forests, two lakes to look forward to and a meadow to traverse through.

Brahmatal Videos

Watch these videos to prepare for your Brahmatal trek

Quick Itinerary

A Route Map of the Brahmatal Trek

Day 1

Drive from Rishikesh to Lohajung

Drive distance: 260 km | Drive duration: 10-11 hr | Pick up point for Indiahikes trekkers: Live Free Hostel, Rishikesh | Pick up Time: 5 am | Location of Indiahikes basecamp: Lohajung

It is a 10-11 hour drive from Rishikesh. Transport will be arranged from Live Free Hostel, Rishikesh at 5.00 am. The cost of a cab – Is Rs 7,000 per vehicle and the cost of a Tempo Traveller is Rs 11,000

Day 2

Trek from Lohajung to Gujreni

Trek distance: 4.5 km | Trek Duration: 5 hours | Altitude gain: 7,600 ft to 9,200 ft

Day 3

Gujreni to Tilandi

Trek distance: 2.9 km | Trek Duration: 4-5 hours | Altitude gain: 9,200 ft to 10,495 ft

Day 4

Tilandi to Brahmatal via Brahmatal Top

Trek distance: 6 km | Trek Duration: 5-6 hours | Altitude loss: 10,495 ft to 10,190 ft via 12,250 ft

Day 5

Brahmatal to Lohajung

Trek distance: 8.45 km | Trek Duration: 7-8 hours | Altitude loss: 12,250 ft to 7,600 ft

Day 6

Drive from Lohajung to Rishikesh

Drive distance: 260 km | Drive duration: 10-11 hr | Drop off Time: 7 pm

You will reach Rishikesh by 6-7 pm. The cost of a cab – Is Rs 7,000 per vehicle and the cost of a Tempo Traveller is Rs 11,000

Please note: The distance between campsites may vary by 100 meters depending the weather conditions and the route you take. The altitude may also vary by 100 feet for similar reasons.

IMPORTANT POINTS

Documents required: It is mandatory for trekkers to carry a copy of their photo id along with the mandatory documents of the Medical Certificate and Disclaimer form. These documents will be part of the Safety Check-in done by the trek leader when you arrive at the base camp.

Stay facility: The stay at Lohajung will be in a lodge. Do not bring any packaged food, tags from your new clothes or any waste with you. We follow a Dustbin Free Zone and No Wet Wipes Policy at our base camps in line with our spirit of Green Trails. On the trek, you will be staying 2 in a tent.

Cloakroom facility for excess luggage: We have a Cloak Room facility at the base camp for excess luggage. Do not leave behind any valuables in the cloakroom.

A Route Map of the Brahmatal Trek

PRO-TIPS

Onward Travel

You'll love the drive to Lohajung The drive is very scenic along the mighty Ganges. You would be enjoying the view of the Sangam of many rivers which form the Ganges; Devprayag, Rudraprayag, and Karnprayag are a treat for the eyes.

After Karnprayag, you would be travelling alongside the Pindar River. You then enter the beautiful valley of the Chamoli region. Keep your eyes open and look out, the glimpses of the big mountains are visible from here onwards.

Return Travel

The return journey takes you through the same places which you had taken during your Onward journey to reach Lohajung. If you reach Rishikesh early, then you can go through these tips on things to do around Rishikesh

Download the GPX file for your Brahmatal Trek

We go to great lengths to ensure you have a safe trek. So here’s a GPX file of to help you navigate without getting lost.

Day 1

Drive from Rishikesh to Lohajung

Drive distance: 260 km | Drive duration: 10-11 hr | Pick up point for Indiahikes trekkers: Live Free Hostel, Rishikesh | Pick up Time: 5 am | Location of Indiahikes basecamp: Lohajung

It is a 10-11 hour drive from Rishikesh. Transport will be arranged from Live Free Hostel, Rishikesh at 5.00 am. The cost of a cab – Is Rs 7,000 per vehicle and the cost of a Tempo Traveller is Rs 11,000

Day 2

Trek from Lohajung to Gujreni

Trek distance: 4.5 km | Trek Duration: 5 hours | Altitude gain: 7,600 ft to 9,200 ft

Day 3

Gujreni to Tilandi

Trek distance: 2.9 km | Trek Duration: 4-5 hours | Altitude gain: 9,200 ft to 10,495 ft

Day 4

Tilandi to Brahmatal via Brahmatal Top

Trek distance: 6 km | Trek Duration: 5-6 hours | Altitude loss: 10,495 ft to 10,190 ft via 12,250 ft

Day 5

Brahmatal to Lohajung

Trek distance: 8.45 km | Trek Duration: 7-8 hours | Altitude loss: 12,250 ft to 7,600 ft

Day 6

Drive from Lohajung to Rishikesh

Drive distance: 260 km | Drive duration: 10-11 hr | Drop off Time: 7 pm

You will reach Rishikesh by 6-7 pm. The cost of a cab – Is Rs 7,000 per vehicle and the cost of a Tempo Traveller is Rs 11,000

Please note: The distance between campsites may vary by 100 meters depending the weather conditions and the route you take. The altitude may also vary by 100 feet for similar reasons.

IMPORTANT POINTS

➤Documents required: It is mandatory for trekkers to carry a copy of their photo id along with the mandatory documents of the Medical Certificate and Disclaimer form. These documents will be part of the Safety Check-in done by the trek leader when you arrive at the base camp.

➤Stay facility: The stay at Lohajung will be in a lodge. Do not bring any packaged food, tags from your new clothes or any waste with you. We follow a Dustbin Free Zone and No Wet Wipes Policy at our base camps in line with our spirit of Green Trails. On the trek, you will be staying 2 in a tent.

➤Cloakroom facility for excess luggage: We have a Cloak Room facility at the base camp for excess luggage. Do not leave behind any valuables in the cloakroom.

PRO-TIPS

Onward Travel

You'll love the drive to Lohajung The drive is very scenic along the mighty Ganges. You would be enjoying the view of the Sangam of many rivers which form the Ganges; Devprayag, Rudraprayag, and Karnprayag are a treat for the eyes.

After Karnprayag, you would be travelling alongside the Pindar River. You then enter the beautiful valley of the Chamoli region. Keep your eyes open and look out, the glimpses of the big mountains are visible from here onwards.

Return Travel

The return journey takes you through the same places which you had taken during your Onward journey to reach Lohajung. If you reach Rishikesh early, then you can go through these tips on things to do around Rishikesh

Download the GPX file for your Brahmatal Trek

We go to great lengths to ensure you have a safe trek. So here’s a GPX file of to help you navigate without getting lost.

3D Trail

The trek dives right into the rhododendron forest.

Picture by: Jothiranjan

Picturesque Rhododendron Forests

Explore the Brahmatal trek in winter

Brahmatal transforms magically during winters. The blanket of snow on its trails as it snakes through deep forest sections, climbing to the ridge at Jhandi top, and finally settling on the frozen lakes is something that trekkers don’t see often on treks. 

Trekking under rhododendron trees enroute Gujreni. Photo by Ramarayan Iyer

Time stands still at a completely frozen Bekaltal. Photo by Krutanjali Deore

Trekkers walking though the golden Oak trees. Photo by Vishwas Krishnamurthy

Sandhya UC, Co-Founder, COO

Sandhya is a founding partner at Indiahikes. Over the past ten years, she has explored and put on the map a few of the greatest Himalayan treks in India, including Kashmir Great Lakes and Kedarkantha. She is a TedX Speaker and has been awarded the "Women of Worth" Award by Outlook Business in 2017. She believes in sustainable living just as she believes in sustainable trekking.

Here’s Sandhya talking about one of the well-known treks in our country.

What I Like About the Brahmatal Trek

What I Like About the Brahmatal Trek

Sandhya UC, Co-Founder, COO

Sandhya is a founding partner at Indiahikes. Over the past ten years, she has explored and put on the map a few of the greatest Himalayan treks in India, including Kashmir Great Lakes and Kedarkantha. She is a TedX Speaker and has been awarded the "Women of Worth" Award by Outlook Business in 2017. She believes in sustainable living just as she believes in sustainable trekking. Here’s Sandhya talking about one of the well-known treks in our country.

1. The Rhododendron forest from Lohajung to Bekaltal

Brahmatal has mesmerising forest walks. You get to walk through the centuries-old forests of Oaks and Rhododendrons. What particularly stays with me is the dedicated section on Rhododendrons! Just out of Bekaltal, you get a demarcated section of Rhododendron forests.

The Rhodo forests are a treat to the eyes. The trunks twist and turn in shapes and forms. The trunks are usually bare and smooth wooded. The trees are not too tall and form a nice canopy at the top. They are close enough to form a perfect green roof over your head.

This is what you see throughout the year. If you come here during March and April, you get a pink flowery roof. If you come here during winters, you get a white snowy carpet

A lone rhododendron tree in bloom at Lohajung, the base camp of the Brahmatal trek.
Picture by Jothiranjan.

2. The ridge meadow walk from Tilandi to Jhandi Top

On the second day, you climb out of Bekaltal trekking up through some of the most beautiful rhododendron and oak forests. As you near the top, you are curious and impatient to see what lies outside the tree line.

You enter the meadow on the mountain top and in front of you is a wall of white mountains. Having climbed all the way up to the ridge (which runs parallel to Ali Bugyal of the Roopkund trek), you see grand views of the Trishul range.

You know you are climbing to the top but the enormity of the mountain ranges so up close is something very special to Brahmatal.

Starting there, all the way to Jhandi top is one of the best ridges walks you will do in our mountains. On one side you have the mighty Trishul range fanning out and on the other side opens up to layers and layers of mountain ranges arranging themselves in height order going down all the way to Deval and Tharali.

These are the villages that you drove through to reach the base camp. To your right below the Trishul, the range spreads out the entire Roopkund trek. Every landmark, every campsite, and every climb on the Roopkund trek is seen from the Brahmatal ridge. I have never stood on one trek and gone through another trek, that too perhaps the most iconic trek in its entirety like this.

An adventurous ridge walk to the Jhandi top. Picture by Jothiranjan

3. The Gujreni Campsite

The Gujreni campsite enclosed by forest but in grassy clearings, with commanding views of mountain tops, I think I could fall in love with these camps.

They are secluded, with plenty of space to stretch your legs, walkabout, or take a peek in the forests, yet, you can just sit in one corner taking in the views. I have done lots of treks and have loved lots of camps, but if you ask me about Brahmatal, then I think it has some of the better campsites.

The picture perfect Gujreni Campsite. Picture by Jothiranjan

Know Your Trek

We have always wanted trekkers to be well-informed before they go on a Himalayan trek. Knowledge is the difference between a safe trek and a dangerous one. It’s also the difference between a wholesome experience and a superficial experience.

Use this section to learn about the Brahmatal trek. It has in-depth information about each day of the trek, what to expect, and how you need to prepare for it. Many years of expertise have gone into this content. Trekkers find that extremely useful.

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PRO TIPS

Green Trails

Leaving the mountains better than we find them

Everything you do on a trek creates an impact. The trail you trek on, the water you use, the waste you generate, how you poop, how you cook, what you eat — everything has an impact. The higher the impact, the greater the damage to the environment. 

Yet, when done sustainably, trekking is one of the most environment-friendly sports.

When you trek with Indiahikes, you trek to leave the mountains better than we found them.  This is part of our Green Trails promise.

At Indiahikes, we focus on bringing in new practices that can reduce our impact on the environment.  This is done through constant R&D.  Once these new practices are implemented we focus on achieving the results consistently on all our treks. You will see this as part of our G6 practices. 

Golden 1: Green Sweep - Clean the trail of visible litter.  We have collected more than 1,00,000 kgs of waste since 2016.

Golden 2: Segregation At Source - Segregate all waste collected so that we do not add all this waste to the landfill.  We have diverted 50% of the waste from landfill through segregation

Golden 3: Food Composting - All our kitchen waste is composted into useful humus for the mountain soil.  All food waste is either eaten by mules or composted at source.

Golden 4: Biotoilets - All our human waste is composted at source through our specially designed dry toilet pits. 

Golden 5: Water efficient dispenser  - We have reduced our waste used per trekker by 70% through specially designed water dispenser systems.

Golden 6: Save energy - We use solar panels for our energy use at our campsites.  We are also in the process of redesigning our stove and menu to reduce the amount of gas used on our treks.

Our trekkers are a big part of us keeping our promise to leave the mountains better than we found them. 

  • Indiahikes trekkers do not carry anything that can harm the environment - be it wet wipes, or any packaged food on the trek.  In fact they practice a zero waste trek.
  • Indiahikes trekkers do not buy any packaged food in the dhabas on the trek - they do not take part in feeding the demand for packaged food 
  • Indiahikes trekkers clean the trails of waste using the eco bag as part of the Green Sweep Initiattive 
  • Indiaihikes trekkers carry their own backpack on the trek. They do not offload unless absolutely necessary
  • Indiahikes trekkers do not pee/poop near any water source 
  • Indiahikes trekkers do not stray away from the marked trail

Trekkers who sign up with us pledge to follow these practices.  When you sign up with us, you do too.

Why fitness matters on the Brahmatal Trek

On Easy-Moderate treks like Brahmatal, you’re likely to trek around 5-6 km each day. Expect gradual ascents and descents along the way. The maximum altitude will be about 12,500 ft. There are no technical sections on these treks, but there could be small sections of steep gradients or tricky patches that require you to be surefooted.

Your goal is to comfortably run 5 km within 38 minutes.

Note: If you are above the age of 58 years, you'll also need to submit your Treadmill Test within 7 days of registration.

Trek Trivia

Things Nobody Tells You About Brahmatal

The Arrowheads of Bekal Tal

In the neighbouring areas of Bekal Tal, people can be seen wearing or carrying arrowheads. These are used as lockets, some are displayed in homes, and some are attached to peoples’ walking sticks among other such ornamentations. These arrowheads have a couple of stories behind them. 

Uttarakhand is known as dev bhumi (divine or holy land) as Mahabharat is said to have taken place in parts of it. It is said that the arrowheads are from the days of the grand epic when they were used in battles. These arrowheads can be found stuck on trees in the forests as well today too. However, most of them have been removed and are being used by the locals.

There's also another story related to Lord Curzon linked to the arrowheads. It's often hard to verify what is fact and what isn't, but they're good stories to listen to. Make sure you ask your guide or the locals about it.

Tale of the Bekal Naag Devta and the Pundit

There are stories of a local pundit who would come to pray to this Naag Devta regularly. Pleased with his steady devotion and service, the God once invited him down to his golden temple at the depths of the lake. The pundit is said to have seen a stunning sight. That of an underwater city of snakes, with the Naag Devta presiding over them in his temple. 

The story takes a sad turn when the pundit defies the snake god. However, the myth brings forth interesting elements in the region. Not only is the Bekal Tal a sight of this myth, but the Ratgaon water source appears like the meandering body of a snake, as seen from Tilandi. Mythology tells us that Bekal Naag Devta left the lake through that route, leaving the Ratgaon water body in this snake-like figure. 

Even the water from Bekal Tal is said to have seeped down along with him and appeared in the Ratgaon source.

Available Dates

Dates Full? Choose Ali Bedni Bugal for April

The Only Meadow Trek With Stunning Mountain Views. Click here to read more about Ali Bedni Bugyal trek

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