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Phulara Ridge Trek

The Best Ridge Trek In India

TREK DIFFICULTY

Moderate

TREK DURATION

6 days

HIGHEST ALTITUDE

12,345 ft

The Best Ridge Trek In India

To begin with, ridge treks are extremely uncommon in our country. There is hardly a handful. In exploring the Phulara Ridge trek in April 2018, we discovered a ridge trek that is looking to be one of the best!

Now, a ridge is a place where two sides of the mountain meet. So the walk on a ridge is almost like one on a knife-edge, where there are just flanks of the mountain sloping down from either side of you. There are small ridge sections on a few Himalayan treks. However, to have an entire day’s trek on a ridge is unparalleled.

For trekkers who love photos more than words, we have the perfect gift for you! Explore the beauty of this trek through a photo story; click here :)

If you have done a summit climb, you would know that you stand at the highest point for perhaps 20-30 minutes. This is from where you get great views of the mountains around. On this trek though, you’re at a high point of 12,000 ft for a day’s worth of trek(4-5 hours!).

The 250-degree panorama of snow-capped mountains stays with you throughout! It almost gives you the feeling that these mountains are trekking along with you, as you traverse the ridge that curves its way into the landscape. Below you, the ground sweeps down on either side – one into a meadow, one into a valley. This is what makes Phulara Ridge a unique experience.

To begin with, ridge treks are extremely uncommon in our country. There is hardly a handful. In exploring the Phulara Ridge trek in April 2018, we discovered a ridge trek that is looking to be one of the best!

Now, a ridge is a place where two sides of the mountain meet. So the walk on a ridge is almost like one on a knife-edge, where there are just flanks of the mountain sloping down from either side of you. There are small ridge sections on a few Himalayan treks. However, to have an entire day’s trek on a ridge is unparalleled.

For trekkers who love photos more than words, we have the perfect gift for you! Explore the beauty of this trek through a photo story; click here :)

Phulara Ridge - Complete Trek Information

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 Phulara Ridge 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 these extremely useful.

Phulara Ridge Videos
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Expert Speak

Suhas Saya

Head of DIY Team

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Suhas Saya

Head of DIY Team

Suhas is the head of the DIY and Documentation Team. He has been working at Indiahikes for the past 8 years. Nature, adventure, and wildlife are the top things that get his heart racing. He has done more than 14 Himalayan treks. Along with that, he has done explorations in the Himalayas, the Western Ghats, and around Bengaluru. Suhas was involved in the exploration of treks like Ranthank Kharak, Pir Panjal Lakes, Vellore Amirthi Forest Trek and the Goa Netravali Forest Trek. And it was he who explored this grand Phulara Ridge trek.

What I Like and Don’t Like About Phulara Ridge Trek

What I Like About Phulara Ridge Trek

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Suhas Saya

Head of DIY Team

Suhas is the head of the DIY and Documentation Team. He has been working at Indiahikes for the past 8 years. Nature, adventure, and wildlife are the top things that get his heart racing. He has done more than 14 Himalayan treks. Along with that, he has done explorations in the Himalayas, the Western Ghats, and around Bengaluru. Suhas was involved in the exploration of treks like Ranthank Kharak, Pir Panjal Lakes, Vellore Amirthi Forest Trek and the Goa Netravali Forest Trek. And it was he who explored this grand Phulara Ridge trek.

1. The Ridge Walk

Phulara Ridge Trek was a trek that we explored in 2018. 

I had done nine legendary treks before the Phulara Ridge. I call them legendary because they are some of the most loved treks of India. 

Yet, my experience on the Phulara Ridge was so very unique that it left me wondering why I had not done this trek earlier. This unique experience is what has made me want this trek to appear on the trekking map of our country.

First, it is the ridge. We have ridges on many of our treks, but none are like the Phulara ridge where you walk for almost 3 hours connecting one mountain top with another, on a long undulating ridge walk. Snow-capped mountains walk along with you. 

If that was not enough, as the ground slopes away, tiny flowers in myriad colours pop out under your feet. On the side of the slopes where the earth meets the treeline, you have dwarf rhododendrons hugging the sides. 

All along the knife-edge are bursts of mesmerising long meadows spanning the entire forest cover on both sides.

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Walking on a ridge is like walking on a summit for several hours. Picture by Nithesh.

2. The Pushtara and Bhoj Gadi Meadows

On the second day, you get to the Bhoj Gadi meadows, a long clearing where shepherds have discovered a paradise for grazing their sheep. It is almost a perfect spot to pitch your tents. The evening when I was there, I witnessed the most glorious sunset as the sun dipped behind the Kedarkantha summit. I walked to the ridge to see the evening glows light up the entire valley below in colours hard to imagine. The vantage point of the Bhoj Gadi meadows is unique.

The next day, right after you descend from the Phulara ridge, you get to the Pushtara meadows. If I have been effusive about the Bhoj Gadi, then I am not sure what to say about Pushtara. Almost like a green carpet being rolled out, you have folds and folds of carpeted green hills spread out as far as your eyes can see. I wish I could have spent my entire life just sitting there, so splendid are the settings. 

In addition to the rolling grasslands, I also had a carpet of wildflowers in an equal stretch. But flowers or no flowers, Pushtara is a locale that will stay in your mind forever. 

Based on the season you trek, the colours of these meadows change dramatically. You may get a lush green verdant turf or a golden velvet filled with bright colours. I have done this stretch a few times in different seasons. Every time the colours have taken my breath away. 

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You get to camp in the Pushtara and Bhojgadi meadows, which in June and September, are laden with wildflowers. Picture by Advait Athavale.

3. Seclusion of trekking through virgin forests

The seclusion of trekking in these virgin, almost untouched forests adds more to the adventure. 

One is the well-trodden trail on the first day of your trek. But the more interesting walk comes on your last day. These forests have rarely been trodden on. You are likely to be the only ones on the trail. The beauty of this is that the sounds of birds can be deafening in this section. 

The chirps and whistles of birds along with the sound of your feet crunching the leaves beneath your shoes are beautiful. You might even spot the shy Monals on the trek! On my exploration, I spotted eleven! 

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The dense and serene forest section from Pushtara to Taluka

4. The local villages on the trek

Kotgaon, which is your base camp, has a very rich culture. It is a blend of Uttarakhand and Himachal with the richness of both. Spend some time at the temple, because it is rare that you get a temple on the edges of a large ground with the Swargarohini peaks as the backdrop. 

The village in itself has a very homely feeling. You want to spend more time exploring the culture.

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The unique culture of Himachali touch in Uttarakhand of Kotgoan village. Picture by Jothiranjan

What I Don't like About Phulara Ridge Trek

1. Short Trekking Window

I wish the Phulara Ridge had a longer trekking window. This trek lies in the shadow region where snow doesn't melt until the end of the summer season. This is why there is only a very short window for doing this trek between the end of May and June. The next window is in Autumn between Mid September and early November.  

The trek is mesmerising. So make the most of this small gap of time to do this trek. 

Green Trails

Leaving the mountains better than we find them

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.

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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.

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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.

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Trek Trivia

Things Nobody Tells You About Phulara Ridge Trek

Did you know that Phulara Ridge is an extension of the famous Kedarkantha peak?

When trekkers stand at the Kedarkantha summit, they see a long ridge extending in front of them. If you start trekking on this ridge, you end up on the Phulara ridge! 

That’s not all. When you continue on the same ridge extending from Pushtara, you can reach a high altitude pass called Phachu Khandi, which eventually goes to Janki Chatti of Yamunotri. Hundreds of years ago, this was a trade route from the Sankri side to Yamunotri. 

On the other side, the trail where the Phulara Ridge trek ends is the starting point of another ancient trek, the Har Ki Dun trek. In fact, if you get lost in the forests of Pushtara, you may even end up on the Har Ki Dun trail, at the Datmir village.

Do you know how the Phulara Ridge trek got its name?

Phulara Ridge was never called Phulara Ridge. It was christened so by the head of our Exploration Team, Suhas Saya, who explored the trek late in September 2019. 

The name came about on a cold winter evening. We sat around the fireside, with cups of tea in our hands. We tossed around a few names — all to do with the ridge because that was the attraction. We thought of “this ridge trek” and “that ridge trek”, but none sat well.

It was Suhas who suddenly blurted out, “let’s call it Phulara! I have seen the number of wildflowers on this trail. The flowers on this trek will do justice to the local name.” It sounded splendid! And that’s how the now-famous Phulara Ridge Trek got its name.

This is one of the few pleasures of exploring treks! Very often you get to name campsites, locations and clearings... But sometimes, just sometimes, perhaps once in a lifetime, you get to name a new trek. This was one of them.

Trekker Stories And Experiences

Trekking transforms lives. All of us have been impacted greatly at Indiahikes. The transformations have been profound and irreversible. We see it in our trekkers too. We have seen them change professions, careers or start a new life. We have seen them get in and out of relationships, and start new projects. These are life-changing experiences. 

We have seen children building resilience. We have seen families come together. When we see those above 55, we see them rediscover passion and a sense of purpose. These are not small gains. In the mountains new professions, new economies and new businesses have opened up. Our staff no longer go to cities to earn their living. Their income has increased. Above all, they are happiest working in this world. Trekking has been truly transformative.  

Everyone must trek. It transforms lives far more than you imagine.

Read through these stories from our trekkers on how trekking has transformed them.