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.
Did you know Indiahikes has the legacy of exploring and even naming this trek? Read the full story 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.
Did you know Indiahikes has the legacy of exploring and even naming this trek? Read the full story 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
Watch these videos to prepare well for your trek
Photo Gallery
What I Like and Don’t Like About Phulara Ridge Trek
What I Like About Phulara Ridge 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.
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.
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.
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.
5 Reasons Why Indiahikes
When we brought out new trails in Indian trekking, safety came with us. Back in 2012, we were the first to introduce microspikes, and two years later, pulse oximeters became standard thanks to us. Nobody does safe treks like Indiahikes. In the mountains, emergencies don't care who you're with – everyone knows that when trouble hits, you look for the yellow tents of Indiahikes.
We are pioneers in trekking. Since 2007, we have brought out treks that have become India's most famous treks: Roopkund, Rupin Pass, Buran Ghati, Kedarkantha, Kashmir Great Lakes, Tarsar Marsar, Brahmatal, Phulara Ridge—the list goes on. In 2023 alone, we brought out five new treks in Indian trekking. We know treks better than anyone. This comes directly from the reason why Indiahikes was born: to bring out trek information and enable trekkers to trek on their own.
More than 25,000 people trek with us every year. We are the largest trekking organisation in India. 24% of our trekkers come back to trek with us every year. Over 4,000 students from the top educational institutions trek with us every year. Aside from this, families with children choose to trek with Indiahikes knowing that our treks are the safest. We have taken over 8000 children trekking so far, and the number continues to grow.
We focus on designing transformative experiences. Our trek leaders conduct thought-provoking exercises that help you reflect and contemplate. This impact stays with you for a long time. Trekkers return feeling energised, more confident, or developing abilities to deal with difficulties. Many have changed careers, rethought their core values, become more humble, shown gratitude to others, or started a new fitness journey.
Since 2012, we have pioneered sustainable practices that have become standard in trekking. Using eco-bags, our trekkers have cleared over 120 tonnes of litter from the mountains. We do not carry packaged foods; instead, we serve freshly made food. We do not light campfires; we carry coal to light angethis to keep you warm. Our bio-toilets not only keep our toilets odour-free but also enrich the soil. When you trek with us, you leave mountains better.
Indiahikes Features
You’re guarded with our trek again philosophy
If you are unable to complete a trek, or if you love a trek, you can repeat it with us anytime. You don’t have to pay us for it. See our thoughts behind this here.
Get expert guidance even before you start the trek
Get personalised support from our expert Experience Coordinators. From registration to departure, they'll prepare you every step of the way.
Join any group, they are all women-friendly groups
With around 30% of our trekkers being women, all women, including those travelling solo are comfortable to join any of our groups.
Meet like-minded trekkers
Indiahikes carries with it a strong spirit of trekking, one that comes with fitness, minimalism, mindfulness and a deep love for nature.
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