Life of mountain is as intense and
varied as human beings. It expresses different moods; one moment it looks
beautiful with glowing sun, green cover and smiling flowers, another moment it
looks wild with foggy clouds and echoing thunders. These moods can be
experienced by getting closer to it. We the group of five trekkers decided to
feel the beauty, peace and serenity of Mt. Adi-Kailash
(popular as Chotta Kailash) and Om Parvat, located in Indian Territory in
Kumaun Himalyan range close to Indo-Tibetan border. Mt. Kailash is Lord Shiva’s
home and Mt. Adi - Kailash is his guest house. These peaks offer a beautiful
trekking experience for adventure lovers. Kumaon Mandal Viskas Nigam (KMVN), a
Government organization arranges yatra annually to this region. However, we organized
the trek without KMVN’s assistance. This article is my attempt to share a
glimpse of experience we had in these terrains. Team got together at Delhi and boarded
the train for Kathgodam.
Day 1 Kathgodam to Dharchula (398 Km): We landed at Kathgodam, the last railway station on this route in Uttrakhand and were welcomed by smiling mountains and light showers in the morning. This welcome was taken over by local taxi drivers who were excited to see the batch of tourists carrying heavy luggage, wanting to warm their pockets with morning tea. They tried their best but poor fellows were not aware that these weak looking people were Himalayan trekkers and above all great bargainers. Managed to hire Mahindra Max (taxi) in less than half the amount they demanded. On this route the public transport frequency is from Haldwani which is the second large township in Uttarkhand, situated at a few km distance from Kathgodam. The road is very well built and has a heavy traffic flow. We reached Dharchula via Pithorgarh, Almora and Bhimtal at around 8 pm. Dharchula is a small town; divided by river Kali, defining its territories in India and Nepal. We had our first night halt here with Dharchula special chicken (local dish) and lots of butterflies in stomach.
Day 2 Dharchula
to Jipti (35 Km by road & 05 Km trek): Dharchula
looks bright and colourful on Monday mornings with people going to work,
markets opened, and ladies carrying heavy stuff (including two filled LPG cylinders)
on their back. For being in the Kailash
region the legal procedure is to get inner line permit from SDM Dharchula, so
got that and headed towards Mangti Nala.
Kailash Yatra begins from here but we were destined to begin with the adventure
earlier as landslides had blocked the road so we started our trek from Cheterl
Dhar, a place around 10 kms before mangti nala. Pony Porter who was our luggage
carrier, joined us. Rainbow appeared right at the moment we started; a colourful signal from God was enough for us to smile and move with the positive spirit. We trekked for about 5 hours and reached Jipti village.
During season time, villagers rent out rooms in their houses to the trekkers. A
family accommodated us in mud house which had the warmth of lanterns and cozy carpets.
With light dinner of Dal – Bhat and prayers for next day we snuggled in blankets.
Day 3 Jipti to
Budhi (18 Km trek): Completing the morning tasks
in the lap of nature is very challenging as there is always a risk of ‘Bitchu
Kanta’ an itching grass; It being the only choice, we managed. The day started with light showers and lots of advice on
do’s and don’ts from localites for today’s route. With hot tea and lots of
courage we started at 7:30 am in the rain, crossed Bindra koti and Lakhanpur (Breakfast
halt) villages. Along side of river
Kali, the route was stony, muddy, steep descent and wet because of numerous
waterfalls. The intensity and number of waterfalls was such that all our waterproof
equipments (jackets, rain coats, ponchos and umbrellas) could not keep us dry. We were spellbound to see the beauty of these
continuous waterfalls. After walking for
hours, reached Malpa village (Lunch halt). In 1998, village had undergone a
tragedy; it was washed away along with few trekkers due to heavy land slide.
The only building left was the PWD Rest House atop the hill. While crossing the bridge of Malpa village, we
paid our tributes to the souls who faced the wilderness of nature in 1998. Reached
Budhi late evening, the village had Indo – Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) camp
equipped with Satellite phones. The place has a nice campus of KMVN with
beautiful Dalia flowers and apple trees. On the whole, day was full of
adventures and scenic beauty was so delightful.
Day 4 Budhi to
Gunji (17 Km trek): With the morning tea we
tightened our belts for 3 kms steep ascent; locals call it ‘THE KHADI CHADAI’. Weather was foggy and fresh. On these harsh, steep and stony patches we relished many
delicacies like pahadi tulsi, nimbu and many fruits and flowers. This Khadi
Chadai landed us at a door to heaven, ‘Chhialekh Pass’,
a resplendent
green valley full of flower beds of all bright hues.
The place had ITBP check point, where our permits were checked. Walking through
the valley was the beautiful stress free nature walk, crossed Garbhyang and Sithi villages (Lunch halt). Domestic animals
like, sheep, mules and cattle were grazing around. The chemistry between hens
and dogs was awesome and weather was very pleasant. Towards evening we crossed
villages resembling Nepali architecture. There were lots of flowers and green
fields; Plantation of peas, cabbage and potatoes was most fascinating. All
these villages are self sufficient in terms of agriculture produce, whatever
they grow is consumed there itself. Reached Gunji, another sweet village in the
evening. The village runs small trade centres where imported Chinese stuff
(woolens, blankets, shoes, accessories etc) is sold. The place had well
constructed houses and common toilet/ baths. Since the trek started, first time
we got the luxury of using toilets so slept in peace. ITBP camp of Gunji is
located little far from village (at Manila) equipped with two solar power
plants, 3kw and 2kw to fulfil the electricity requirements of the camp
however, village households do not receive the supply.
Day 5 Gunji to
Kuti (18 Km trek): We were ready for our next destination at 6:30 am sharp. Crossed
the core interiors of Gunji village. Met local people and attended their musical
Morning Prayer ceremony. Trek was very simple and weather was kind with no
pinching sun and no harsh rain. We all were in our fifth gear. Lovely chit chat
and philosophical talks were today’s source of energy. After covering about 11
kms, had our first halt (maggi break) at Nampha village .In terms of
aesthetics, it was a lovely camping site. With delicious maggi, we enjoyed
togetherness of villagers, played cards, practiced a few yoga assans, napped
for a while and moved. On the way, crossed many totems, small trees where
people offer prayers and tie a strip of cotton cloth (traditional ritual). Also,
there was a huge stone on the entrance of Kuti village where people pay
obeisance, offer smashing padma dhoop grass and pray, “Apni Shakti hume dedo aur hamari shakti aap lelo (give us your
energy and take away ours)”. Reached Kuti at around 3 pm. It’s an elite village
with good houses and well constructed common toilet/baths. One member in every family
is an engineer/doctor or some other official and has migrated. The village gets
healthy remittance from the migrated members. There is one hill top with some
old broken structures. It is believed that these are Pandavas’ houses and girls
above 13 yrs of age are prohibited to climb this hill.
Day 6 Kuti to
Jolligkong(14,300Ft.) 14 Km trek: Left Kuti at early hours in
the morning and headed towards Jollingong. It was the place of our foremost
target Adi- Kailash. The route was very dull and dry with bright sunshine. As
we were climbing up, we had to put in extra efforts. Inhaling oxygen was
difficult and we were slow. Crossed stony grass patches, going up and down.
There were no villages on the way, we could spot ITBP’s blue hut from far of
distance and reaching that hut was the only motivational factor. It started
raining towards noon and cold winds started hitting us hard. Managed to reach
at around 3 pm and gulped hot maggi. A readily available meal on higher
altitudes is ‘Maggi’, the more you go up, the more you have to pay but one hot
serve makes your day!. Dhaba guy told us about one hotel so we accommodated
there, it was actually a tent. After lunch break and laughter sessions we visited
Parvati Sarovar (1.5 kms from Jollingong). It is a holy lake surrounded by green
hills. There is rock known as ‘Kunti Statue’ it is similar to Statue of
Liberty. The valley had a lot of sheep grazing around. We collected many
sparkling white button mushrooms. Later, cooked and relished these. From
Jollingong, there is one route towards Panchchula Peak (Dharma valley). This
route is very dry and tough with no villages but has an ITBP camp. From Parvati
Sarovar, there is one trek route towards Lampa & Mangsa Dhura passes. These
passes lead to Tibet (China controlled). For visiting these snow filled passes,
a permit is sanctioned by SDM Darchula. With cramps in legs and chilling cold,
enjoyed in the camp. We retired with sessions
of card games and fresh sheep milk.
Day 7 Jollingkong
to Adi kailash and return (2 Km trek): Today was the day to reach our first target, Mt. Adi –Kailash. It
is 01 km hike from the campsite and route is tough with steep ups &downs with
narrow rocky and muddy patches. ‘Om Namah Shivah’, and ‘Bum Bum Bole’ was the
mantra of the day. Reached at the base of Mt. Adi Kailash and got clear Darshan
in one flash and then it was covered in clouds. At
the very foot of Mt. Adi-Kailash is Gauri Kund. The mountain reflects in the
waters of Gauri kund. Remembered Lord Shiva, chanted few mantras and receded.
Later in the evening joined the group of porters who were partying with locally
manufactured brew. Devoured yummy dinner and snuggled.
Day 8 Jollingkong
to Nampha (21 Km trek): It
was 15th Aug’10 so congratulating all on Independence Day, we departed.
Participated in Flag Hoisting ceremony of ITBP. The sun was very hot and bright. Reached Kuti
village by lunch time. The villagers were out from homes and enjoying the
sunshine. We too got the chance to bathe after so many days. After lunch we reached
Nampha at 5 pm. It is a resting point between Kuti and Gunji. The place has got 2 Pwd cottages and Kamaon mandal is
getting its building constructed. We too stayed in a Pakka hall made up of
cemented walls with attached toilet/bath, unexpected luxury in remote areas.
Day 9 Nampha to
Kalapani (20 Km trek): Today we started towards another
destination ‘Om’ Parvat. Our first halt was Kalapani so on the way crossed nabhi
village (tea break). The village is well designed with infrastructure like
satellite phones, Badminton court and toilets etc. The road to Kalapani is
motorable and construction was going on in full swing. The unanswered question
was that how will vehicles reach here? As till now we did not see any pucca
roads. There was a hot water spring which we could not enjoy because of land
slide. It being a road and straight route, the trek was boring. There were lots
of manganese rocks on the way. We could spot one tunnel called as Vyas Gufa,
where Rishi Vyas (writer of Mahabharata) spent many years. In the vicinity of
Kalapani there is Kali Mandir. It was decorated with colorful strings and
surrounded by water from three sides. This water is the melted ice of Om Parvat.
Daily pooja and mandir maintenance is the responsibility of army personnel. The
essence of temple was exhilarating.
There were two hydroelectric plants (like portrayed in Swades movie) in the
area. In the village the kacha houses with tented roofs are so nicely built
that despite heavy rains there was no leakage and we had a comfortable stay.
Day 10 Kalapani
to Navidang and return (18km Trek): Navidang is the Holy place from where
Om Parvat is visible and prayers are offered. It is located at a high altitude
of 13,800ft. The trek route was very steep and because of high altitude we were
struggling to breathe. Photography and pranks were the two sources that kept us
moving. Reached there at around 11.30 am. We were welcomed very warmly and God
was gracious as weather was cloud free and we had good Darshan of the Parvat.
Since there was less snow on the peak, so formation of ‘OM’ was not in one
clear stroke. The best time to see OM is June. The ITBP camp at Navidang has
sports complex and Helipad. There is a Lipulekh Pass (8.5km) which leads to
China. The route from here to Lipulekh pass is provided with stand alone solar
streetlights. After lunch we receded to Kalapani and on the way collected all
the littered plastic, specially the wrappers of toffees, tobacco and
cigarettes. In the evening attended Aarti at Kali Mandir. Thereafter, had
recreational time with Garwali children, they are brilliant in card games. 
Day 11 Kalapani
to Chhialekh Pass (23km): Today was the onset of our return trek.
Decided to bypass Gunji and planned a halt at Chialak Pass the beautiful valley
(localites call it heaven). It was a long and steep route. We were over with our
aesthetic sense and the valley didn’t look as beautiful as it was the other day
but bliss of nature kept us moving. Towards evening, the weather became misty
and foggy, managed to reach the Chhialekh pass at around 7:15 pm in dark and
there was a problem to arrange for stay. Army Personnel warmly accommodated us
in their camp.
Day 12 Chialak Pass_to Budhi (3km):Morning news was little
shattering, our pony had lost !! . Porter went in search of pony and we covered
3kms steep descent in fog and mist. It was a rocky patch garnished with lots of
cattle /horse dung. So we had to be very cautious. Our target of the day was to
reach Jipti but we had to wait for our pony and porter and on reaching Budhi
(breakfast halt), local people told us about the bad weather. There was
continuous rainfall in the region from past 7 days resulting in hazardous
landslides. So we decided to take a rest day here. It was a relaxing holiday, rejuvenated
ourselves with fresh red apples and photography.
Day 13 Budhi to
Jipti (18km): Perceiving it as the last day of long
trek we were charged enough. With many warnings of challenging route because of
bad weather, we marched praying silently in the heart for our safe return.
There came the first challenge, a fresh landslide with stones falling
continuously and wet mud sucking the shoes in. We managed to cross it with true
team spirit, facing bravely the stones falling right in front of us. We tasted the
flavour of wild mood of a mountain. Thereafter, came the next challenge, high
pressure waterfall. The transparent water had turned brown and speed was 100
times more. Interesting was the hot water spring very near to this chilling waterfall.
At several places, we saw the broken barricades hanging in to the roaring river
Kali flowing aside. We had a tea halt at Lamahri village, enjoyed watching
ripening apples on the trees. We bought some for home as well. Next was the wet
stony route full of waterfalls. Situation was same as third day, our ponchos,
rain coats and umbrellas failed to keep us dry. Waterfalls ended and we reached
Lakhanpur. From here there was a long khadi chadai (steep ascent). We climbed
approximately 4480 steps and our survival was on ORS powder, dry fruits and
lactobites. Despite extreme tiredness we managed to wear smiles and continued
with our prank therapy. Finally reached Jipti and stayed with an old couple. Lady
provided cozy bedding and tasty dinner and the day ended thanking Shiva for
today’s safe landing.
Day 14 Jipti to
Narayan Ashram (24km): We were elated as today we had to
walk only for 4-5 kms till Mangti Nala and get taxi but we heard about the incidents
of dangerous landslides and falling stones en-route. One porter with his pony
was washed away at Mangtinala and one KMVN yatri was hurt with stone fall. So
we decided to play safe and take an alternate route via Narayan Ashram
(24kms from jipti) as suggested by local people. Our first halt (breakfast) was
village Simkhola. It was the remotest place we ever visited. It had a post
office which also functions like bank, crossed the village and entered the forest.
It was a lovely trek through jungle and not the yatra route. Met Langoors and
many Himalayan birds. We crossed the jungle in rain and passed many waterfalls.
The only encouraging factor was the assumption that Naryan Ashram is the last
destination and taxi service is available from its gate. Walked for miles
crossed the village Samri, a nice place with pear trees and good houses. Our next rest point was Sirka village (evening tea halt). It was a
rich village with pakka buildings and amenities like LPG cylinders. Thereafter,
it was dark and scary, heard roaring beers so accelerated for another one hour
and entered a hotel like building in jungle, ‘The Narayan Ashram’. The very
moment we stepped in, our smiles were back and strength was revived. It was constructed in 1936 by Yogi Ramanand
and Sushri Ruma Devi. The authorities sanctioned our stay and excitedly we
entered the luxurious room which had beds, luckily one for each. The smiles could not last longer as immediately got another shock, the officer smilingly said, “No taxi is available as roads
are closed. You will have to walk only 50 kms till Dharchula”. With this crispy news we were offered
delicious food with an extra pinch of hospitality. In very less time we were in
bed praying for some miracle to happen tomorrow. 
Day 15 Narayan
Ashram to Dharchula 15km trek & 35km
by taxi): Morning was bright with shining sun. We
were stunned at the scenic beauty. The Ashram had nicely constructed
toilet/baths so we got the chance to bathe that too with warm water. So we were all
set for the day. Prayed in the temple, devoured Himalayan paranthas with Maharashtrian
Chatni and marched. We were finally on ‘ROAD’, which was black and bright but
empty. Walked for miles crossed the landslide which was the reason for
blockage. A stuck taxi driver wanted our help in clearing the landslide so
that he can drop us ahead and we jumped with joy! Within minutes, we were at
the site and successfully cleared the road. First miracle of the day happened.
This taxi ride was a temporary joy as road was again blocked and we trekked
again. This trek was with full luggage, all my senior trek mates were carrying 20-30 kgs each and I remarkably 9kgs!!. We crossed the
dangerous muddy patch of landslide. Adventures were not yet over, crossed a
waterfall which was enough to wash us fully. Now our strength was diminishing,
carrying weight was difficult, feet had developed blisters and our spirits were
low. The sun was about to set, deep in the heart we were praying for help and
suddenly a Van came, the driver agreed to drop us till Dharchula. This was
second miracle of the day!! Had a caterpillar ride on a bumpy road and in few
hours we were at Dharchula. Bravo! It was a last night halt. Celebrated the
success of our trek with Dharchula special chicken and scoops of icecream.
Day 16 Dharchula_to
Kathgodam (298 km by taxi): As always we started early and we were
on our return journey. Adventures were yet not over as there was another
landslide to be crossed by foot. Finally, the taxi was changed and now with no
more obstacles we had a smooth drive. It was really sad giving adieu to
mountains. This sadness was reflecting on our faces. We were dropped at Kathgodam railway station
and boarded the train for Delhi. It was the last phase of our trip, one moment
we were happy about going home and another moment we sad for leaving this beautiful
place and each other. Finally, reached Delhi and departed. Departures always
hurt but we smiled as in these days, we had collected many momentous memories
that we are going to cherish throughout our lives.
John Muir
has rightly said 'Climb
the mountains and get their good tidings'. Nature's peace will flow into
you as sunshine flows into trees; The winds will blow their own freshness
into you. Every trek teaches us a lesson and Adi Kailash trek taught
us to be courageous and bold in hard situations also. We learned kindness, team
spirit & togetherness. One can happily live without materialistic comforts
all we need is the right attitude. Where wheels cannot
reach, your feet can; Just trust them!
Few suggestions:
- Include 02- 03 rest
days in the itinerary so that unprecedented situations can be managed.
- Prefer staying with villagers and help them earn; you also get to experience their unique culture and absolutely warm hospitality
- Seasoned trekkers may
try the alternate routes and enjoy the serenity of un-explored trek routes
& en-route villages.
- Best season to conduct
this trek is July & August. Prior to making final plans to trek, do
check up with KMVN for the inward and outward camping dates of Kailash
Mansarovar Yatra so that accommodation is available at the higher camps.
