Introduction
At a gracious height of 12,070 ft above the sea level, you hear the pleasant sounds of bells, chanting of mantras, the prayers of many devotees, thick snowfall all around the holy temple with a great sense of divinity in the presence of Lord Shiva, Welcome to the Highest Shiva Temple of the World, Chopta Tungnath.
Location
Nestled in the Northern Part of Uttarakhand in the Garhwal Region, right around the Greater Himalayas, this valley named Chopta is also called the Mini-Switzerland of India. The road to this holy temple is small yet very beautiful and one of the most beautiful treks ever. Visiting Tungnath Temple isn’t the only reason to finish this trek. There are many reasons involved.
The Magnificent Tungnath Temple
The primary reason is the gorgeous old temple at such a gigantic height. The morning and evening aarti is literally a bliss to experience and literally the goosebumps moments. The chanting of mantras, the sound of bells, the chilling weather, your feet would literally be frozen as the temple is totally surrounded by snow in most of the seasons. This is one of the shiva temples you shouldn’t miss visiting and definitely it’s worth experiencing.
The Lovely Chopta Valley
The other reason is the Chopta Valley in the Garhwal Region of Uttarakhand. The entire way to reach the base camp of the trek and the entire route is the Chopta Valley and one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen. The gigantic mountains all around, the snow capped peaks, the green Himalayan forests, the old hut style houses, are literally a rare sight to our eyes.
360° View of Himalayas: Chandrashila Peak
The third reason is the most important one. Once you reach the Tungnath Temple, if you trek ahead for some 5-6 kms more, you reach Chandrashila Peak, the most beautiful peak to get a complete 360 degree view of the gorgeous Himalayas. You get to see some of the iconic peaks of Himalayas including the Nanda Devi with a proper distance. You’re already at 13,000+ ft and you see mountains way taller than you. There is also a small temple and the best part is there’s an India flag which is the prime highlight of this peak. So all these astonishing things can be covered in a day itself as they’re in the same way.
About the Trek
The trek is considered easy to medium and the distance is way lesser compared to treks like Kedarnath. The distance from Chopta Base Point to Tungnath Temple is 5kms and from there to Chandrashila Peak is 4 km approximately.
The first phase of the trek is pretty easy, you get to see a lot of houses and a well structured path to trek. Also there are a few shops on the way and the crowd is good as well. The second part of the trek is comparatively challenging. You gain altitude very quickly and also usually the path is snow laden, so you have to be very careful on the trek path. The chances of slipping is also very high, so be careful on the way. Its not recommended to trek after sunset as it gets very cold and also it gets completely dark later. So its better to start early as possible and come off by evening.
How To Reach
The journey to reach Chopta base camp is almost the same as Kedarnath(check here). You have to follow exactly the same path to reach Kedarnath, but the only difference is you have to get down at Guptkashi before Sonprayag and no buses can go till base camp of the trek. So only taxis can go from Guptkashi to Chopta base point. Usually Boleros go, and they charge the price of the whole vehicle which is around 3500/- depending on the season. If tourists are available then the cost can be split or else you should pay the whole money.
Stay Options
There are a few houses near the Tungnath temple and also on the way to Tungnath. So they can provide tents or simple rooms to stay there, but the weather there is extremely cold and nights are much colder, it’s not at all recommended to stay there. Also snowfall is unpredictable, so don’t plan such things.
There are various stay options available in Chopta, so that would be a better place to stay. Also the network is poor, I remember the network on the peak was way better and I barely had a network in Chopta. Be ready for it.
Food Options
Food options are limited on the way to trek. You get Maggi, Tea, Coffee, Snacks on the way to the temple and near the temple. Nothing ahead of that. But in the base camp there are few North Indian Hotels and you can expect decent food. Due to the remote location, the options are limited but I feel that’s what makes this place very interesting.
How to Plan
This is actually a one day trek where you start in the morning and can easily come back by evening. But don’t even miss the gracious sunset in the peak of Chandrashila with orange shades around the snow capped mountains. So one can reach Chandrashila if you leave early from Sonprayag, then reach Guptkashi then take a taxi to Chopta. So one can reach the peak by afternoon and get down by evening. Night you can stay at Chopta and plan your further trip on the next day.
Conclusion
This was all about the Highest Shiva Temple in the world along with Chandrashila Peak and Chopta Valley. This is a must do trek along with your trek to Kedarnath where you need one extra day and definitely worth the money. Comment below if you need more information about this amazing trek.
