Trip to Uttarakhand
The unexpected or least planned things are the ones which actually add much beauty to any of our trips, which come out as total surprise and bring up more and more beautiful memories to the entire journey. Visiting Uttarakhand properly was my dream for a very long time and the main reason why people usually go is because of Kedarnath and Badrinath. Though Chopta Tungnath was included at a later stage, I wasn’t aware of it and it was a 50:50 kind of a plan.(Detailed Chopta Guide)
Journey to Sonprayag
So as mentioned in the previous blog (check it here), we reached Sonprayag, but as we were delayed we couldn’t trek on the same day. So the entire plan had to be changed, so we thought of going to Chopta Tungnath first then trek to Kedarnath. Living in urban areas and without much physical activity, trekking 16 kms straight away was a huge task. At this point, trekking to Chopta Tungnath and Chandrashila which is 10kms before Kedarnath was a good decision. (Kedarnath Travel Guide)
The Alternate Plan
We woke up very soon at Sonprayag and took a bus to Guptkashi and arrived within 2 hours. For our luck, there were few other pilgrims who finished the Kedarnath trek and went to Chopta. So we got a shared cab to Chopta village, the base camp of the trek. Guptkashi is at an average altitude, but Chopta village is at a very high altitude, we were climbing high very quickly and few of us started experiencing dizziness and uncomfort.
We reached the base camp and it was cold, with a few pilgrims. We had a bit of food available in the nearby hotel and started the trek. The trek is comparatively shorter and you first pass through the Chopta Valley, then visit the Tungnath Temple and again climb to reach Chandrashila Peak. So this is a very special trek, which consists of 3 different unreal places.
The Trek
The starting of the trek is very beautiful, with beautiful green grasslands, small huts, horses, huge snow capped mountains all around. There are a few stalls here and there. The path is well defined and there is no snowfall here, so you can easily walk. There are also shortcuts, one can also take it if interested. There are many points which are worth taking beautiful pictures, one can take amazing clicks.
Trekkers from Kerala
On the way before reaching the temple, we met a few amazing trekkers from Kerala, who have finished almost all the major treks at Uttarakhand and he’s the only one whom we have met and has completed the Kailash trek back in 2014, which was way hard back then. We were so lucky to meet such an amazing person at such an amazing place.
Just a few kms before reaching the temple, we got to see all the small shops and the trek route now had snowfall on the way. The trek was now very beautiful and we could feel the sense of devotional vibes all around. It was cold, pleasant and the weather was just amazing. The temple and its surroundings was completely covered with a lot of snow, which made it look so beautiful.
The Highest Shiva Temple of The World
The sound of bells ringing, the chants of the devotees, divine vibes all around, welcome to Chopta Tungnath, the Highest Shiva Temple of the world at an altitude of 12,073 ft. The temple is extremely beautiful due to its iconic location. We prayed for sometime, had prasad and enjoyed the views for sometime.
Trek to Chandrashila Peak
The next part was to reach Chandrashila Peak, which is 4-5 kms ahead. But the road is very steep and also the snowfall had slightly started. We didn’t give up though the ones returning back said not to go, because we knew that it was one of the rarest sites in the Himalayas where we can get an astonishing 360 degree view of the mountains.
The Mighty Chandrashila Peak
We somehow reached the peak and I’d say that’s one of the best views I’ve ever seen in my life. I have clicked many pictures, and seen my pictures but this view was just incomparable. The entire view of the gigantic peaks of the Himalayas was just stunning. Far away we could notice a tall peak, Mt Nanda Devi shining during the evening.
We were already at 13,500 ft, but the surrounding mountains were literally 2x of us. They were some of the major mountains of Uttarakhand and also some mountains were actually from China too.
Beauty of the Peak
There is a small temple on the entry and then there’s a plain land with an India Flag. The place is so calm and the silence is just unreal. We were very lucky to visit it during the evening time and hence got to view the best sunset ever in my life. The peaks of the mountains were reflecting the sunlight and painted totally in golden color making it look amazing. I was just clicking and clicking pics with every possible angle just to capture those amazing views.
The Return Trek
It was getting dark, though the views looked beautiful, it was dangerous to stay for a longer time as snowfall might come at any time pushing us into danger. We started the trek back and reached the temple, where the aarti was going on. We took the aarti and climbed down to the base camp.
The Night Himalayan Trek
It was one of our craziest experiences ever. The trek path was filled with snow everywhere and its pitch dark. We were there just with a mobile torch light and we literally can’t see anything or anyone. Without a single break we gradually came down as we had to reach Sonprayag by afternoon to start the trek again. It was really a crazy experience, a 60 km trek in just 3 days to witness some of the most beautiful sites on earth.
Conclusion
We finally reached the base camp and took a room there itself. We were very tired after a long journey. Also, it was at a very high altitude we had to take precautions related to that. It was extremely cold, we were literally shivering and scared to even touch the water. Finally had a wonderful sleep after an amazing day to start another amazing day. I’ll continue our further and most crucial journey to Kedarnath in coming days.
