Gaumukh track: where spirituality visits nature

Gaumukh trek is one of the most visited trek of our country as it is situated in himalayas which is one of the most famous places of this entire world.Sage Bhagirath,legendary king of Ikshvsku Dynasty who brought Ganga to earth to purify the souls of his ancestors by his spirituality and a way of atonement.Once a boy went to a glacier near himalayas in search of his lost sheep & the mountain he visited looked like cow’s face ,it is said that after that the trek was named as Gaumukh.You can visit the most spiritual,holy and curious places at the same time.

LOCATION

This holy place is situated at a distance of 19 km from Gangotri glacier and is the origin of Bhagirathi river,Uttarkashi district at  height of 13,200 sq ft.Though it looks hard to visit but the trek experts had made this journey very easy even for the beginners.

HOW TO VISIT

Tracks like Gaumukh trek,Nandanvan trek,Tapovan trek ,Vasukitsk trek come under Gangotri National Park.The limit is set to 150 visitors per day.Forest department Uttarkashi gives permit and the permission details are sent to the registered mail.As the trek is 21 km long,it normally takes 2 to 4 working days to complete it depending totally on the visitors.

NEARBY PLACES

1- BHOJBASA last point of lodgement on the way to Gaumukh glacier.

2-TAPOVAN TREK At the edge of shivling mountain,there lies the number one high altitude grassland in India or we can say in Asia too.

3-GANGOTRI According to Hindu folklore,when Lord Shiva released the Ganga river from his locks,Gangotri is the place where the river Ganga falls from heaven.

4-NEEL TAAL You will get a chance to visit Neel Taal and experience the beauty of nature with a web of lakes and snow covered mountains.

THINGS TO CARRY

You need an ID proof,details of tourist guide for professional safety and rain,woolen & sports gear for personal safety as you have to camp in Bhojbasa too .The trip usually takes 2 to 3 days according to your time schedule.You should also carry thermos,personal first aid kit, undergarments,sunscreen,shampoo,sunglasses,etc.

BEST SEASON TO VISIT

The best time to visit Gaumukh is in between September to June.The holy side of Gaumukh while melting gives birth to the Bhagirathi river, one of the main streams of Ganga during this period between April to June and again from September to November.As it hard to visit the trek during rainy and winter season,it only leaves summer,spring and autumn months for the trek.

SAFETY

Health is wealth.If you want to go for tracking anywhere across the world the first thing you should do is take medical advice from the professionals and experts of this trek as you never know what situations can happen in future and prevention is better than cure.After that you can decide to plan your trip and contact the track experts as they are professionals and are trained for this kind of activities.They also carry first aid kit and equipments which can be used at any time during the trip.

TREK COST

The trek cost according to the days you want to spend there.for ex- If you want to do a 3 day trek it can cost between ₹8k to ₹10k but if you decide to do a trek of 8 to 10 days it can cost you between ₹14k to ₹16k.though you need proper financial planning for which there are websites and trekking experts to guide you.This contains campsites,meals,medical,traveling facilities. It also contains trek equipment like sleeping,kitchen,dinner and toilet tents,medical and safety equipment,permits,potter and mules to carry trek equipment.