About Brahmatal

: Brahmatal, a not so famous winter trek, offers great panoramic view of the Himalayas. The Brahmatal trek takes one through beautiful valleys, hushed hamlets, streams, and conifers and oak forests. In winter, the region is covered in sheath of snow and offers unparallel Himalayan view.

Highlights of Brahmatal Trek

Brahmatal offers unmatched panoramic view of the Himalayas with Mt. Trishul and Nanda Ghunti. It also offers bird’s eye view of the majestic Roopkund Lake and ample opportunities to enjoy and capture the majestic snow covered peaak.

Altitude

12,250 ft ft ; 3,810 m The trek starts at an altitude of 7,600 ft at Lohajung and climbs to 12,500 ft at the top. This means there is an altitude gain of 4,900 ft during the trek.

Best time to visit

The trip to do this trek is during the months of December to February. During this time, Brahmatal is completely covered with snow. Average walking distance is 7- 8 km an each day and trekkers complete in 5-7 hrs.

Weather

During Summers: April, May, June Pleasant summers with clear blue skies and an average temperature of 15-25 deg during the day but nights get colder with an avg temp of 8-10 deg
During Monsoons: July, August, September During the day, the temperature will be around 10-20 degrees.During the night, the temperature could drop to 5-10 degrees.
During Autums: October, November During the day, the temperature will be around 10-15 degrees.During the night, the temperature could drop to 3-4 degrees.
During winters: December, January, February, March During the day, the temperature will be around 3-8 degree Celcius. During the night, the temperature drops to around -8 to -10 degree Celcius. The temperature could drop to as low as -12 degree Celcius.

How to reach

Lohajung is the base camp for the Brahmtal trek.
There are two ways to reach Lohajung from Delhi. One is via Rishikesh and the other is via Kathgodam. For each of the places plenty of buses are available. One can reach Rishikesh and Kathgodam via train too. Distance for each place is ~250kms from Delhi and take around 6-8hrs to reach.
From Rishikesh: Once at Rishikesh there is a daily bus which travels to Lohajung leaving at 5-5:30am and share cabs which leave at 6am. If you are in a group, you can even bok the entire vehicle to travel to Lohajung. It’s a 8-10hrs journey and again ~250kms.
From Kathgodam: There is a direct bus from Delhi (Anand Vihar ISBT) to Deval which leaves at night around 8:00 pm. It follows below route Delhi-Haldwani-Deval-Lohajang. It stops for sometime in Haldwani (in morning) and then leaves for Deval. Share cabs also available t Kathgodam. They take the route from Kathgodam to Dewal (25kms before) Gwaldham (50kms before) from which you need to change vehicles to Lohajung. Booking a cab from Kathgodam is also an option. Again ~250kms, 8-10hr journey. Raju Shah (8979321600) is one such transporter, who arranges transport from haldwani to lohajung and back. You can call him, if you need to book vehicle.

Best of these 2 ways– The best way to reach here is from Kathgodam. The route is beautiful. You drive along mountain roads, through forests. You also get glimpses of the Garhwal mountains in the distance on a clear day. Drive time: 10 hours drive from Kathgodam.

Nearest Airport: Jolly Grant Airport, Dehraoon, Uttrakhand
Nearest Rail Head: Kathgodam, Uttrakhand
Route Hubs: Devprayag – Rudraprayag – Karanprayag – Tharali – Debal – Mundoli – Lohajung
From Airport: From Dehradoon, your best option is to reach Rishikesh and reach Karnprayag by bus or shared jeep. From Karnprayag, you can get jeeps to Tharali, Debal and then to Lohajung.

How much time do you require to do this trip?

You require a minimum of 6 days to do Brahmatal Trek.

Short-itinerary

Day 1:- Kathgodam to Lohajung.Drive 210 km (10 hrs drive). Stay in guest house. Mobile networks are available here.
Route:- Kathgodam – Bheem Tal – Almora – Kausani – Gwaldam – Dewal – Lohajung.
Day 2:- Lohajung to Bekaltal. 9700ft, 4-5 hrs trek, 6 km.
Day 3:- Bekaltal to Brahmatal. 10,450 ft, 6 – 7 hrs trek, 7 km
Day 4: Brahmatal to Tilbudi via Brahmatal Pass. 10,450 ft. to 11,250 ft. via 12,200 ft. Trek :- 7 km, 7-8 hrs
Day 5: Tilbudi to Lohajung via Wan. 11,250 ft. to 7,650 ft. via 8,000 ft. Time : 5-6 hours, 4 km trek + 1 hour drive to Lohajung
Day 6:- Lohajung to Kathgodam. 10 hrs drive (~250 km)

Detailed-itinerary:

Day 0: Overnight journey from Delhi to Kathgodam. Take an overnight bus/train from Delhi to Kathgodam. Try to reach Kathgodam by early morning (around 5 a.m.).
Day 1:- Kathgodam to Lohajung The journey from Kathgodam to Lohajung is uphill and will take you cruising through mountain alleyways connecting the lower Himalayan belt of Kumaom hills to that of Garhwal. This is going to be a hectic 10 hour drive, despite the marvellous changing vistas of the mountains. For the first few hours, the course of our journey will be running parallel to river Kosi, flowing softly. Soon, a blustery Pindar river will meet our path. Look out for a few of the best known tourist hubs nestling in Uttarakhand’s sublime hills. You will pass through Bheemtal, Almora, and Kausani—all celebrated hill stations. Upon entering the last stretch of the drive, near Lohajung, the mesmerizing Nanda Ghunti peak will come to sight. Reach Lohajung. Take a guest house to retire for the night. The Lohajung local market is good and try to get all required things during trek here itself.
Day 2:- Lohajung to Bekaltal The first day’s trek spanning 5 hours will kick off from Lohajung up a snaky trail going into the forest. After a short while the forest will give way to a small village named Mandoli to your left. Here you can fill your bottles and take a first major hiatus. The trail continues in mostly gradual ascent curves. A little way higher, you will come across the valley where two mountain rivers Kali and Pindari confluence. This is the Kali valley, lying in a splendid green scrap even in the midst of wintry heights. We will trek on further to stumble upon a huddle of mud huts. You are going to find a grove of rhododendron here that sure grows red and heavy from February to March, but at the peak of winter, the trail will be pretty matte. Crossing this point, trek on to find the next identifiable landmark—a wooden bridge over a stream. This steam is a viable water point which you can access going down the slope. Crossing over on to the other side, you will reach Begum—a nestling rest point on the slopes overlooking a vast expanse of bugyals at distance. From here, the path bends on to two more chattering streams, the last being Gujrani stream. Take approximately an hour’s hike after crossing the last stream to reach the beautiful Bekaltal gleaming peacefully in the summer while partially frozen over in the winters. You can camp in the vicinity by the lake Khopdaliya. Enjoy the stillness and the quiet of this place with the thick oak forests closing in from around.
Day 3:- Bekaltal to Brahmatal Today’s trek will take you through thickets of oaks and rhododendrons over steep slopes for quite some time before finally coming out to a meadow. This is the meadow of Telandi. In the winter, you will find the green expanse of Telandi transform into a vast snowfield and crossing the area, a gala of thrill. The meadow rolls till 11,500 ft.- the highest point, from where begins a slow descent to Brahmatal. To your left from here, you will find a small temple, bright yellow flags flying in the air. Walk down the slope to the temple and find the trail winding towards the Brahmatal Lake, about 500 meters away from the temple now. You will find the valleys of Almora and Nainital rise and fall around us as you go. The soaring peaks of Trishul, Nanda Ghunti, and others of the Greater Himalayas can be spotted far across the sky. You may camp here at the mark 500 meter away from the lake, nestling in the beautiful aura of the place. Note: Make sure to carry 2-3 litres of water on today’s trek since there are no water points on this trail.
Day 4: Brahmatal to Tilbudi via Brahmatal Pass Start your day early in the morning as you will be heading towards the Brahmatal lake which is an uphill climb. You will be greeted with Oak and Rhododendron trees on the way which has a charm of their own. After a while, the zigzag ascent trail will take you Brahmatal Lake. On a bright day, the lake looks charismatic and the sunlight makes it look even more artistic. As you walk ahead you will come across a small stream which is formed by the melting of snow. You might get fooled by every passing top which will feel like the last ascent. After walking for a while and crossing the meadow, the final climb towards the pass begins. It will be a tiring walk towards but as soon as you reach the top you will be greeted with a magnificent view of Mt. Trishul and Mt. Nanda Ghunti. Take your time and click some jaw-dropping pictures that will last a lifetime. As soon as you start descending, you discover that the trail is different from that which got you up. You will be able to witness a 180 degree of the entire Himalayan range and peaks such as Haukhambha, Mandi, Mana, Nilgiri, Neelkanth, Trishul, Nanda Ghunti, Maitoli become visible. As you continue to descent, after an hour you will reach a clearing surrounded by trees on all the sides which is the Tilbudi campsite. You will be camping here for the night.
Day 5: Tilbudi to Lohajung via Wan After having your breakfast you will start your descent to Wan which is a trail filled with Oak and Rhododendron trees. This is a very beautiful trail which allows you to click end number of scenic pictures. After walking some distance you will come across a water source at Chota Tilbundi. Half an hour later you will be able to spot Wan village which is visible below. From here onwards it will take you half an hour more to reach the road from where you can find/arrange vehicles to take you to Lohajung.
Day 6:- Lohajung to Kathgodam After a good night’s sleep at a Lohajung guest house, you will go back to Kathgodam today. Destination will be reached by 6:00 pm. You can manage a brief stopover at Kausani to commemorate the trek with souvenir shopping.

Accomodation:

Some homestays are available at Lohajung and Wan. It is however advisable to pre book the accomodation.
Homestays in Lohajung: Patwal Lodge: Owner and Caretaker: Subedar Major Dayal Singh Patwal (Retired) Address: Patwal Tourist Lodge and Holiday Home, Sabitri Kunj, Roopkund Road, Lohajung P.O., Mundoli District Chamoli, Uttarakhand – 246427 Phone: +0091 – 13632 – 80211 mobile: +0091 – 9410480308
Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) Homestay: Phone :- 01352740896, 2746817 E – Mail :- gmvn@gmvnl.com, gmvn@sancharnet.in Web :- http://www.gmvnl.in/newgmvn/

Homestays in Wan: Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) Homestay: Phone :- 01352740896, 2746817 E – Mail :- gmvn@gmvnl.com, gmvn@sancharnet.in Web :- http://www.gmvnl.in/newgmvn/

Food:

Few restaurants are available at Lohajung. You can enjoy the local pahadi food here.

Mobile connectivity/signals at Lohajung:

Mobile networks are generally available at Lohajung.

Bank and ATM at Lohajung:

Only Uttaranchal gramin bank is present at Lohajung. There are no ATM machines installed in Lohajung. Nearest ATM is at Dewal which is 25 Km from Lohajung. Dewal is on the Way to Lohajung. There is also and State Bank of India Branch at Dewal. It’s advisable to withdraw money in Kathgodam itself.

Local Market:

Some of the few shops includes Trekking Gears Shop Small Restaurants Nearest Market is at Dewal, where most of the things are availalble.