The Nandikund - Ghiya Vinayak Pass trek is a gem of a trek in the lap of the Himalayas of Garhwal Uttrakhand. The trek connects the Valleys of Kedarnath and Badrinath. The trek offers a close views of Peaks like Chaukhambha, Mandani and views as far as the Panpatia Snow field, Neelkanth Peak, Parvati Peak and that of the elegant Nanda Devi etc, from the top of Ghiya Vinayak pass. The Nandikund - Ghiya Vinayak Pass trek is just superb and a must do for all the Himalayan High Seekers.
The trek is involves steep climbs and descends, and some of the patches has no defined trail. The climb up to the top of the Ghiya Vinayak Pass adds further to make the Nandikund - Ghiya Vinayak Pass trek one of the lesser known and done treks in the Himalayas of Garhwal.
This trek is connected mythologically to the Pandavas, who followed Lord Shiva and built temples on their way, worshiping and pleasing him to attain salvation. These temples are known as the Panch Kedars. Madhyamaheshwar and Kalpeshwar are two of the Panch Kedars which falls on this trek route. Tungnath, Kedarnath and Rudranath being the other three of the five Panch Kedars.
This route is considered very pious by the Hindus and we need to follow local customs while on the trek.
Get ready to take the scenic mountainous drive to Ransi on the famous pilgrimage route of Madhyamaheshwar. The drive is very interesting and offers you a display of various colors of the Himalayan State of Uttrakhand. Stop by in between to have your breakfast and lunch before we reach Ransi, the starting point of the trek. Upon arrival check in to the lodge for the overnight stay. In the evening visit the local village and the Rakeshwar Temple in the village. Dinner and overnight stay at Ransi Village.
Today is the starting day of our Nandi Kund - Ghiya Vinayak Pass Trek. We head towards Nanu Homestay from Ransi. The village and religious life of the high altitude villages of Uttrakhand is on display throughout the trek route. Being a popular pilgrimage route, the route is chirpy as well with full of vivid colors and life.
The trek is more or less easier getting steeper at times. From Ransi village we start walking on a newly under-construction roads towards Gaundhar Village aaporx. 20 - 30 min. Later we start descending the valley to a little Waterfall and from here we ascend little to Gaundhar Vilage. We pass by Gaundhar village and stop for Lunch at Bantoli which is located on the confluence of Madmeshwar Ganga and Markhanda Ganga. After lunch we ascend towards Nanu homestay for another 1 - 1.5 hrs. Dinner and overnight stay at Nanu homestay.
We are into the second day of our trek. Madhyamaheshwar is one of the Panch Kedars and is one of the popular and highly rated pilgrimage routes for the Hindus. After breakfast we ascend towards Madmeshwar temple for approx. 3 -4 hrs. The trek route crosses Nanu Chatti where we stop for a quick tea break. We continue our ascend which bring us to the shrine of Madhyamaheshwar.
Post lunch, we go on for an acclimatization walk to Buda Madhyamaheshwar. If lucky, we might catch a glimpse of Peak Chaukhambha in a small water body near Buda Madhyamaheshwar.
Our route for tomorrow to Kachni Khal is visible and inspires enough motivation in us to take the challenge. Post dinner, we wish good night to each other and get into our cozy sleeping bags in home stay.
Today our trek takes a drastic change, both in the form of difficulties of the climb, and the solitude of the trail. After waking up to a lovely morning in the blessed site of Madmeshwar, we get ready to tackle the day's trek. It involves a steep continuous climb to the Kachni pass base marked typically by 2 huge rocks forming a gateway. An arduous climb of some 3-4 hours gets us to the Kachni Pass base. Upon arrival set the campsite. Dinner and overnight stay at camps in Kachni Base.
After an early morning breakfast we start ascending towards Kachni Pass for approx. 1 - 1.5hrs. The trail is clear to see and some part of it passes through some little boulders. The trek for today leaves behind all signs of civilization and follows an unmarked shepherd's trail to reach Pandavsera. After crossing the pass we descend for a long way till we reach a waterfall. From here we ascend again to a little pass from where we see Pandevsera Meadow. We continue our walk on a gradual trail till we reach campsite. We camp near to a water stream. Dinner and overnight stay at camps in Pandevsera.
Today day we take an easy day. We wake up easy and after having breakfast we start ascending towards the Nandi Kund Lake for approx. 3 hrs. The trail follows the stream emerging out from Nandi Kund Lake. It is a gradual climb which gets steeper at times. We cross the stream multiple times and keep ascending towards the lake.
The peaceful lake takes our heart right away. The peaks of Chaukhamba hovers over and on a clear weather, its very easy to catch a reflection of the Mighty Chaukhamba on the emerald surface of the serene Nandi Kund. We camp on a suitable place near to the lake. In the evening we explore the area, if the time permits we can also choose a nearby summit point for our height gain. Dinner and overnight stay at camps in Nandi Kund Lake.
Today is the highlight day of our trek as we will also cross the mighty Ghiya Vinayak Pass to topple over to the other side of the valley. It will be a long day today, so as early as we can leave, it will be rewarding for us.
A steep continuous climb for about 1 - 1.5 hours from here will take us to the top of the Ghiya Vinayak Pass. The view from the Ghiya Vinayak pass is just breath-taking. The peaks of Chaukhamba, Neelkantha and Nanda Devi are visible on a clear day. The glacier table of the Panpatia Galcier too is visible from here.
Soon we find our self negotiating the very steep descend to the other side of the Ghiya Vinayak pass to the meadow of the Barmna Bugiyal. We lose altitude very fast and in some hour and we reach out designated campsite for the night. From here we might spot some local sheperds of the nearby villages. Slowly we start getting near to the civilization. Dinner and overnight stay at camps in Barma meadow.
Todays trail is longer, but is much comfortable, easier and is also beautiful with drastic difference to the previous day's terrain. Its all about soft green meadows and thick cover of conifers. First we start descending steep to a water stream emerging from Neelkanth Peak and Panpatia glacier, later from here we ascend towards the Maedo Pass (4000 mts) for approx 2 hrs. The trail passes through the Green meadows and we can see clearly the ziz-zag way on the meadows till Maedo Pass. After the pass we descend again to Bansi Narayan, marked by a small temple. Dinner and overnight stay at camps in Bansi Narayan.
Today is a last day of our trek. We continue the descend similar to yesterday with multiple ascends and descends to get us to the settlement of Urgam Village. Upon arrival in Urgam village check into the lodge. After such a long trip you deserve a great hot shower. In the evening we visit the Temple Kalpeshwar. After having the blessings, our beautiful trek will come to an end. Evening dinner and chat with the group about the experience. Overnight stay in Urgam village.
After breakfast we drive for 09 hrs to reach Rishikesh with the great and sweet memories of the trip. Upon arrival in Rishikesh .
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We plan a limited number of uttarakhand trek outings each summer, and multiple Grand outings each spring and fall. We hope you decide to join us.