Bali Pass Trek

The first part from Sankri to the last village Taluka is a 12-km drive in a jeep. The trek route that starts from Taluka to Chilurgad goes along the Supin rver. The trail takes you through thick forests of chestnut, walnut, willows chinars and other coniferous trees and through ancient villages Gangad and Osla. You would get to see few waterfalls and cross wooden bridges across streams at places on the trail. After a trek of about 6-7 hr you would reach the camping spot at Chilurgard for the day. Overnight stay at Chilurgad in tents.

The first part of the trek continues along the Supin river until you reach Devsu Bugyal where you get the first view of the Kalanag peak. A delightful walk through the meadows, you then descend through a forest cover, onto a sandy and stony path to the riverbed. Crossing the Supin river continue to walk along the river for a while till you reach your campsite at Rainbasera for the day.

A beautiful trail that leads you to the glacial lake Ruinsara tal. It about 11 km trek , a walk of 5-6 hrs when you arrive at the Ruinsara tal. The first part of the trail, you descend to the Ruinsara river, where you cross the river and enter the Ruinsara valley. You trek through the valley, across various mountain bends as you ascend gradually. You have to tread carefully as you walk through terrains dotted with glacial snow and scree. The days trek ends as you reach the beautiful Ruinsara tal, which is surrounded by meadows and rhododendrons. You get the enchanting views of the Bandarpoonch and Kalanag peaks and the Dhumdar Kandi range. Enjoy your dinner amidst the snow clad vista and retire in your tents for a good nights sleep.

It’s a short trek from Ruinsara Tal to the Thanga camp. It takes about 4-5 hrs of walk, first towards the Supin river along a dense vegetaion area where you cross the river and continue trekking along the river till you reach your campsite. This campsite has a beautiful view and backdrop of Swargarohini peaks. Spend the rest of the day exploting around and resting and preparing for the next 2 days of difficult climbs as you get closer to the pass and cross it.

 It’s a easy day with a short trek with a beautiful views of the entire Ruinsara and Kyarkoti valley, the outstanding view of the complete Swargarohini range. It’s a steep climb as you enter the snow line. An hours trek from here you would reach a level ice field with a few half frozen small glacial ponds in between. This is Bali Pass base camp, this is the campsite for the day. Spend sometime getting acclimatized to the altitude and terrain, and rest well that prepares you to take up the climb to the Bali pas the next day.

It’s a long walk across multiple snow dunes when you first sight Bali Pass. From the point you start seeing Bali pass it’s a ascent, the last part quite steep. It may take upto one and half hours to reach the top of the pass. From the top you would see the Yamunotri side of the valley for the first time. . Atop the summit enjoy the a view of both sides f the pass, the Ruinsara side and the Yamunotri side. You also see the Bandarpoonch and Kalanag peaks standing tall. As you cross the pass, you start your descent the other side, it’s a steep descent and may require fixed ropes to help you descend safely. An hour of descent later you would sight the Upper Damini forest ridge. A tricky patch that needs some careful descnt before you reach the Damini forest ridge . Trek through the forest for a short distance to reach your campsite after a long day.

A fairly easy day, you take the descending rail crossing the lower Damini forest. A steep descent of around half hour connects you with the old Yamunotri trail. Follow the trail that connects with the new Yamunotri to Jankichatti trail. From here it’s a 2 hour trek to Jankichatti. From Jankichatti you board your vehicle and drive to Dehradun.