SATOPANTH LAKE

On the first day, you will be travelling by road for around 11 hours or so to reach Badrinath from Rishikesh. To reach within a reasonable time and get some rest for the next day, start early. Catch the morning bus or start your car trip at dawn. Pay a visit to the shrine before having dinner and settling down for the night at your hotel

You can either start walking from Badrinath or take a cab for 3 km to Mana Village. From here starts your actual trail for Satopanth Taal. You will be walking along the left bank of River Alaknanda. After 3-4 km, you will come across the majestic Vasundhara Falls. Crossing the cascading waters of the Falls, keep walking towards Lakshmi Van campsite at 11,900 ft where you will tent for the night.

Today you will walk along with the green grasslands along the moraines of Dhano Glacier. Expect to see patches of colourful wildflowers and glimpses of Bhagirathi peaks on your way. Towards the end of the trek, you will reach Sahasradhara – the place of limestone stalactite monoliths along which drip thousands of water streams – giving it the name Sahasradhara, which means a ‘thousand-fold spring’. You can get a view of the mighty Neelkanth peak from here on a clear day. The Chakrateertha campsite is half an hour’s trek away from here

This day’s trek starts off on a flat and easy gradient but takes off towards the end. Boulders and moraines trace your path towards the top of the ridge from where you get the first glimpse of the pristine lake. Stay prepared to be greeted with a scintillating view of a lifetime, with Neelkanth behind you, Swargarohini on the left, Chaukhamba straight ahead, and Balakun on the right. Climb back to Chakrateertha once you are done taking the place and clicking photographs.

Climb down the same path to reach Mana village in about 6 hours this time. You can take a direct cab or jeep to Badrinath if you are too exhausted, which you probably will be.

On the last day of your trip, you will be taking a bus or a cab back to Rishikesh for your further journey towards home. You can pick up some last-minute essentials or souvenirs from either Badrinath or Rishikesh before you leave Uttarakhand.