Trek: 10 km | Altitude: 8,100 ft | Camping

The trail out of Lohajung drops steeply through forest for the first 2 kilometres. Oak, Rhododendron, pine. The Neel Ganga River roars somewhere below.

After an hour, the trail reaches the riverbank and a narrow metal bridge suspended above the water.

Cross the bridge. On the far side, the trail turns uphill. Steeply uphill. The next 2 kilometres climb nearly 1,300 feet through dense forest, stone-paved in sections, rocky and root-tangled in others. This is the hardest section of the day. Take it slowly. Refill water from streams whenever you can.

After 2 hours of climbing, the forest thins. Didina village appears ahead, a small cluster of stone houses scattered across a sloping meadow. The campsite sits just above the village at 8,100 feet. Rest. Eat well.

The next five days climb another 7,500 vertical feet.

Trek: 7 km | Altitude: 11,000 ft | Camping

The trail climbs steadily through Oak and Rhododendron forest for the first 3km. In May and June, the Rhododendrons bloom bright red. In September and October, the leaves turn gold.

After Tolpani, the last water source before Ali Bugyal, the treeline ends. And the meadows begin. The moment you step out of the forest onto the ridge, the entire expanse of Ali Bugyal opens in front of you. Green grass rolling in every direction.

Trishul and Nanda Ghunti rising so high above the meadows that you cannot see their summits without tilting your head back. The trail crosses the meadow for 2 kilometres to the campsite at 11,000 feet. You camp here for the night.

When you wake up tomorrow and see Trishul turning gold in the sunrise, you will understand why people call this one of the most beautiful landscapes in India.

Trek: 7 km | Altitude: 13,500 ft | Camping

This is the day the trek stops being a meadow walk and starts being a high-altitude expedition. The trail from Ali Bugyal to Bedni Bugyal is 3 kilometres of the most visually stunning trekking in India.

You walk across rolling meadows with no obstructions, nothing between you and the mountains except grass and sky.

Bedni Bugyal opens ahead, broader and more open than Ali. The trail continues past Bedni Kund, the sacred glacial lake at 11,200 feet, and begins climbing toward Patarnauchani.

The landscape changes quickly. Grass gives way to rocks. The air gets thinner. The trail steepens. After 2 hours of climbing, you reach Patarnauchani at 13,500 feet, a barren plateau surrounded by rocky ridgelines.

This is the highest camp before Bhagwabasa. Nights here are cold, 0°C or below. Altitude becomes noticeable. Headaches are common. Drink 3-4 litres of water. Eat even if your appetite has decreased. Sleep early. Tomorrow you climb another 1,000 feet.

Trek: 4 km | Altitude: 14,500 ft | Caming

The shortest day by distance. Not the easiest. The trail from Patarnauchani to Bhagwabasa climbs 1,000 vertical feet over 4 kilometres. Rocky, exposed, no trees, no shelter. Just boulders, scree, and sky.

Bhagwabasa sits at 14,500 feet in a barren glacial valley beneath the Trishul massif. Nothing grows here. The wind never stops. The air holds half the oxygen it does at sea level. This is the final camp before Roopkund Lake.

Arrive by early afternoon. Set up camp. Rest. Hydrate. Check your summit kit: down jacket, gloves, balaclava, headtorch with fresh batteries, trekking poles, 2 litres of water. Pack everything you need for tomorrow before you sleep. Tomorrow starts at 3 AM.

Trek: 8 km | Altitude: 15,696 | Camping

Leave Bhagwabasa at 3 AM under headlamps, breath freezing in the air as you climb through boulder fields and snow toward Roopkund Lake. The final stretch gains 1,200 feet over 3 kilometers; at 15,696 feet, every breath is a fight and every step tests your five-day-tired legs.

After hours of unrelenting ascent, the lake emerges beneath the Trishul massif. In the melted ice of autumn, ancient skeletons—skulls, ribs, and femurs—still litter the shores, frozen in a thousand-year-old mystery. Take in the quiet, eerie grandeur before turning back.

The descent is brutal: 7 kilometers and nearly 2,000 vertical feet down past Bhagwabasa to Patarnauchani. Lean on your poles, protect your knees, and rest when you arrive—tomorrow is the home stretch.

Trek: 15 km | Altitude: 7,650 ft | Saty: Guest House

The final trekking day is long but the altitude drops quickly, and with it, the effort required to breathe.

The trail from Patarnauchani descends through Bedni Bugyal, past Bedni Kund, and down through Gharoli Patal forest toward Wan Village. The landscape softens with every kilometre. Rocks give way to grass. Grass gives way to trees. Trees give way to terraced fields and stone villages.

After 7 to 8 hours of trekking, you reach Wan Village at 7,500 feet, a small Garhwali settlement with a roadhead. From here, a jeep brings you back to Lohajung (14 km, 45 minutes).

Arrive in Lohajung by evening. Check into your guesthouse, shower, eat, and rest. Tomorrow is the long drive back to Rishikesh.

Drive: 258 km | Duration: 9 hrs | Altitude: 1,220 ft

The final day is all road. The same route from Day 1, but in reverse. Lohajung to Karnaprayag, Rudraprayag, Devprayag, and into Rishikesh by evening. Arrive in Rishikesh between 5 PM and 7 PM. Book your onward travel accordingly, with at least a 2-hour buffer for delays.

The Roopkund Trek is over. But the memory of standing at 16,000 feet beside a frozen lake full of skeletons from a thousand years ago stays longer than you expect.