Delhi
Our journey begins in New Delhi for a couple days as our body's clocks adjust to the new time zone. Delhi is a huge, bustling, noisy, modern Indian city, sculpted by the Moghul Empire and the British Raj. Just enough time here to begin to adjust to the sights, sounds and smells that are India . Delhi is situated in the plains of India and will be extremely hot at this time.
Rishikesh
Our group will travel by bus up north to Rishikesh situated on the banks of the sacred Ganges River . Rishikesh is considered the yoga capital of India and is a quaint town full of saffron robed ascetics. It is considered the gateway to the Himalayas and many of the yogis and sadhus stop here before heading out to the high mountains for their meditations and penances. Ashrams, yoga centers, holy cows, monkeys and spiritual seekers abound. We will spend 2 days enjoying the more laid back, river life. Swami Satchindananda is a friend of Yogi Bhajan's and has a beautiful ashram where we usually stay. His orphans perform an amazing blessing "arti" ceremony every evening on the 'ghats" of the river, which is worth experiencing.
Upwards
From here we begin our more rugged journey into the Gharwal Hills
of the Himalayas . We will travel by bus over very winding terrain, flanking a deep gorge through which the Ganges and its tributaries rush. After a long ride of around 10 hours, we will recuperate in a government bungalow in Joshimath. These will be very simple accommodations. You will experience that the air gets cooler and crisper as we ascend.
The Trek
A short 45 minute ride will bring us to Gobind Ghat. You are now at 5849 feet above sea level. This is the starting point of our trek. We will collect our belongings and head across the bridge and up the start of the path. Hiring a coolie to carry your backpack or duffle will be a good idea. Just carrying a light day pack with your snacks and water for the first leg is suggested. It is a 12 km (7.5 miles) trek the first day and at an easy pace will take 5-6 hours. This is an easy sloping trail that winds through tiny mountain villages, shady forests and easy green meadows.
We will gather together at the next stop, Gobind Dham which is situated at 9756 ft., where we will eat and spend the night. This is our base camp for the next two hikes. The following morning, before the sun rises, we begin our trek to Hemkunt Sahib. All you will need to carry for this portion of the trip is your bathing suit / towel and warm coat.
The ascension is higher and steeper and you will notice it is slower going. This portion is a 6 km (3.75 miles) and can take upto 6 hours to walk. The trail often switchbacks and you see shortcuts carved in between for the younger more spry hikers. There may be small glaciers to walk over or little streams to ford. Sometimes the path is narrow and only room to walk single file. It is here that the views sweep away and you notice how high you really are. As you near the top there are two paths to choose from. There is a long switchback trail that the donkeys follow or there are the last 1175 steps that lift you to the final spectacular destination at 13,852 ft.
At the lake we will dip in the glacial waters, drink warm tea in the Gurdwara and do a special meditation together. Around 11:00 am the clouds start to come in and it is time to head back down the mountain. It takes less than half the time to get down the path than it did getting up it. We will settle back into our accommodations at Gobind Dham for the night.
The next morning, those that are still willing will begin our early morning trek up to The Valley of The Flowers, which will still be in bloom at this time of year. The path is 3 km (1.8 miles) and rises up to 11,200 ft. It is a Nationally Protected park and was discovered by a British Mountaineer. It is supposed to be just magnificent. The sun will rise at our backs as we pick our way up the trail. We will do a meditation in the fragrance of the flowers. Again, we will head back down to Gobind Dham before the rains come in and spend the night in our humble accommodations.
The next morning we will head back down the lower leg of the trail to where our buses are waiting. We will load up right away and head for the government bungalow for the night.
Badrinath
Before we head down the mountains we must explore a little further north, the ancient city of Badrinath . This is the last point on the northern route that a western person is allowed to go. Badrinath is so old that it dates back to the vedic times, when yoga was first documented. It has natural hot springs , which we will avail ourselves of. There will be just enough time to seep in the ancient vibrations of the city, view the temples and then back onto the bus and we begin our journey homeward.
We will overnight in another Himalayan guesthouse in Pipalkoti on our way back to the plains and then directly catch a train from Dehra Dun back to New Delhi . We will have 3 days in Delhi for sight seeing and R&R. There will even be time for those that want to make a quick trip to the Taj Mahal and Fatehpur Sikhri on their own. This will conclude our stay in India . The flight will leave late on the night of the 31 st .
Why would you travel with a group to India when you can go on your own.?
You have the blessing of the group energy, which has the potential to enhance and magnify your experience, and you have the security and support of your group. You also have the experience of your guides. Sumpuran, who will be your group leader, lived in India for 6 years, went to school there, Speaks the language and has an insiders view to the culture. Able to provide tricks of the trade for getting around and acclimating. We will have daily yoga, meditation led by Sat Jiwan Singh from New York , who has studied with Yogi Bhajan for over 30 years, has a large yoga center in NY (Yoga East) and teaches extensively. Plus, there will be daily sadhana, schedule permiting. Your accommodations, transport, water and meals will be provided. It is a very safe, secure and inspiring way to witness the country. At least a portion of it. India is so vast and so diverse that it would take years to see and experience it all.
Back to Main Yatra Page
