Dayara Bugyal Trek

The Dayara Bugyal trek takes 7 days from Barsu, above Uttarkashi in Garhwal, and tops out at 3,652 m on Sirya Top. It is an easy trek, and we run it from Dehradun airport and back.

Day 1 is the drive up the Bhagirathi valley to Barsu village, at 2,239 m. From there the walking days are short. A gentle climb through forest brings you to Barnala Lake at 2,995 m, with Bandarpoonch and Kalanag standing over the camp. The next climb is again about 3 hours, and the trees open out onto the wide, humped meadows of Dayara at 3,558 m.

You give Dayara a full day. We walk its folds, camp at Sirya Thatch, and take an evening walk up Sirya Top, the high point of the trek. Then the trail crosses the ridge to the meadow on the other side, mixing forest and open grass, and ends at Pichkiya. A last easy walk takes you down to Barsu, and the next day we drive you back.

What makes Dayara worth the trip is the change of scale. Barsu is a village on the slopes above the Bhagirathi valley. A day or two later you are on open grass, with shepherds and their flocks grazing, small water bodies catching the light, and the Bandarpoonch, Kalanag, Swargarohini and Gangotri peaks on the horizon. In winter heavy snow turns the same meadow into a snow trek, and in spring the thaw brings flowers. We don't run it in the monsoon.

• Days: 7 days, 6 nights, Dehradun airport to Dehradun airport
• Top altitude: 3,652 m (Sirya Top)
• Grade: easy, walking days of 3 to 5 hours
• Season: green from spring to autumn, and a snow trek in winter

Private groups, short days and a slow climb above Barsu. Dayara is a good first Himalayan trek for families and for anyone who wants meadows, not a pass.

• Dayara Bugyal itself: a wide meadow of grassy humps at 3,558 m, with Bandarpoonch, Kalanag and the Gangotri range on the horizon. It is the reason for the trek, and we give it a whole day.
• Barnala Lake camp: a campsite by a lake at 2,995 m, reached after only 3 hours of walking. Bandarpoonch and Kalanag are the prominent peaks from here.
• Sirya Top, 3,652 m: the high point of the trek, with an evening walk up from Sirya Thatch. The view is the same wide panorama, from a higher seat.
• A traverse, not an out-and-back: from Sirya Thatch you cross the ridge to the meadow on the other side and camp at Pichkiya, so you do not retrace your steps.
• Thatches and open grass: the camps at Dayara, Sirya Thatch and Pichkiya sit in or beside meadows, with forest between them.
• Winter snow trek: heavy snow covers the meadow in winter and turns Dayara into a snow trek. When the snow thaws the damp ground brings out flowers.
• Short, easy days: walks of 3 to 5 hours, with a slow gain above Barsu, so the trek suits families, couples and first-timers from age 10.

The Dayara Bugyal trek is 7 days, 6 nights. It runs as a loop from Barsu: up through Barnala Lake to Dayara, across to Sirya Thatch, over the ridge to Pichkiya, and down to Barsu. Here is how the days run.

Day 1: the drive to Barsu. An early start and 8 to 9 hours on the road, about 200 km up the Bhagirathi valley by way of Uttarkashi. In Barsu you meet the team, over coffee and snacks, and we issue the personal equipment you will use on the trek. Nothing is walked today.

Day 2: Barsu to Barnala Lake. 3 hours and 6 km, a gentle climb from 2,239 m to 2,995 m. The camp is by the lake, with Bandarpoonch and Kalanag in view.

Day 3: Barnala to Dayara. Again 3 hours and 6 km, to 3,558 m. The climb is gentle, and it sometimes steepens. As you gain height the panorama widens, and the evening is for sitting around the Dayara thatch.

Day 4: Dayara to Sirya Thatch. 4 hours and 7 km, coming down to 3,388 m. The morning is for exploring the corners of the bugyal at your own speed, since a bugyal has many humps and Dayara has several tops. In the evening there is an excursion to Sirya Top at 3,652 m.

Day 5: Sirya Thatch to Pichkiya. 4 to 5 hours and 9 km, ending at 3,150 m. The trail traverses the ridge to the meadow on the far side of Dayara, and runs through a mix of forest and meadow with several openings. This is the longest walk of the trek.

Day 6: Pichkiya to Barsu. 3 hours and 6 km down to 2,239 m, the end of the trek.

Day 7: the drive back to Dehradun airport, another 8 to 9 hours. Plan your onward flight with this in mind, and tell us your times before you book.

Short on days? The route can be trimmed, but we think the full 7 days is the right pace for this trek.

Dayara Bugyal is a meadow with a view, and the view is the point. The meadows lie in the Bhagirathi valley of Garhwal, and the horizon is filled by the peaks of the Gangotri region and its neighbours. Here is who is who, using the heights we have mapped for the route.

Bandarpoonch. It is in view from Barnala Lake onward. The mapped heights are Bandarpoonch West at 6,316 m and Bandarpoonch East at 6,045 m.

Kalanag. Kalanag, or Black Peak, at 6,387 m, stands beside Bandarpoonch in the same view. It is also a climbing objective of its own. If Dayara makes you want something higher, see our Kalanag Base Camp trek.

Swargarohini. Swargarohini 1 is mapped at 6,252 m, and is part of the same panorama of the Garhwal peaks.

The Gangotri group. Gangotri I (6,672 m) and Gangotri 2 (6,590 m) belong to the Gangotri range.

Srikanta and Draupadi ka Danda. Srikanta is mapped at 6,073 m. Draupadi ka Danda is mapped at 5,622 m, a lower neighbour among the big names.

Where to look. The views begin at Barnala Lake on day 2 and open out above the treeline on day 3. Day 4 and the evening walk to Sirya Top, at 3,652 m, give the widest seat.

We say that the peaks are mapped, not that every one of them shows on every day. What you see depends on the weather and on the season, and our trek leaders will name each peak for you as it appears.

The Dayara Bugyal trek is one of the few Garhwal treks that is worth doing in several seasons, because the meadow changes so much through the year. The months listed for the trek are January to June and September to December. We do not run it in the monsoon, from July to mid-September.

Winter and early spring: a snow trek. Heavy snowfall puts a thick cover on the meadow, and Dayara becomes a snow trek and a ski destination. The terrain is forest, meadow and open snow, and the route is the same as in summer. On snow, we provide microspikes and gaiters as the conditions need, so you do not have to bring them. After winter snowfall the last climb to Barsu can also be slippery, which we account for in the drive.

Spring: melt and flowers. As the snow slowly leaves the surface, the damp meadow is a good ground for flowers, and the greens of Dayara pick up colour. This is the stretch of the year when the meadow looks the most varied.

Summer and autumn: green meadows. The grass is green and the trail is dry. Shepherds and their flocks graze on the meadows, and the water bodies hold the reflection of the peaks. Autumn, from late September to the end of October, usually brings clearer skies.

Which one to choose? If you want green meadows and an easy walk, choose spring or autumn. If you want to walk on snow in an unhurried way, with no technical climbing, choose winter. Both seasons work. The days are the same, the same 3 to 5 hours of walking.

Tell us your month and we will tell you honestly what the meadow will look like on those dates.

The Dayara Bugyal trek is graded easy. The walking days are 3 to 5 hours, the sleeping altitudes stay below 4,000 m, and the trail is gradual, with no steep ascent or descent. For a first Himalayan trek, that makes it a sound choice.

The altitudes. You sleep at these heights:

• Barsu, 2,239 m (day 1)
• Barnala Lake, 2,995 m (day 2)
• Dayara, 3,558 m (day 3)
• Sirya Thatch, 3,388 m (day 4)
• Pichkiya, 3,150 m (day 5)
• Barsu again, 2,239 m (day 6)

The highest point you walk to is Sirya Top, at 3,652 m.

Where the effort is. The climb from Barsu to Dayara is about 1,300 m, and you make it in two short days. This is the part to respect. Barsu is at 2,239 m, so the body starts the trek already at a modest altitude, and the second night, at Barnala Lake, is 756 m higher. After Dayara you sleep lower, at Sirya Thatch and then at Pichkiya, and the trek is on its way down.

How we pace it. We build acclimatisation into the days, with two short climbs, a full day around the meadows, and nights that go lower after the high camp. The pace is yours, and the trek leader will slow it down for anyone who needs it. Drink plenty of water, especially on days 2 and 3.

Fitness. You do not need mountaineering experience. If you can walk 4 to 5 hours on hills with a light pack, and are used to climbing stairs, you will be comfortable. A few weeks of regular walking before you come will make the days more enjoyable.

Help on the route. The trek is not remote, and evacuation is possible from almost any point. The nearest medical help is the health centre at Bhatwari, and the district hospital is in Uttarkashi.

It suits everyone above 10, families and couples. If you are unsure, send us your age, experience and dates.

The Dayara Bugyal trek starts and ends at Barsu, a village at about 2,239 m, some 40 km beyond Uttarkashi. The drive is the longest part of the trip, so it is worth knowing before you book flights.

From the airport. The nearest airport is Jolly Grant, Dehradun (DED), and the nearest railhead is Rishikesh. We pick you up from Dehradun airport and drop you back there at the end, or take you to a hotel if you prefer. Barsu is about 200 to 220 km from the airport, 8 to 9 hours by road.

The route. The usual road is the Gangotri highway from Rishikesh: Narendra Nagar, Chamba, Chinyalisaur, Dharasu, Uttarkashi and Bhatwari. About 2 km past Bhatwari a narrow paved road leaves the highway and climbs nearly 600 m in hairpins to Barsu. A shorter hill road from Dehradun runs through Mussoorie.

Plan for the road. Landslides can hold up traffic in the monsoon, and the last climb can be slippery after winter snow. We avoid driving after dark. Tell us your flight times, and we will plan the arrival. The drive back on day 7 is the same length, so book your onward flight with a margin.

Before you leave the plains. Uttarkashi has the last dependable ATMs, so draw cash there. Phone signal usually works in Barsu, but expect little or none once you start walking.

How we run it. Your group is private, usually 2 to 10 people. The days are short, the camps are in meadows, and the team is local. We carry waste down, and we turn back when the weather says so.

Other ways down. The old route notes mention exits via Dodital or via Raithal. If you want to end on the Dodital side, see Dayara Bugyal Dodital or the Dodital trek. This 7-day Barsu trek returns to Barsu.

Send us your dates, your pace and your party, and we will shape the days around them.