Dodital Yamunotri Trek

The Dodital Yamunotri trek goes from Sangam Chatti up the Asi Ganga to Dodital, over Darwa Top (3,786 m), then down the Hanuman Ganga and up the Yamuna to its source at Yamunotri. It is 8 days and 7 nights from Dehradun airport and back, and graded moderate.

You drive up through Uttarkashi to Sangam Chatti, then walk past the villages of Aghora and Bevra and climb through forest to the camp at Manjhi (2,942 m), where Bandarpoonch comes into view. The next morning is short: a forest trail along the Asi Ganga to Dodital (3,090 m), an emerald lake with a temple beside it, and the afternoon is yours to sit, walk round the water and let the height settle.

Day 4 is the big one. A steep climb of about 3 hours over grass and loose rock reaches Darwa Top, with Bandarpoonch on one side and the Hanuman Ganga valley on the other. You then drop to Seema, a flat meadow camp beside the river. From there you follow the Hanuman Ganga to Hanuman Chatti, join the pilgrim path up the Yamuna to Yamunotri (3,213 m), and walk out to Janaki Chatti, where the road waits to take you back towards Dehradun.

It is a trek of rivers more than summits: the Asi Ganga, the Hanuman Ganga and the Yamuna, in forest, meadow and rock. Nights are low, the pass day is the only hard one, and it is a fair first Himalayan trek for active beginners, couples and teenagers above 12.

• Duration: 8 days, 7 nights
• Start and end: Sangam Chatti to Janaki Chatti
• Top altitude: Darwa Top, 3,786 m
• Season: May and June, and late September to October

The shrine closes in October or November and Janaki Chatti largely shuts until late April or May, so we plan dates around it. Private groups, and no night above Yamunotri's 3,213 m.

• Dodital at 3,090 m: an emerald lake inside conifer forest on the Asi Ganga, with a small temple on its shore. Local belief holds it to be the birthplace of Ganesha.
• Darwa Top, 3,786 m: the pass that takes you from the Asi Ganga valley to the Hanuman Ganga valley, with Bandarpoonch in view.
• Yamunotri: the source of the Yamuna and one of the four Char Dham shrines, reached on foot along the pilgrim path from Hanuman Chatti.
• Aghora and Bevra: the first walking day passes through these Asi Ganga villages before the forest climb to Manjhi.
• Manjhi camp: a forest campsite at 2,942 m where Bandarpoonch shows, six kilometres below Dodital.
• Seema meadow: a flat camp beside the Hanuman Ganga, after a descent of about 1,700 m from the pass.
• Two rivers, one route: you start on the Asi Ganga, follow the Hanuman Ganga down, and climb the Yamuna to its source.
• A moderate first Himalayan trek: short sleeping altitudes, one clear pass day, and a route open to active beginners, couples and teenagers above 12.

Darwa Top is the highest point of the Dodital Yamunotri trek at 3,786 m, and day 4 is the day the route earns its name. You leave Dodital (3,090 m) in the morning and sleep at Seema (2,069 m) on the far side of the mountain wall. It is a 6 to 7 hour day, about 14 km.

The climb

The climb begins at the lake and does not ease in. It is steep, and it takes about 3 hours to reach the top. The trail itself is straightforward, mixed small rock and grass, so this is a question of pace and breathing, not of technique. Walk slowly, drink often, and let the team set the rhythm. The forest thins as you rise and the views open behind you.

The top

From Darwa Top you look across to Bandarpoonch, and down into the Hanuman Ganga valley you are about to enter. This is also where the ways divide. One route drops to the Hanuman Ganga and on to Yamunotri, which is ours. The other goes towards the harder Bamsaru Khal route, close under the Bandarpoonch massif.

The descent

The descent is long. From 3,786 m to Seema at 2,069 m is a drop of about 1,700 m, and for most people the knees notice it more than the lungs. Trekking poles help. Seema is a flat meadow beside the Hanuman Ganga, a good place to be at the end of the day.

Season and snow

In spring and early summer there can be snow cover near the top. In autumn the ground is usually open and the skies clearer. Both seasons work. Where snow needs it, we provide microspikes or gaiters, and we practise with them on the way, not as a separate day.

Start early, keep the group together, and expect a full day of 6 to 7 hours.

Tell us your fitness and the month you have in mind, and we will talk through how day 4 will feel for you.

Dodital is the reason most people pick this route. It is a lake at 3,090 m deep in the Asi Ganga valley, ringed by conifers, and the walk to it is an easy introduction to Garhwal forest.

Sangam Chatti to Manjhi

Day 2 is the longest approach: 5 to 6 hours and about 14 km, from Sangam Chatti (1,600 m) to Manjhi (2,942 m). You pass through the villages of Aghora and Bevra, where the valley is still lived in, before the trail climbs into forest. Manjhi is a pretty camp, about 6 km below the lake, and Bandarpoonch is visible from it. It is a good gain of height in a day, which is why the next day is kept short.

Manjhi to Dodital

Day 3 is 2.5 hours and about 6 km, upstream along the Asi Ganga and mostly under tree cover. You arrive with the whole afternoon. Walk round the lake, sit by it, and visit the temple on its bank. This is the unhurried part of the trip, and it gives the body a night at 3,090 m before the pass.

Why people come to Dodital

Dodital is also a place of belief. According to the local legend, this is where Ganesha was born. Parvati, about to bathe, set her son at the door as guard. When Shiva returned and was stopped, he cut off the boy's head, and later gave Ganesha the head of an elephant. The legend is why Ganesha is worshipped first. You will hear versions of it at the lake.

Nothing on the water needs rushing. Please keep to the paths, carry out all your waste, and keep voices down. We do the same.

If you want only the lake and the Asi Ganga forest, our Dodital trek covers that. This page's route carries on over Darwa Top to Yamunotri.

After Darwa Top, the trek changes character. It stops being a forest and lake walk and becomes a river walk, and then a pilgrimage.

Seema to Hanuman Chatti

Day 5 is 6 to 7 hours and about 12 km. From Seema (2,069 m) you follow the Hanuman Ganga downstream to Hanuman Chatti (2,540 m), where the trail meets the pilgrim route to Yamunotri. The Hanuman Ganga meets the Yamuna here. You sleep in a hotel at Hanuman Chatti, a welcome change after three camps.

Hanuman Chatti to Yamunotri

Day 6 is 5 to 6 hours up the Yamuna to Yamunotri (3,213 m), on the well-used path that pilgrims take. Yamunotri is the source of the Yamuna and one of the four Char Dham shrines, so you will share the path with people who have come for the temple, on foot, by pony or by palanquin. For the trekker the contrast is the point: you have come in over a pass, they come from the road.

In the yatra season everyone visiting the temple registers with the Uttarakhand government. It is free and done online. We arrange permits and handle the paperwork for the group.

Out to Janaki Chatti

Day 7 is the walk down to Janaki Chatti, 6 to 7 hours on the itinerary including time at the shrine. The path from the temple is about 5 to 6 km, and from Janaki Chatti we drive on to Barkot for the night.

Timing the season

The temple closes in October or November, and most of Janaki Chatti shuts until late April or May. That shapes the trek's calendar. May and June work, and so do late September and October, but we plan late October dates carefully. We keep off the monsoon, when slides on the Yamuna valley road can close it for hours or days.

Give yourself a spare day after the trek before an onward flight or train.

If you have a month in mind, tell us and we will say how the shrine and the road are likely to be then.

The Dodital Yamunotri trek is 8 days and 7 nights, from Dehradun airport and back. It suits active beginners, couples and families with children above 12, and anyone who wants a first Himalayan trek with one real pass, a lake and a shrine. Here is how we shape it.

Your group

The group is private: just your party, usually 2 to 10 people, with a local team. Nobody joins you from outside, so the pace is yours.

Arrival

We pick you up at Dehradun airport. Day 1 is a long drive via Uttarkashi to Sangam Chatti, about 7 to 8 hours, so an early flight helps. At Sangam Chatti we meet over coffee and snacks, share the details of the trek, and issue personal equipment that you return at the end.

The pacing

Day 2 climbs from 1,600 m to 2,942 m, which is a lot. So day 3 is deliberately short: 2.5 hours to Dodital at 3,090 m, and the afternoon at the lake. We give you that night before the pass. After Darwa Top the route descends to Seema at 2,069 m, and the nights from there stay low until Yamunotri at 3,213 m. Acclimatisation is built into the days, not added on top.

What the days feel like

Walking days run from 2.5 to 7 hours. Day 4, over the pass, is the hard one, and day 5 and day 6 are long but gentle underfoot. The trek is graded moderate. Regular cardio training in the weeks before makes a real difference, and the steep climb and descent on day 4 are where you will feel it.

The way out

Day 7 ends in Barkot, and day 8 is a drive of about 5 to 7 hours to Dehradun airport. Plan your onward flight or train for the following day, not the evening of day 8, and add a spare day in the monsoon months.

We decide each day with you, and we turn round when the weather or the group asks us to. Tell us your dates, your experience and your pace, and we will shape the days to fit.

Dodital sits at the centre of a small cluster of routes in Uttarkashi district. Knowing how they relate helps you pick the one that fits.

Dodital alone

If the lake and the Asi Ganga forest are what you want, the Dodital trek is the shorter way to them. It does not cross Darwa Top and does not go to Yamunotri.

Dodital with Dayara Bugyal

The Dayara Bugyal Dodital trek adds Dayara Bugyal to the lake. If you like open meadow, that is the one to look at. If you want a pass and a shrine, stay here.

Over Darwa Top: two ways

At Darwa Top the route divides. Ours goes down the Hanuman Ganga valley and on to Yamunotri. The other goes towards Bamsaru Khal, almost to the base of the Bandarpoonch summit, and it is the harder of the two. It is a different kind of trip, and we describe it on its own page.

Yamunotri from the other side

Janaki Chatti is also where the Bali Pass trek ends. Both treks end in the Yamuna valley, but the Bali Pass trek is a bigger, higher crossing, while this route reaches the same road after a moderate pass and a pilgrim path.

What the route is

Dodital Yamunotri is the version for people who want one pass, a lake and a source in a single week, from the Asi Ganga to the Yamuna, without a high-altitude commitment. Its top is 3,786 m, and its nights stay below about 3,250 m.

If you are unsure which of these routes suits you, tell us your dates and what you have walked before, and we will recommend one.