Kagbhushandi Tal Trek

The Kagbhushandi Tal trek is a strenuous private trek from Auli over two high passes, Kankul and Barmai, to a sacred lake under Hathi and Ghodi Parvat. The highest point is the Kankul Pass at 4,670 m.

You drive up from Dehradun airport and sleep the first night at Auli. Next day the walk starts from Govind Ghat, along the Pushpawati to Bhyundar village, then up beside the Karnkul Ganga through oak and rhododendron forest to the meadows of Samartoli. Raj Kharak comes next, with Hathi Parvat and Ghodi Parvat standing over the camp, and a rest day with a hike to Hathi Tal. Then the long day over Kankul Pass, across moraine and scree, down to Kagbhushandi Tal, where a full day is kept at the lake. Barmai Pass follows, then the ridge at Farsawan Top and a long drop through oak and pine to Jabar Kharak and the road at Painka.

Along the way you cross scree, boulder fields and moraine, and see Neelkanth, Chaukhamba and the Hathi-Ghodi-Palthi group from the passes. The lake is a pilgrim place, linked to the sage Kak Bhushundi, the crow of the old legend, and we walk it that way: quietly, with nothing left behind. This is a route for fit trekkers who have walked at altitude before. If you want a shorter pass trek from the same base, see the Kuari Pass trek.

• Days: 11 days, 10 nights, from Dehradun airport and back, pickup and drop included.
• Grade: strenuous. Walking days are mostly 5 to 7 hours; the two pass days are longer.
• Camping from Bhyundar village to Jabar Kharak.
• Best months: May, June, September and October.

This is a remote trek and evacuation may not be possible from every camp. We keep the group small and private, and the pace is built around acclimatisation: a night at Auli, a rest day at Raj Kharak and a full day at the lake.

• Kagbhushandi Tal and a full day at the lake: A sacred lake under Hathi and Ghodi Parvat, with a day to walk around it and rest before the second pass.
• Kankul Pass at 4,670 m: The highest point of the trek, crossed in one standalone day from Raj Kharak, with Neelkanth, Chaukhamba and the Hathi-Ghodi-Palthi group in view.
• Barmai Pass: The second crossing, over scree and moraine, with a steep descent on the far side to Upper Barmai Camp.
• The crow and the eagle: Rock forms at the lake that locals read as the crow, Kak Bhushundi, and the eagle, Garud, from the legend that gives the lake its name.
• Raj Kharak and Hathi Tal: A rest day at the meadow camp with a hike to Hathi Tal, close under Hathi Parvat, so the body is ready for Kankul.
• Away from the Valley of Flowers trail: At Bhyundar the route crosses the Lakshman Ganga on a wooden bridge and turns up the Karnkul Ganga, through oak and rhododendron forest.
• Farsawan Top: A ridge day with views of the Badrinath peaks, Neelkanth among them, and across to the Dhauliganga valley.
• Moraine to oak forest: From the passes the trail drops a long way to Jabar Kharak, through oak and pine, and the road at Painka.
• Private and unhurried: Your own group, usually 2 to 10, an Auli night to start, and rest days placed before each hard stretch.

Kagbhushandi Tal takes its name from the sage Kak Bhushundi. In the story told here, he took the form of a crow (kaga) so that he could hear Lord Ram's discourses, and at this lake he is said to have told the whole Ramcharitmanas to Garud, the eagle. The lake is also named as the source of the Swarna Ganga, the Golden Ganga.

Two rock forms by the water are read by locals as the crow and the eagle, still in conversation. You don't need to share the belief to see why the place was chosen: the lake sits in a bare basin under Hathi and Ghodi Parvat, with nothing near it but rock and sky.

Pilgrims walk a parikrama, a circuit of the lake, and our full day here is planned around it. After the Kankul Pass day, the itinerary stays put at the lake. That is deliberate. You get a short walk round the shore, the rock forms, and in the morning the reflections of Hathi and Ghodi Parvat on the water when the air is still.

The day also does practical work. It lets you recover after Kankul and keeps a margin in the schedule ahead of Barmai Pass, so a weather change can be absorbed without cutting the route short.

We tell the legend the way the people who walk here tell it, as local belief, and we ask guests to treat the lake as a pilgrim place: keep voices low, leave nothing behind, and carry all waste down with the team.

The lake is the middle of the trek, and the point of it. You reach it over Kankul Pass and leave it over Barmai Pass, and nothing in the route shortcuts either. If you want to know what the crossing days are like, the next two bytes cover them.

The Kankul Pass is the highest point of the Kagbhushandi Tal trek at 4,670 m, and it is crossed in a day of its own. You leave Raj Kharak and walk about 9 km to the lake, usually 7 to 8 hours, so it is an early start with the day fully given to the crossing.

The climb is steep and rocky. The ground is moraine, steep slopes and boulder sections, and it asks for careful footing more than any technical skill. Your guide sets the pace and picks the line. At the top, Neelkanth, Chaukhamba and the Hathi-Ghodi-Palthi group are all in view. Then you descend on the east side to the shore of Kagbhushandi Tal, where the camp is.

The day follows a rest day at Raj Kharak, with a hike to Hathi Tal. That is the real preparation for Kankul. The hike goes high and you sleep low, you see the ground in daylight, and you meet the day rested.

Snow or open moraine? Both seasons work, and they feel different.

• May and June: snow cover on the upper slopes, which can soften the moraine underfoot and can also make the climb slower.
• September and October: open moraine, stable weather and clearer skies, with colder mornings.

Where snow lies on the route we provide microspikes or crampons, walking ice axes and gaiters, and your guide shows you how to use them on the way. You don't bring any of it.

Start early, keep your daypack light, and carry water and a windproof layer. The day is long.

If the weather or the group says the crossing should wait, the lake side is where we decide it, from Raj Kharak, not on the pass. Turning back or waiting a day is part of how we run the route. The second pass, Barmai, comes after the rest day at the lake, and the next byte covers it.

After the day at the lake, Barmai Pass is the trek's second crossing and the way out of the Kagbhushandi basin. The walk to Upper Barmai Camp is about 12 km, usually 5 to 7 hours, over scree and moraine. The far side of the pass is steep, and the trail asks for careful footing and a steady pace. The camp itself is high and quiet; it is also known as Jhari Kharak.

Walking order matters here, so it is worth knowing the next two days before you set out.

• Day 8, over Barmai Pass: from the lake, over the pass and down to Upper Barmai Camp. The descent is the demanding part, more than the climb.
• Day 9, Farsawan Top to Jabar Kharak: from Upper Barmai Camp you climb to the ridge at Farsawan Top, with views of the Badrinath peaks, Neelkanth included, and across to the Dhauliganga valley. Then comes a long, steady descent of about 14 km, around 6 hours, that drops through the tree line into oak and pine forest and ends at the clearing of Jabar Kharak.
• Day 10, to the road-head: you walk down from Jabar Kharak to the road at Painka, and drive to Joshimath for a hotel night.

The change in scenery is the quiet reward of this end of the route. In two days you move from bare moraine at the pass to a forest camp far below the snow line,.

The long descent is hard on knees, so a steady pace helps more than a fast one.

Day 11 is the drive from Joshimath back to Rishikesh, with the drop at Dehradun airport or your Rishikesh hotel. The road can be slow, so plan onward flights with room to spare.

The Kagbhushandi Tal trek is graded strenuous, and the route reflects that. Walking days are mostly 5 to 7 hours, with the two pass days longer. Camps are high, the trail is remote, and evacuation may not be possible from every camp. So the plan starts with acclimatisation.

How the days are laid out

• A start at Auli: the first night is spent at Auli, at about 2,600 m, not in the busier town of Joshimath. It is a quieter place to begin, with views of Nanda Devi.
• Short first walking days: the walk from Govind Ghat to Bhyundar village is short, and the first night on the trail is at about the same height as Auli. After that the camps rise gradually, through Samartoli and Dang Kharak to Raj Kharak.
• A rest day at Raj Kharak: a half-day hike to Hathi Tal, then back to sleep. You go high and sleep low before Kankul Pass.
• A day at the lake: after the first pass you stop for a day, and you use it to recover before Barmai Pass.

Altitude affects everyone differently, and fitness doesn't decide it. What we do is give the body time, watch every guest each day, and turn back or wait when it's right.

Who it suits

The trek suits people who are comfortable walking six or seven hours on steep ground and who have trekked at altitude before. Train for sustained climbing and long descents with regular cardio in the weeks before. Evacuation is difficult here, so a trekker who is struggling is brought down early rather than late.

When to go

The best months are May, June, September and October, with temperatures from about -2 to 20 °C. In May and June expect snow on the passes. September and October bring open moraine and clearer skies. Both seasons work.

Your group is private, usually 2 to 10, with a local team. We carry our waste down, and every camp is left as it was found.

If two passes in a row is more than you want, our Kuari Pass trek starts from the same Joshimath base. If you're unsure which suits you, tell us your dates, your experience and your pace, and we'll shape the days with you.

The first three walking days of the Kagbhushandi Tal trek share their start with the Valley of Flowers route, and then leave it. That is a large part of why the trek feels so quiet.

Day 2, Govind Ghat to Bhyundar village. From Auli you drive about an hour to Govind Ghat, then walk a well-marked, stone-paved path beside the Pushpawati river through forest, via Pulna, to Bhyundar village at about 2,600 m. The village is the last major settlement on this part of the trail, so it is a chance to see local life, and Hathi Parvat shows in the distance.

Day 3, Bhyundar to Samartoli. The main trail goes up towards the Valley of Flowers. We cross the Lakshman Ganga on a wooden bridge and turn away from it, up beside the Karnkul Ganga. The walk is about 9 km and takes 5 to 7 hours, through dense rhododendron and oak forest, and it climbs steadily to the Samartoli meadows. The Himalayan brown bear lives in this forest, so we walk with the guide and keep camp clean.

Day 4, Samartoli to Raj Kharak. From Samartoli you pass the shepherd camp at Dang Kharak and walk about 10 km, 5 to 7 hours, to the high meadows of Raj Kharak. Hathi Parvat and Ghodi Parvat dominate the valley from here.

This is also the part of the trek that tells you most about what's coming: the rocky terrain and high grass above Dang Kharak give a preview of the Kankul Pass ground.

The Valley of Flowers itself is a separate trek. See our Valley of Flowers and Hemkund trek for it, and the Bhyundar Khal trek for another route in this part of Garhwal.

After Raj Kharak, the route becomes a high-altitude trek in earnest. Everything before it is an approach, and it is a good one.