Triund – In the Lap of Dhauladhar Range
Hi,
So if you all are following our Instagram page, you must know that last weekend, we were at Dharamshala. We selected Dharamshala for a long weekend holiday because we wanted to do our first Himalayan trek. There are five main treks from Dharamshala, and the easiest is Triund.
And here we are after doing almost 13 km of trekking and coming back home and typing this on Saturday night, a week after my trek but still smiling wide from ear to ear…The snow-capped mountains do that to you. They are like the best intoxicants in the world. You don’t want to go ahead. You don’t want to get down. All you will get is peace and solemn.
Did we find it? – Oh yes!
Are we missing it? Definitely!
And are we going again? Already planned!
Now regarding the trek. It is the most famous trek, and you will get many touring companies and guide in McLeod Ganj. On Instagram also, there are many pages you can follow and ask them if you want to plan ahead. The trail is well marked for DIY trekkers, with three routes to Triund.
- Galludevi (official and more scenic)
- Bhagsu Naag temple (most widely used)
- Bangotu
We don’t know about the Bangotu route, but our guide told us that it has narrow trails. We started our trek from Dharamkot road. We walked around half a km to Heena Cafe, where our guide met us. He is a young man with great enthusiasm and tremendous love for mountains. We could not have finished this trek without him. There were other guides around but the care and concern he showed for us and kids were admirable. We had already planned our excursion before coming to Dharamshala but according to them, the Galludevi route was closed due to snow. So the trek was going to be from Bhagsu Naag only. But thanks to the reception guy at Karma Exotica. He insisted we do it from the Gallu Devi route as it is more picturesque and has different views at every turn. So we contacted Mr. Gaurav from Himachal Hills Adventure and we found our guide Mr. Deep Bhardwaj.
The initial trail from Heena cafe to Triund check post is steep and will test your stamina for the track ahead. But once you cross the checkpoint, you will enter another world with a beautiful valley on your side and red rhododendron flowers welcoming you, motivating you to go further and further. Do taste them and eat them along the trail. They are true energy boosters.
Halfway along the path, you will get a small cafe (Magic View Cafe) where you can refill your water and have mountain wali Maggie. But don’t forget to have a cup of coffee there. It was pure bliss!!
And a little ahead of the trail we got our first snow. The kids were utterly flabbergasted. Shaurya didn’t want to go on. But his speed had no bound once he knew that there would be much more snow on the top. From there, it was like we were different individuals. We passed the last 22 sharp u-turns and steep climbs quickly all thanks to kids’ excitement and eagerness. At places, the trail was slippery with few people turning back but our kiddos were true motivators for us.
And once we reach the summit, the feeling is ineffable. On one side was a lovely Kangra valley, and on the other, there were snow-covered stupifying Dhauladhar mountains. It envelops many emotions. And that’s why I am not going to write about it here. A small cafe at the top provides Maggie, Dal Rice, and Omelette.
After spending an hour or two at the top we descended as our base camp was 1.5 km down. We were meeting many people on the way coming up from Bhagsu Route.
The campsite is well managed. They provide you tents and sleeping bags and arrange all for you. They also offer scrumptious dinner and basic breakfast. You can also do a bonfire at night. We missed the sunset view because of clouds but it must be excellent. But don’t forget to get up early to view the breathtaking sunrise. The rising sun was playing peekaboo with us due to the clouds; nevertheless it was terrific.
The descent is quite easy with rocky steps and well-marked trails. You will get a few cafes along the path and one campsite at Mana.
Bhagsu Nag waterfall is overcrowded, and after the peaceful atmosphere of Triund Top and the trail, you might not want to spend time here.
We will not lie. It was tiring, and I am still getting leg cramps. Did we sleep well in the tent? The answer is No… but kids did.
But was it worth it? Then the answer is YES… YES…YES…
Triund trek – Distance- depends on where you start but overall, from Galludevi, it is a 6.5 km climb.
Difficulty level – Easy. It can be tricky and slippery in places due to snow.
The altitude of Triund – 9278 ft
Points to consider:
- You will get hot food along the trail and at the top, so don’t take many things with you. But do take adequate water bottles.
- We also need proper trekking or sports shoes for a good grip as few trails have snow, and on the Bhagsu route, the path is rocky and sometimes slippery.
- Take trekking poles with you. They are invaluable.
- Take warm inners and jackets even if it is spring or autumn as it gets chilly at night.
- This can also be done as a day trek without a guide.
- One forest guesthouse at the top can be booked online. However, I was not able to do it.
- Triund is also the mid-point to many amazing treks like – the Snowline trek, Lahesh cave, Laka Glaciar trek, and Indrahar pass.
- Cost of camping- 900-1100 rs/person
Contact numbers:
Himachal Hills Adventure: 8352020027 / 9459343376
Mr. Deep Bhardwaj: 8894108173
Thank you.
SaSha
Wow…amazing beauty…
It really was… we think it is the prefect trek if you want to introduce younger kids to Himalayan trek. It is little bit commercial so you can get few stalls in between and even at the top. And there are many young trekkers on the way and they do motivate our kids and that charge them up like anything.