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Treks around Uttarakhand Himalayas are inexplicably romantic – no exception is Rupin Pass Trek. Walking along the wetlands, hiding and seeking out snow-capped pictures, and crossing a pass – all these things are fascinating and impressive. Rupin Pass was on our list after the Roopkund Trek was completed and our wish to make the trek has finally been fulfilled this May. By the way, our first trek to the Rupin Pass would be through a pass, so the enthusiasm this time was also a little greater.
If there is a survey on the subject that is the best trek in the Indian Himalayas, Rupin Pass Trek will definitely be one of the top entries. On the Rupin Pass trail, surprises come every day. One of the best sights to be seen is the 3 story Rupin Waterfall at an altitude of 11,500 ft. With each turn you take the path the landscape changes.
Dehradun – Dhaula
From Dehradun, we began on 24 May 2016 in the direction of the trekking base, Dhaula. We met our trek mates in Dehradun for the first time. We were twenty. Although the first meeting was with a little fear in our hearts, we all became an excellent team, even bigger friends as the days passed.
Dhaula – Sewa
We got to Dhaula after a long bumpy ride. Dhaula is a picturesque place with a canopy of big trees. Near the clear Rupin River, our tents were built. Our Trek Leader and the rest of the team were familiar with the remainder of the day. Mainly members of our group came from Pune, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Surat and we came from Kolkata. We came from Bangalore.
The following morning we were all freshened up together and ready to begin the walk. It was Sewa, our next camp, an 11-kilometer Dhaula Trail. We began our walk to Sewa.
Sewa – Jiskun
Taxing is always the first day of a trek. We hardly covered a certain distance that was panting most of us. We got a rhythm soon, however, and walked easily. At midday, we arrived at Sewa and were greeted by hot lunch. We stayed in Sewa in a residence. Sewa is a little sleepy town and seemed like a temple to be the most important structure in the town. A good example of Kinnauri architecture was the temple. At that time, the temple was closed. When the villagers were asked, they said the Idol was common to the twelve villages and the Idol moved every month to every village. Well, we heard that was unique!
We began from Sewa to Jiskun the following day. First, the descent to the Rupin River was made. Here we cross a small wooden bridge over the gushing Rupin River silently from Uttarak Hand to Himachal Pradesh.
Jiskun – Jhaka – Udaknal
This is one of the day’s highlights. Next, we went up the Gosangu path. Here’s where the hard part comes. It’s a road lead, and in the dusty road, we have had to walk about 6 km. We saw cars moving past us often! We finally got to the village after panting for a couple of hours on a dusty road. This was another ascending path to the village of Jiskun. But as soon as we reached Jiskun, the village and our house were lost to our fatigue. It was a lovely homemade of stone and wood which welcomed us.
Udaknal – Dhanderas Thatch
The next day, our walk started again along an ascent towards the village of Dhaka. The last village on our path to the Rupin Pass trek is Dhaka. During our ascent, we met many school children who greeted us with a beautiful “Namaste.” The village seems to hang over the cliff, Jhaka is also called the hanging village. It was a trail back from Jhaka through the woods, to our next campground, Udaknal. It was a lovely campsite with a view of the cliff.
We hit the snow for the first time that day as well. The snow bridge we had to cross. We came to a place called Buras Kandi after a couple of hours of treks.
This is the finishing point for the treeline. We walked in the middle of the rhododendron trees and reached the bed of the river, our place of rest.
We could see the Rupin waterfall for the first time a few meters ahead of this place. Surely it was a view to see. In fact, we could feel the adventure we had before us. We had to climb across the cascade! We arrived in Dhanderas Thatch, our day campsite, after a trek for a couple more hours. The only place you can find on this trek is Dhanderas Thatch. The entire site is amazingly beautiful, with the Rupin waterfall just insight. The snowy valleys, which had many waterfalls, also flanked the two sides. On our sides, we could see nearly 12 cascades. A better campground than this could not have been there.
