Har ki Dun & Hata Valley Trek

Day 1: Dehradun - Sankri (2000m) (Drive / 200 kms / 6 - 7 hrs)

From Dehradun we will drive to Sankri via Mussorrie. We will stop for lunch en route. This is an enjoyable drive initially along the Yamuna and towards the latter part along the beautiful Tons river. There are very beautiful pine forest sections along the drive today. Upon reaching Sankri we will check into the scenically located hotel Wild Orchid. Sankri is paradise on earth and we will take an evening stroll in this beautiful hamlet to get our muscles charged for the trek to come. Overnight stay in the hotel

Day 2: Sankri (2000m) - Taluka - Seema (2560m) (Drive 40 mins & Trek / 15 kms / 5 - 6 hrs)

We start the day with a short, scenic & adventurous drive to Taluka, starting point of our trek. The hike today is through beautiful mixed forest sections and along the Supin river. The gradient is moderate throughout with an odd steep patch in between. This region is blessed with a very old & unique culture which thankfully is still preserved. You will get a very up close & personal experience of it today. On the trail you will meet locals from the nearby villages and get to see the special construction style of the local dwellings. We will cross a few villages en route to reach Seema, a small market place. We will camp ahead of seema in beautiful fields by the riverside. Overnight in tents.

Day 3: Seema (2560m) - Har - ki - dun (3566m) (Trek / 5 - 7 hrs)

After breakfast we cross over to the other side of the Supin river and negotiate a steep climb to get warmed up for the day's hike to come. It is delightful day where you catch some fabulous views of the Bandarpoonch & Swargarohini peaks and also of meadows and jungles towards the Ruinsara valley. There are interesting forests en route with lots of opportunities to see variety of birds and meadows having wild flowers.  Also to make it picture perfect there is an inviting waterfall and many small rivulets/streams. We reach Har-ki-Dun in about 5-7 hrs moving at a leisurely pace and soaking in the beauty of the valley. Reaching our destination Har ki Dun we land in absolute paradise. This open valley has been blessed with so many natural elements that one is pleasantly surprised by its beauty. There is a network of streams, many a meadows carpeted with flowers and big and small mountains spread all over. Overnight in tents.

Day 4: Har - ki - dun (3566m) - Hata Valley (3850m) - Har - ki - dun (3566m) (Trek / 7 - 8 hrs)

On this day we trek to the magnificent meadows at Hata Valley. These are undulating meadows with never ending carpets of grass. These meadows provide amazing views of Hata peak. In the afternoon return back to har ki dun. Overnight in Tents.

Day 5: Har - ki - dun (3566m) - Seema (2560m) (Trek / 3 - 4 hrs)

We have a leisurely breakfast today and have the option of trekking up to the beautiful meadows at Haata which will take 2-3 hours (round trip) or just relaxing at Har Ki Dun. After lunch we will hike down to Seema. Depending on the time we reach Seema we can decide to visit the ancient temple at the nearby village of Osla and also get a chance to interact with the locals and get to know more about their tradition & culture. Overnight in tents.

Day 6: Seema (2560m) - Taluka - Sankri (2000m) (Trek / 3 - 4 hrs & Drive / 40 mins)

Early morning, trek down from Seema to Taluka and from here drive down to Sankri. There will be plenty of opportunities today for a refreshing bath in the super cool waters of the many streams we cross/pass by. Overnight in the hotel.

Day 7: Sankri - Dehradun (Drive / 200 kms / 6 - 7 hrs)

Post breakfast, depart for Dehradun. You can also have a brief stopover at Mussoorie, one of India's most popular hill stations. The drive from Mussoorie to Dehradun would take an hour, from where you could continue ahead towards your onward destination.

PRICE INCLUDES

Note : Overnight stay in the Standard Rooms in the hotel on Single / Double occupancy

• Accommodation
  • Day 1:Overnight in Hotel.(Sankri)
  • Day 2: Overnight in Tents.(Seema)
  • Day 3: Overnight in Tents.(Har - ki - Dun)
  • Day 4: Overnight in Tents.(Har - ki - Dun)
  • Day 5: Overnight in Tents.(Seema)
  • Day 6: Overnight in Hotel.(Sankri)
• Transport
  • 1: Dehradun - Sankri 2: Taulka - Seema 3: Taulka - Sankri 4: Sankri - Dehradun

  Vehicle Used : Tempo Traveller / Mahindra Xylo / Mahindra Bolero / Local Jeeps

• High quality Camping arrangements

  We believe that roughing it out necessarily doesn’t mean sleeping in smelly sleeping bags, compromising on safety by using low quality equipment and having unappetising meals. We focus on your safety, basic comforts and the environment while camping. Keeping this is mind, the following equipment is provided on the trek

  The following equipment is provided on the trek :

  • 3/4 season Good Quality alpine tents
  • Fresh and clean Sleeping bags of very good quality
  • Comfortable camping mattresses
  • Mess Tent
  • Camping stools & tables
  • There will be 2 toilet tents [separate for gents and ladies] having portable toilet seats
  • First Aid / Medical kit
• Professional guide(s) to ensure high safety and more information and personal attention which are necessary to appreciate a trek. All our guides are professionally trained and have many years of relevant experience in guiding treks.
• Meals :
  • Day 1: Dinner
  • Day 2: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
  • Day 3: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
  • Day 4: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
  • Day 5: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
  • Day 6: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
  • Day 7: Breakfast

• Porter / Mule charges for carrying camping equipment & rations
• Forest entry charges, permits & Camping fee (if Any)

TRIP PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE

• Accommodation in any other location not mention above
• Porter/mule charges to carry your personal bag
• Any meals/services not mentioned above
• Any charges for video cameras, still cameras, etc.
• Alcohol, soft drinks, beverages, etc.
• Personal expenses like tips, telephone calls, laundry, etc.
• Any costs arising out of unforeseen circumstances like landslides, road blocks, bad weather, etc.
• Insurance
• Service Tax

PLEASE NOTE

• If due to bad weather, sickness, natural calamity or any other personal reasons, the itinerary is changed on ground the extra charges arising due to it will be borne by the guests. same will be applicable if a guest decide to change the itinerary due to personal reason. Also if days are cut short on the trek/trips for any of the above reasons GIO Adventures will not be liable to make hotel arrangements at the base or any other location for the guests
• Guest will be required to fill up an indemnity form before embarking on the trek/trip
• We request you to kindly disclose/share information if suffering from any major ailment. We request you to submit your health Certificate.
• On our fixed group departures please note that we will follow a fixed schedule & standardised services. In case of individual requirements other than what is offered as part of the package, we might not be able to entertain them so please be aware of this fact
• In case of trips/treks with a backup day, where this backup day is not utilised for whatever reasons GIO will not be liable to make hotel or any other arrangements
• In case a departure cancelled due to bad weather conditions guest will receive full refund. GIO Adventures

OTHER OPTIONAL CHARGES

• Charges for a porter/mule to carry personal bag throughout the trek (not more than 10 kgs) per person for the complete trek. If you want us to arrange for portage of your personal luggage you can book the same by selecting the option of Personal Luggage Charges
• Personal trekking gear
  You can save on buying expensive trekking equipment for the trek by hiring the same from our gear store. High quality equipment is provided at reasonable rental/sale and you are assured of clean equipment that has been checked for its efficacy.

EQUIPMENT RENTAL/PURCHASE

*Cost in INR per day

*Taxes extra

PAYMENT TERMS & CONDITIONS

• All payments for the trips, transfers, gears, porterage, etc. should be made in full before the trip starts.
• Cancellation Policy
• In the event that you need to cancel your booking due to any avoidable or unavoidable circumstances:
  • We must be notified of the same in writing. Cancellation charges will be effective from the date we receive the request in writing.
  • Payment for this trip will not be adjusted towards any future trip(s)
• Cancellation charges will be as follows
  • >45 Days: Full refund (after deducting any expenses that have been incurred for hotel bookings, transport, etc.)
  • 30-45 Days: 75% of trip cost will be refunded (after deducting any expenses that have been incurred for hotel bookings, transport, etc.)
  • 15-30 Days: 50% of trip cost will be refunded (after deducting any expenses that have been incurred for hotel bookings, transport, etc.)
  • <15 Days: No refund
• Please Note
  • Written cancellation will be accepted on working days (only). Any cancellation sent on a Sunday or any National Holiday(s), will be considered on the next official working day.
  • In the event of any cancellation(s) after trip commencement, there will be no refunds and any costs incurred due to this cancellation will be borne by you.

* Irrespective of when a trip is booked, the above condition will hold true

TRANSPORT OPTION (Delhi – Dehradun – Delhi)

For travel to Dehradun and back one can choose between air, rail & road. For air travel, the closest airport is the Jolly Grant Airport (at Dehradun) and is well connected to Delhi and other parts of the country by Air India, Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines & Spice Jet. Train travel is highly recommended with enough options being there. For train details, you could log on to www.indianrail.gov.in and for online railway ticket bookings you could log on to www.irctc.co.in

There are frequent Public Transport buses including Volvos available from Delhi to Dehradun that cost about Rs. 200-500 per person. These buses depart from Delhi ISBT every 30 mins. or so and take about 7 hrs to cover the distance. The same is also applicable on the return journey. A private vehicle could also be arranged for if you require the same.

Weather Details

In the initial days of the pre monsoon season (Apr-Jun) there will be snow along the trail which generally melts by end April. Days are going to be sunny and warm (14-22 °C) while the night temperature at the highest campsite would be in the range of 0-8 °C. In the post monsoon season (Sep-Nov) there is possibility of snow towards the end of the season, which also melts very fast. The days are sunny with temperatures hovering around (12-20 °C) and the evenings start getting cold with the onset of October and nights are comparatively colder (-2 to 8 °C).

Please keep in mind that the above information is not exact and does not account for sudden changes. Whatever the temperatures and conditions rest assured we will be prepared to handle it with ease as we use equipment of very high specifications.

List of Essentials

Mountain/adventure travel requires one to be adequately equipped with the right kind of personal gear. Since one is travelling in the wilderness there will be hardly any opportunity to buy anything once you hit the trail so we urge you to carefully pack everything into your bags. Also please keep in mind you can rent out or purchase equipment from our Gear Store, if required..

• Shirts / T-shirts – 2/3
• Jeans / Trekking Pants - 2
• Windproof jacket of decent quality (no flimsy wind cheaters please!) preferably with a hood
• Warm and thick Fleece / Full-sleeve Woollen sweater
• Good quality Jacket
• Thermal inner wear (upper & lower)
• Woollen cap
• Woollen gloves
• Woollen socks & regular socks (3-4 pairs)
• Scarf/muffler (optional)
• Comfortable Trekking/Hiking shoes (shoes with a thick sole are recommended)
• Lightweight floaters/sandals/slippers
• Raincoat / Poncho
• Small light weight towel
• Water bottle (sturdy ones, no empty Bisleri bottles!!)
• Cap / Hat to keep the strong sun away from your face
• Sun glasses
• Walking stick / Trekking pole
• Sunscreen Lotion
• Lip Balm
• Torch / Flashlight (with extra batteries)
• Medicines, if requiring any specific medication
• Personal toiletries
• Books, if you like reading
• Day pack/small bag which you will carry on your back every day and keep your essentials in it
• Carry rain cover for your bags
• Keep a few poly bags or waterproof bags in your bag in which if required you can put your belongings in case of heavy rain
• Camera if you like (with fully charged batteries))

…LOADS OF ENTHUSIASM!! AND A PLEDGE TO LEAVE NO TRACE

Carry your stuff in a duffel bag, soft shoulder bag or a rucksack. Avoid suitcases, trolleys or any other hard luggage. As you will be walking long distances carrying a rucksack, avoid bringing unnecessary items on the trek. Please avoid carrying expensive watches, jewellery and electronic items on the trek

Our Trekking Code

We are mountain lovers and have pledged to bring no harm to them in our pursuit of running organised wilderness travel in the Himalayas and seek your assistance too in this regard. We are more than convinced that one can have more fun on a trip if we go about it in a way that no harm is caused to the ecology. In this regard we have a set of guidelines that we adhere to based on the tenets of ‘Leave No Trace’ & ‘Tread Light’ policies. These guidelines are very simple and emphasise on travelling in small groups, better planning, understanding impact of camping, proper waste disposal, respecting local cultures, sensitivity towards wildlife and so on. We have a complete section on our trekking code in the ‘GIO trekking Manual’. This manual will be couriered to you once you confirm a trip with us.

Acclimatisation & high altitude sickness

This is one of the most important aspects of travelling in the high Himalayas and cannot be ignored or set aside. Acclimatisation basically means our body adjusting to lower levels of oxygen (rarefied air) & reduced air pressure as me move up. In case one does not acclimatise properly there are chances of the person facing extreme discomfort and this can be fatal in extreme cases. While there is no set route to getting properly acclimatised there are a general precautions and steps that one can take to initiate good acclimatisation. Our trekking guides will assist you with these steps and also once you book a trip with us the ‘GIO Trekking Manual’ which will cover this aspect extensively will be couriered to you. This is sure to help you enjoy the trek in very good shape.

Selecting the right trek & training for it

Most important thing is to select the right trek keeping in mind your experience or inexperience, health, objectives & ability. Our senior team people can assist you with this, so when contacting us do mention if you need guidance on this front also refer to our trek grading system mentioned below. Once the right trek is selected comes your preparation. Once you have booked a trip with us we will courier the ‘GIO Trekking Manual’ to you which will have a complete practice drill explained in details..

Trek grading system

We have broadly classified our treks as below:

Easy These treks are 3 to 5 days long and involve walking for about 3/4 hrs daily. The trail on such treks is well defined but not always flat. These are great for families and first timers

Moderate On these treks one is not required to trek for more than 5/6 hrs a day. Also the terrain is not too difficult. These treks are normally a week or so long. For these treks prior trekking experience is not necessary. Very rarely on these treks would one camp at altitudes higher than 3800m. These treks are great for first timers or for veterans wanting to go on a trail which is relatively less demanding

Moderate+ These are moderate treks with mostly one difficult day. These trails are fine for fit beginners also.

Vigorous On these treks one can be required to trek continuously for more than a week through remote areas and at times trekking for more than 7 hrs a day. On most of these treks one has to cross passes or areas which are snow covered and involve camping at altitude of more than 4000m. Fit people with some kind of hiking experience & a spirit of adventure can contemplate going on these trails.

Strenuous These treks apart from having continuous trekking stretches are at places technical and might require assistance from trip leader/guide and other staff people. All these treks have rest days in between. Also all of them involve crossing passes or areas having altitude of more than 4500m. First timers are discouraged from walking such routes.

Expedition Style These involve long walks at high altitudes at times around 6000m. Camping can also be well over the snow line and on glaciers at times. Safety ropes, ice axes and crampons might be required on these treks. These treks are not technically very difficult but are considerably challenging. Previous vigorous/strenuous trekking experience is required.

Disclaimer

Great Indian Outdoors (P) Ltd. takes utmost care to ensure safety of its clients. However in the case of any unforeseen mishaps, Great Indian Outdoors (P) Ltd. will not be liable for any injuries caused or for loss of life. All disputes rising due to the above are subject to the jurisdiction of the courts in New Delhi/Delhi only. All participants would be required to sign an Indemnity Form before the start of the program, without which they would not be allowed to take part in the trip/program/activities.

CUSTOMIZED TRIPS

Sometimes you want to plan a trip to your own liking as according to your schedule & time as against taking a set group package tour, which leaves on fixed dates. You may want to go on a differemt trail to reach the destination or avoid a particular stretch or climb a certain peak. We handle the nitty gritty of planning such a trip.

Just get in touch with our Travel Experts with  teh subject Customized Trip at info@gio.in or call (+91 135) 2760080, 6450197.

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