About With Less Crowd & Lots Of Snow, Dayara Bugyal Awaits For You
Imagine yourself standing in the middle of a big field when you think of Dayara Bugyal Trek. Now imagine that field at a height of 12,000 feet, with nothing but pristine white snow. That’s what you experience when you walk over Dayara Bugyal in Uttarakhand. It is situated at an altitude of 3,000-4,000 feet, Bugyal translates as large pastoral plains or meadows.
Dayara Bugyal Uttarakhand offers widespread lush green meadows, panoramic view of Himalayan range, beautiful campsites and low altitude lakes. If these are the highlights you are looking for then keep reading.
Situated at the altitude of 12,000 ft. the trail has extensive grassland and alpine lakes against the neighboring canvas of Bandarpoonch, Kala Nag, Shrikhand Mahadev, Srikanth Peak, and Gangotri peaks.
Dayara in local language refers to a circular plot of land, showing the hoop shaped grassy turf of bugyal, surrounded by dark oak and maple words. During winters the whole grassland is covered in white fluffy snow, sometimes you cannot even see the end of the canvas.
Dayara Bugyal in winter is a totally unique experience, when you see the vast landscape covered in snow and when the trek becomes moderate from easy. As we all know, beautiful views come with a difficult climb. Right?
Quick Facts
- Maximum altitude- 12,000 ft
- Difficulty level – Easy to moderate
- Trekking distance – 29km
- Dayara Bugyal weather – Minimum -4°c and maximum 25°c .
- Nearest railway station- Haridwar
- Nearest airport- Dehradun
- Base camp- Barsu
Who Can Go For This Trek?
- First timers can go, interest in trekking is a must.
- Climbers should be able to carry a 10 to 15 kg backpack.
- Climbers must not have heart problems, high blood pressure and asthma.
- Travellers must be able to cover 5 km in 45 minutes.
How To Reach?
If you are a solo traveller, the best way is to take a bus from Dehradun to Uttarkashi. Available early in the morning. It leaves from the Dehradun railway station at 8AM every morning. It charges around INR 250/-.
You can also take a shared taxi from Indira Nagar Market. It costs around INR 350/- per person.
Travellers can also fly to Dehradun and drive to Raithal and start the trek from there. Click HERE to know more.
Best time To Visit Dayara Bugyal Trek
You can visit this trek all year long except the monsoon season. The best time to visit Dayara Bugyal is from December to February. It is at this time of the year, when the trek radiates immense white beauty. Since, it gets covered in a thick blanket of snow.
However, if you prefer green over white, then try making this trek during spring and summer. It is the perfect time for all the nature lovers to witness mama earth in full bloom. Spring season starts from March and the meadows start to turn green with all the snow that melts with beautiful tiny flowers all around. Although, the high altitude region is still covered in snow until April.
For the travellers who want to experience both green meadows and snow, spring is the perfect match.
Summers are usually warm with widespread green landscapes all around. For all the first time trekkers, summer is the best time to explore Dayara Bugyal. It’s easy to complete the trek in summers then in winters.
Brief Itinerary
Day 1 – Dehradun to Raithal
Start your day early in the morning from Dehradun. After a 7 hour long journey you will reach Raithal. It is a pleasant village and also a base camp for Dayara Bugyal trek. This village is about 35 km away from Uttarkashi, filled with lush greenery and the Bhagirathi river flows with you throughout the way to the village. You can see many famous peaks on the way like Gangotri range and Shrikant peaks. Spend the night here in a campsite or a homestay before you start your trek the next day.
Day 2 – Raithal to Gui Campsite
- Altitude – 9,500 ft
- Trek distance – 4 km
- Easy trail, but gradually ascends
Start the actual trek from here early in the morning after having a good breakfast. This trail is a beautiful walk through the jungle filled with oak trees. It takes around 4 to 5 hours to complete this trial. Always make sure that you have a bottle of water all the time with you because there is no source of water on the way.
Day 3 – Gui to Dayara Bugyal and back to Gui Campsite
- Altitude – 9,842 ft to 12,057 ft to 9,842 ft
- Trek distance – 7 km, 5-6 hours
Today will be an easy day as compared to yesterday. As today’s trek is a mix of gradual ascend and descend, crossing the tree line that opens to a vast open meadow- Dayara Bugyal. Witness the majestic Himalayan peaks visible from the meadow. Peak views including Srikanth, Gangotri, Draupadi ka Danda, Jaonli, Bandarpunch, and Swargarohini are visible from the meadow. Have your packed lunch, capturing the astonishing vast land with the herd of cattles & wild horses grazing all around. Once done, you will then head back to the Gui campsite for overnight stay.
Day 4 – Gui Campsite to Raithal then travel to Dehradun
- Altitude – 9,842 ft to 7,388 ft
- Trek distance – 4 km, 3-4 hours
- Drive – 185 km, 7-8 hours
The beautiful journey of the Dayara Bugyal comes to an end today. Getting up early and descending back to Raithal is the plan. With all the beautiful pictures and videos, we bid goodbye to all the trekkers, cherishing all the memories forever. After we arrive at Raithal, we’ll take a seven hour drive to reach Dehradun. Thus, marking the ending of this trek.
Tips & Tricks For A Successful Trek
We know you don’t like travelling unprepared. However, you can add the following points to your checklist in order to make your hike even more memorable.
- Always carry a good pair of waterproof shoes.
- The rucksack should be comfortable and sturdy.
- Keep an extra bottle of water with you all the time.
- Good quality wind-cheater raincoats are necessary.
- Carry the necessary medications which you might need on the trek.
- Don’t forget to keep your documents in a plastic bag so that it doesn’t get wet.
- Carry a good amount of thermal wear if you are doing this track in peak winters.
- If you get hit by an AMS that is acute mountain sickness, there are many exit points on this trail.
The landscape on Dayara Bugyal is unlike any other, making it completely unbeatable. The walk gets quite easy as it passes across a huge area of verdant meadows. Especially in the summer, when the weather is too pleasant to go on a hike.
Moreover, the type of terrain on the Dayara Bugyal trek route is the primary reason why this trek is also recommended to people of all ages.
So this was the complete blog about Dayara Bugyal of Moustache Escapes. So, how about a family trek with your children or a get together with your sibling? Dayara Bugyal is perfect for all. Visit Today!