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Ralam Valley and Birje Ganga Pass Trek

Challenges amidst splendid Himalayan surroundings. Starting at Munsyari(2290 mts.) the trek route winds its way up the Gori Ganga river past Rargari, Mapang and Martoli to Sumdu. From here the route goes up to the snow clad Birje Ganga pass(4666 mts.) and descends to Ralam village. The views are magnificent with peaks such as Rajrambha, Chaudhara, Chirang We and Suitilla on the eastern side. This trek is primarily porter based.

Base : Munsiyari
Pre Trek Days:	Post Trek Days:	Actual Trek Days:	Max. Altitude:	GRADE OF THIS TREK:
4	3	8	3450 M	MODERATE TO STRENUOS

15 DAYS ITINERARY

Pre Trek

Day 01: Arrive in Delhi : Check into your choice of hotel, preferably in Central Delhi.

Day 02: Take the overnight train from Old Delhi railway station to Kathgodam (Train No. 5013, Departure-22:40 hrs IST)

Day 03: Arrive at Kathgodam 06:30 hrs. Upon arrival drive to Almora & transfer to Hotel. Overnight at Hotel.

Day 04: After breakfast drive to Munsyari(115 kms, 4 hrs) along a road that winds itself up to a height of 2748 mts before descending into the glorious Munsyari valley. Check in at hotel.

Actual Trek

Day 05: After breakfast drive for 6kms to Dumar and then the trek begins. Our destination is past Lilam village to Rargari (10 kms) where we camp for the night.

Day 06: Today is a strenous walk along a gorge past the Gori Ganga river. The route is fairly up and down but generally eases off before reaching the camp site at Mapang(3100 mts, 9 kms).

Day 07: You are in high mountain country now and the tree line disappears giving access to vast stretches of Alpine pastures. The day's walk is past Lhaspa and Rilkot to a magnificent and deserted hamlet called Martoli(3385 mts, 12 kms)

Day 08: Martoli to Sumdu (3070 mts, 10 kms). The walk is pleasant today and we have excellent views of a good number of major peaks as we descend through the Gori Ganga gorge . To night we camp on a plateau near the village of Sumdu.

Day 09: Sumdu to Ralam village (3700 mts, 11 kms) across Birje Ganga pass (4666mts) : Today is a strenous day. We descend for a short distance from Sumdu and then start climbing for four hours to the Birje Ganga pass. Once on the pass a wide panorama opens up infront which has to be seen to believed. Facing you are Rajrambha(6895 mts), Chaudhara, Suitilla and several others. But the best view is towards the west. The entire northern wall of the Nanda Devi Sanctuary is clearly visible, with the twin peaks dominating the heights on the left. You could spend hours counting the peaks and staring at this view with a sense of wonder. We camp at Ralam after a steep descend of 5 kms.

Day 10: Ralam to Sarpudyar (3015 mts, 16 kms.). The route is wilder as we are deep inside the Ralam valley and there is a steady descent upto the huge cave called Sarpudyar with several large boulders around it. We camp here for the night.

Day 11: Sarpudyar to Pantu (2100 mts, 10 kms): The day's walk is through several meadows with constant ups and downs till we reach the village Pantu where we camp for the night.

Post Trek

Day 12: We descend along the Gori Ganga gorge upto Suringarh and then climb steadily to Dumar where we get on to a waiting jeep that takes us to Wayfarer Mountain Resort.

Day 13: Munsyari to Ranikhet (240 kms). It is time to bid farewell to Munsyari and its mountains. Today we board a vehicle that drives us to Ranikhet through Vijaypur, Bagheswar and Kausani. We checkin for the night at Wayfarer Solitare. [more...]

Day 14: Ranikhet to Nanital
Drive to Nainital. A famous hill station in India. Evening free to visit local market. Overnight at Hotel.

Day 15: Nainital - Delhi
Morning free. Afternoon drive to Delhi. Upon arrival in Delhi, transfer to hotel.
Overnight at Hotel.