Har Ki Dun Trek

Day 1: Arrive Dehradun (447m) — Transfer & Rest

• Arrive at Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun (DED), or by train to Dehradun Railway Station. Private transfer to hotel in the city.
• Complete rest for the remainder of the day. The long drive to Sankri begins early tomorrow — a good night’s sleep in Dehradun is the best preparation.
• Trek briefing, permit documentation check, and equipment review with your Summit Routes guide in the evening. Govind National Park registration papers confirmed.
• Overnight: Hotel in Dehradun.
• Meals: Dinner.

Day 2: Drive Dehradun to Sankri (2,006m) via Mussoorie & Barkot

• Drive: ~190 km | ~8–9 hours via Mussoorie, Nainbagh, Purola, and Barkot — climbing through the Yamuna and Tons river valleys into the inner Garhwal ranges.
• Depart Dehradun after an early breakfast. The drive rises quickly from the Doon Valley through Mussoorie (2,005m) — the first taste of the Garhwal hills — before descending into the Yamuna valley and then climbing the Tons River gorge towards Sankri.
• The road into Sankri passes through the market town of Barkot and then follows the Tons River upstream, narrowing and steepening as it climbs into the Govind Sanctuary buffer zone. Rhododendron forest lines both banks in spring.
• Sankri is the gateway village for Har Ki Dun — a small Garhwali settlement at 2,006m with a handful of guesthouses, a basic market, and the Govind National Park entry checkpoint. Permits registered here on arrival.
• Overnight: Guesthouse in Sankri (2,006m).
• Meals: Breakfast, Dinner.

Day 3: Sankri to Osla (2,565m) via Taluka — Trek Begins

• Drive/Walk to Taluka: ~12 km by jeep track or on foot. Trek Taluka to Osla: ~8 km | 4–5 hours.
• Short jeep transfer or walk from Sankri to Taluka (the motor road ends here). The trek proper begins at Taluka, crossing the Tons River and entering the Govind Pashu Vihar National Park forest reserve.
• The trail climbs through dense Himalayan oak, pine, and rhododendron forest along the right bank of the Supin River — a clean, fast-moving tributary of the Tons. The forest here is among the most intact in the Western Himalaya, protected by the national park status. Himalayan wildlife sightings are common: langur, barking deer, and various Himalayan pheasants.
• Osla is one of the oldest continuously inhabited villages in the Tons valley — a cluster of traditional stone and wood houses on a hillside above the river, surrounded by terraced fields of wheat and buckwheat. The Someshwar Mahadev temple is the most prominent structure in the upper village.
• After settling in, visit the Osla Duryodhana Temple — one of the most culturally significant and least-known sites in Uttarakhand. The Jaunsari community here has worshipped Duryodhana, the antagonist of the Mahabharata, as a deity and protector for centuries. The temple complex, the carved wooden architecture, and the local mythology around the site are extraordinary.
• Overnight: Forest Rest House or village guesthouse at Osla (2,565m).
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Day 4: Osla to Har Ki Dun Meadow (3,566m)

• Trek Distance: ~12 km | 5–6 hours.
• Depart Osla in the morning. The trail climbs steadily from the village through successively thinning forest along the Supin River, crossing the stream at several points on wooden plank bridges. The forest gives way to alpine meadow above roughly 3,000m — and the valley begins to open dramatically ahead.
• Pass through the small shepherd hamlet of Gangad (2,900m) — a seasonal settlement used by Gaddi herders moving their flocks up to summer pasture. By late morning the tree line is behind you entirely, and the full panorama of the Har Ki Dun bowl comes into view: Swargarohini (6,252m), Bandarpunch (6,316m), Kalanag (6,387m), and the Jaundhar Glacier filling the valley head.
• Har Ki Dun meadow at 3,566m is a broad, flat glacial floor rimmed by ice and rock on three sides — one of the great natural amphitheatres in the Indian Himalaya. The Supin River runs through its centre, fed directly by the glacier above. Camping here on a clear night, with the Milky Way overhead and Swargarohini lit by the moon, is among the defining experiences of Himalayan trekking.
• Overnight: Forest Rest House or camping at Har Ki Dun (3,566m). Sleeping bag rated to -10°C essential.
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Day 5: Har Ki Dun — Rest & Exploration — Optional Jaundhar Glacier (4,150m)

• Optional Glacier Extension: ~5 km each way | 3–4 hours return.
• A full rest and exploration day in the Har Ki Dun meadow. Spend the morning at the valley floor: walk the meadow edges, watch for Himalayan blue sheep (bharal) on the upper scree slopes, and photograph the Swargarohini massif as the light changes through the day.
• Optional Jaundhar Glacier hike (strongly recommended): The Jaundhar Glacier is the source of the Supin River and lies roughly 5km above the meadow at approximately 4,150m. The trail follows the river upstream over moraine and boulder terrain to the glacier snout — the closest accessible ice in the Har Ki Dun region. The views of Swargarohini, Bandarpunch, and Kalanag from the glacier approach are among the finest available anywhere in this sector of the Garhwal Himalaya.
• Return to Har Ki Dun meadow by mid-afternoon. Rest and prepare for the descent the following day.
• Overnight: Forest Rest House or camping at Har Ki Dun (3,566m).
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Day 6: Har Ki Dun to Osla (2,565m)

• Trek Distance: ~12 km | 4–5 hours descent.
• Retrace the Day 4 trail in descent — a very different experience on the return. What was obscured behind you on the ascent is now ahead: views down the Supin valley, the forest canopy closing back overhead as you descend below the tree line, and the terraced fields of Osla coming into view below Gangad.
• Arrive Osla by early afternoon. A quieter, easier afternoon than the upward push — time to revisit the Duryodhana temple, sit with your guide in the village, or simply rest.
• Overnight: Forest Rest House or village guesthouse at Osla (2,565m).
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Day 7: Osla to Sankri (2,006m)

• Trek Distance: ~20 km | 6–7 hours (including Taluka to Sankri section).
• The longest descent day of the route — the full return from Osla down through the Govind Sanctuary forest to Taluka, and then on to Sankri. The morning section through the forest is consistently beautiful; the rhododendron canopy in April and May is at its most intense on this stretch.
• Cross the Tons River at Taluka and follow the jeep track or alternative forest trail back into Sankri by late afternoon.
• Hot dinner and the guesthouse in Sankri after a week on the trail. Mobile coverage returns. Celebration dinner.
• Overnight: Guesthouse in Sankri (2,006m).
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Day 8: Drive Sankri to Dehradun — Departure

• Drive: ~190 km | ~8–9 hours.
• Depart Sankri after breakfast for the return drive to Dehradun via Barkot and Mussoorie — the reverse of Day 2, now with the entire Har Ki Dun valley behind you.
• Arrive Dehradun by late afternoon. Private transfer to Jolly Grant Airport (DED) or Dehradun Railway Station for onward travel.
• Overnight: Not included (departure day). Additional hotel night in Dehradun available on request.
• Meals: Breakfast.