You would heard a lot about the Dayara Bugyal trek already and tell me that the best time to visit is probably towards August or September when the snow has melt and fresh flowers have taken their full shape and beauty. Well....you might be right and may be that's why not many groups plan this trek in winters....but I don't like the routine stuff!
So I decided to go for for Dayara Bugyal trek in winters when I am sure about two things:
The starting point of a trek can be ordinary or it can be BARSU. Whoaa! What a village!
One of the fellow trekkers in the Bikat community had written in her blog about the magical feeling that this village carries but I could only imagine at that time. A neat village, almost completely visible from the official entry gate, with nicely spaced step farms and houses, Barsu has a connect that catches you immediately.
When we moved up the jungle, the trek started opening up gradually and we reached Barnala Bugyal withing couple of hours of trekking from our first camp site (just about 20 mins ahead of Barsu village). The snow starts to greet you here, from the roofs of those huts that make & break their relationships with the snow, every year. This years mating had just started though....Both were trying to get into each other so much that we all feelt that romance in the site as we moved upwards.
Crossing Baranala Kund, one has to click a few pictures for the height that you gain till now and get the first view of the real bugyal ahead.
After around 2 more hours of trekking, we reach the camping site of Dayara. Now in summers, one may not camp here and move towards the actual Bugyal but in winters, as I said earlier, rules are changed! "There would not be any water till Siyari after this", says our guide Tirichand who is already trying to search for a Chani to assemble the kitchen. As the evening started to fall on us, the snow started shining in different colors, some of them like Red & Yellow, that our cameras could capture and some more like the sparking white (when the sun declared the departure at around 5pm), and Golden (when he was just crossing that line to his red avatar) that it could not. In all these colors, some significant peaks that are visible around you, Bandarpuch (to your west), John Lee (to your north) & some others adjoining it, act like a canvas for these colors to show their true potential.
When the sun goes far, the moon starts its Maharas with the stars around him trying to throw as much light on him as possible. Snow clad land, with moon borrowing light from all those stars and scattering the quantums on the land, and the peaks....The view is mesmerizing!
Somehow, we leave them alone for the fun that have all night and move to the camp to get some sound sleep.
Next day we set a target for ourselves to cover some good distance and cover them fast. The plan was to reach Siyari and come back to the same camp. But before we move...we could not leave behind the amazing peaks that were visible again but with different colors! I dont have anymore words now to explain...even the photographers were clicking B/W by now!
We took a stretch target of crossing Bakaria top and then move towards Siyari and then come back to the same camping site. Through the day, we walk on the fresh snow that had fallen recently, may be only a week back. You have to be careful while walking on the dry snow of December & January (fresh)...it can damage your skin fast. So, we were mostly covered, with gloves, caps, jackets, sunglasses, etc while walking. When you make your way through snow, you have to be continuously careful not to leave the trail, which by the way is not visible most of the times! Your guide will help but I would recommend everyone to try and locate the trail as as adventurer and let me assure you, its not that difficult. Be sure of the direction you need to walk ( westwards in this case) and the improved visibility due to snow would help you see far. Needless to highlight that you should always be with the group in a snow laden terrain/ trail for help ( if required).
The day was packed with adrenaline rush through the day, with many challenging stretches to be crossed. All this while, Bandarpunch was closing in on us and inviting us for an expedition over it! Ohh it was tempting...I promised myself to accept her invitation one day, for sure! Sliding on the snow with Mats or even the shoes, we were having loads of fun throughout.
With all the adrenaline, peak views, clearer skies, longer visibility, what a snow clad Dayara Bugyal trek also offers, is serenity. Apart from one group which by the way was organized was Dogs!, we did not see anyone doing this one.
Dayara in winters is a white, serene, and pure trek with white cover through the Bugyal looking like Chadar, that covers grasslands and tries to generate that fire from the roots inside. At the same time, it cuts off that heat from above, trying to cleanse the grasslands for the year
Come to Dayara Bugyal in winters to see this process of purification, experience the journey of whiteness, and explore all the shades of white....
Here are some other winter treks which you can explore:
Chadar Trek
Kedarkantha Trek
So I decided to go for for Dayara Bugyal trek in winters when I am sure about two things:
- Loads of snow and
- Not many groups doing the trek
The starting point of a trek can be ordinary or it can be BARSU. Whoaa! What a village!
One of the fellow trekkers in the Bikat community had written in her blog about the magical feeling that this village carries but I could only imagine at that time. A neat village, almost completely visible from the official entry gate, with nicely spaced step farms and houses, Barsu has a connect that catches you immediately.
When we moved up the jungle, the trek started opening up gradually and we reached Barnala Bugyal withing couple of hours of trekking from our first camp site (just about 20 mins ahead of Barsu village). The snow starts to greet you here, from the roofs of those huts that make & break their relationships with the snow, every year. This years mating had just started though....Both were trying to get into each other so much that we all feelt that romance in the site as we moved upwards.
Crossing Baranala Kund, one has to click a few pictures for the height that you gain till now and get the first view of the real bugyal ahead.
After around 2 more hours of trekking, we reach the camping site of Dayara. Now in summers, one may not camp here and move towards the actual Bugyal but in winters, as I said earlier, rules are changed! "There would not be any water till Siyari after this", says our guide Tirichand who is already trying to search for a Chani to assemble the kitchen. As the evening started to fall on us, the snow started shining in different colors, some of them like Red & Yellow, that our cameras could capture and some more like the sparking white (when the sun declared the departure at around 5pm), and Golden (when he was just crossing that line to his red avatar) that it could not. In all these colors, some significant peaks that are visible around you, Bandarpuch (to your west), John Lee (to your north) & some others adjoining it, act like a canvas for these colors to show their true potential.
The yellow tinge of departing sun at Dayara
Bandarpuch
John Lee in the center
When the sun goes far, the moon starts its Maharas with the stars around him trying to throw as much light on him as possible. Snow clad land, with moon borrowing light from all those stars and scattering the quantums on the land, and the peaks....The view is mesmerizing!
Somehow, we leave them alone for the fun that have all night and move to the camp to get some sound sleep.
Next day we set a target for ourselves to cover some good distance and cover them fast. The plan was to reach Siyari and come back to the same camp. But before we move...we could not leave behind the amazing peaks that were visible again but with different colors! I dont have anymore words now to explain...even the photographers were clicking B/W by now!
We took a stretch target of crossing Bakaria top and then move towards Siyari and then come back to the same camping site. Through the day, we walk on the fresh snow that had fallen recently, may be only a week back. You have to be careful while walking on the dry snow of December & January (fresh)...it can damage your skin fast. So, we were mostly covered, with gloves, caps, jackets, sunglasses, etc while walking. When you make your way through snow, you have to be continuously careful not to leave the trail, which by the way is not visible most of the times! Your guide will help but I would recommend everyone to try and locate the trail as as adventurer and let me assure you, its not that difficult. Be sure of the direction you need to walk ( westwards in this case) and the improved visibility due to snow would help you see far. Needless to highlight that you should always be with the group in a snow laden terrain/ trail for help ( if required).
On the way in the snow
View from Bakaria top
The long stretches of snow merging with the bugyals
The day was packed with adrenaline rush through the day, with many challenging stretches to be crossed. All this while, Bandarpunch was closing in on us and inviting us for an expedition over it! Ohh it was tempting...I promised myself to accept her invitation one day, for sure! Sliding on the snow with Mats or even the shoes, we were having loads of fun throughout.
With all the adrenaline, peak views, clearer skies, longer visibility, what a snow clad Dayara Bugyal trek also offers, is serenity. Apart from one group which by the way was organized was Dogs!, we did not see anyone doing this one.
Dayara in winters is a white, serene, and pure trek with white cover through the Bugyal looking like Chadar, that covers grasslands and tries to generate that fire from the roots inside. At the same time, it cuts off that heat from above, trying to cleanse the grasslands for the year
Come to Dayara Bugyal in winters to see this process of purification, experience the journey of whiteness, and explore all the shades of white....
Here are some other winter treks which you can explore:
Chadar Trek
Kedarkantha Trek
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