Glamor, Color, Landscape! 6 Exquisite Alpine Lakes In India

1. Gurudongmar Lake – Sikkim

Gurudongmar lake provides one of the source streams of the Teesta River. The source of Teesta, the Tso Lhamo Lake, lies some 5 km (3.1 mi) to the east. One can seek permission from the army to go to the Gurudongmar Lake but civilians  are not permitted to go up to Tso Lhsmo Lake. The  pristine blue glitter of the lake backed by huge snow-clad mountains is second to none.

At an attitude of 5,210 m, Gurudongmar is one of the highest lakes in the world. It lies in the North Sikkim and the terrain is pretty harsh. The lake remains frozen during the winter season and the temperature in winter drops to around minus thirty degrees (-30°C).

 

2. Chandrataal – Himachal

Chandrataal or the Moon Lake is an Alpine lake situated at an altitude of about 4,300 m in the Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh. It is considered to be source of Chandra River and is part of the Samudra Tapu plateau. 
The lake is accessible by two routes, one from Manali side via Rohtang Pass and other from the Spiti side via Kunzum pass. Both the passes are closed for vehicles in the winter months due to heavy snowfall and the lake remain accessible only on foot. The lake is surrounded by lush green meadows which serves as perfect camp sites and the rugged colors of the surrounding mountains adds to the thrill. The source of the lake seems to be underground because there is no visible source like a glacier feeding it.

 

3. Pangong Lake – Ladakh

At an altitude of 4,350 m and only about 160kms from Leh lies the Pangong Lake which can be called as the most glamorous lakes of all. It lies in the must visit list of almost every traveler. It is 134 kms long and approximately 60% of the lake lies in Tibet. It is long enough to be clearly seen in the map, crossing from India to Tibet.
Despite being saline in nature, the lake completely freezes in winter. The glamorous blue color of the lake can even be seen when it is frozen. The dramatic landscapes attracts thousands of bikers per year, even during extreme winters.
Pangong lies very near to the Line of Actual Control but from 2014, inner line permit is not required for Indian Nationals to visit the lake. 

 

4. Tsomoriri Lake – Ladakh

Another pristine Alpine lake in the Ladakh region situated at an altitude of 4,595 m. Located near the 400 year old Korzok Monastery, it is the largest lake in the Trans-Himalayan region. The journey to Tsomoriri is mainly along the Indus river which takes you to the Changthang plateau. The enthralling landscapes tops the list of every traveler.
The lake is located to the southeast of Leh at a distance of about 240 kms and the road is in good condition for most of the part, with only few bad patches. It can also be reached from Pangong lake directly via Chushul.
During winters, the lake freezes completely and so does the Indus river along the journey. Temperature dips to as low as minus twenty five degrees (-25°C)

 

5. Suraj Taal - Himachal

Suraj Taal is located at the base of Baralacha pass in Lahaul Valley. At an altitude of 4,883 m, it is the third highest lake in India. In a location amid natural splendor, it is a lake that cannot be missed by any adventurer or traveler.
The lake can be reached from Manali side via the Rohtang pass and also from the Ladakh side crossing many passes like the Taglang La and Baralacha pass. There is also a trek route connecting Suraj Taal to Chandrataal. The lake remains inaccessible during winters because all the passes between Manali-Leh highway are closed for vehicular traffic due to heavy snowfall.

 

6. Tsongmo Lake

Image courtesy: http://envfor.nic.in/
   
Tsomgo means source of the water in Bhutia language. Also called as Changu Lake, it is associated with many myths and is of special significance for the Sikkimese. According to the legends, the monks living there used to predict the future based on color of the lake.
At an elevation of 3,780 m, the lake is situated on the eastern side of Sikkim, around 40 kms from the Gangtok city. Between the months of May and August, you can trace a variety of flowers including rhododendrons, primulas and blue & yellow poppies.

The lake remains frozen throughout the winter up to April end.

 

 

Read More

Auli - Himalayan Bliss

I started my journey at 6 PM from my office and headed in the direction of Kashmere Gate bus stand Delhi.

A little flash back...

[I inquired at the Uttrakhand State Transport office about any bus to Joshimath. The gentleman sitting on the other side replied, the bus leaves at 9 PM everyday for Joshimath.]

So to catch the bus, i left a bit early to keep some room for any last minute goof ups, as this was my first journey by state transport.

After reaching the UK bus stop i again inquired for the time, only to hear that there is no direct bus to Joshimath. I asked people there and concluded that i have to take the bus to Karnprayag and then take a shared taxi up to Joshimath.

As i was waiting for the bus, a guy named Vishnu came and sat next to me, we had a casual talk about where we were heading and luckily he was from Gopeshwar, a town near Chamoli. He suggested that instead of going to Karnprayag, go up to Chamoli in the bus and take a shared taxi for Joshimath, it would be much easier and time saving.

As he was the mountain guy accompanying me, so took his suggestion and boarded the bus for Chamoli.

We had a slow start because of the omnipresent traffic in Delhi and UP. Vishnu said, don't worry, its just a small stretch and then you will see the real heroism of UK drivers. 

Road up to Meerut was good but as we crossed the Mujaffarnagar toll road, all hell broke loose. The road was in pathetic condition, with traffic going in all directions. If you love your car, don't take the hits on the shockers to your heart, or your heart will bleed to death.

And abruptly, the bus came to a halt, there was a long long traffic jam on the so called highway. 

There was an inclined off road accompanying the main road. The inner stuntman of the driver woke up and he steered the bus left towards the slant. He drove the bus with furiously pumping the horn and he actually crossed about 2 kms long jam in just about 15 mins. God knows why everyone was waiting on the main road :P.

We touched Rishikesh at 2:45 in the morning and the driver loudly declared, so lo, kha lo, pi lo, bathroom ho aao, bus abhi 2 ghante yahi rukegi :D. This was because we cannot go further till the barricades are lifted for the traffic to flow beyond Rishikesh.

The journey beyond Rishikesh was good and beauty of UK was a bit too curvy. Roads up to Rudraprayag was good with some bad patches but after that the roads were in terrible condition with only a couple of acceptable patches.

I touched Chamoli at 11:30 AM and within a  minute i found a shared taxi for Joshimath. It transported me to Joshimath in about 1.5 hrs. I said that i want to go to Auli via the Gondola or the cable car. The driver replied that the cable car is not functional because of some repair work, you have to take a taxi for Auli from the taxi stand. 

I did a quick bargain with a driver at the taxi stand and without wasting any time, i began the lift uphill towards the Auli bugyal.

As i gained altitude, the snow covered gigantic peaks began showing up. I was so exited that i asked the driver, these all will be visible from Auli also, right? Because i could not afford to miss those peaks from my camera reel.

I Reached at the chair lift at 2:15PM, asked for the ticket, but the person said, we will not start the lift just for one person. There should be at least 2 tickets to start the lift. He suggested, wait for some time, maybe someone will join you, or if the lift starts for people coming down from the hill top, than you can climb up.

I waited for some time, thinking, if something doesn't happen in the next 10 minutes, than i will buy one more ticket and ask them to start the lift. Luckily the lift started to bring some tourists down and i hung up to the rolling chair.

This was one of the most wonderful rides of my life with nothing in between to obstruct the view of amazingly stunning Himalayan studs. Peaks like Trishul, Nanda Devi, Neelkanth, Dauna Giri etc. standing tall to welcome me after a long and tiring journey. 

There was a man made lake at Auli, world's highest man made lake, as they say it, but its debatable though. The lake is fed by the melting ice and the lake water is used in turn to fed the snow guns mounted on the mountain slopes. If in case a ski season get lesser snow, than these snow guns are used to spray artificial snow on the bugyal slopes.

Time went past like a breeze in that intoxicating scenery. I was utterly excited, talking to myself, about the mountains, the beauty, the peace, the sparkle of the snow, the fragrance of the wind and thanking Allah, for blessing me with that visual treat.

I headed back to Joshimath and checked into a hotel room, kept my luggage there and ran to have some food. In that excitement, i even forgot that i had skipped my lunch.

In search of an omelette i entered in a restaurant, i asked an old lady at the counter, can i get an omelette and some chapatis? She said have a seat, i will make it. I was barely able to cope up with my hunger and was waiting for my delicacy to be served. Finally, after filling my tank up to the rim, i went to the bus stand to inquire about buses heading for Delhi or Rishikesh. After some inquiry with locals, i found the GMOU(Garhwal Motor Owners Union) office at the market. From there i booked a ticket for the bus leaving at 4 AM next morning up to Rishikesh. 

Info:

• Distance Delhi to Auli  - 492 kms
• Directions
• Road conditions:
• Delhi to Mujaffarnagar toll road - Good
• After Mujaffarnagar toll road - Pathetic
• Rishikesh to Rudraprayag - Good, with some bad patches
• Rudraprayag to Joshimath - Terrible, with some good patches
• Take the bus for Gopeshwar from Kashmere Gate ISBT - leaves at 8:30 PM
• UK State Transport Phone: 011 23860560 
• Bus fare up to Chamoli - Rs. 530
• Bus arrives at Chamoli at ~11.30 AM
• Chamoli to Joshimath - shared taxi fare Rs. 80
• Return taxi fare for Joshimath to Auli - Rs. 800-1000
• Driver name: Jaideep
• Phone: 07895583884
• Stay options at Auli are quite expensive. Stay at Joshimath if doing a budgeted trip.
• For return, private buses leave in every half an hour for Rishikesh, staring 4 AM in the morning - fare Rs. 370
• Book the tickets in advance so that you can get the front seats.
• Tickets can be booked at the GMOU office (Ph: 01389 22102) in the Joshimath market near the Amar Ujala news paper outlet.
• Take a UK state transport bus from Rishikesh to Delhi - fare Rs. 245
• Arrives Delhi at ~8 PM

PS :- All fares and timings are based on 29th March 2014

Read More

A Photographic Journey To Manali Leh Srinagar Highway

Over 3000 kms, some of the highest mountain passes, almost all kinds of terrains, barren mountains to green valleys, snow covered roads to water laden roads - taking us above the clouds, mesmerizing lakes, some of the most beautiful and challenging highways of India, 3 brothers and a darling off roader ♥ :*

Read More

Winter trip to Ladakh

After a long long wait, finally that anxious night came, when all my stuff was packed and i was ready to be teleported to my kind of desert. I had to get up at 3 in the morning to catch the flight, so it was hard getting a nap that night. Seconds, minutes, hours passed like a breeze and the alarm pealed.

I called up Farhan bhai, with a hope that he is awake and ready to arrive. He was the first step to get close to Leh, as he was my toter to airport. He picked up the phone on a second ring and i asked, awake Farhan bhai? He replied don't worry bhai jaan, you will be at the airport on time. I just smiled and said ok, as he understood my concern.

I did a final reconciliation with the checklist of items to carry. To overcome the fear of forgetting something, i said myself, don't worry, you can get things at Leh too.

Farhan came and as soon as i settled in the cab, i got a call from Air India informing about a delay in the flight by an hour. I thanked him for the information and thanked God too, that it's just an hour's delay, otherwise flights were getting canceled due to fog.

After spending the lengthy waiting time at the airport, i finally heard the call for starting the boarding process. As i entered the aircraft and grabbed my window seat, it was that astonishing feeling, that nobody is going to stop me now.

Read More