Road Trip To Chopta Tungnath - Part I
- Publishing Date: 03-Feb-2018
- Category: Adventure
- Starting Date: 23-Dec-2017
- No of Days: 3 Days
- Location: Chopta, Uttarakhand, India
To read the same blog in Hindi, go to setting gear showing on the right hand side and change the language selection to Hindi.
In the month of December 2017 we had 2 long weekend holidays of 3 days in which we have decided to go to some place which is not easily accessible and it is full of natural beauty, and of course if we are able to see the snow then it will be a very good deal. After a lot of research I found a place called "Chopta Tungnath", Tungnath is the highest Shiv Temple in the world.
Chopta tungnath temple during winter, the highest shiv temple in the world
So as usual there were a lot of people when we are planning for a trip and on the last date there are only some. Initially we have 2 groups, Me and Ajit in a group and Shashikant and their office colleagues in another group. Ajit and Shashikant are both my Gwalior friends and we have done so many trips together and of course we are like-minded. So on the last date we were only 2 person left, as Shashikant plan was cancel due to some reason.
How to reach:
There are two routes to reach Chopta:
- Via Gopeshwar: Rishikesh - Gopeshwar 212 KM, Gopeshwar - Chopta 40 KM.
- Via Ukhimath: Rishikesh - Ukhimath 178 KM, Ukhimath - Chopta 14 KM.
We took the second one.
Preparation of Trip:
While I am reading the blogs related to Chopta I met with a person who is now my friend and his name is Umesh Pandey, he has been to Chopta 3 times, so he was the perfect guide for us. After discussing so many things with him we were all set to go Chopta. My plan was to go to Rishkesh by bus and from Rishikesh, get a rented bike and go to Chopta by bike and stay in Chopta in camps under the sky. But there are some difficulties in this plan like the temperature of Chopta is very low after fresh snowfall, and we have to drive 200 KM on one side in such chilling winds and that on the mountains where one can get the average speed of 30 - 35 KM hour. I like bike trips because you don't have to obey the rules of someone else while you are on bike, stop where ever you want, ride when you want and see what you want. So to satisfy our adventure hunger we took the name of Baba Tungnath and did our booking for a 220 CC bike and a camp which is not far from Tungnath entry gate.
On 24th December evening we left office a bit early and after having dinner and some food packed for the route we left home. Now we were at Kashmeeri Gate bus stand in search of a bus heading towards Rishikesh, and we got the one. We took the tickets and took our seats by holding a cup of tea and waiting for our journey to begin.
After some time the bus starts running on the highway leaving behind the Delhi border, driver turns on the FM radio and nothing is like a night journey with some good quality music. Bus drivers stop the bus on a regular road side dhaba and most of the people had dinner. We unwrap our own dinner and after completing it we took a cup of coffee, and it is just like hot water with some sugar and a very little aroma of coffee.
The first selfie of this trip :D
The important thing here is these hotels and dhaba's have proper toilet for gents and women and the Volvo and AC buses stops mostly on Bikano etc where you can try dominoz to. We were again in the bus and we don't know when we fall to sleep and when I wake up we reached at Haridwar, the Ganga Maiya is looking like a Mom blessing her children for their further journey.
After crossing haridwar we were on Haridwar - Rishikesh road, in my opinion this is the best road I ever seen. One can see the river, forest, mountain etc on this road. Around 4:00 AM we were on Rishikesh bus stand. Winter season is on, so fire places were installed on so many places, we stops at one such place and make us feel a bit warm and after that we enters in the bus stand premises. Rishikesh is the starting point for Char Dham Yatra, and it is also the Yoga capital of India, many foreign tourists come here entire year to learn Yoga, the great Himalayan range start from here, so the Rishikesh bus stand is having all the basic facilities like neat and clean toilet, rest room, a police station which is used during Char Dham Yatra.
Glimpse of Triveni Ghat:
Another morning in Rishikesh
Ram Jhula (suspension bridge)
Parmarth Niketan Ashram
After having some rests we did our daily chores and we were heading towards the city, we took an auto up to Ram Jhula parking and from where we started walking towards the ghat.
"I don't know what but some magic is definitely there in Rishikesh, I come here so many times but never get bored"
We just stand still on the ghat to capture these moments in our mind, we touch the feet of Ganga Maiya and after letting our shoes off we dipped our feet in the water, the water is damn chilling but who cares when you are in the lap of your mother.
Our feets :D
I hope time stand still for us
After spending 2 hours on Triveni Ghat we comes out from the hypnotism of nature by a phone call. Shashikant's friends are going to join us for Chopta and they didn't have the bookings done, so we have to arrange one more bike for them. I am so much hungry so we decided to have some breakfast first and then to start looking for some bike renting guy. We did breakfast first and then arrangement of a bike for those fellow travellers was done, I took out my phone to contact our bike renting guy, but after trying 3 or 4 times he did not attend the call. It's a difficult situation for us as we have already paid a day rent and in that condition we cannot take another bike...
To read the same blog in Hindi, go to setting gear showing on the right hand side and change the language selection to Hindi.
This was the first part of this trip, in the second part I will take you to the adventurous journey of Chopta by bike and we will take so many stops to see the beauty of nature.
To see all the pictures related to this blog, click here
To read the second part of this blog click here
To read the third part of this blog click here
Happy traveling
Fir milege kahi kisi roj ghumte firte :)
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