Nelong Valley requires a permit from the Uttarkashi SDM office which sometimes takes 2/3 days in case of public holidays,etc
BHPian jimnylife recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
Hey folks, back again with an adventure filled travelogue! Gonna be a detailed one.
During the Diwali holidays we travelled to Harsil, Nelong and Gangotri.
Trip Prep:
Initially it was a solo trip I had planned since I didn’t want to spend 4 days of Diwali holidays at home Then my mother decided to tag along with me and now it was a duo trip and 1 day extended as well, so a 4N 5D trip.
Nelong Valley requires a permit from the Uttarkashi SDM office which sometimes takes 2/3 days in case of public holidays,etc. Since we did not have any buffer days, decided to get it done via an agent in whose hotel I stayed in Uttarkashi. Permit was ready before I reached Uttarkashi and collected it upon checkin.
Actual cost of the permit is 0. But since I went via agent, I was charged 500 per person which I felt was okay saving me the running around in government offices.
Documents needed: Aadhar card, DL, Car RC, Date of visit.
30th October, Day 1: Ghaziabad to Uttarkashi
Travel time: 8.5 hours
Started at 4am from home and took the first short break at Haridwar at 6:45am.
On the Delhi-Meerut Expy
Beautiful sunrise
Bio break at Haridwar
We climbed upwards bypassing Rishikesh and next stop was planned at Tehri Dam. Found a little off-road patch going down to the river, so why not take the car down there
Demonstrated the hill descent control in 4H to my mom while coming down.
The climb back to the highway
Reached Tehri Dam View Point at 9:30am. I had never seen a dam before so I was pretty amazed at the sheer scale of Tehri Dam.You can actually drive down the dam as you can see in the photos.
Breakfast on the highway with a view:
The roads to Uttarkashi is amazing barring a few landslide prone areas, and you can keep up 70-80 kph on those wide mountain roads. After that pretty much uneventful drive until Uttarkashi tunnel, where the police was diverting traffic and had to go into the narrow bylanes to reach our hotel. The compact size of the Jimny made sure it trickled through the narrowest of lanes. Reached our stay at Hotel Himalayan Inn around 12-30 pm right on the highway with parking available. Checked in, had lunch and rested for a few hours. Visited the Kedar Ghat and Kashi Vishwanath temple in the evening to see the Aarti. The Indian Oil pump near the Uttarkashi main market had run out of Petrol and I had only 2 bars of fuel remaining. I was told if there are no road blockages, we would get petrol the next morning at 7 am. Hoping for the best, retired for the night.
Diwali in Uttarkashi-
31st October, Day 2: Uttarkashi to Harsil Valley, Gangotri
Travel time: 2hr 20 mins
First job of the day was to get fuel. Went and refilled at 6-40 am. Departed from hotel at 7am.
After Uttarkashi, road became quite narrow and had to slow down to give way to oncoming vehicles. Road quality also deteriorated considerably. But this is where the Jimny shined. No need to slow down on potholes, undulations etc. just fly through everything that comes in the way. Beat the Google Maps time by 35 minutes even after so many photo stops. Reached our Homestay in Bagori village- Nelong Homestay. We had booked this for 2 nights.
It was pretty cold here in Harshil with temperature around 7 degrees.
Some views on the way to Harshil:
Window seat view
After checking in, next plan was to leave for Gartang Gali. Harshil to Gartang Gali entry point took 25 mins.
Entry fee- 150 INR per person.
Don’t carry use and throw plastic bottles as they aren’t allowed on the trail.
Carry sufficient water as the trail doesn’t have any water sources. The trail is a mix of ascent and descents and it took us 50 minutes each way for the 2km trek. The wooden bridge itself is 150 meters long. It’s amazing to even think how this must have been built back in the days. Doesn’t feel scary when you’re on the bridge but if you see it from the opposite side I.e the Nelong Valley road, you’ll be able to see the sheer scale of it.
Photos from the trail-
Entry point
Being goofy
The road to Nelong on the other side of the river
Road to Gangotri
The whole trek took around 2.5 hours. 50 mins to go, 55 mins to come back, and the rest of the time was spent relaxing on the wooden bridge.
Now plan was to reach Gangotri. Gartang Gali checkpoint to Gangotri takes around 15 mins. Reached Gangotri parked the car on the roadside and had a sumptuous lunch at a dhaba. We spent the afternoon and evening in the temple premises. Watched the Aarti. There are 2 Aartis- first on the Ghat at 5-30 pm and the next on the temple courtyard at 6-15pm. Divine atmosphere must say.
Gangotri gets very very cold and windy post sunset. Temperature was 1 degree.
Photos from Gangotri
By the time the second Aarti concluded, it was pitch dark. Had a hearty dinner at one of the dhabas and started back for Harsil. This was the only time where we had to use the heater on the whole trip. The journey of 40 minutes was exciting with not a single vehicle on the road and in pitch darkness. We did spot an animal with the very thick furry tail on the roadside, not sure if it was a wild cat or a snow leopard. We reached our Homestay safely and retired for the night. It was a long day.
Homestay decoration at night
Continue reading BHPian jimnylife’s travelogue for more insights and information.
