Dayara Bugyal trek is one of the most beautiful high-altitude meadows in the country, located in the Gangotri range of the Himalayas in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. Perched at an altitude of 3408 metres above sea level, this meadow offers everything a trekker could wish for.
Equally beautiful throughout the year, the Dayara Bugyal Trek covers an astonishing area of 28 km and is among the highest and largest meadows, which attracts hundreds of tourists and trekkers from all over the country. One can witness magnificent views of the Himalayan peaks like Mt. Bandarpoonch, Kalanag, Jaonli, Srikanth, and the Gangotri group of peaks.
The hike to the Dayara Bugyal Trek starts from a small village called Raithal, which is 30 km from Uttarkashi. The hike to Dayara Bugyal is 8 km and is of easy to medium grade. The Dayara Bugyal Trek trail passes through thick coniferous forests and then opens to a vast grassland i.e., Dayara Bugyal. The Dayara Bugyal Trek is accessible throughout the year and offers different views seasonally. It is also a perfect skiing location for skiing lovers in the months of January and February. Go for a peaceful Himalayan adventure.
Overview
The Dayara Bugyal Trek is one of the most scenic and beginner-friendly treks in Uttarakhand, famous for its vast alpine meadows, dense forests, and breathtaking Himalayan views. Located in the Garhwal region, this trek offers an unforgettable journey through oak forests, mountain villages, and wide-open grasslands surrounded by snow-covered peaks.
At an altitude of around 3,600 meters, Dayara Bugyal is considered one of the most beautiful high-altitude meadows in India. During summer, the meadows turn lush green with colorful wildflowers, while winter transforms the landscape into a snowy paradise perfect for snow trekking and skiing.
The trek is ideal for beginners, families, photographers, and nature lovers looking for a peaceful Himalayan adventure.
Highlights
- Vast alpine meadows with panoramic mountain views
- Stunning views of Mt. Bandarpoonch and other Himalayan peaks
- Beautiful forest trails through oak and rhododendron trees
- Beginner-friendly trekking route
- Perfect camping experience under starry skies
- Rich Himalayan flora and peaceful surroundings
Itinerary
The first day of the trek journey goes from Dehradun to Raithal. The distance is a little over 185 km, and the time taken will be approximately 7- 8 hours. Starting at an elevation of 1,466 ft, one must trek to an approximate elevation of 7,100 ft. This is quite a large increase and can put a lot of stress on your body, so it is important that you stay hydrated and keep your body moving to help with the acclimation process. The route will take you through Mussoorie and the stunning Bhagirathi River valley. Upon arriving at Raithal, you are welcomed with the evening snacks and hot delicious dinner at night. Remember, Raithal is the last reliable source of electricity or mobile phone service before plunging into the wilderness.
You will travel through some amazing geographic features of the Himalayas. You will come down from the flatlands of the Doon Valley to the lower elevations of the Himalayas, then back up again over the next 10-15 minutes to a higher viewing point overlooking the valley and the Lake Tehri Dam area. This section is where you will begin to experience the very rugged terrain leading into the Bhagirathi River. The road in this area is overall well maintained and has many very steep turns; it is essential to have strong stamina while navigating these curves.
Drive Distance: 184 km (8 - 9 hrs)
Stay: Raithal Guesthouse
Trek length is approx 4 - 4.5 Km over a 4 - 5 hour trek. It is a very short but purposeful day, starting at an elevation of 7,100 ft (Raithal) and finishing at 9,500 ft (Gui). After having breakfast, you will proceed to the trek at an elevation gain of 2,400 ft. The objective of this trek is to assist you in developing your mountain legs.
At first, the trail follows a well-used and maintained stone pathway created by the villagers until it eventually turns back into an uncultivated dirt path through a natural forest trail. The trail is made up of several gradual switchbacks through an environment created by decaying organic materials, mainly containing dry leaves and soft soil. The trekker will experience a Heavy Canopy of Evergreen Oaks and Maple trees on the way up the trek, providing tremendous cover and a cool microhabitat, even during the hottest of summer days.
Trek Distance: 4 - 4.5 Km ( 4 - 5 hrs)
Stay - At Gui campsite
It is almost 10 km long (round) and typically lasts/socializes for about 7- 8 hr. You will be leaving from your base at 9,500 ft, trekking up and then down to 12,100 ft for the day trek. Elevation gain of approximately 2,600 ft means that today will be a difficult, challenging, and rewarding day in all respects. On this Summit day, we provide you with early breakfast & packed lunch for your trek and getting back to the campsite we serve you with the evening snacks and delicious dinner.
Gently trek on the route through the remaining areas of oak and Rhododendron forests before reaching the top of the ridge. About 1 hour after you have left the lower forest, you will come into view of the open meadows, which will have originally been the forest floor of the valley below. This area, while it may not have been the greatest cover of vegetation, provided many more trails than the current meadow areas. In winter, the trail will have changed to a wide ridgeline with very little vegetation and will have been mostly covered with deep white-hot snow. At the top of the ridge, the trail will become narrower than on previous days as there are few places to take shelter from strong mountain winds.
Trek Distance - 10 Km ( Both sides) - 8 hrs
Stay - At Gui campsite
Today consists of two parts. The first part of your day consists of a 4 - 4.5 Km (approx) descent from 9,500 ft (Gui) to 7,100 ft (Raithal), which may take between two to three hours. In the morning, we will provide you breakfast at the Gui campsite. After coming back to Raithal we will provide you with a hot lunch at the Raithal guesthouse. Then you will drive from Raithal to Dehradun (approx 185 km), which will take approximately 7-8 hours. The overall grade for today is easy, but please make sure you focus while walking down the portions where you descend in order to help keep your joints safe.
The trail is retracing the path you took going up; only this time, due to the assistance of gravity, you will get to your destination much faster than going up. The terrain will still be soft (i.e., forest mulch); however, please watch for hidden tree roots and loose rocks; these will be very slippery if you come across them while going down the hill. Once you arrive back to the village, the wildness of the forest area will transition to the more structured elegance of terraced farming fields.
Trek Distance: 4 - 4.5 Km (4 - 5 hrs)
Drive Distance: 184 Km (8 - 9 hrs)
Includes/Excludes
Cost Includes
- Included in the trek cost: All the items that are included in the trek cost customised by Touch Himalayas are mentioned below, with pre, during and post trek support.
- 1 - Pre-Trek Support by Experienced Trek Coordinators: This is a special component of Touch Himalayas, where a personalized trek coordinator is assigned to each trekker and who makes your preparation easy before coming on a trek, all your doubts, queries, myths are clarified, and you are mentally and physically guided to ensure that you come fully fit for your adventure. Every aspect from what to carry, what exercises need to be done, and how to prepare yourself for the trek, all will be guided by Touch Himalayas’s Experienced Trek Coordinators.
- 2 - What is included during the trek: The offered cost covers all major essentials that are mandatory for a successful Adventure, such as accomodation, meal, permit, team of experts, trek equipment, safety gears and mules / potters support. We provide you all the services that are involved in the trek. Below find specifics.
- Accommodation: 1 Nights accommodation in Raithal village guesthouse, one of the best property of the region, accommodation will be provided on Quad / multi sharing basis. 2 Nights accommodation in Dome style customised tents of Touch Himalayas on twin sharing basis.
- Meal: Your meals with Touch Himalayas starts with evening tea & snacks on Day 01 in Raithal and ends with Breakfast at Gui campsite and lunch at Raithal guesthouse on the last day. All meals provided by Touch Himalayas involve pure vegetarian and nutritious meals. We offer you breakfast, lunch, tea, snacks and dinners. The meals are freshly cooked and non repeated with delicious sweet dishes each night.
- Food Preferences for Jains: A large percentage of our trekkers belong to the Jain community, therefore we understand their concern very well. When we have Jain trekkers on our treks, we will create special, custom-made meals without garlic and onion. We cook these separately from other foods prepared by us, maintaining the same great quality, taste, and hygiene.
- Special Occasions Celebration: Whether it is a birthday, anniversary, group summit, or another event, we enjoy celebrating all these occasions with you by presenting you with a cake that is freshly prepared for your special moment. Touch Himalayas will ensure that every special moment you have here is never forgotten; in fact, it will become an extra special moment.
- Permit: All camping and Trekking Permits from the Forest Department; full assistance in documentation and formalities will be given by the team Touch Himalayas.
- Team of Experts & Professionals:
- Trek Leaders: Qualified and Experienced Trek Leaders to lead your group when on Trek. Touch Himalayas Trek Leaders are AMC, BMC certified and trained for immediate First Aid with search & rescue Course.
- Assistant Trek Leaders: They are super wise under the Trek Leader guidance focussing on the safety, logistics and trekkers engagement.
- Local Guides: Experienced local guide familiar with region & routes. They understand the way of conduct better, especially being locals.
- Support Staff: A team of high altitude including mountain chefs and Helpers to prepare and provide you healthy and freshly cooked meals on your trek.
- Trek Equipment: Touch Himalayas provided high quality of trekking equipments for your adventure, all equipments provided on the trek is 100% customised by Touch Himalayas, any equipments provided is tested on high altitude by our mountain experts and thereafter qualified for use of our trekkers, each fabric and designed are carefully chosen.
- Dome Stye Trekking Tents: The sleeping tent we provide is 6/6 ft. in size giving extra comfort for your sleep in the high altitude.
- Sleeping Bags: To provide you warmth, comfort and cozy sleeping.
- Sleeping Mattresses: Warm Form mattresses are provided inside your dome tents.
- Kitchen tent: A designated area at the campsite where all the cooking staff prepare all the meals.
- Dining tents: A large common area where all the meals are ready to be served. It is the social space for enjoying meals together.
- Toilet tents: These are the private space away from the main campsite area to avoid smell and maintain hygiene. We have two separate toilets for male and female.
- Camp Chair/ Table: Portable stools and tables are provided at your campsite.
- Cooking & Service Utensils: All the necessary cooking and serving utensils.
- Safety Gears: Touch Himalayas stands proud itself that all our Treks and adventures operated since 1993 are without any single casualty as we take safety of our trekkers and staff on high priority, following are some of the gears that are included in your trek cost.
- Oxygen Cylinders
- First Aid and Medicine
- Stretchers
- BP Machine to regulate your blood pressure
- Oximeters to regulate your oxygen flow
- Health cards to measure your daily BP and oxygen readings
- Walkie-talkies for Immediate communication
- Micro Spikes
- Gaiters
- Other Safety Equipment such as Helmets, Rops, Ice Axe, Carabiners much more, as per the technicality of a Trek.
- Porters / Mules Support: Porters / Mules are provided to carry your common trekking gear, rations, trekking equipment and other supplies.
- 3 - Post-trek Assistance
- This section includes the following -
- Trek Feedback and improvement advice call from your Trek Coordinators.
- How to overcome Trek injuries and settle to normal life.
- Advice and suggestions for the next adventure trek.
- Completion Certificate: It is the best way to recognize someone’s adventure journey with a certificate. A well-recognized certificate (IMF, ATOAI & Uttarakhand tourism development board) approved is provided to the trekker by two ways:
- Reached the Summit: we give summit certificates to those trekkers who have completed their trek at the Summit.
- Incomplete Summit: we also provide our certificate for those who have not reached the final summit due to medical reasons but they are part of the trek.
Cost Excludes
- Travel to/from Pickup Point: Arrival at the pickup point & from the dropping point at Prince Chowk is exclusively your call; you can book a bus, train, or flight one day prior & after your trek starts or ends.
- Meals & Accommodation: Any meals or accommodations that are not mentioned in the inclusion are completely managed at your own cost.
- Transport Cost: We provide you with the transport facility from Dehradun to Raithal and Raithal to Dehradun at the cost of ₹ 2,000 per person.
- Personal Services: Other personal services like laundry, phone calls, charging batteries, beverages, bottled / mineral water, or some other services are completely at your own cost.
- Medical Expenses: Any personal medication for your cause is at your own risk. Trekkers are encouraged to bring all your prescribed medicine and any personal first-aid supplies to avoid any uncertainty at the trek.
- Backpack Offloading: It is a totally optional service. If you have luggage & you want to carry for the whole trek. So you can book before your trek starts.
- Offload Charges: ₹1,680 per bag for the entire trek if paid online in advance & if you book on the spot, an additional 30% extra cost will be applied.
- Tips for Crew: Tipping is a personal gesture of appreciation to the team’s hard work. If you really like the crew team for their behaviour, kind & welcoming attitude towards the trekkers. So it's up to you how you appreciate them with some cash or gift. It's exclusively your wish.
- Personal Trekking Gears: If you need any extra essentials, you can rent these items like Rain Poncho, Trekking pole, Head Torch, Crampons, Shoes gaiters, etc. For renting these gears, you can contact us at +91-9286542477.
- Note: Book your trekking gear 10 days before your trek starts.
Dayara Bugyal - FAQs
General
The Dayara Bugyal Trek is located in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, India. The trek usually starts from Raithal or Barsu village.
The trek is considered easy to moderate, making it suitable for beginners, families, and first-time trekkers with basic fitness.
The maximum altitude of the trek is approximately 3,600 meters (11,800 feet).
The trek usually takes 4 to 5 days, depending on the itinerary and route.
Dayara Bugyal is a year-round trek, but the best seasons are:
Spring (March): Rhododendron blooms and melting snow
Summer (April to June): Green meadows and pleasant weather
Autumn (September to November): Clear mountain views
Winter (December to February): Snow-covered landscapes
