Har Ki Dun Trek

trekModerateUttarkashi, Uttarakhand

A week-long valley trek from Sankri to a hanging alpine valley below Swargarohini, through inhabited Garhwali villages.

Trip details

Har Ki Dun is a broad, cradle-shaped hanging valley at the head of the Supin river in Uttarkashi district, ringed by the Swargarohini group and fed by the Jaundhar glacier. The trek is a river-valley walk rather than a climb: from Sankri you drop to Taluka and then follow the Supin upstream through deodar and pine forest, past terraced fields and the wooden-and-stone villages of Gangad, Datmir, Panwani and Osla, before the tree line gives way to grass and the valley opens out. Nothing on the route is technical. What makes it real work is length and repetition: several 11 to 14 km days with a few hundred metres of net gain each, on stone-paved mule track, forest trail and, in the shoulder months, hard old snow on the upper section. The cultural side is not decoration. These are lived-in villages with their own temple traditions, and the trail is a working route for people and livestock. It suits a reasonably fit first-time Himalayan trekker who is prepared for long days and cold nights, and does not suit anyone looking for a short walk or a summit. Camping rules inside the national park have changed more than once since 2018, so the exact campsites your operator uses may differ from any itinerary published a season ago.

Safety details & FAQ

Is Har Ki Dun a good trek for a first-time trekker?

Yes, with real training. The route is graded Moderate rather than the softer Easy or Easy-Moderate some sites use, because you sleep between 2,600 m and 3,300 m and walk four to five consecutive days of 8-14 km with a few hundred metres of gain and loss each. Nothing is technical, but treat it as a genuine trek, not a stroll: build to 5 km in 35 minutes and climb ten flights of stairs comfortably before you book.

When is the best time to trek Har Ki Dun, and does the trail change with the season?

March-April and September-November are best. March-April still carry winter snow above Kalkattiyadhar with the lower forest clear; May-June is warmest but hazier and busier; September gives the sharpest post-monsoon views; October-November is cold, clear and quiet. Avoid July-August, when monsoon landslides hit the approach road, and treat December-February as conditional, since two sources say winter permits aren't issued then.

Do I need a permit for Har Ki Dun, and can I trek it without a guide?

Yes to both. The Govind Pashu Vihar entry and trekking permit is issued by the Uttarakhand Forest Department at the Sankri check post or in advance from the DFO at Purola, and your operator arranges it. Independent, unguided trekking beyond Sankri isn't permitted — a registered local guide is a condition of the permit, so solo self-supported trips don't work on this route.

How real is altitude sickness risk on Har Ki Dun?

Moderate but real. You go from about 670 m to sleeping at 1,950 m, then roughly 2,600 m, then 3,200-3,350 m, before walking to 3,566 m — a pace fast enough that headache and broken sleep are common on nights three and four. HAPE and HACE are unlikely below 3,000 m but not impossible. Drink 3-4 litres a day, report headache early, and descend if symptoms worsen rather than pushing on.

What do people most often get wrong packing for Har Ki Dun?

Three things: skipping microspikes for the old refrozen snow above Kalkattiyadhar in March, April and late November; bringing boots that aren't broken in over at least 50 km, which causes blisters on the stone mule track; and using a hydration bladder, whose hose freezes overnight — carry insulated or wide-mouth bottles instead.

How do I get to the Har Ki Dun trailhead?

Fly or take the train to Dehradun, then it's a road transfer of about 190-225 km to Sankri, the roadhead and last motorable village. Budget 8-11 hours by road via Mussoorie, Purola and Mori — the drive itself gains most of the trek's early altitude, so eat and drink properly on arrival rather than assuming a short hop.

Does the Har Ki Dun trek include Maninda Tal, and does that change the altitude?

Only if your operator runs it as an add-on. The valley floor itself is 3,566 m (11,700 ft), but the Maninda Tal / Jaundhar glacier excursion pushes the day's high point to roughly 3,780-3,810 m (12,400-12,500 ft) and adds 8-10 km. Ask before booking whether your departure includes it, since it changes both the distance and the altitude you should prepare for.

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Safety, verified

Safety details last verified 21 Aug 2026 by Madclub.

  • Known hazards

    Stone-paved mule track for much of the lower route, uneven and slick when wet, which is the main cause of twisted ankles here; Old, refrozen snow on the trail above Osla and around Kalkattiyadhar in March, April and from late November, hard enough in the morning to need microspikes and slushy enough by afternoon to slide on; Steep drop-offs to the Supin on sections of the traverse between Seema and Osla, narrow in places and shared with loaded mules. Give mules the inside of the trail and stand still while they pass; Loose scree and gravel on the climb from Osla up to Kalkattiyadhar; Occasional falling stones on the road-cut sections between Sankri and Taluka, especially after rain; The valley floor itself is a broad open meadow with no shelter, so an afternoon storm there means a long exposed walk back to camp

  • Best season

    March and April give you the last of the winter snow on the upper trail above Kalkattiyadhar with the lower forest already clear, which is the closest thing to a snow trek that is reliably permitted here. May and June are the warmest and busiest: the valley is green, the rhododendron is out, days run roughly 15 to 25 C and nights stay above freezing at the lower camps, but afternoon build-up and short thunderstorms are common by June. September, once the monsoon withdraws, gives the sharpest views of Swargarohini and the cleanest air of the year, with wildflowers still out early in the month. October and November are cold, clear and quiet, with sub-zero nights and the first snow arriving on the tops. The cost of the shoulder months is cold and short daylight; the cost of May and June is crowds and haze.

  • Maximum altitude

    11700 ft / 3566 m — The floor of the Har Ki Dun valley itself. Wikipedia, euttaranchal, Himalaya Shelter, Trek The Thrills and Explurger all give 3,566 m / about 11,700 ft for the valley. Itineraries that add the Maninda (Marinda) Tal lake or the Jaundhar glacier viewpoint as a day excursion go higher again, to roughly 12,400 to 12,700 ft (3,780 to 3,875 m), so the true high point of a given departure depends on whether that excursion is run.

  • Getting there

    Railhead Dehradun (DDN), approximately 190 to 200 km from Sankri by road, 8 to 11 hours via Mussoorie, Purola and Mori; airport Jolly Grant, Dehradun (DED), approximately 210 to 225 km from Sankri, 9 to 11 hours by road

  • Difficulty

    No exposure, no technical ground and no pass to cross, but four to five consecutive days of 8 to 14 km with 500 to 900 m of daily gain and loss, on stone mule track that is hard on ankles and knees. You sleep between roughly 2,600 m and 3,300 m (8,500 to 10,800 ft) and walk to 3,566 m (11,700 ft), which is high enough for altitude sickness to be a real, not theoretical, risk. In March and April, and again from late November, the upper trail carries old snow and the descent from Kalkattiyadhar is genuinely slippery. Independent grades range from Easy (Himalaya Trekkers, Green Valley Himalayas) through Easy-Moderate (Explurger, Himalayan Dream Treks, Trek The Thrills) to Moderate (Himalaya Shelter, Himalayan Hikers, Himalayan High), which is why Moderate is the honest label for a first-timer.

  • Safety equipment

    50 to 60 litre backpack with a padded hip belt and a rain cover, if you carry your own load; 20 to 30 litre daypack if you offload to a mule; Sleeping bag rated to a comfort (not extreme) temperature of about -10 C for March, April and November; most operators supply one, so confirm the rating rather than assuming; Closed-cell foam or inflatable sleeping mat with an R-value of 3 or better if you are supplying your own; 2 x trekking poles with snow baskets. On this trek they matter more on the descent than the ascent; Headlamp with fresh batteries plus a spare set. Cold halves battery life; Microspikes or instep crampons for March, April and late-season snow above Kalkattiyadhar. Confirm whether the operator supplies them

  • Guide requirement

    [{'name': 'Govind Pashu Vihar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary entry and trekking permit', 'issued_by': 'Uttarakhand Forest Department (Govind Pashu Vihar / Supin range). Applications are handled by the Divisional Forest Office at Purola and issued or verified at the forest check post in Sankri', 'where': 'Forest check post, Sankri (reported open approximately 07:00 to 15:00), or in advance from the DFO office at Purola; an online application route through the Uttarakhand Forest Department is also reported, with a few days of lead time', 'who_arranges': 'operator', 'notes': 'Reported fees are approximately INR 150 per Indian national and INR 600 per foreign national, each valid for about 3 days, with a still-camera charge of about INR 200 and a professional video charge of about INR 5,000. Carry original photo ID plus two photocopies and a few passport photographs; foreign nationals need passport and visa. Note that operators commonly quote a separate foreign-national surcharge of INR 1,600 to 2,800 on top of the park fee, which is their own charge and not the government tariff. These fee figures come from secondary travel guides, not from a Forest Department tariff notification that could be read directly, so treat them as indicative and confirm the current amount at Sankri.', 'source': 'https://himalayandreamtreks.in/blog/govind-pashu-vihar-national-park-guide/'}, {'name': 'Camping restriction on alpine and sub-alpine meadows (bugyals)', 'issued_by': 'Uttarakhand High Court order of 2018, modified by the Supreme Court of India in 2026', 'where': 'Applies statewide to alpine and sub-alpine meadows, enforced locally by the Forest Department at Sankri', 'who_arranges': 'operator', 'notes': "The Uttarakhand High Court's August-September 2018 judgment in the Aali-Bedini-Bagzi Bugyal case (PIL 123/2014) banned overnight stays on alpine and sub-alpine meadows. From late 2018 operators stopped camping on the Har Ki Dun meadow itself, moving the highest camp to Simatra, Kalkattiyadhar or Boslo and visiting the valley as a day walk. On 20 July 2026 the Supreme Court set aside the directions that imposed the overnight-stay ban and the 200-visitor cap, while leaving the other environmental directions in force. Whether Govind Pashu Vihar has actually reopened camping on the Har Ki Dun meadow is not something any source confirms; the compliance circular reported so far came from the Badrinath Forest Division in Chamoli, a different division. Assume the day-visit pattern until the Sankri range office says otherwise, and ask your operator where they will actually pitch tents.", 'source': 'https://himalayatrekker.com/trek-updates/bugyal-camping-ban-lifted-in-uttarakhand-2026/'}, {'name': 'Mandatory local guide', 'issued_by': 'Uttarakhand Forest Department, Govind Pashu Vihar', 'where': 'Sankri', 'who_arranges': 'operator', 'notes': 'Independent, unguided trekking on the routes beyond Sankri is reported as not permitted; a registered local guide is a condition of the permit. This is one reason solo self-supported trips on this route do not work in practice.', 'source': 'https://himalayandreamtreks.in/trek/har-ki-dun/'}]

  • Fitness prerequisite

    Build for six to eight weeks before departure. A workable target is 5 km of running in 35 minutes, or a 45 minute brisk walk with 400 m of ascent, done comfortably three times a week. Add at least two sessions a week carrying a 6 to 8 kg pack on stairs or a hill, because the trek's difficulty is cumulative load-bearing descent, not cardiovascular peak. Anyone who cannot climb ten flights of stairs without stopping should postpone rather than book.

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Cancellation policy

Free cancellation terms vary by trip. You'll always see the exact refund amount before you confirm any cancellation.

Refunds return to your original payment method.

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