Dayara Bugyal – A Perfect Hike To Begin With
We were planning our first trip together and we both knew that it was going to be a very different experience altogether, as we used to do solo treks earlier. So after doing some research, we got a few options and decided to go for the Dayara Bugyal trek. Actually, it was already in my mind for a long time and I’m glad that Surabhi agreed to it.
Dayara Bugyal is a meadowland situated at the height of 3050 meters in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. It is one of the largest meadows after Ali and Bedni Bugyal.
It is one of the best beginners treks with magnificent views of some renowned peaks and mountain ranges like Black peak, Draupadi ka danda, Bandar Poonch, Mt. Shrikhand and Mt. Jaunli.
Planning and packing
Now when the destination was finalized, we had started to decide the itinerary like when to leave, where to stay in Dehradun and for how long, all these things we need to figure out. We bought all the essentials and packed our bags a day before, our journey started.
We decided to leave on 24th May 2019 in the early morning but we got so excited that we left at midnight around 11:30 PM.
It started to rain when Surabhi came to pick me up, wow! what a pleasant welcome.
Our First Road Trip Together
Noida to Dehradun, the map was showing around 5 hours, we had plenty of time so we enjoyed our journey without any rush, Surabhi was driving as I was not a licensed pilot then.
After almost 3 hrs of drive, we stopped at a Dhaba for tea and took a short break. After this, we started again our journey and reached Dehradun around 5 AM. It was too early as any hotel’s check-in time is after 11 AM, so till then, we had to roam here and there.
Breakfast In Mussoorie
We decided to drive to Mussoorie, so in this way, we managed our time. As we reached, we saw beautiful sunrise in the Mussoorie hills and clicked a few pictures. On the way back to Dehradun, we stopped at a viewpoint, nearby there was a small Restaurant, we had paranthas and chai for breakfast. After enjoying this unplanned trip, we came back to Dehradun.
Hotel Hunting
We hadn’t pre-booked any hotel as we wanted to be sure of the ambience and locality because we had to drop our car while we would be on our trek. So we searched online, parking was our first priority and also we wanted to be in the centre of Dehradun from where we could reach the bus stand or get any mode of transportation easily. So after a lot of sightseeing, we finalised H W Residency, Rajpur road.
We checked in the hotel and got freshened up, we had a full day to explore so we decided to visit Sahastradhara.
A short trip to Sahastradhara
We had lunch at Bikanerwala then we headed for Sahastradhara, it was around 12 Km from Rajpur road. Sahastaradhara means a thousand springs, it is known for its therapeutical and medicinal water which is rich in Sulphur from the limestones.
It is a perfect place for families and for those who are here for sightseeing but we hadn’t found it interesting though.
After clicking a few pictures we decided to go back to our hotel as the next day we had to leave early for our adventure.
25th May 2019, Day 1 – Dehradun To Raithal
Raithal is the village where we had to reach for the Dayara Bugyal trek. To reach Raithal first we had to reach Uttarkashi.
Reaching Uttarkashi
We left early in the morning around 6 AM and already informed the hotel reception about our plan. They agreed to keep our car parked in the hotel premises. From the Pahadi bus stand we got the 8 AM bus for Uttarkashi, from Dehradun it is around 5 hrs journey and we reached there around 1:30 PM.
Heading To Bhatwari
After reaching Uttarkashi we asked a few locals for Raithal, they told us no direct convenience is available for Raithal so first, we had to reach Bhatwari by a shared taxi or if we wanted we could book a private cab as well and then from there we would get convenience for Raithal.
We decided to take a shared taxi, it took us around 1 hr to reach Bhatwari.
Bhatwari is a marketplace where all the people from near villages come for purchasing all the essentials. We had Tea and Samosa there and then we waited for any convenience to Raithal. We left our bags at that Dhaba and went outside to click a few pictures as the view was very scenic.
When we came back to dhaba, there were a few other people gathered and were waiting for the bus or taxi. It was around 2 hrs since we were waiting, then the Dhaba owner said his brother is coming from Uttarkashi in his Tata Sumo which we can take and also he told us that he has a homestay in Raithal, this was a big relief for us because the sun was setting down and still we were in Bhatwari.
Reaching Raithal
In the next half an hour our ride had come, quickly we put our backpacks in the back and grabbed the seat, the guy name was Sumit, his wife and daughter Pihu was also with him, we had little chit chat with them and told them about our plan. At 7:30 PM we finally reached Raithal.
They welcomed us into their homestay, after freshening up they offered us Tea which we had sitting on their porch. In front of us, we could see a clear glimpse of Shrikhand Mahadev, which was a mesmerizing view with the rising moon and twinkling stars. We sat there for a while and then went inside our room, put our phones on charging and discussed tomorrow’s plan. Meanwhile, Sumit bhaiya came and asked, what we would like to have for dinner. So we said, simple vegetarian food, anything everything, we are not choosy about food.
They served us a perfect pahadi dinner with Rajma-roti/rice and their in-house buttermilk. After having this fulfiling meal we sat with Sumit Bhaiya and asked him about the trail, he told us that camping is not allowed on the top or on the trail due to forest department restrictions. He then suggested that we should leave early in the morning with packed lunch and do a day hike to the top of the Dayara Bugyal and come back before the sunset. It seemed like a good plan to us. After a little more light-hearted chat we went off to sleep.
26th May 2019, Day 2 – Raithal To Dayara Bugyal And Back
We woke up at around 7 AM, as we came outside to witness the morning view Sumit bhaiya had brought the tea, we took our cups and went on the terrace there we met his father he was a very gentle old man who also gave us few tips for the trek. As we finished our Tea her mother came to worshipping Shrikhand Mahadev, she told us about the kul Devi temple which was built just in front of their house.
Then after soaking these holy vibes we went to get freshened up, at around 9 AM we were ready we had aloo parantha in breakfast and packed some for lunch too.
Hitting The Trail
Sumit Bhaiya had called the forest department and told us about the office which was on the way from where we had to collect our permits. After doing some official formalities we had our permits, now our hike to Dayara Bugyal was started.
In the beginning, the trail was steep going between the orchards and fields. We both were doing the trek after a long time, so just after 30 minutes hike, we had to stop for some rest.
After a while we were in the middle of a thick forest, blooming Rhododendrons and oak trees were all around us now we had our enthusiasm back. Now we were walking at a slow but continuous pace following on the trail we found a water pump where we clicked a few photos and had snacks and yes we met a dog there who walked with us.
We don’t know about the in-between campsites as our destination was Dayara Bugyal. So we were walking continuously enjoying the grasslands, wildflowers and forest, after an hour we found a hut. That must be the hut Sumit Bhaiya told us about, it is the forest department’s hut.
As we climbed up, mountains appeared to be more clear which were earlier hidden from the view.
As we moved further we saw a flat grassy land covered with yellow wildflowers we couldn’t resist that so we laid down there for a while, took some pictures and enjoyed the peacefulness of nature. The entire aura was so meditative, from being a part of the concrete jungle these places always attract our souls and keep forcing us to just leave everything aside and settle there for a while.
We had a long way to go and due to that time crunch, we had to move ahead. After walking for approximately 2 hours we could see the flat meadows and a shop we thought this is it that must be the Dayara Bugyal, as we reached there the shop owner invited us for lunch and asked us to stay in his shop for the night, he must have separate sleeping arrangements as well but that was not our plan so we thanked him for his generosity and asked him the way to the Dayara Bugyal top, he then said it is hardly a KM ahead and that was a big relief for us. We increased our pace we wanted to reach the top as soon as possible.
And there it was Dayara Bugyal top vast meadows covered with green grass seemed like a sea of grass and those ups and downs like its tides. From here we could see all the majestic mountains very closely and clearly, this view is worth all the hardships we did in the last two days.
We clicked a lot of photos and had lunch, there were a lot of Ravens flying, attracted to our lunch so we shared a parantha with them. Then after 15-20 minutes, we decided to go back as soon it would become dark.
Descent To Raithal
We followed the same path by which we came, the descent is always easy as compared to the ascent so we easily walked down in a few hours it was around 6:30 PM quite late though but that was a well-spent day. Sumit Bhaiya’s father asked us about our journey, we were chit chatting meanwhile Bhaiya came with Tea, which we must be needed after this tiring hike.
After having Tea we got freshened up and rested for a while, then had dinner and slept early just after the dinner.
27th May 2019, Day 3 – Raithal To Dehradun
We woke up at around 7:30 AM got freshened up then had breakfast, we had to leave today so Sumit Bhaiya had called one of his known who was a taxi owner and luckily he was going to Uttarkashi, we got the taxi at the door. We met Bhaiya’s mother and father took their blessings and then with a hopeful statement of seeing you all soon, we left.
The taxi dropped us at Uttarkashi in just 1.5 hr then there we waited for the bus to Dehradun. Unfortunately, we missed the morning bus and the next one was scheduled at around 3 PM, there were lots of private taxies but those were asking 3k which was not at all we prefer. So we decided to wait till 3 PM and boarded the bus. We reached Dehradun around 8 PM.
So that was our first hiking trip together, a mix up of a road trip, bus journeys, trekking and lots of budding moments.
*We did the Dayara Bugyal trek in 2019 and wrote this blog recently so, the timings might not be precise but our experience does.
